The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance To The Mask #1

I Pledge Allegiance To The Mask #1

Dark Horse Comics

Writer: Christopher Cantwell

Artists: Patric Reynolds & Lee Loughridge

What can I say about this book? It’s brutal. If you’re picking this comic up and expecting it to be like the Jim Carrey film then you should put it back on the shelf right now. Seriously, turn away and go elsewhere. You won’t find cartoonish catchphrases and you won’t lay eyes on any adorable little Jack Russell terriers. You won’t even be seeing Cameron Diaz turn up in a little red number. This series, like all comics based on The Mask is a violent thriller aimed at mature audiences…and it’s good.

If you’ve read previous books about The Mask you’ll know that once someone puts on the mask they become the sadistic killer “Big Head”. It’s no different here. Christoper Cantwell handles the writing on this issue. No, not that Christopher Cantwell. The one that created and wrote “Halt and catch fire” for AMC, not the nazi one! He’s got an unfortunate name but he handles the writing and the dark humour well on this issue.

You won’t find this new issue of The Mask getting to you on an emotional level. It’d be hard for it to affect any readers like that this early on. Instead, Cantwell wisely uses the pages in this first issue to give the reader a re-cap of the original Mask. This helps make this series as accessible as possible for new readers to dive into. You’ll find most of this book is about setting up the coming issues and little time is spent on the protagonist. Even so, through examining the violent actions of “Big head” we get to see glimpses of the human personality underneath the iconic mask. It’s a fantastic method of showing characterisation and I was extremely impressed by Cantwell due to it.

The penciling is detailed and handled brilliantly by Patric Reynolds with colouring by Lee Loughridge. I’m sure you’ll all love it. One thing is that if you’re familiar with Loughridge then you shouldn’t go into this expecting it to be like his previous, cheerier-looking works. If you imagine Marvel zombies rather than the Batman adventures then you’ll have a good idea of what this series is like. It’s a grim-looking book but you’ll find the art fits the tone perfectly.

If you’re new to The Mask series or comics in general then I have to recommend this. It’s a great read with high-quality artwork and I’m sure it’ll more than pique your interest for the rest of the series. My only major criticism is that sometimes the swearing-in this issue felt a bit too much. Also, there are realistic depictions of child abuse within the story so if you have PTSD or some form of anxiety that could be triggered by this then that’s something you should consider before buying.