“Yesterday’s” Comic> MASK #2 (ongoing)

Mayhem is more dangerous with his miniatures than Gomez Adams.

MASK #2

DC Comics (March, 1987)

“Masquerade”

WRITER: Michael Fleisher

PENCILER: Curt Swan

INKER: Kurt Schaffengerger

COLORIST: Bob LeRose

LETTERER: John Costanza

EDITORS: Mike Gold & Robert Greenberger

In the last issue (which I don’t have) Miles Mayhem crashed his Switchblade copter and in this issue is presumed dead. As VENOM struggles to find a new leader individual raids to prove themselves are causing chaos. Matt gets the idea to use a master impersonator to imitate Mayhem and leave VENOM into a trap. However, the real Mayhem is very much alive and after sneaking out of the hospital turns Matt’s plan against MASK. MASK is able to break VENOM’s countertrap but the impersonator is beaten and Mayhem and VENOM manage to escape.

What they got right: That’s actually a good plan on Matt’s part, and it might have worked…but I’ll get to that.

What they got wrong: But why broadcast to everyone that “Mayhem” had returned? Now people are worried that the biggest terrorist leader of that time was back in business. Even though he wasn’t, it would have still worried people. Imagine if Osama bin Laden suddenly announced he wasn’t dead even though it was an impostor to bring down Al Qaeda, only to have the real bin Laden return and mess things up. I think VENOM was better off as the criminal organization in the cartoon rather than the terrorists in this series.

Recommendation: A good story. The wrong just has a longer explanation than the right. Give this issue a look, fellow 80s kids.