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The Maze Agency Fan MailDear Agents: I love it!! It is *so* refreshing having The Maze Agency back on the shelves where it always belonged! I'm a big fan of Detective stories as well as Mike Barr and I always had a soft spot for Jennifer Mays and Gabriel Webb. It's hard to believe it's been so long since their last published adventure and I'm hoping Mike will have the chance to keep chronicling their escapades for many years to come! The artwork was terrific, the story line loads of fun, and the characterizations and conversations, as always, were dead on. Real people, involved in real situations, and protagonists always firmly rooted in their beliefs in each other. Throw in some great interaction, and you get real entertainment! Keep 'em coming! I want more!
The Maze Agency is back. Creator Mike W. Barr is again writing his stories of the delightful Jennifer Mays, private detective and owner of the agency from whence this series takes its title, and Gabriel Webb, true crime writer and incredibly lucky paramour of the lovely Ms. Mays. It's been seven years since we've enjoyed the company of this couple and, reading this premiere issue, it's like they've never been gone. In "The Death of Justice Girl," the mystery to be solved takes a back seat to the stars. Don't get me wrong; said mystery is not lacking in any way. It's simply that Mays and Webb are two of the best-realized characters in comics. It's a pleasure watching them do their mystery-solving and relationship thing. I can believe they live in the same world I do. In fact, I wish I knew them well enough to hang out with them. They're good people. While it's the writing that attracts me to The Maze Agency, I wouldn't want to overlook either penciler Gene Gonzales or inker David Rowe. Their Mays and Webb are instantly recognizable from what has gone before, their storytelling is quite good, and their facial expressions are excellent. As far as I'm concerned, The Maze Agency is must-reading for comics and mystery
fans alike. Head on over to your local comics shop and get your copy today. And, if your
shop doesn't carry this title, well, that certainly bears some investigation. A comics
shop owner who doesn't stock The Maze Agency just can't be up to any good. Call it a
hunch. Dear Mr. Barr, Soooo, the Maze Agency has finally returned. I've read and enjoyed your books, such as Camelot 3000 and the Outsiders, but not as much as I do reading the Maze Agency. Let me tell you why for two reasons:
I hope that the third time's the charm. Seven issues with Comico before it went bankrupt. Seventeen issues with Innovation (including the Annual and Special) before it went bankrupt. I hope that Caliber will not only be the permanent home for the Maze Agency, but would last longer too. My only complaint is that the book is in black & white. I'm not too sure that the Maze Agency would be better off in black & white. A few questions if you don't mind answering:
Well, I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Barr. Keep up with the good work and hang on to Gene Gonzales. He's a terrific artist. Thank you SO MUCH for bringing The Maze Agency back! I really looked forward to each new issue when it was with Comico, then it got canceled, then I pestered my comic shops to carry it when Innovation picked it up, then Innovation canceled it. I'm so happy it's back, and you've got a loyal buyer of this comic now. This first issue was much better plotted than some of the previous stories Mike Barr has done. Although introducing several characters at once in one panel on page 3 was a bit irritating. Then again, you can't waste a whole lot of panel space on exposition in order to squeeze the whole story in. Also, I'm not sure I like Gene Gonzales' rendition of Jennifer Mays, though. I'm used to Adam Hughe's forelock on her as well as the near pageboy hairstyle. But other than Jennifer Mays' hairstyle, I really like Gene's art.
I am thrilled to see THE MAZE AGENCY on the stands again. Actually, the thrill first hit me three months ago when I read about the new series in PREVIEWS. I must admit I wasn't a buyer of the original series when it first came out. I was on a 30-month sabbatical from comics. However, about a year ago, I stumbled across a bunch of issues in the fifty-cent boxes at my local comic shop and picked up a couple of issues because of MWB's name. Needless to say, I went back the next week and bought every issue I could find. Reading the first Caliber issue was like seeing an old buddy in a bar who you hadn't seen in a couple of years. He said hello, patted me on the back, and caught me up on what's been going on in his life lately. As it turned out, he hadn't changed at all since I'd seen him last. Sure he may have a new mustache or tattoo (or artist,) but he's still the likable, jovial friend I remembered. MW Barr is still doing excellent work. If the first issue is a barometer of things to come, I'll be around for the long haul. That's saying a lot for me. I only buy about seventeen comics each month, and the majority of my decisions are based on the writer of a book. No longer do I blindly follow a title out of some misplaced loyalty to a "character" whose characterization changes with each passing scribe. Mike's characters are as stable as an iron molecule. Gene Gonzales seems to be a fine addition to THE MAZE AGENCY's stable of artists. His penciling is tight. His Gabe smugly insecure. His panel arrangement simple, yet imaginative. His backgrounds detailed, but not crowded. And most importantly, his Jennifer is a perfect ten. I'd pay twenty dollars to have a 18" x 36" poster of the last panel. As far as the story goes, I must say I was a little disappointed that the killer was not Kyle Rogers. For some reason, I really wanted to see him take the fall for the murder. I deduced very early on that the gun had been switched, not the bullets, but I could not pinpoint the culprit. Okay, THE MAZE AGENCY is a keeper. Who leaves my subscription box at Books Do Furnish A Room to make room? I believe it'll be Sovereign Seven and the boatload of one-dimensional characters and monthly preaching from Claremont. Maybe THE MAXX as well, for good measure.
