Something good, for a change: The Maxx

Yeah, I've been doing a lot of focusing on the craptastic side of our life and times here of late, so it's high time I highlighted some of the cooler things about living today... to wit, The Maxx.

The Maxx is a short cartoon series from the mid-90s, with a unique concept, entertaining voice-work, and a wide range of artistic styles. For those not in the know, here's a link to more details... but, suffice it to say, that it was never mainstream fare. In years past, if it ever made it to a home recording, it would have been released shortly after the series ended, while whatever interest it held was still 'hot', then quietly stuffed into the archives, never to see the light of day, except in odd corners of video stores or even odder private libraries of cartoon nerds (and yes, I did get a VHS tape for myself back in the day).

Fast forward fifteen years, and we find ourselves with the Internet in full swing... and on the Internet, nothing is truly obscure. On the small scale, that means you could likely do a search on YouTube and piece together this series, or many others, with a little time and effort. On a larger scale, there are plenty of movies and series that have been resurrected in DVD form, the vast majority of which you can get through Netflix... unfortunately, The Maxx isn't quite "big" enough to do a full production run of DVDs, it seems, so Netflix doesn't carry a copy. Not to worry, though... we've also entered the age of on-demand publishing, which has reached into the realm of DVDs as well as books. As such, you can get The Maxx made, legally, just for you... and who knows what other "marginal" goodies are out there, waiting to grace your shelves, the better to spring on unsuspecting guests?

So, yeah, obviously, I bought a copy... here's a link to Amazon. $15 for two DVDs, and they threw in streaming copies of the episodes as well. If you've never been exposed to the series, well, check out that IMDb link I tossed in earlier, maybe do a little online research... but, if it draws your interest in the slightest, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the buy.