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“Year of the Villain: Black Mask” #1

By | August 23rd, 2019
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

“Year of the Villain: Black Mask” does not do much to draw readers into the Year of The Villain but does offer some insight into the pathology of Black Mask. Warning: spoilers ahead.

Cover by Mitch Gerads
Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Cully Hamner
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Wes Abbottt

Black Mask was one of Gotham City’s most ruthless crime lords. He had money, power, and respect. But after months in the Teen Titans’ secret prison, Roman Sionis is finally free. Given a new purpose and new abilities thanks to Lex Luthor’s offer, he’s found a new racket. Corporate crime not only pays better, but it’s far less dangerous. At least until Batwoman discovers what he’s up to and plans to put an end to Black Mask’s latest power grab. Is Black Mask the same crime boss he’s always been or has time and a new approach made him something far more unstoppable than he’s ever been?

With “Year of the Villain: Black Mask,” Tom Taylor, Cully Hamner, Dave Stewart, and Wes Abbott tie Batman foe, Roman Sionis into the Year of the Villain event by producing a one-shot that feels like the start of an individual series that we have no idea if it’s coming.

“Year of the Villain: Black Mask” attempts to add pathos to Black Mask’s fixation on masks in a way that is interesting in a vacuum but in the context of this being done to every other Batman villain feels very overdone at this point. Roman Sionis as a child had a lazy eye and did not fit the socialite mold that his parents wanted so much so that the only reason his mother hated that his father hit him was that it was on his face and that would look bad. Set up as counterpoint was Bruce Wayne who had the looks his parents wanted. The driving theme was Sionis never having the right face and not fitting the expected looks which led to him burning his parents alive so that they would be disfigured. In the context of the issue, Taylor ties the theme of Roman Sionis’s family obsession with appearance to Black Mask’s new ability to disguise himself gifted to him by Lex Luthor which felt clever enough. Another interesting aspect of this issue was sort of a meta-question of the level of ambition for Black Mask. Which is an interesting question in scope. Why try to run the underground of one city when there is a whole cosmic battle between Justice and Doom going on.

Sionis and Luthor’s solution seems to be…corporate takeovers. Which is one way to do it, this comic is still street level so we have to cap our expectations somewhere. Speaking of street level, the heroes in this are the DC it-couple of Kate Kane, Batwoman and Renee Montoya, the Question (?). I personally was drawn to this issue as a fan of both of these characters, specifically, when drawn by Cully Hamner, they really are not given much to do besides a few scenes of domesticity and an action scene trying to bust Black Mask. Renee Montoya’s involvement in this issue raises continuity questions (no pun intended). While Montoya is off as the Question in “Lois Lane,” there is no mention of that life here. This does not necessarily affect this story as a whole, its easy to ignore for readers just picking up this issue but for well-connected readers of the DC line, it may be slightly confusing. Overall, Kate and Renee are written very well with Tom Taylor giving them fun and familiar dialogue which is his specialty but we are left wanting more to not just them but the story as a whole.

The issue ends on a cliffhanger hinting that Black Mask’s plot is still unfolding which would be exciting if this was issue number one of a series but “Year of the Villain: Black Mask” is meant to be a one-shot and as of right now, readers have no idea where or if this plot will be followed up. Black Mask’s pathologization in this issue is interesting but does not push it over the mark to justify this being a fully self-contained story. There’s a mix of excitement and frustration in having to look to the solicits to do guesswork as to where this story will be followed up and whether it will have an entirely different creative team or whether ultimately it will be forgotten.

Continued below

Cully Hamner and Dave Stewart’s work is what keeps this book afloat in many ways. A lesser artist on this Black Mask stand-alone story would have made this issue forgettable but the deep blacks Hamner utilizes in Black Mask’s grimace is haunting. The echoing of Black Mask’s shadow’s even in his disguises is incredibly well thought out and menacing. Dave Stewart’s colors fit incredibly well with Hamner’s linework by adding vibrant colors to contrast solid black inks. Stewart also does the best thing a colorist can do with Batwoman by coloring the red of her costume and her hair in the most saturated red on the page.

Artistically there are also a lot of inventive and exciting things done by Hamner, Stewart and Wes Abbott. The “BANG”s from Black Mask’s gun at the beginning of the issue are extremely well lettered taking up the whole panel which may be Hamner or Abbott’s doing. Abbott does contribute to an interesting motion to the laser cutting into the bank early in the issue by having the sound effect curve. Hamner’s thick hatching has always been a trademark of his style but in “Year of the Villain: Black Mask” they add a sense of motion, particularly in the panel where Sionis is kicked out of the car by Batwoman. Hamner and Taylor also do a really good three-panel sequence with Black Mask getting kicked in the face by Batwoman. The first panel of Mask being kicked while in disguise, the second panel of the bullet casing leaving the gun and the third Black Mask’s out of disguise with Batwoman’s foot in a different spot. That sequence denoting a quick succession of time felt very much like it was from “Understanding Comics” which was pretty neat.

Overall this one-shot feels like the start to a larger story with no hint as to where the rest will come into place. There were quite a few elements in play but there’s not enough of any of them to make the issue all that satisfying. Taylor’s fleshing out of Black Mask is interesting enough in the context of the issue but overall it’s just another in a long line of Batman villains with a newfound psychological hook to their gimmick. The biggest draw for this issue is without a doubt the art team with Hamner being one of the more visually distinctive artists working right now with Dave Stewart crafting a colorful world surrounding these characters and Wes Abbott creating great lettering work.

Final Verdict: 7.5 – “Year of the Villain: Black Mask” is a very average issue that starts something with no immediate promise of finishing but made stronger by an impressive art team.


Kenneth Laster

Kenneth is a cartoonist, critic, and cryptid somewhere in the crumbling empire of the United States. Hit him up on twitter @disasterlaster to see dumb jokes and artwork.

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