It’s safe to say that without the pulp heroes of the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s, Superheroes would have a totally different look and feel to them. While there were many genres of pulp fiction, ranging from science fiction, Westerns, and fantasy, it was the masked vigilantes that really left their mark on pop culture. These heroes (who were often rich white male socialites) fought against a corrupt people taking advantage of the system and as such needed to hide their identities. This often resulted in secret identities, calling cards, and most importantly masks. While there are some of these characters that have left lasting impressions, most notably Zorro, many of these pulp heroes have, for the most part, become forgotten relics of the past. In 2012, Dynamite comics put these characters back in the spotlight, giving them their own Avengers-style team-up. In “Masks” #1-8, Chris Roberson attempts a pretty daunting task, telling a story that feels like a lost gem of the pulp era while modernizing aspects of the era that haven’t aged well. Your mileage may vary at how successful he is, but overall creates a comic that is fun if a little uneven.
Masks #1Cover by Alex Ross
Written by Chris Roberson
Illustrated by Alex Ross
Lettered by Simon BowlandMasks#2-8
Written by Chris Roberson
Illustrated by Dennis Calero
Lettered by Simon Bowland
One of the smartest decisions Roberson makes in ‘Masks’ is making the central theme of the conflict “law” vs. “justice.” “Masks” #1 does an excellent job creating a conflict that creates a common goal for these characters who existed largely in isolation to work together. They all believe in justice, but as issue one shows, justice is something of a tricky concept. It seems like the majority of the characters fall into one of two categories on the subject, which in issue one is represented by the dichotomy of Green Hornet vs The Shadow. Hornet believes that justice is something that is created by laws, the role of a hero is to get people to follow those laws. The other side is represented by The Shadow, “The law is made by men, and like them, it can be corrupted. Justice is absolute and eternal.” For the majority of the series, Roberson seems to be on The Shadow’s side, the laws of New York’s new “Justice Party” are incredibly unjust, being enforced by former thugs and criminals who now have the legitimacy of the state and are using it to inflict terror on others. As Kato says, “If the law is unjust, then justice must be an outlaw.” But as the series progresses and more characters are introduced, this conflict begins to create interesting dynamics in the team. For instance, in “Masks” #8, in their final confrontation with Brian O’Brien, there is a debate between Shadow’s brand of “justice” serving as judge, jury, and executioner, and Black Bat who believes that those who corrupt the law should have to answer to the law. It’s interesting to see how this debate permeates the comic. Roberson seems to be suggesting that while laws and the systems that enforce them can be corrupted, it doesn’t give blanket permission to punish those who corrupted it. Rather, it is the role of the hero to protect the innocent from oppression while trying to change the system to protect them. While justice is unchanging no one person should be able to its sole arbiter. These themes of law and justice work really well and match the setting of the late 30s. However, it is in this setting that there is some struggle in balance.
There are many aspects of this era of pulp heroes that haven’t aged especially well. The team is, for the most part, rich white men. Men of influence who keep their extracurricular activities hidden by attending lavish parties or frequenting high-end clubs. In fact, many of the characters who add diversity to the lineup fall into the role of “trusted servant” and sidekick. While Roberson makes attempts to remedy aspects of this, making Green Hornet and Kato feel like equal partners in crime-fighting rather than an employee-employer dynamic, it feels like more could have been done in changing some of the characters. The best example of this is Zorro, who is introduced early as an aspiring illustrator who is harassed by the officers of the Black Legion, the boots on the ground of the Justice Party. Vega ends up being the most interesting member of the team because he is one of the few who is truly being targeted. The Legion is targeting those in society most vulnerable, minorities and the poor, it would presumably be a while before the alter egos of The Shadow, The Spider, and The Green Hornet would be targeted by The Justice Party. While the other characters have been doing this for a while, Zorro is truly one to answer the call, if Roberson had given similar treatments to other characters, the book as a whole would be stronger.
That being said, the setting of the late 30s worked wonderfully for the style and design of the comic. While he only did the art for “Masks” #1, Alex Ross’s art is out of this world. One of the best examples of this is how effectively Ross uses coloring and shadows. Each set has its own unique color palette and lighting, which helps to change the tone from scene to scene. Most of the action sequences take place at night, creating sequences that feel like their out of a noir movie. The sequence in the club is a lot of muted blues and greys, emphasizing the individual table lamps on the character’s faces, which adds a certain amount of intimacy to an otherwise cold setting. As the various grey faces go about their business in the background, unconcerned about how the justice party is impacting their lives, the two heroes are the only ones in the light, a beacon in an otherwise uncaring world. Finally, the courtroom where we meet Mr. Quinn (soon to be Black Bat,) there’s a harshness to the lighting, a different kind of harsh uncaring. “Masks” #2-8 are illustrated by Dennis Calero, who does a good job matching Ross’ style and coloring. Calero’s coloring helps to keep track of who the action is focusing on. The costuming also just helps to make the comic feel special, there’s something fun about vigilante costuming in an era of three-piece suits. The use of oil paints, too, helps to give the comic a different feel, making it feel more akin to the pulp illustrations of the era.
Honestly, the biggest issue with ‘Masks’ is that the ending feels a little too clean, cut the head off of the snake and the body dies. What redeems it, a bit, is that the common people do begin to fight back. But the way they handle the death of O’Brien seems way too convenient, he’s killed trying to attack the team, which relieves much of the tension of the final confrontation about the power of any individual to be the sole arbiter of justice. There was a lot to like about this series. The characters were cool and slick, the art was amazing, the mystery interesting, it just kind of felt like the ending came out of nowhere. That being said, if you’re interested in learning more about this early era of heroes, one that impacted the world of comics today, ‘Masks’ is a great place to start, giving a comic that introduces the characters in a fun, not complicated way which also attempts to address the problems of those early stories (though, more could be done.)
