The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!

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The Mask:
I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!
Publication information
ScheduleMonthly
Format Limited series
Publication dateOctober 2019 – January 2020
No. of issues4
Main character(s)
  • Mitch Kellaway
  • Kathy Matthews
  • Abner Mead
Creative team
Written by Christopher Cantwell [1] [2] [3] [4]
Artist(s)Patric Reynolds [5] [6] [7] [8]
Letterer(s) Nate Piekos [9]
Colorist(s) Lee Loughridge
Editor(s)Daniel Chabon

The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! is an American dark comedy-horror supervillain comic book limited series written by Christopher Cantwell and illustrated by Patric Reynolds. [10] Published by Dark Horse Comics as a revival of the semi-anthological self-titled comic book series and franchise, [11] the series chronicles the events following the mask being once again unearthed after twenty years by politician Abner Mead, who aims to use it and the "Big Head" reputation to become President of the United States, opposed by a now-Mayor Kathy and retired Detective Kellaway. [12]

Contents

The series received a positive critical reception, [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] with a GraphicAudio audio play adaptation of the series releasing in 2021, [20] [21] starring the voices of Eric Messner and Keith Richards. [22]

Overview

Twenty years ago, a mask of unknown origin and limitless power was buried in the concrete of an apartment building's basement floor by Mitch Kellaway, Edge City and the world at large having all but forgotten the mysterious green-faced killer known as "Big Head". [23] Only after struggling politician Abner Mead acquires the mask in 2019, [24] and uses its power to gain favour of the general populace and run for office as President of the United States, going up against now-Mayor Kathy Matthews on her own campaign, as well as a returning Kellaway. [25]

Development

In July 2019, Dark Horse Comics announced a new The Mask limited series to be in development from writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Patric Reynolds, entitled The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! and following a new wearer of the mask as he runs for president as Big Head, under the slogan of "Make America Green Again!" (as a satire of the Trump presidency). [26] [27]

In October 2019, Cantwell described the series as "the grotesque exaggeration of our worst desires and a warped funhouse mirror of our best intentions", [10] having "wanted to write a series where new readers could jump in right away, and one that also honors the original books" on being approached by series editor Daniel Chabon to do so, describing "truest thing for me is that the protagonists are Kathy and Kellaway, as they’ve always been. Of course, now they’re decades older. So, they’re at once new characters to jump into, but have their shared history as well", [28] with Cantwell himself as having "channeled a lot of anger and frustration into this book. Everything seems so absurd and abusive and invasive now, even the things that say they’re trying to help you, or make your life better. It’s not true—they’re stealing your data, destroying your privacy, and dividing all of us into these tribal factions. Add into that global stress on resources and climate change, and you get quite a melting pot of chaos. The media traffics in hyperbole, but there is also an awful lot of hard evidence pointing to humanity being on the very brink of catastrophe. This story is set on that cliff’s edge. Maybe it’s even set after the fall, during the terminal velocity descent." [24] The series was published by Dark Horse Comics across four issues from October 16, 2019, to January 22, 2020, and collected as an omnibus edition on June 10, 2020. [12]

Characters

Adaptation

On September 11, 2021, Graphic Audio and Dark Horse Comics announced an audio play adaptation of I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! to have been developed for release in two days, [20] which Christopher Cantwell subsequently revealed himself to have had no involvement with, stating that "I had no idea this was being made, was never informed, consulted, or… anything. But this is my comic book script writing, revised without me and performed. Definitely a new experience for me as a writer. I don't know how to feel". [21] Produced with a full cast of actors, sound effects, and cinematic music, the audio play series stars the voices of Eric Messner and Keith Richards as Big Head, alongside:

Future

In October 2019, Cantwell revealed that "Patric [Reynolds] and I have ideas for a prequel and a sequel" to I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!, provided Dark Horse Comics would order a follow-up limited series. [24]

Reception

Issue #Publication dateCritic ratingCritic reviewsRef.
1October 20197.1/109 [31]
2November 20196.6/103 [32]
3December 20195.0/102 [33]
4January 20206.3/103 [34]
Overall6.4/1017 [35]

