Max Overacts is about a precocious eight nine-year-old boy who believes the world is a stage, and that he is the star. The series blends humor and drama, all shown with beautiful, expressive art.
The comic can be found at http://occasionalcomics.com/
Max Overacts provides examples of:
- Animate Body Parts: Max uses his voice-throwing skills to voice his tastebud's opinions of vegetables.
- Batman Gambit: How Janet gets her mom to let her pierce her ears. She convinces her brother to give his unrequited crush, Andi, a pair of fancy diamond earrings, knowing that Goth girl Andi won't really want them and that Max will go to his sister for present advice. So Jacob gives the earrings to Andi, who gives them to Max who gives them to Janet.Max: You're some kind of mad genius!
- Book Dumb: Max does not get good grades and is at risk of repeating the third grade. It has less to do with school work being difficult for him and more to do with his boredom of it. Ms Cheng ends up striking a deal with Max that if he maintains a good grade average he can perform play in front of the class once a month.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall : Max's mother, on occasion. Played with in that Moonchild, as voiced by Max, pretty much wears a lampshade as a hat, Leaning on the Fourth Wall in-universe
- Caustic Critic: Ms Cheng has the class read out loud their reviews of the Pinocchio play Max starred in. They use it as opportunity to get back at Max for his antics and bash Max's performance.
- Cheerful Child: Max's enthusiasm and energy usually registers off the charts, much to the chagrin of almost everyone around him.
- Class Clown: Max surpasses even Calvin in his classroom antics, keeping Ms Cheng at her wits end. Sometimes Klaus gets in on the act too.
- Classically-Trained Extra: Sir Allan Magellan: Max's next door neighbor, former television star, and recluse; is one of these.
- Compliment Backfire: Klaus tries to tell Becky she's pretty. She's less than impressed.
- Happy Dance: In tune with his boundless energy, Max overwrites the "u" on a "Dunce" cap, and dances on a table after getting a cheerful letter from a friend.
- Large Ham: The fact that the main character is one of these is pretty much the premise of the whole comic. As the title suggests.
- Love Triangle: Max is in love with Janet but later gains a crush on Auryn. It doesn't end well for his chances with either girl. Janet dumps Max because she feels that he prefers Auryn to her and Auryn moves to Alaska
- Model Couple: Max comes to Janet's costume birthday party as dressed as Peter Pan, much to her horror, since she's dressed as Tinkerbell. She quickly grabs a toy bow and arrow from another kid and gives in to Max so he can be Robin Hood instead.
- Oh, Crap!: Ms Cheng is mortified when the principal tells her that she's being promoted and will teach fourth grade. Which means another year of Max. Not even a pay raise makes the promotion any less undesirable.
- Perky Goth: Andi. Not a hint of angst, but the whole enchilada of pale makeup, weird hair and piercings.
- Puppy Love: Max and Janet. And Max towards Auryn, who is pretty much oblivious to it Plus Klaus for Becky, who keeps him at arms-length - although she DOES invite him to Science Camp Open Day. Carefully averted with Ronny and Racine who are slightly older, twelve and thirteen, so regard themselves as more "adult" but actually act like two kids. Inverted and ends as a
Tear Jerker with Max's unthinking rejection by the somewhat older Genevieve. Oh, the whole damn thing, really. It's hilarious. - Put on a Bus: Auryn, Max's other love interest, ends up moving to Alaska. Something that Janet gleefully points out to Max when she breaks up with him
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Reclusive Artist: The retired Sir Allan. We later find out why. - Spit Take: Andi spits her drink out when Max asks "Mom, what's a heaving bosom?"
- Straight Gay: Max is a little confused by Ms. Cheng's girlfriend.
- Thinking Out Loud: Both Max's Mum and his Teacher have had talks with him about soliloquies.
- Ventriloquism: Max frequently interacts with various puppets, most notably Curio but also Moonchild and Bear
- Webcomic Time: Max feels time is out of joint in this strip.
- Wham Episode: During Klaus' birthday party at the zoo Curio gets trampled on when he accidentally falls in a elephant pit, and after the party Max finds out the Janet got an role on a TV show and her family just left for Vancouver.
