Max Comics (stylized as MAX) is an imprint of Marvel Comics aimed at a niche ‘adults only’ audience, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system. Max titles are unique among Marvel’s output in that they are free to feature explicit content similar to that of an R-rated movie.
The Max imprint is not Marvel’s first effort in pushing the boundaries of content in their titles. The company’s Epic Comics imprint in the 1980s and early 1990s often featured sexual themes heavily. However, the Max imprint is the first time Marvel has specifically produced comics intended for an older audience.
The first series to be published under the Max imprint is the now finished Alias. Several new series were then created specially for the Max imprint, such as Apache Skies and Haunt of Horror, while the majority of its publications were based around existing Marvel characters, such as Howard the Duck, Devil-Slayer and Rawhide Kid.
Former Marvel…