It’s all coming apart.
Creative Staff:
Story: Cullen Bunn
Art: Eman Casallos
What They Say:
Cast though the time stream, the masked heroes of three different eras find themselves face to face with the sinister forces that spawned the Red Death… the menace who has laid waste to the world! But wild adventures through time have brought about amazing… and sometimes horrific… changes in the Shadow, Green Hornet, Black Sparrow, and the others. In order to set things right, the league of heroes–I’ve you’ve NEVER seen them before–must band together in hopes of saving all of reality.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The second Masks series has definitely been a trippy experience in a lot of ways, especially in the first half where it was hard to make sense of exactly what was going on and what the plan itself was. Particularly as it seemed like it was repeating through time. But as the gathering occurred and more of the “elder statesmen” of the old Capes crowd became major players in events it’s really focused in a very fun way. Though normally I would dislike having a newly brought together group dispersed through time until they can be brought back together for the finale, Bunn and Casallos do it with such fun and aplomb here that it becomes far too enjoyable. Time tripping classics across the areas they’re in work very well, particularly for our dinosaur era crowd.
While there is a larger driving force at work in this installment we do get a lot of catching up in brief across the other time periods. These masked characters are all pretty smart in general, even if in different ways, and understanding that allows them to pick apart the details of where they are and why. Our dinosaur era folks realize that they’re being guided towards something and that comes together well. And those that were in their own special zone in the past with the creepy party that got turned around into a killing field are mostly just trying to survive – but the Spider here realizes something else is afoot as a young girl gets indignant before phasing out of reality. This is a recurring element to the book in general but that only happens to those in the near future. So having this experience in the past feels like a big signal, one that the Spider picks up on. For the most part there isn’t a lot of depth with these catch-up moments but they’re really fun in seeing the characters continuing to interact, especially the two Kato’s.
That future storyline is one that is really toying with the characters there and that provides for a great deal of enjoyment. Anything that frustrates The Shadow is good in my book. With Spider looking to find his backup time machine so he can get back to his own time, they all start piecing together what it is that the Red Death is really after by sending them in this way. The world at this stage has turned to her as a savior but even here she’s just using them for her own goals in the past. This isn’t the easiest group to sneak around no matter the situation and as they talk and try to figure things out while on the move there are also several that phase in and out of time. Because of the actions in the past and among others likely not involved at the moment, everything is in flux. And that drives home a lot of tension because you don’t know what’s going to happen next. This part of the storyline works the best for me in how it provides something resembling an answer without really answering anything. It also feels the most free and creative in a way as it provides for a grim landscape for it all to be set in front of.
In Summary:
Though Masks 2 was a rough start for me and there are still areas where I’m not fully on board with it, Bunn and Casallos continue to make it a very fun series to read. There’s a large and growing cast here to deal with and keeping track of such a diverse group of characters – many little known to me like the Green Llama – can make for a difficult read in that regard because you don’t have a clue about them. But enough of their personality comes out throughout it and some of their skill so that you can ride it pretty well. Bunn definitely keeps this issue moving well with some near-answers and some good events in the past and future and all of this lets Casallos really have fun with the design and craziness. The last panel with the huge group shot along is worth the price of admission in setting up what’s to come. It’s big crossover book of its own kind and comes with all the drawbacks of it but also the bonuses of it, which are now starting to be exercised more.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: September 2nd, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
