MAX Universe

[jackolover]

Can anyone tell me is the MAX series of books in the Marvel Universe continuity, or, is it it's own 3rd Universe after the MU and Ultimates?

[Russ Chappell]

I don't think there is a MAX Universe, any more than there's an EPIC Universe. Max is just an imprint. As I understand it, each non-616 MAX title is in its own universe.

[Col_Fury]

Well, the Punisher and Nick Fury MAX books exist in the same universe (Earth-200111), seperate from the main Marvel Universe (Earth-616). However, the other MAX books don't exist in the same universe. Alias (starring Jessica Jones, who is now married to Luke Cage), for example, is set on Earth-616. The Deathlok MAX book , for another example, exists in its own universe, seperate from both 200111 and 616, and Earth-7484, which is the universe the Luther Manning Deathlok is set in (the original one, from Astonishing Tales).

To answer your inevitable follow-up question:

If you're interested in a chronology for the Punisher/Nick Fury MAX universe (200111) then pick up the recently released Punisher: Official Index to the Marvel Universe TPB. It lays out MAX Punisher's complete chronology and places MAX Nick Fury's appearance in those Punisher issues in relation to his own MAX books. The MCP won't be hosting these chronologies until it meets our criteria as explained in the FAQ.

[metaldragon]

Sorry to be a bit off topic but I read on Amazon.ca that there is an issue with the cover to the Punisher index, that it's very pixelated and don't buy it until they fix the error. Is this correct? Is there an issue or has it been corrected?

[Col_Fury]

I haven't heard anything about a problem with the cover. My copy's fine, and the copies I've seen in several diiferent stores all looked fine. You should be good to go!

If anyone needs an extra convincing push to buy the Punisher Index, not only does it collect all the Punisher parts from Index volume 3, but in addition it covers EVERY ISSUE of Punisher War Journal, Punisher War Zone and Punishermax (the second volume that lasted 22 issues)! AND all the one-shots we couldn't fit in volume 3!

[jackolover]

Well, the Punisher and Nick Fury MAX books exist in the same universe (Earth-200111), seperate from the main Marvel Universe (Earth-616). However, the other MAX books don't exist in the same universe. Alias (starring Jessica Jones, who is now married to Luke Cage), for example, is set on Earth-616. The Deathlok MAX book , for another example, exists in its own universe, seperate from both 200111 and 616, and Earth-7484, which is the universe the Luther Manning Deathlok is set in (the original one, from Astonishing Tales).

To answer your inevitable follow-up question:

If you're interested in a chronology for the Punisher/Nick Fury MAX universe (200111) then pick up the recently released Punisher: Official Index to the Marvel Universe TPB. It lays out MAX Punisher's complete chronology and places MAX Nick Fury's appearance in those Punisher issues in relation to his own MAX books. The MCP won't be hosting these chronologies until it meets our criteria as explained in the FAQ.

Where do you get 200111 from?

But I see that the MAX books don't have any similarities from series to series, with one exception. I'm a little surprised most series are thought to be set in it's own separate universe, because I detect a similarity between them all. It's like a little harsh planet, that doesn't subscribe to the niceties of the 616, and as I described elsewhere, reminds me of a Viking village, where you could die at any time.

[Col_Fury]

Where do you get 200111 from?

The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe names several alternate realities, this being one of them.

[jackolover]

Where do you get 200111 from?

The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe names several alternate realities, this being one of them.

Thank you. I don't know how the handbook would come up with that number, except that the MAX series started in 2001, and they only wanted to do 11 different ones?

[loki]

Where do you get 200111 from?

The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe names several alternate realities, this being one of them.

Thank you. I don't know how the handbook would come up with that number, except that the MAX series started in 2001, and they only wanted to do 11 different ones?

First issue of Fury's Max series is dated November 2001. 11 2001, or, reversed, 2001 11. Though we know the myth that 616 comes from FF #1 being released in June 1961, e.g. (19)61 6(th month), is bunkum (it wasn't and Moore just picked a random number anyway), the handbooks use that system most of the time as a reasonable way of generating reality numbers.

[Michael]

Though we know the myth that 616 comes from FF #1 being released in June 1961, e.g. (19)61 6(th month), is bunkum (it wasn't and Moore just picked a random number anyway)

Or someone else picked the number before Moore started writing Captain Britain- Comic Book Urban Legends discussed this just this Friday:
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.co ... ealed-379/

[loki]

Though we know the myth that 616 comes from FF #1 being released in June 1961, e.g. (19)61 6(th month), is bunkum (it wasn't and Moore just picked a random number anyway)

Or someone else picked the number before Moore started writing Captain Britain- Comic Book Urban Legends discussed this just this Friday:
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.co ... ealed-379/

Alan Davis said David Thorpe came up with the number. Alan Moore said he came up with the number. One of them is clearly incorrect, presumably misremembering. Moore is pretty scrupulous about giving credit to his fellow creators where it is due (not saying Davis isn't, btw, just that Moore frequently does so even when it is to his own financial detriment), so it seems unlikely he'd take credit for something that was Thorpe's idea.

The first time a number was given to identify a reality was more than a year after Moore took over writing the strip. Could Moore have inherited this from Thorpe's plans? Perhaps, but it seems unlikely - Moore jettisoned what Thorpe had planned within a couple of pages of taking over, though he did keep some characters. However, it is noteworthy that no numbers were used to identify realities anywhere in Thorpe's stories; rather, the one time a reality was identified was when a scanner identified Jackdaw's native reality, and then it gave a non-numerical designator. This and the significant time lag between Thorpe departing and any numbers being used lend weight to the numbering being Alan Moore's idea.

[jackolover]

I just wonder if it's time to either adopt a MAX universe or, come right out and say all the MAX books are in the 616.

[Col_Fury]

Both options are impossible.

The Punisher is dead in his MAX books (he died in Punishermax #21 and his corpse is buried in #22) and Alias explicitly takes place in the main Marvel Universe. Punisher MAX and Punishermax can't take place on Earth-616 and Alias can't take place outside of Earth-616.

Besides, it's not like the What If...? series all take place in the same alternate universe. Each issue takes place in its own seperate universe (with a possible exception or two), and that's all in the same series, not even serperate minis.