The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!
{{Short description|Comic book limited series}}
{{Infobox comic book title
| title = The Mask:
I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| schedule = Monthly
| limited = y
| publisher =
| startmo = October
| startyr = 2019
| endmo = January
| endyr = 2020
| issues = 4
| main_char_team = {{ubl|Mitch Kellaway|Kathy Matthews|Abner Mead}}
| writers = Christopher Cantwell{{Cite web|date=July 11, 2019|title=The Mask returns, runs for president in new series by Cantwell and Reynolds|url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/the-mask-new-series-cantwell-reynolds|access-date=July 11, 2019|website=Comics Beat|last=Grunenwald|first=Joe}}
| artists = Patric Reynolds{{Cite web|date=December 23, 2019|title=Exclusive Preview: Big Head fires up his base in Dark Horse's The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #3|url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/exclusive-preview-big-head-fires-up-his-base-in-dark-horses-the-mask-i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask-3|access-date=December 23, 2019|website=Comics Beat|last=Grunenwald|first=Joe}}{{Cite web|date=August 16, 2019|title=Big Head Is Back In Dark Horse Comics' New Ultraviolet Revival of The Mask|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-mask-revival-dark-horse-comics|access-date=August 16, 2019|website=Syfy|last=Spry|first=Jeff}}
| letterers = Nate Piekos{{Cite web|date=January 23, 2020|title=One Hot Panel: Marauders, The Mask, and Wonder Woman #750|url=https://www.comicsbookcase.com/features-archive/2020/1/23/one-hot-panel-marauders-the-mask-and-wonder-woman-750|access-date=January 23, 2020|website=Comics Bookcase|last=Quaintance|first=Zack}}
| colorists = Lee Loughridge
| editors = Daniel Chabon
| TPB =
| ISBN =
| subcat = Dark Horse Comics
| sort =
}}
The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! is an American dark comedy-horror supervillain comic book limited series written by Christopher Cantwell,{{Cite web|author=Guest Author|date=October 13, 2019|title=I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask: An Interview with Christopher Cantwell|url=https://comic-watch.com/news/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask-an-interview-with-christopher-cantwell|access-date=May 26, 2025|website=Comic Watch}} drawn by Patric Reynolds, and published by Dark Horse Comics from 2019 to 2020 as a revival of the semi-anthological self-titled comic book series and franchise. The series chronicles the events following the mask being once again unearthed after twenty years by politician Abner Mead, who aims to use it and the "Big Head" reputation to run a campaign to become President of the United States, opposed by a now-Mayor Kathy and retired Detective Kellaway.
The series received a positive critical reception.{{Cite web|date=October 16, 2019|title=Review: The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #1 Vows To "Make America Green Again"|url=https://monkeysfightingrobots.co/review-the-mask-i-pledge-alleigence-to-the-mask|access-date=October 16, 2019|website=Monkeys Fighting Robots|last=Patterson|first=Corey}}{{Cite web|date=January 27, 2020|title=Comic Review: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #4|url=https://sequentialplanet.com/comic-review-the-mask-i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask-4|access-date=January 27, 2020|website=Sequential Planet|last=Cole|first=Alexander}} An audio play adaptation of the series by GraphicAudio would release in 2021, starring the voices of Eric Messner and Keith Richards as Big Head.{{Cite web|date=September 13, 2021|title=Dark Horse Comics: The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! [Dramatized Adaptation]|url=https://www.graphicaudiointernational.net/the-mask-i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask.html|website=GraphicAudio International|last=Messner|first=Eric}} {{ISBN|978-1-6488-1903-2}}
Premise
Twenty years ago, a mask of unknown origin and limitless power was buried in the concrete of an apartment building's basement floor by Mitch Kellaway, Edge City and the world at large having all but forgotten the mysterious green-faced killer known as "Big Head".{{Cite web|date=October 16, 2019|title=The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! #1 Review: Grim Politics Multiplied by Twisted Humor|url=https://comicbook.com/comics/news/the-mask-pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask-1-review-cantwell-dark-horse|access-date=October 16, 2019|website=ComicBook.com|last=Dedmon|first=Tanner}} Only after struggling politician Abner Mead acquires the mask in 2019, and uses its power to gain favour of the general populace and run for office as President of the United States, going up against now-Mayor Kathy Matthews (previously known simply as "Kathy") on her own campaign, as well as a returning Kellaway.{{Cite web|date=January 13, 2020|title=The Mask Takes The Oath of Office and Becomes POTUS in Dark Horse Preview|url=https://www.cbr.com/dark-horse-mask-big-head-oath-office|access-date=January 13, 2020|website=Comic Book Resources|last=Nolan|first=Liam}}
Characters
{{main|List of The Mask characters}}
- Mitch Kellaway – A retired police detective and former wearer of the mask who returns in order to face the new Big Head.
