Christopher Cantwell and Patric Reynolds will bring Dark Horse’s The Mask back to comics this fall for a new miniseries, The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!
Cantwell is the co-creator and showrunner of the AMC drama Halt and Catch Fire, while Reynolds has worked on comics like Abe Sapien, Hellboy & the BPRD, Joe Golem, Aliens and Serenity.
“In a time when we’re constantly being bombarded from every corner by absurdity, amorality, public violence, pure chaos, apathy, and real moral darkness in the country, it felt like no better time than to bring the original punk underground spirit of The Mask back to confront where we are as a nation,” Cantwell said in a statement to Forbes. “The Mask has been gone for nearly 20 years, and now, the world is completely on f—ing fire. The world is ANGRY, HATEFUL, SPLITTING AT THE SEAMS. There is no truth anymore. There is only hysteria and a cacophony of disparate shouting voices. There is so much institutional crime on an ethical and moral scale that it washes over you in waves of misery that also sadly have the effect of dental novocaine. Worse, a lot of people seem to LOVE IT.”
Here’s how Dark Horse describes the series:
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”!
The Mask, originally called Masque, was created by Dark Horse Publisher Mike Richardson and debuted in the pages of Dark Horse Presents in 1987 in a story by Mark Badger. But Big Head,the green-headed character usually identified as The Mask, first appeared in a comic called Mayhem in 1989, in a story by Chris Warner, John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke. He appeared in numerous miniseries and specials back in the 1990s, including crossover’s with DC’s Lobo and Wildstorm’s The Grifter. The Mask was adapted to film in 1994 with Jim Carrey in the title role, and the character went on to be featured in an animated series as well. But the character hasn’t really been seen much since 2000, beyond an appearance in Itty Bitty Mask.
Cantwell and Reynolds will be joined by colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Nate Piekos. Cantwell took to Twitter to address reactions to the news that they’d be telling a political story:
The first issue arrives Oct. 16.
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