Maskerade is a new comics series by geek icon Kevin Smith, screenwriter Andy McElfresh, and artist John Sprengelmeyer that could easily be a television show or movie in a heartbeat. A sci-fi crime drama, the first issue is out this week, blending a crime plot and social media into something entirely different and new. It’s also one of the first comics under Smith’s Secret Stash Press, so you best know many will be eying this to see what we’re in store for with the new imprint at Dark Horse.
What we’re in store for is a comic with the artistry of what I can only describe as Archer with slight sci-fi underpinnings. I say slight because the world Smith and McElfresh are crafting here is not too dissimilar from our own. Save for some fancy tech straight out of Mission: Impossible, this world is familiar. Run down yet controlled by the rich and powerful, we’re introduced to a city that was once an incredible beacon of hope and prosperity, but the only prosperous section after a few short years is where the rich reside.
Before we get to that, though, we’re introduced to a social media star who shares wisdom by comparing her asshole to her face. I’d recommend not reading the Dark Horse solicit, which gives readers way more info than this first issue does. Without reading the solicit, this issue comes off as a bit of a mystery since we barely meet a TV news reporter, witness a death, and jump into some espionage kidnapping shenanigans. That makes this issue quite enticing since we don’t quite have all the pieces yet, especially after the opening and closing pages seem to suggest there is a secret life being lived in the narrative.
Think she’s okay?
Credit: Dark Horse
Sprengelmeyer’s visual style is super clean in an animated style. Paired with a brighter color palette by Giulia Brusco, the visuals tread on an all-ages feel but are quickly abated by the adult content on the page. It’s a strikingly different look to a comic book that’s clean yet very keen on adding visual details. In one scene, for instance, a giant pink foot hangs on a city street corner. It sticks out since the rest of the scene renders the city in an average way, but the art instillation aspect creates a weird futuristic vibe, or at the very least some foreshadowing. Colors trend towards purples and pinks, giving the scenes a futuristic look, yet the vehicles, clothing, and general setting all have an everyday feel.
It’s worth noting the title of this series heavily implies a superhero, or mask, is being introduced. Again, there isn’t enough to go on as far as how that’ll play out, but a vigilante using the powers we see briefly in this issue could be a cool journey to go on. As it stands, the setup is just enough to start guessing about where we go from here.
The mystery aside, there isn’t quite enough here to know how it all fits. We can guess what the main character will be doing and how he fits with the social media starlet, but how that dynamic will function remains to be seen. Again, the solicit gives information that explains what the social media star is up to, but this first issue doesn’t explain what she’s really up to. That leaves you confused and not sure if she’s a villain or a vigilante hero. The issue also opens confusingly, introducing the social media starlet through a post, then dropping background on the city, and then throwing the death right at us. It’ll all come together once you put this book down and think on it, but its plotting is a bit jarring and it can be unclear what it’s going for.
Letters are clean and easy to read by Andrew Thomas. Captions use a drop shadow that sets them apart, and word balloons can sometimes go beyond your usual placement and positioning. In the action scene, for instance, Thomas has the tail on the word balloon for a “What the F…” loop through an “FWOK” sound effect. In the same scene, a character choking someone has the tail of their word balloon go behind the person being choked. Subtle things like that add dynamic energy to scenes.
With Maskerade #1, color me intrigued. It’s a crime drama with a touch of sci-fi, plenty of mystery, and a visual style that is pleasing and unique. Maskerade has a slick style that promises to unlock the underbelly of a vicious underworld.
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