- Kathy Matthews – The mayor of Edge City and a former wearer of the mask, running for the office of U.S. President.
- Abner Mead – A struggling politician and the current wearer of the mask, using the "Big Head" rep to run for President.
Publication history
In July 2019, Dark Horse Comics announced a new The Mask limited series to be in development from writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Patric Reynolds, entitled The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! and following a new wearer of the mask as he runs for president as Big Head.{{Cite web|date=July 11, 2019|title=The Mask Returns in "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!"|url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/news/pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask|access-date=July 11, 2019|website=Multiversity Comics|last=Chiu-Tabet|first=Christopher}}
Cantwell said that the "truest thing for me is that the protagonists are Kathy and Kellaway, as they've always been. Of course, now they're decades older. So, they're at once new characters to jump into, but have their shared history as well",{{Cite web|date=September 23, 2019|title=Christopher Cantwell And Patric Reynolds Stump Speech On "The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!"|url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/the-mask-interview|access-date=September 23, 2019|website=Multiversity Comics|last=Welch|first=Kyle}} with Cantwell himself as having "channeled a lot of anger and frustration into this book. Everything seems so absurd and abusive and invasive now, even the things that say they're trying to help you, or make your life better. It's not true—they're stealing your data, destroying your privacy, and dividing all of us into these tribal factions. Add into that global stress on resources and climate change, and you get quite a melting pot of chaos. The media traffics in hyperbole, but there is also an awful lot of hard evidence pointing to humanity being on the very brink of catastrophe. This story is set on that cliff's edge. Maybe it's even set after the fall, during the terminal velocity descent."{{Cite web|date=October 13, 2019|title=I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!: An Interview with Christopher Cantwell|url=https://comic-watch.com/news/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask-an-interview-with-christopher-cantwell|access-date=October 13, 2019|website=Comic-Watch|author-link=Christopher Cantwell (writer)|last=Cantwell|first=Christopher}}
The series was published by Dark Horse Comics across four issues from October 16, 2019, to January 22, 2020, and collected as an omnibus edition on June 10, 2020.
Audio play adaptation
On September 11, 2021, Graphic Audio and Dark Horse Comics announced an audio play adaptation of I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! to have been developed for release in two days,{{Cite tweet|author=GraphicAudio|author-link=GraphicAudio|user=GraphicAudio|number=1435309410969133063|title=Coming soon! @DarkHorseComics at GraphicAudio! The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask. The series that inspired the hit film returns with gruesome hilarity from the showrunner @ifyoucantwell of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire and Hellboy{{'}}s @patric_reynolds|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907185846/https://twitter.com/GraphicAudio/status/1435309410969133063|archive-date=September 7, 2021}} without the involvement of Christopher Cantwell,{{Cite web|date=September 7, 2021|title=Mask Writer Claims Dark Horse Adapted His Work Without Telling Him|url=https://screenrant.com/mask-dark-horse-adapted-pledge-allegiance|access-date=September 7, 2021|website=Screen Rant|last=Connolly|first=Spencer}} and starring the voices of Eric Messner and Keith Richards as Big Head.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3005-144/The-Mask-I-Pledge-Allegiance-to-the-Mask-TPB The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!] at Dark Horse Comics
- [https://www.graphicaudiointernational.net/the-mask-i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-mask.html The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!] at GraphicAudio
{{The Mask}}
{{Dark Horse Comics}}
Category:Dark Horse Comics titles