Captain and Tennille might say “love will keep us together,” but in “Mask of Night #2,” Del Col, McCreery, and Belanger show us how well love can create a mutinous ship.
Written by Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
Illustrated by Andy BelangerAs pirate Viola wars against Captain Cesario’s desire to save the captured Prodigals, the ship turns mutinous, and Titus’ ship approaches in deadly pursuit. Can our Prodigals escape when their fates depend on the whim, and love affair as murderous as the stormy seas?
In this issue, Viola and Cesario abandon their wit (which we saw debuted in Mask of Night #1) for knives. Meanwhile, and trapped below ship, Hamlet corners Juliet to answer for the “blood on her hands,” as Juliet insists that “a lot of things happened on the island.” However, as much as it seems like this issue will balance the two romances, this issue shows that of the two central romances, full of spit-fire and fueled by mismatched ideals, Viola and Captain Cesario take the vicious lead.
Del Col and McCreery’s writing of Viola and Cesario continues to deliver the tension and wit they were introduced with in “Mask of Night” #1. Cesario tells Viola, “I woo you not with objects but with a promise that once we are free of the Lavinia and her man-eater we decide our future together,” as he hands her the knife he kept when they first met. “Beware of sentiment, my love. It can prick you ’til you bleed,” she offers, becoming the character we hate to love.
However, the intense focus on Viola and Cesario’s story-line pushes Juliet and Hamlet’s story too far to the sidelines. While it’s interesting to see fresh faces, especially to play with allusions (the choice to make Viola and Cesario two separate people madly in love with each other) and with palpable tension (to not give up the Prodigals, to save or not save the crew about to be bordered by the cannibal Titus), it does one, very problematic thing: it dismisses and oversimplifies Juliet’s rape, likening it to “a lover’s quarrel.” What’s worse is that the action of the story itself is so quick, we almost want to agree with the story.
Of course, in a race away from a cannibal force, when an entire ship is trying to undermine the Captain by the hands of his love that he wants to “marry with children,” the need to focus on Juliet’s relationship to Hamlet, and talking of her rape, becomes superfluous — only because it is a matter that will take time. The only sense of understanding that is offered between Hamlet and Juliet is a momentary fight below deck. As Juliet and Hamlet fight over Juliet’s lack of “taking responsibility,” and “the blood on her hands,” they are quickly quieted by the raging crew members, yelling, “stop [y]our quarrels young lovers…it should be the least of your worries,” as the ship erupts into distrust, and Titus’ ship aims fire at the ship already splintering into two.
Del Col and McCreery’s word choice to sum up the attack between Romeo and Juliet as mere “quarreling” is less than appreciated, as that word within this context still reflects blame and insensitivity. Including this side-bar comment could be overlooked as an ill-worded moment, attempting to delay dramatic irony for the future of a full confession later, if it wasn’t also for this issue’s excessive use of panels to show Hamlet’s disapproval of Juliet. In a gorgeous and heartbreaking panel-to-panel shot, Belanger shows us a Juliet we thought died long ago in Verona. We see Juliet attempting to wave at Hamlet, and he glances away. Thankfully, we are given a bit of the Juliet we love, through her defense and aid to “the moor” Othello.
Belanger is careful of layering these moments, conveying buried levels of tensions and feelings between when and where the writing fails to elaborate, especially on Hamlet’s broodiness. A master of finely drawn numerous panels during scenes of split-second changing moments of alliances shifting, Belanger creates a swashbuckling world that is dynamic, palpable, and gripping. With an eye for detail the scenery becomes a complex portraiture that resembles a cross between “Peter Pan” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” exploding with life. Belanger knows exactly how to focus into a scene, onto who, and at what moment; a skill that is only rivaled only by his full panel body shots of Viola and Cesario interlocked in layers of passion, and mistrust — attention I’d like to also see between Hamlet and Juliet soon.
Continued belowColorist Shari Chankhamma also rises to the high-sea challenge, pairing tawdry browns of pirates with bright colored details, creating a jubilant feel to balance out the gore of fight scenes. Her dash of color comes in right where it is needed; a blush to the otherwise colorless cheeks of Juliet, a piercing green to the darkened eyes of Viola, a gold to the otherwise blackened mask of Cesario, and even the sea curls in effervescent blues as a corpse is thrown into it. Chris Mowry also keeps up the fun in spite of impending peril with well spaced lettering, keeping tensions in words, or packing a punch with action bubbles to deliver up pure rollicking fun.
“The Mask of Night #2” comes in at an all around adventure for the faint of heart. Any Kill Shakespeare fans that are looking to soak in the revelry of a few punches and more party lines will happily welcome Viola and Cesario into the Prodigal’s mission.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – an unexpected game-changer; expanding the Kill Shakespeare mythos with nerve! But let’s hope that Del Col and McCreery do their best to balance out their inventiveness with their tying up of loose and complicated character arcs.