Mike Barr, Hats off to you! I was so pleasantly surprised, no, make that JACKED ( is that word still used?) when I saw Maze Agency back on the shelf this week. The old series was one of the very best and I count it among my favorites along with Watchmen, Grendel - issues 1-12, Mage, and John Byrnes' Next Men. Maze Agency was entirely unique, (key to good work these days with the flood of product on the market). It also had the one thing seen so seldom........good writing!! So few people understand how important that is. Maze agency always had a great story in a SINGLE ISSUE! Threading each issue together was the Romance between Gabe and Jennifer, as well as the goings on with the supporting cast. Again,.......... touche! Pretty good look for black and white, but, as Jim Shooter says, "The Story is what makes it great and not just good."
Mike, Nice to have Maze Agency back. I have enjoyed the book since '88. It was Adam's art that caught my eye originally but its been the stories that have kept me coming back. The 'play fair' guideline you work with makes careful reading of the dialogue and review of each panel of art potentially rewarding (i.e. the 2 thermos' on pg. 19). Gene's work is very impressive from the facial expressions to the occasional use of background detail. The overall effect demonstrates how effective non-color work can be in telling the story. Congratulations to Caliber for working with you on the return and I'm looking forward to issue 2.
Dear Maze-runners, Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! For years, I listed MAZE AGENCY as my all-time favorite crime comic in my 'zine in COMICOPIA, the comics APA that I'm a part of. I could never stop detailing how rich the characters of Gabriel Webb and Jennifer Mays were, how the development of their relationship was well done, and how the stories were some of the most entertaining that I'd read in years. I was also mourning the fact that the series was no longer around. We started COMICOPIA in 1989, 2 years before INNOVATION folded. I always hoped for it to be resurrected someday. Now, my dreams have been answered. Issue 1 made a good entry point for the new series. While the story continues from where the old series left off - thus satisfying us long-time fans - it also managed to work as an introduction to the world of the Maze Agency. As a 'whodunit', it was a difficult enough case to crack as a reader. I figured out the 'howdunit' part along with Gabby, but the true culprit's identity wasn't so clear. Gene Gonzales art reminds me a lot of Robb Phipps take on the series, but there are some different enough touches to differentiate the two. My only worry has to do with the cheesecake element of Jenn in the Justice Girl costume in the end. It fit with her personality, and worked for the story... I just hope it won't become a necessary element of the series. That was the one thing about the INNOVATION run that always bothered me; Jennifer was always on the cover in some sexy pose, often with décolleté. This has nothing to do with the series itself, and to keep this element would cheapen the book, in my opinion. Still, I'm looking forward to future issues. At $4.24 Canadian, the cover price is a bit steep, but I see it as a worthwhile purchase.
Dear Mike W. Barr & Friends, Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!! At long last, the return of one of my all time favorite comics! I'm a lover of mystery and fancy myself an armchair detective, and there's nothing I like more than a whodunit! I collected the entire run of The Maze Agency in it's first incarnations and was deeply saddened when it went away. Jen and Gabe are two of the better written characters in comics, with a solid relationship and real depth to them. Kudos to the art team of Gonzales and Rowe! It must have been intimidating following in the footsteps of Adam Hughes, but they did a very commendable job! I hope that they will be around on the book for a long time to come! Is there any chance that the book might go color in the future? That is the only thing I miss about this new series. I'm anxiously awaiting issue number two and telling all my friends to go out and buy issue number one! I hope that the run here at Caliber greatly exceeds the runs at the previous publishers!
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