Comic Book Review: Max Payne 3 (Rockstar Games)

A 3 part series exploring the events leading up to the third game in the series as well as bridging the gaps between the other games while going into more detail regarding Max’s life before it all fell apart.

Separately titled, we have issue #1 – After the Fall, issue #2 – Hoboken Blues and issue #3 – Fight and Flight.

If you’ve played the game Max Payne 3 then a few of the locations will be instantly familiar as will the events that both finish this 3 part series & start the game. Max, a wreck of a man gets drunk, takes drugs & smokes way to much…something he is all to aware with his self-narration.

Max’s ability to recognise what he is doing wrong but be unable to stop himself comes across well in these comics. Even when he is retelling a story from his past, he makes it all about him & his failures. The man is nothing if not a martyr. It’s interesting to see him reflect on the events of both the first and second game here, just a notch on the belt in the life of Max Payne.

All of this is leading to Max meeting Passos & getting the offer to go to Brazil & take up work as a private security guard for the rich and the famous. Something that Max will end up doing after he kills the son of one of the biggest mob bosses in town.

Just another day in the life of Max Payne.

For fans of the games, this 3-parter is a good read even if the re-telling of Max & Passos meeting feels unnecessary. The artwork is good & reflects the dark cloud that surrounds Max most of the time. If you know nothing of Max Payne? We’ll you’re not going to get much out of this.