House of Almerac Maxima Appreciation 2021

[Robanker]

Good God. That picture of Superman just reeks of 90's.

It also fits in 70s science fiction. It's just the most homoerotic thing ever and that makes it kind of magnificent.

[Prime]

It also fits in 70s science fiction. It's just the most homoerotic thing ever and that makes it kind of magnificent.

The mullet doesn't help ��

[Thor-Ul]

It also fits in 70s science fiction. It's just the most homoerotic thing ever and that makes it kind of magnificent.

That said, it makes so out of character how Almerac was represented in the books by Orlando like a conservative society to make his "maxima" shine.

[Robanker]

That said, it makes so out of character how Almerac was represented in the books by Orlando like a conservative society to make his "maxima" shine.

He was doing his best to shill Nu Max and even brought the classic Max in to shit on her in what looked like a thinly veiled dig at her fans. New Max wasn't great, but I think there's potential when added into the old Almerac.

Hell, Orlando's Almerac is a generic space culture that he retconned into being based on the union of two specific people (revealed to be lesbians to validate Max) and that bombshell is treated like it instantly upends their entire culture. It just felt like lazy writing to give Max her happy ending since he wasn't going to use her anymore. No real nuance or depth, Almerac was pretty much just very one dimensional.

But Nu Max can absolutely be woven into a greater Almerac narrative. I don't think she's without merit and overall I feel she can be a great addition to the IP. She just needs work and someone willing to do more with her than has been.

[Prime]

Yes but I also want Classic Maxima as her own separate character

[Ascended]

If I was tasked to put it simply, it's cosmic Game of Thrones. With all the sex, murder, excess and drama.

That's what I've been saying.

I love this post man. You just totally nail the vibe of Almerac. It's not supposed to be some socially/philosophically advanced culture, it's Game of Throne meets Star Wars, with all the nudity, corruption, and gratuitous violence/sex you could ever hope for. Debauchery and vice is practically an art form.

And I wouldn't want it to be anything else. Maxima isn't supposed to be a hero, nor is she supposed to be a role model or even all that likeable a person and her empire should reflect that. Almerac isn't a place I'd want to live (maybe a visit....just for the sake of science, of course) but it's a damned fascinating culture.

[SJNeal]

It also fits in 70s science fiction. It's just the most homoerotic thing ever and that makes it kind of magnificent.

That, and the Almeracian penchant for asymmetrical boots...

[Robanker]

Yes but I also want Classic Maxima as her own separate character

She'd be the protagonist of any Almerac story I'd tell, certainly. She just has more depth than Nu Max who really does feel like a somewhat generic teenager. The original has over a hundred more appearances than Nu Max so that's no indictment of the new iteration, just that so far nothing about her is as engaging a character. She's just kind of her arc, which is a coming of age/out story. That's fine, but after the last arc with Wonder Woman, that ended and she has nothing going for her as of this moment.

That, and the Almeracian penchant for asymmetrical boots...

Glad you noticed that! Asymmetry factors into a lot of my ideas for a Max redesign.

[Prime]

You said you would make Almerac into Rome?

[Prime]

Ascended is right about the Clois fandom freaking out. I saw numerous people upset that Clark had sex with people other than Lois and fathered children with them in the upcoming PKJ House of El, even though all that happens after Lois dies. For me personally, if the current mindset is that Clark is human at heart, then yeah he’s going to have sexual relationships with people after Lois. Why? Because he’s still going to have the relative youthfulness that his powers grant him. If he’s still got the body of a 30 year old he’s still going to be horny, as much as people don’t want to think about that . So I’m fine with it, as long as it’s made clear that Lois is his greatest love.

