REVIEW: ‘Maskerade,’ Issue #1

Maskerade #1 is written by Kevin Smith from a story by himself and Andy McElfresh, illustrated by John Sprengelmeyer, colored by Giulia Brusco, and lettered by Andrew Thomas. It’s published by Dark Horse Comics under Smith’s Secret Stash Press Imprint. To the world at large, Felicia Dance is a highly controversial social media star and TV personality renowned for her beauty and boldness. But what no one else knows is that Felicia gained shapeshifting powers after a set of horrific experiments performed on her when she was a child. And she’s adopted the guise of a masked vigilante in order to exact her vengeance.

This series marks Smith’s return to comics, as well as the geek guru continuing to prove why he’s an underrated talent. Yes, he’s well known for stories that are filled with references to pop culture and blue humor, but his more recent works have grappled with themes including mortality and faith in one’s self. Here, the theme is one’s image, which is extremely relevant given the rise of social media stars and disinformation campaigns. With the right filters or the “right” take on a subject, fame and fortune can fall into one’s lap. But they can vanish just as easily. What better atmosphere to introduce a shapeshifting vigilante?

Smith also gets a little help in the form of McElfresh, who he co-hosts the Edumacation podcast with. McElfresh is no stranger to cleverly cutting comedy, having penned the utterly hilarious White Chicks. And his comedic touch is present in more than a few scenes, including the sequence where the deuteragonist—who happens to be a reporter —is caught in a compromising position. But this is also a comic with heavy adult themes, including murder by the bucketload. Fans of Smith’s previous comic book work will love this mix of irreverent humor and ultra-violence, and unlike other creators, he and McElfresh don’t go overboard with it.

Sprenglemeyer’s art feels very sleek and polished; very few characters have any wrinkles or blemishes on their face, save for one or two plot-relevant instances. And when it comes to the action sequences, he doesn’t shy away from the carnage – the opening pages feature a woman literally toppling screaming to her death, and the titular antiheroine sends blood spraying and heads flying with her knives. Sprenglemeyer has designed a form-fitting suit for Maskerade that covers her face, keeping in line with her nom de guerre, and feels oddly reminiscent of the villainous Onomotepia from Smith’s Green Arrow run. Keeping in line with the noir/vigilante theme, most of the action takes place at night (or a rainy night), with Brusco mostly working with pinks and purples and Thomas giving the hardboiled narration some hard-edged boxes.

Maskerade #1 marks Kevin Smith’s return to comics, featuring a new superhero along with the geek guru’s trademark storytelling tricks. With his recent dabbles in film and television, it was only a matter of time before Smith returned to comics, and with the help of McElfresh and Sprenglemeyer, he’s come up with a neat premise.

Maskerade #1 is available wherever comics are sold and with our ComiXology affiliate link.