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New York.......The 1930s.......An Alley near Times Square....
Thus begins the life and times of Maxwell, the Mouse who owns Broadway (to paraphrase George M. Cohan). Maxwell was a mere sketch when I first met him. Initial plans to make him a sort of Master-of-Ceremonies of an anthology comic book (tentatively titled Circus Maximus) were scrapped. Maxwell demanded a forty-page comic book all to himself. He got it: Maxwell Mouse Follies Number One. In fact, he got THREE Number Ones. More on that below. |
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| Maxwell Mouse stands five inches tall in his necktie and spats. He is a self-described "show mouse". He's been to Hollywood, but he prefers Manhattan, where he is the proprietor of Chez Maxwell, a nightclub in an alley near Times Square.
It's the 1930s - hard times - but the nightclub occasionally earns a profit by |
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| When he's not worrying about earning a profit, Maxwell faces a parade of 'thirties characters and their dilemmas, including Monica, a singer and a "swell dame" who shares Maxwell's heart and home; the Hobo, who lives nextdoor to Chez Maxwell - in a tin can; Champ, a former prizefighter known as "Fatal Fist"; Bitsy, a would-be orphan and radio star; Plucky Pluckett, an aviator of dubious ability; Melba, "the Toast of Broadway"; and Griswold, a traveller from Venus. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Although the last issue (to date) of Maxwell Mouse Follies was Number 6, the series' publishing history stretched across a decade.
This wasn't really a "stretch" in the evolving comic book market of the 1980s, but Maxwell Mouse Follies also managed to have three - count 'em - three issues numbered ONE. The first First Issue was a digest-sized 40-page book with a black and white cover. Under the banner of upstart Mad Hatter Publications, it featured a story called A House Divided. The second First Issue jumped up to an 8 1/2 x 11 inch magazine size. Published by Southeast Media Distributors, it reprinted A House Divided with one or two minor revisions and the addition of a new wrap-around color cover. The third First Maxwell Mouse Follies arrived when Renegade Press picked up the series. Renegade's First Issue, as it's color cover announced, was "All New!", and was followed, at long last, by equally new Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Issues of Maxwell Mouse Follies. After the Sixth Issue, the series went on "hiatus", to put it nicely. But Maxwell, show mouse that he is, would not go away. He joined a group of elite companions in The Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals (Jeff Rovin, Prentice Hall 1991 ) and the six Renegade Press Issues of Maxwell Mouse Follies became permanent holdings of the Comic Art Collection at Michigan State University. At Maxwell's insistence, I have continued to develop the Mice, and I have plans for them to play a major role in my forthcoming expanded web site. There may even be a seventh issue of Maxwell Mouse Follies some day. But we are officially finished with First Issues. Now try saying that Scroll down to see the covers of the Maxwell Mouse Follies Comic Book series. |
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Issues #3, #4 and #5 are still available in limited quantities.
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If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to Maxwell and me. |
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