For Maxima herself I’d change some of the background and motivation. For starters I’d ditch the eugenics aspect, too creepy for Clark to ever consent to that imo, and I’d prefer he didn’t get roofied like Bruce did by Talia. Instead I’d have Maxima be the deposed princess of Alerac who lost her parents and her empire at Mongul’s hands, and is seeking to use Superman to reclaim her throne. At first she has zero genuine interest in him, but over time as the two work together to unseat Mongul, who rules the empire from Warworld, a genuine romance blossoms between the two. Clark is attracted by Maxima’s complete lack of self-doubt, she knows what she wants and when she sets her mind on something she doesn’t let anything get in her way (remind you of anyone?). She’s brave, dedicated, and doesn’t settle for anything less than the best from herself or anyone else. Also Maxima is hot so that plays a role too . Maxima becomes attracted to Clark because unlike all the suitors she’s had to meet, Clark genuinely isn’t interested in her throne for himself, respects her as an equal rather than viewing her as a prize, and confronts threats head on just like her. They’re both also stubborn, hot headed, and when tempers flare, watch out.

Ultimately they would unseat Mongul and restore Maxima, who would offer Clark the position of consort which he’d turn down. He wouldn’t be ready to abandon his ties to Earth, would be critical of some of the ways Almerac operated (a source of argument between Maxima and Clark), and worried that this post would hamper his ability to be a hero.

Maxima would be pissed at his refusal and would kick him out, declaring him persona non grata in the short term. She also would conceal her pregnancy both out of anger at his refusal, and also worry that his “softness” would potentially infect their daughter and leave a weak heir to the throne (weak in this case referring to lacking the ruthless political instincts Maxima believes are required to rule Almerac). Occasionally Clark would tussle with Almerac forces later on because of this, and maybe even Maxima herself would be testing him for the secret purpose of ensuring he doesn’t go soft so he can survive long enough to meet their kid. When the kid is about 12 or 13 she would finally decide it’s time for her to meet Clark and would time it on Clark and Lois’ anniversary for maximum shock and embarrassment to Clark, wanting him to pass on his skills now that she judges her daughter and heir suitably indoctrinated enough to ignore Clark’s soft hearted ideas like “don’t crush people under your boot if they disagree with you”.

So that’s how I’d establish their background and relationship in the present day. As a thanks for reading all that, here’s some horny fan art:

I just notice that Superman is literally just being covered by his cape

[Vordan]

Twitter found out about Maxima lmao: https://twitter.com/jamesgunn/status...607908354?s=21

[Robanker]

Twitter found out about Maxima lmao: https://twitter.com/jamesgunn/status...607908354?s=21

It begins.

You said you would make Almerac into Rome?

I would certainly take inspiration from it.

[Prime]

Twitter found out about Maxima lmao: https://twitter.com/jamesgunn/status...607908354?s=21

I hate Twitter so so much. Like these aholes don't even know what happens within the issue.

[Robanker]

I hate Twitter so so much. Like these aholes don't even know what happens within the issue.

To be fair, that cover is pretty clearly trying to elicit the exact reaction they're having.

Sidebar, I think I cracked my take at a Maxima update for 2021. I got the rough design scribbled but I'll try and having it actually finalized by the weekend. Don't expect miracles, I'm not Vordan, our resident horny fan art Santa. ;P

[Agent Z]

Attachment 105624

This is early Max, but keep in mind how she dresses when she's alone and how she envisions Superman as her ideal mate and warlord. It strikes as a very Roman gladiatorial take on Barbarian garb. Lots of revealing outfits, sex appeal is built in but there's a deep warlike nature to them. The exposed chest (much like with Max) seems to invite danger to the traditionally vulnerable location. It exudes confidence and sexuality at the cost of protection because it implies that's not needed. That's her fantasy of Superman as an ideal mate, so it tells you what they value on Almerac-- or at least what Max did before she started getting infected with our soft Earth ways.

Obviously I'd personally reign it in a little in their actual armor, but sex is clearly a part of that society. That their queen has no qualms presenting herself in that manner shows they probably don't have as restrictive views on nudity or revealing clothing. By what we can gather, they view exposure likely as some degree of power (based on their armor) and that the less you wear, the more you don't fear someone in the room. Again, I'm reading the way she presents herself and how she fantasizes the ultimate warlord.

