Sam Kieth, the visionary comic book artist, writer and creator of The Maxx, passed away on March 15, at the age of 63, following complications from Lewy body dementia.
Former Wildstorm and IDW editor Scott Dunbier confirmed the news on social media and shared a statement from Kieth’s family. As per Kieth’s wishes, there will be no memorial service, and in lieu of flowers, his family has asked for donations to be made in his name to the Hero Initiative, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or the Lewy Body Dementia Association.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kieth discovered comics at an early age, starting with superhero comics and moving on to alternative comics. “…coming off of superheroes, even reading things like Nexus or American Flagg, it seemed to lead the way to things like Cerebus and Love and Rockets,” he told Sequential Tart. “When I went down to the end of a comics show, the colors stopped and they started being black and white, then it was pretty fringy. You were down there right next to the underground, and you never knew what you were going to get into. And that’s where all the interesting stuff was, come to find out.”
In that same interview, he shared a fun story about showing his portfolio at conventions in an unorthodox way.
“I kept trying to run around conventions with portfolios like everybody does,” he said. “I didn’t have a portfolio case, and I couldn’t afford those nice leather ones that everybody had, so, my mom had an old orange container that had once had X-Rays in it that was made of cardboard, and it was just original art size. I’d stand in line with this X-Ray box and show my portfolio [laughs]. I’d pull out my pages, and all the editors would make jokes, ‘What are you going to show me, your X-Rays?’ [Laughs] I’d be, ‘No, this is it.’ I remember burning with shame that I didn’t have at least a decent something to pull them out of.”
Kieth’s first published work was a story featuring a killer rabbit named Max the Hare — note the name, as he was essentially an early version of The Maxx — that appeared in the anthology Primer, published by the now defunct publisher Comico. He went on to do more work for the publisher, honing his craft as an inker on Matt Wagner’s Mage: The Hero Discovered and Steve Moncuse’s Fish Police in the 1980s. He’d also do work for other independent publishers, on Eclipse’s Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters and Fantagraphics’ Critters.
In 1989, Kieth’s first penciled story for DC would end up becoming widely successful — he worked with Neil Gaiman and Mike Mike Dringenberg to create The Sandman, the iconic series featuring Dream and the Endless. He drew the first five issues, which led to more work at both DC and Marvel, on books like Secret Origins, Incredible Hulk, the Piranha Press book Epicurus the Sage and a series of stories and iconic covers for Marvel Comics Presents.
In 1993, Kieth left Marvel to work on his creator-owned title, The Maxx for Image Comics. The character first debuted in Darker Image #1, a miniseries that never made it past its first issue, alongside Jim Lee’s Deathblow and Rob Liefeld’s Bloodwulf. Running for 35 issues, The Maxx blended superheroes with dreamlike horror, trauma, fantasy and dark humor. It was later adapted into an animated series for MTV’s Liquid Television.
“We’re deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sam Kieth,” Image Comics said in a statement. “From The Maxx to his work across comics, Sam brought a completely unique look and voice to the industry. His art was raw and unmistakably his. Sam’s influence will be felt for generations.”
Kieth’s catalog extended beyond The Maxx. His works include Zero Girl, Four Women, Ojo, My Inner Bimbo, Batman: Secrets, and the Batman/Maxx: Arkham Dreams crossover, his final major work before illness forced his retirement.
“Doing a Batman and Maxx crossover is like a family reunion with my favorite brother and our really cool cousin,” Kieth said when the project was announced. “You never want it to end … or at least I hope you won’t!”
Kieth was also a very active blogger from 2010 through 2023, posting artwork fairly regularly on his blog.
The outpouring of tributes from those who knew and worked with Sam speaks to the depth of his impact on the form.
“Sam Kieth did not bend for comics. Comics bent to him. I won’t call his manner of drawing merely a style because that implies some level of artifice. Maybe not since Kirby had mainstream comics seen an artist with less filter between his imagination and the printed page,” said artist Phil Hester.
“Very sad to hear that Sam Kieth has passed. He had such a unique voice in comics and I for one will miss it being part of the artistic conversation,” said artist Marc Laming.
“Sam Kieth was the artist whose work makes you feel like it’s more than okay to take the big swings. It’ll lead to making something you were destined to and proud of. His art showed you that you don’t have to follow a path. That you can unleash yourself upon the world,” said Devmalya Pramanik.
“Sam Kieth,my old friend since 16 and comic art genius has passed away.
He was instrumental in bringing me to DC and changing the course of my career. He also introduced me to my wife ( a cute little blond he described her as)and changed the course of my life. God rest his soul,” said Kelley Jones.
