The Maxx

I have a feeling the animation would be pretty dated now. A lot of the animated stuff on MTV at the time just screamed "look how goddamn timely we are, we're rockin the 90s" (HBO's Spawn looks that way to me, too, but I didn't like it when it was new, so it might not be a good example).

The same thing it is in any other: if I look at it and can't get past being forcibly aware of when it was made, esp. if it was trying very hard to be stylistically distinct, it's dated. Just like comedies that harvest contemporary pop culture for their humor become dated more quickly than others -- sometimes it's a horrible thing, sometimes it makes it funny in different ways later (it can be one of the fun parts of watching SNL reruns), sometimes it has no effect.

And also what jess said.

Ren & Stimpy was consistent in its inconsistency i guess - how many years did it run for?

and re The Maxx i think you're being too harsh on criticising it for trying too hard to be of its time - i appreciate the experimental aspect of that, obv. R&S was experimental too but always rooted in that mock 50s style.

does Aeon Flux seem dated now? it had a unique and consistent look which perhaps retains its freshness whereas The Maxx was amalgamating maybe too many styles and i guess this couldve annoyed some, but i thought it was a bold attempt

Which reminds me - have the new episodes of Ren & Stimpy been broadcast yet in the US?

The Aeon Flux ppl are now doing 'Reign: The Conqueror' on Adult Swim - I find it unwatchable (style that is great in 2 min. nonsensical doses != a fine aesthetic for the retelling of Alexander The Great in thirty minute chunks)

either way, i prefer the animation style and look of The Maxx to that of Aeon Flux, although AF has the superior overall concept maybe - and i for one WOULD actually be interested to see if the film ever happens

mtv2 is showing this as part of "mtv legit" on friday nights. they heavily advertised it and so far, in the past hour, they've shown literally three minutes.

I am sad to say my fashion sense from ages 18-20 involved trying to cop Julie's style.

Please MTV, for the love of god, get this shit sorted out on DVD before the medium dies. Do you have to be promoting a horrible live-action movie to be bothered, like with Aeon Flux? Fine. Just...do whatever you need to do. I will be WAITING.

I watched a DVD of The Animation Show 3 recently and for no apparent reason (except that MTV co-published the DVD) they put in that awesome 20-minute series recap that aired just before the finale. It was great and really made me hunger for a real DVD release!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002WJHDJI/

Wow. Print-on-demand? Weird. Seems to be legit, though...

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n54/n271007.jpg

I wish it was available before christmas, it would have made a great gift.

So glad it'll be available! I've got bad rips from the VHS tapes and they're a damn shame.

i love you too, the maxx

shine on sam keith

his solo comic was called "i before e" for a reason

I just went looking for this for the first time in years, and discovered they're streaming the whole series at liquidtelevision.com. Already watched the first two, it's nice to see it again. A little hokier than I remember, but I still really like the style.

this wound up being one of the more batshit comics of the 90s. which isn't to say it was good.

I never read the comic, and I've never seen the whole series. I caught maybe 2/3 of it at different times, out of order, which I'm sure made it seem more enigmatic than it actually is. But I've remembered it fondly for years and always wanted to see it all.

probably my favorite comic ever, I fondly remember when the issues started coming out once every 2 or 3 months and they'd be like 48 pages+ and very dense and strange

I've always been a sucker for Sam Kieth. Love the comic and the show. They released the animated series as a burn on demand DVD - you can buy it from Amazon.

I really love the covers Kieth did for other comics, the Batman ones especially.