In reality, they were trying to make her Clark's Catwoman and sexed up her design a lot. Let there be no delusions, I don't think a ton of this was intended. But we have to tell a story so sexually liberated space Romans who are immensely corrupt is a good place to start. If I was tasked to put it simply, it's cosmic Game of Thrones. With all the sex, murder, excess and drama.

I have no doubt their society is one where fashionable affectation did nothing to actually indicate character. This is a culture that pride themselves on sending their queen to bed a foreign champion and genetically engineer a superior child and then continue their conquest, hopefully with her new mate in tow but not necessarily. The honey trap would absolutely be in that arsenal, so you better believe it's probably employed in whatever other dealings are had with Almerac, either externally with other planets or internally with their senate (if we're modeling them after Rome) down to their small courts and so forth. It's been floated that Max probably has concubines or a harem for her pleasure not related to political marriage (should Almerac even have some equivalent), and I think that tracks if we're really building Almerac as, well, the Roman empire in space by way of Caligula.

More importantly, Nu Max and her plight at refusing to use sex as a tool/weapon and being shunted off to some school (to get "fixed" or stay out of the way) says a lot about how Almerac views duty versus the will of its people. I imagine even Maxima proper has reservations with tradition but adheres to it by the nature of her position, though she clearly loves the power she has and exerting it on others. She's shown to not be amoral, though. She's not just an outright villain. I'm sure she has some genuine affection for Clark to match her clearly overwhelming attraction to him, very much in part because he doesn't bend to her will. He's strong. She respects strength. Like her, he doesn't waver from his beliefs. I imagine she loves her daughter (assuming they go with making Nu Max her kid, which is what I'd do) and thinks shipping her off to the Crucible was probably protecting her. Max is a mess, but she is a person.


But they're a galactic empire and one that's expanding; it works despite being a rather ruthless machine. They're not just up to their eyes in wine and backstabbing and unable to function.

It's raw. Honestly, in 2021 it would take a lot of updating rather than just having a society where everyone is having affairs and stabbing each other in their bed chambers after three jugs of wine while touring the local nebula. But that's certainly a touchstone Almerac was built on and probably something to consider. I think entirely removing the Roman influence kind of strips Almerac of its identity and turns it into a generic planet, as does their clearly more liberated views on sex. I get the Caligula bit more because, well, they created Maxima. She is born of this empire and embodies it, ergo the person she arrived as reflects them; sex is a weapon, openly displayed and her ambition is matched only by her pride. Time on Earth changes her a bit (because we're incapable of believing someone would come here and be worse for it ) but not all that much.

Is Almerac problematic as I've described it? Well, yeah. So was Game of Thrones. There's a reason Clark never really goes for it with Max, and if he did, you'd better believe Almerac would change drastically by his influence. It's not supposed to be a good place; literally look at their queen. She's interesting, but everything about Max isn't exactly screaming "progressive." Own it. Craft a world that's engaging and awful but you want to learn more. Maybe you want someone to fix it from the inside. Maybe you root for Max and her daughter to change it for the better. But there's potential to give it a galactic signature as something to recognize instead of just "the planet with the lady in the iron thong who wants Superbabies except when she's gay and then she mostly just wants to be a teenager."


Yes, I can get a ton from just a few images. But a lot is from memory of her appearances in comics, though I admit it's been a while since I read Maxima in print. I'll brush up on her when I finally have time (I have so many things in my reading queue right now), but I don't feel like anything I've extrapolated is a stretch. Just my two cents. If you think I'm off base, well just be glad I'll never write for DC.

This is a well thought out post but if I'm being honest, I think associating Maxima so heavily with sex just feels outdated. Firstly, it's odd how often totalitarianism and fascism get lumped in with sex in fiction despite this not always being the case in real life. Secondly, I think Superman's primary female villain should bring something different to the table and too many female villains in comics are infamous for how sexualized they are.