Max Payne, the slow-motion diving, painkiller popping ex-cop has a tragic past and the graphic novel from Titan Books takes a deeper look at the story behind the hardboiled action hero from Rockstar’s acclaimed franchise in Max Payne 3: The Complete Series. The comic tells the story of Max’s upbringing, as well as key events from Max Payne one and two while leading up to last year’s Max Payne 3.
The first thing that any fan of the Max Payne series will note about the comic is that the art is not in the signature styling of the first two games. This feels like a pretty big letdown if you liked the look that helped to make the original Max Payne feel so distinctive (Although looking back at the first game the art isn’t quite how I remembered it). The new art style is a pretty classic comic look, and it’s done quite nicely. Using lots of muted colors, the book manages to capture that dark, noir styling that I remember fondly. And speaking of dark…
Max’s story is a sad one. Through a series of flashbacks the comic tells the story of Max’s troubled childhood with an absent, abusive father and an alcoholic mother, as well as recounting some of the events of the first two games and the lead up to Max Payne 3. About half of the book is these flashbacks, the other half is Max drinking himself to death. It’s kind of a depressing read, which is fitting for the back story of a character so befallen with misfortune. From the bottom of his bottle Max feels like he’s in true form, complete with his sarcastic inner monologues and hard boiled attitude. On the other hand, for being based off a game known for slow-motion gunfights and bullet dives, there isn’t a lot of action in this book. Still, it’s not a bad read, and while the extra exposition is good, I think I got the most pleasure from the nostalgia I experienced reading scenes pulled directly from the games.
At 52 pages this work has a lot of ground to cover, encompassing Max’s childhood, numerous events from his years as a police officer, two games AND the story that leads up to the third game. So it’s not surprising that the pacing feels a little rushed, but surprisingly, much less than I would expect. Somehow they managed to get a lot of content in here. The handsome, slim hardcover binding has a nice look that will fit in well with a graphic novel collection or discreetly into a bookshelf. It makes for an enjoyable read, and while the appeal might not be there for everyone, I think that fans of the series and collectors will be pleased with it. It’s morose, sad and violent, which is just what you expect from Max Payne.
