Maximilian's Gold (in French L'Or de Maximilien) is the seventeenth album of the comic book series XIII. It was published in 2005.
XIII, Jones, Carrington, Mullway, Betty, Armand de Préseau and Felicity Brown hide in an isolated hotel in Mexico, because the NSA is looking for them. They try to decipher a message to locate a treasure, Maximilian's gold. Carrington sent an email to General Wittaker to denounce the crimes committed by Giordino, the head of the NSA, and so Wittaker refuses to go on co-operating with Giordino and he lets him know about the email.
Maximilian's Gold provides examples of:
- 13 Is Unlucky: When the heroes finally find Maximilian's gold, it falls into a chasm and they can recover only 13 golden coins. XIII notes that 13 is a lucky number.
- The Alcoholic: John Killarney drinks a lot of beer in the bar where Armand de Préseau meets him. Valdez calls him "borracho" (drunkard, in Spanish).
- All for Nothing: The heroes have spent a lot of time and effort to locate Maximilian's gold. (Mullway, in particular, devoted 30 years of his life to this quest.) When they finally find it, it falls into a chasm and they can recover only 13 golden coins.
- Assassin Outclassin': Wittaker manages to kill the four professional killers who were sent to kill him.
- Bat Scare: When XIII and Juan go in the cave of the treasure, a bunch of bats goes out and scares them.
- The Bus Came Back: Jessica Martin, who was supposed to have died in the end of Release the Hounds, returns in the end of the episode. She is asked to look for XIII and his friends.
- Defector from Decadence: Wittaker decides to stop working with Giordino because Carrington informed him of Giordino's misdeeds.
- Disney Villain Death: XIII and Jones cause Valdez, his henchmen and Killarney to fall into a chasm during the recovery of the treasure.
- Every Car Is a Pinto: Wittaker fires three bullets at the fleeing car of the hitmen. The car hits a street lamp and explodes.
- Genre Savvy: When she sleeps in the desert next to XIII, Jones compares her situation with Hollywood films of the 60's.
- He Knows Too Much:
- Giordino sends hitmen to kill Wittaker because Wittaker heard of Giordino's role in a conspiracy to frame XIII.
- Giordino also wants to murder XIII and his friends to prevent them from appearing before the commission of inquiry and to reveal the truth about the Sheridan case.
- I Have Your Wife: Valdez threatens to kill Jones and Betty if Juan and XIII do not bring him the treasure.
- I Owe You My Life: Carrington saved Charlie's life during the war, so Charlie feels obligated to help the retired general. Charlie agrees to hide Carrington and his friends in his hotel.
- Literal Cliff Hanger: In the Sierra Madre Oriental, Betty falls into a chasm. She hangs on to a rock and Juan saves her.
- MacGuffin Title: Maximilian's gold is the treasure the heroes look for.
- Previously on…: The previous episode in summed up in one page in the beginning.
- Shout-Out: Juan compares the quest for Maximilian's gold with the plot of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
- This Is Reality: When she sleeps in the desert next to XIII, Jones says that, in a movie, the hero would kiss his Love Interest and pledge her eternal love, but unfortunately she is not in a movie.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: John Killarney betrays the protagonists because he has gambling debts: Valdez, a gangster, constantly harasses him to squeeze money out of him. So Killarney persuades Valdez to track the protagonists and to seize the treasure they are looking for.
- Treasure Hunt Episode: Like in the previous episode, XIII and his friends look for a treasure, Maximilian's gold.
- Unwitting Pawn: The Fieldings, who help Felicity to escape by boat, to reach the US and to meet Giordino.
