Terminal Lance began as a comic strip created by Maximilian Uriarte in 2010. What started as a humble series of 3-panel black and white comics soon sprawled into a massive multimedia brand with over 1 million followers across social media, a New York Times bestselling graphic novel on the Commandant’s Reading List, and more.

The Comic

Terminal Lance began as a 3-panel black and white comic strip akin to classic daily newspaper comics. The original inspiration was to talk about a side of the Marine Corps that no one else would, exploring the sordid underbelly and sometimes un-family friendly reality of the Corps, rather than the PR-approved depictions that existed at the time.

About a year after the first Terminal Lance comic on terminallance.com, TL was also published in the Marine Corps Times newspaper for years.

The Terminal Lance comic strip often depicts “Abe” and “Garcia” as the main characters, though each comic exists within its own universe and there is no continuity (unless explicitly stated).

Terminal Lance moved on from the original 3-panel structure sometime around 2020, and is now primarily done in square-format with full color.

Garcia (left) and Abe (right)

The Creator

Maximilian Uriarte was born in Corvallis, Oregon, and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2006 as an open contract infantryman (0300). At the Camp Pendleton School of Infantry, Max picked up the (now defunct) MOS of 0351 Infantry Assaultman.

Max was sent to beautiful MCBH Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where he was stationed with 3rd Bn, 3rd Marine Regiment, India Company, Weapons Platoon.

In 2007, Max deployed to Iraq with 3/3, where his entire section was turned into the company “Jump” platoon, providing convoy security and special ops for the company command. During this deployment, Max acted primarily as the lead turret-gunner of the platoon’s MRAP, riding behind a .50 cal machinegun.

In 2009, Max went back to Iraq with 3/3, only this time was pulled to act as a combat photographer and combat artist. Max spent this deployment attached to the S-3 and spent the deployment flying around Iraq taking photos and sketching Marines in the field.

On January 5th, 2010, Max officially launched terminallance.com and EAS’d with an Honorable Discharge in May of the same year.

Max in 2010

After the Corps, Max went on to utilize his GI Bill at the California College of the Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he studied animation. Max graduated with a BFA in Animation (with distinction) in 2013.

In 2016, Max released THE WHITE DONKEY, a graphic novel that would go on to become a critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller.

In 2018, Max released the TERMINAL LANCE ULTIMATE OMNIBUS, a collection of over 700 TL comics (and the best way to read all of the Marine Corps Times comics).

In 2020, Max released BATTLE BORN: LAPIS LAZULI, a graphic novel of Marines fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.

Max now resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and baby.

Max in 2022