Mask

The concepts have survived both Marvel Comics’ “New Universe” experiment and this year’s “Secret Wars” in “Starbrand & Nightmask” #1, which features two of the company’s most obscure yet durable heroes facing a wholly different challenge: college orientation. First, though, writer Greg Weisman puts the heroes through some more typical paces, making quick work of a supervillain before receiving the offer of a lifetime to cement their place among the world’s most prominent heroes. While there are plenty of superhero teams, there aren’t so many heroes furthering their education, so Weisman takes a different and somewhat refreshing approach. Artist Domo Stanton emphasizes the student over superhero, as the two characters look right at home on campus, if only mildly imposing in superhero spandex. Weisman’s story explores extremes by taking a pair of heroes who have traversed the infinite expanses of the multiverse and now crams them into the rather humbling confines of a college dorm

With only one installment left in “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night,” Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col and Andy Belanger move the final pieces into place as Titus Andronicus’ forces draw ever closer to the Boreas. They see Juliet and Cesario hatch a daring plan in a bid to save their respective crews, upping the stakes for what promises to be a thrilling conclusion. “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” #3 gives the voices back to our main players by paralleling Viola and Cesario with Hamlet and Juliet, providing some of the series’ most genuinely suspenseful moments. Where the first two issues worked to set up the continuously wonderful dynamic between Viola and Cesario, McCreery and Del Col return to Juliet and Hamlet here in full force in a tense exchange between two of them in the ship’s hold. After drawing the tension out for two issues, this release comes as a relief. Although the scene feels a little gray overall, Hamlet — for all his hurt — certainly doesn’t come across as

“Kill Shakespeare: Mask of Night” #2 is a swashbuckling issue that really lets artist Andy Belanger stretch his visual storytelling muscles. It’s mutiny aboard the Boreas, and the sword fights, stabbings and madness make for an exciting read. McCreery and Del Col can write a rousing story — if not a particularly thought-provoking response to their source material. This is probably my favorite issue from Belanger so far. He’s left without dialogue for a good chunk of the issue, as the Boreas tries to silently slide by the Lavinia, and the resulting sequence of 3×3 grids is easy to follow and smooth to read. This is not a silence of anxious waiting and held breath; rather, it’s an opportunity for the crew to reassess one another and the situation. Belanger’s furtive glances feel busy and decisive, adding a different sort of tension to the scene. It’s clear as the silence progresses that a consensus is being reached, even if the reader doesn’t yet know what the consensus might be. It

There’s no rest for the wicked, as the saying goes, and that certainly holds true for Hamlet, Juliet, Othello and William Shakespeare himself in this latest act of Anthony Del Col, Conor McCreery and Andy Belanger’s unfolding “Kill Shakespeare” drama. After their latest misadventure on Prospero’s island leaves them broken in more ways than one, our stalwart players almost immediately get caught up in a swashbuckling battle on the high seas. With captivating new characters and an intriguing change of scenery, “Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night” looks as though it may take the series in its strongest direction yet. Although Hamlet et al. make critical moves to further their own stories throughout this issue, including an especially wonderful scene between Juliet and Othello, Cesario and Viola easily steal the show with some of Del Col and McCreery’s best exchanges to date. The characters’ interactions are like a masterfully choreographed dance (or, perhaps, dangerous yet elegant swo

“Scribblenauts Unmasked: A Crisis of Imagination” #1 serves as a nice gateway to both the concepts and characters of the DC Universe as well as those of the Scribblenauts brand. Written by Josh Elder with adorable art from Adam Archer, this installment is the first issue of a new Digital First offering from DC Comics. As shown in the art on the cover and in this interview with Elder from Comic Book Resources, the style of this comic is ridiculously cartoony, which only helps emphasize the fun present. The story opens with Madame Xanadu revealing a dark fate waiting for the DC Universe. That fate is the demise of the Justice League and many of the other heroes, with villains rising up victorious. Since this is a comic, there is, naturally, a way to curtail that anticipated fate: the heroes of the DC Universe must team up with “Scribblenauts” protagonists Maxwell and Lily. Along the way, Elder introduces readers to the “Scribblenauts” world: Earth i. All of the exposition is put forth

“Mask of the Red Panda” #1 from Gregg Taylor and Dean Kotz is an astoundingly dense and extremely pleasing book that delivers Golden Age pulp tropes through tight writing and phenomenal art. The Red Panda is a creation that originated in radio serials podcasted from 2009 and has gone on to have novels based on the character and now gets its own 3 issue miniseries from Monkeybrain Comics. This issue is a brilliantly-executed jumping on point, which kickstarts a story about mystical beasts tracking down their quarry. This issue is a $0.99 download for 32 pages of sequential story. This alone should get you through the electronic door for a purchase. Gregg Taylor has written this character and his world for years, but in this superbly executed issue, he makes everything new for the many readers who will not be familiar. The issue might feel a touch too much like introduction instead of the meat of the tale but considering the amount of ground covered this is a great jumping in point. I

Team-ups and crossovers always offer up the promise of excitement and adventure, or at least more heroes for the cover price. In the case of “Masks” #1 from Chris Roberson with dazzling art by Alex Ross, there are plenty of heroes, excitement, adventure and even the requisite “misunderstanding” that leads to the protagonists doing battle against one another instead of alongside each other. All of this is lavishly illustrated in the amazingly comfortable painted tones of Alex Ross’ work. Ross is so meticulous in his details that some panels appear to simply be hand-colored photographs. The characters, regardless of setting, are all strikingly detailed and almost tangibly realistic. Ross’s painted panels are like mini splash pages with energy and depth. Each panel studied alone would provide students of Ross’ style with plenty to be excited about, but combined those pieces become a stunning narrative. Although his characters are so detailed as to appear frozen in photographs, Ross imb

“Masks & Mobsters” #1 is the best title yet from the creatively electric Monkeybrain Inc. This book from Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson presents a noir styled mob crime world rife with super powered heroes who don masks and capes, clashing spectacularly with their cultural opposites. What results is a book with a very specific mash up tone and a broad spectrum of opportunities to play these tropes against each other. The cover bills this title as a crime anthology, making this opening issue read like a brilliant short story. Williamson and Henderson populate most of these pages with mobsters and only let the masks appear sparingly, grounding the book for a crime story and world with just a soupcon of the incredible — which comes in the form of Doctor Daylight. Were these larger-than-life characters played at full bombastic contrast, the book would split itself in half. Instead, these creatures of the impossible are woven into the criminal world, creating an authentic feel f