The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance To The Mask #1 – Review
When I saw that The Mask: I pledge Allegiance To The Mask had hit stores, I wanted to review it. I really want Dark Horse to survive and thrive. I’ve worried about the publisher since they lost the Star Wars license to Marvel Comics. Then they lost Buffy and Angel licenses as well. They are capable of putting out some wonderful, unlicensed comics, and have been for many years. One of the legendary comics they have put out has been the Mask.
If you only know of the Mask from the Jim Carrey film, then you really don’t know the series. It’s extremely violent, for one. It also really gets into the reasons that desperate people get drawn into putting on this mask that makes them do horrible things, usually to horrible people. It does have it’s moments where it’s funny, but for the most part, it’s about what happens when the worst aspect of people gets free reign.
The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance To The Mask #1
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Patric Reynolds
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Cover Artist: Patric Reynolds
FC / 32 pages / $3.99
In Stores: October 16, 2019
Solicitation:
Make America Green Again!
The best-selling comic series that inspired the blockbuster film returns with gruesome hilarity from the showrunner of AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire and Hellboy’s Patric Reynolds.
Years ago, a weird mask of unknown origin and limitless power was buried in the cement of an apartment building’s basement floor. Edge City and its residents have all but forgotten the mysterious green-faced killer known only as ”Big Head.” But now, decades later, the bizarre Tex Avery-style killings are happening all over again and are on a collision course with a bizarre political campaign where a homicidal maniac wants to ”Make America Green Again”!
Review:
This is a much darker series than the first couple of Mask series. Perhaps it comes from this being a little darker time than when the series began. The more naturalistic art style of Patric Reynolds makes the Tex Avery style powers of the Mask less funny, even on that dark humor level. It’s also very graphic. I’m used to having to black box profanity in Dark Horse preview pages. I had to black out entire panels. I’m a firm believer in the integrity of the art, but in the interest of being generally family-friendly, I got to do some editing.
Of course, we don’t get mush action from the big green head, but we do see some old characters show up that have an interest in the Mask, but they’re just one step behind. We do see how corrupt Edge City is, and how corrupt its politics are. I’m not terribly engrossed in much of the story, but there is a cliffhanger that lives up to the legacy of the series.
I may come back for the next issue, but I’m not certain what the market is for this series. Fans of the old series may like it, but I fear that the casual reader may not find it as accessible as the previous series.
Final rating: 6.0 (out of 10)
Preview Pages:
