The Maxx #1 landed in March 1993 as Sam Kieth's first solo Image Comics title, following a brief debut appearance in Darker Image #1. Over three decades later, it remains one of the more approachable early-Image key issues for a collector to actually pursue, since it was never treated as a scarce speculation book at release.
That accessibility does not mean every copy is worth the same amount. Between the standard cover, a glow-in-the-dark variant, and a scarcer newsstand printing, prices for The Maxx #1 vary considerably depending on which edition and condition you are looking at.
This guide breaks down what separates those versions and what current secondary-market data actually shows, so you know what you are paying for before you buy.
The Maxx #1 introduced Sam Kieth's purple-clad antihero and the surreal dream dimension known as the Outback, themes that would carry through all 35 issues and the character's own 1995 MTV animated adaptation. As an early entry in Image's founding years, it also carries some historical weight as part of the publisher's original wave of creator-owned horror and fantasy titles.
None of that makes it an expensive book by early-1990s key-issue standards, but it does make it a genuinely desirable one for collectors building out either an Image-founding-era collection or a dedicated Maxx run.
Like most comics from the early 1990s, The Maxx #1 was distributed through two separate channels: the direct market, sold mainly through comic shops, and the newsstand, sold through traditional retail outlets like drugstores and grocery stores. Newsstand copies used a UPC barcode box on the cover instead of the direct market's alternate cover art box, and they were printed and distributed in meaningfully smaller numbers.
That lower print run is why newsstand copies of The Maxx #1 now carry a noticeable premium over the standard direct-market printing at the same grade, a pattern common across early-1990s comics generally.
The Maxx #1 also shipped with a special glow-in-the-dark cover variant, a gimmick cover treatment that was common across Image's early catalog as a way to stand out on shelves. This variant used the same interior art as the standard edition, with the glow treatment applied only to the cover.
Unlike the newsstand copies, the glow-in-the-dark variant was a deliberate promotional printing rather than a byproduct of distribution channel, which gives it a different collecting story even though both carry a premium over the plain standard cover.
Treat the figures here as approximate, drawn from recent completed sales and current listings rather than a fixed price guide, since back-issue values move with market conditions. Recent sales for the standard direct-market Cover A in CGC 9.8 have landed in roughly the $75 to $95 range, with CGC 9.6 copies closer to $45.
The glow-in-the-dark variant has recently traded in the ballpark of $150 to $220 in CGC 9.8, while the scarcer newsstand variant has reached roughly $300 to $350 in CGC 9.6 to 9.8 grades in recent completed sales, making it the most expensive of the three versions at comparable grades.
The Maxx #1 is now over thirty years old, which makes high-grade raw copies increasingly uncommon as handling and storage wear accumulates over time. Grading makes the most sense for the newsstand and glow-in-the-dark variants specifically, since the grade has an outsized effect on their value compared to the more common standard cover.
If you already own a raw copy in apparent high grade, getting it professionally graded before selling is usually worth the cost for these two scarcer variants, less so for a standard-cover copy in average condition.
The standard American comic trim size has been stable since the 1970s, and The Maxx #1 was printed well within that modern era, decades after the Silver Age ended around 1970. That means it uses the same sizing as any comic printed today, not the larger Silver Age dimensions some collectors assume for anything from before the 2000s.
A Current Age comic bag and board combination fits this issue correctly, and a current-size comic toploader adds extra rigidity if you plan to submit it for grading or transport it to a shop.
It carries a UPC barcode box on the cover instead of the direct-market cover art box and was printed in smaller numbers.
Yes, it was a limited promotional printing, though it is generally less scarce than the newsstand edition.
The newsstand variant currently commands the highest prices at comparable grades, followed by the glow-in-the-dark variant.
The same Current Age sizing used for comics printed today, since the modern trim size has been standard since the 1970s.
Grading is most worthwhile for the newsstand and glow-in-the-dark variants, where grade has a bigger effect on value.
The Maxx #1 is a genuinely fun early-Image key issue to collect precisely because it offers three distinct versions without demanding a huge budget for any of them. Know which edition you are looking at before you pay, and grade selectively rather than across the board.
Whichever version you land, a current-size comic toploader is worth adding if you plan to grade it or carry it anywhere.
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