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References

  1. ↑ Grunenwald, Joe (July 11, 2019). "The Mask returns, runs for president in new series by Cantwell and Reynolds". Comics Beat . Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  2. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (July 18, 2019). "The Mask Returns With Political Satire Angle in New Comic Series". IGN . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  3. ↑ Nolan, Liam (November 10, 2019). "Exclusive: Big Head Commits a Brutal Murder in The Mask Comic". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  4. ↑ Johnston, Rich (July 12, 2019). "Dark Horse's "The Mask" Returns From "Halt And Catch Fire" Creator Christopher Cantwell to 'Make America Green Again' #MAGA". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  5. ↑ Aguilar, Matthew (July 11, 2019). "The Mask Returns In New Comic Series". ComicBook.com . Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  6. ↑ Grunenwald, Joe (December 23, 2019). "Exclusive Preview: Big Head fires up his base in Dark Horse's The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #3". Comics Beat . Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  7. ↑ Dastoor, Vaspaan (July 15, 2019). "The Mask Returns". IGN . Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  8. ↑ Spry, Jeff (August 16, 2019). "Big Head Is Back In Dark Horse Comics' New Ultraviolet Revival of The Mask". Syfy . Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  9. ↑ Quaintance, Zack (January 23, 2020). "One Hot Panel: Marauders, The Mask, and Wonder Woman #750". Comics Bookcase. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Weiss, Josh (October 14, 2019). "'The Mask' Gets Chocolatey In Provocative First Glimpse At Dark Horse's Revival Comic". Forbes . Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  11. ↑ Armitage, Helen (December 27, 2021). "The Mask Movie vs. Comic Comparison". Screen Rant . Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Cantwell, Christopher  ( w ),Reynolds, Patric ( a ). The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! (June 10, 2020). Milwaukie, Oregon : Dark Horse Comics .Retrieved on June 10, 2020.
  13. ↑ Patterson, Corey (October 16, 2019). "Review: The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #1 Vows To "Make America Green Again"". Monkeys Fighting Robots. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  14. ↑ Grover, Rowan (October 17, 2019). ""The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!" #1". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  15. ↑ Cole, Alexander (November 21, 2019). "Comic Review: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #2". Sequential Planet. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  16. ↑ Patterson, Corey (November 20, 2019). "Review: The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #2 Presents America At Its Worst". Monkeys Fighting Robots. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  17. ↑ Cole, Alexander (December 30, 2019). "Comic Review: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #3". Sequential Planet. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ Cole, Alexander (January 27, 2020). "Comic Review: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #4". Sequential Planet. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  19. ↑ Patterson, Corey (January 22, 2020). "Review: The Horrors Of President And Country Revealed In The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #4". Monkeys Fighting Robots. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  20. 1 2 GraphicAudio [@GraphicAudio] (September 7, 2021). "Coming soon! @DarkHorseComics at GraphicAudio! The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask. The series that inspired the hit film returns with gruesome hilarity from the showrunner @ifyoucantwell of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire and Hellboy's @patric_reynolds" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. 1 2 Connolly, Spencer (September 7, 2021). "Mask Writer Claims Dark Horse Adapted His Work Without Telling Him". Screen Rant . Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  22. ↑ Messner, Eric (September 13, 2021). "Dark Horse Comics: The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask![Dramatized Adaptation]". GraphicAudio International . ISBN   978-1-6488-1903-2
  23. ↑ Dedmon, Tanner (October 16, 2019). "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #1 Review: Grim Politics Multiplied by Twisted Humor". ComicBook.com . Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  24. 1 2 3 Cantwell, Christopher (October 13, 2019). "I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!: An Interview with Christopher Cantwell". Comic-Watch. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  25. ↑ Nolan, Liam (January 13, 2020). "The Mask Takes The Oath of Office and Becomes POTUS in Dark Horse Preview". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  26. ↑ Weiss, Josh (July 11, 2019). "Dark Horse Putting 'The Mask' Back On With Limited Comic From 'Halt and Catch Fire' Creator". Forbes . Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  27. ↑ Chiu-Tabet, Christopher (July 11, 2019). "The Mask Returns in "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!"". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  28. ↑ Welch, Kyle (September 23, 2019). "Christopher Cantwell And Patric Reynolds Stump Speech On "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!"". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  29. ↑ McGovern, Kyle (July 22, 2019). "Behind 'The Mask'". The Ringer . Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  30. ↑ Trinos, Angelo Delos (February 17, 2020). "The Mask: 5 Differences From The Comic That Made It Better (& 5 That Made It Worse)". Screen Rant . Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  31. ↑ "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  32. ↑ "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  33. ↑ "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  34. ↑ "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #4 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  35. ↑ "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! (2019–2020) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
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