03/23/2026
Back in the early 90's—when Image was trying to pull creators into the fold—l reached out to Sam Kieth who was not just a big name coming off his sensational run on Marvel Comics Presents, but a friend who also loved talking about the psychological underpinnings of our favorite characters.
My pitch to Sam back then was simple: come do whatever you want. Total creative freedom. Own it all. Take it wherever you want-or nowhere at all.
And Sam ran with it and launched his creation 'the Maxx' through our anthology series Darker Image #1, promptly selling over a million copies.
The Maxx wasn't just a comic though-it was something raw, psychological, and completely unlike anything else out there. It was pure Sam 'i before e' Kieth. Even the way he spelled his name was out of the ordinary.
Most of all—Sam was kind, sweet, and deeply self-effacing. 'I could never do what you guys do' referring to us, the Image founders. Back then, pre-Internet-hyping and self-promotion was the name of the game if you wanted to compete with the Big Two.
Well, he did, but in his own way. A true original. Fearless in his work, never chasing trends-just following his own path.
I remember feeling proud of him...and to be 100% honest, a bit jealous too...seeing him break through in a big way-even making it onto MTV!
When he stepped away from comics, I figured he was just done with the grind.
'Good for him' I remember thinking when I read the headline.
Again—a bit jealous. I didn't know how much he was dealing with. What a tragic loss. May peace be with you, Sam. 💔