“Yesterday’s” Comic> MASK #5 (DC)

I have to add the “DC” in because IDW is doing their own MASK series now. Anybody read it? Is it any good?

Leave it to VENOM to ruin a perfectly good comic book cover.

MASK #5

DC Comics (June, 1987)

“African Nightmare”

WRITER: Michael Fleisher

ARTISTS: Curt Swan & Kurt Schaffenberger

COLORIST: Bob LeRose

LETTERER: John Costanza

EDITOR: Mike Gold

In a previous issue I don’t have, Matt was forced to break Floyd Malloy out of jail to save Scott. Now Matt is on the run and Bruce is in charge of MASK. Seizing an opportunity, VENOM takes over an African nation, deposing the democratically elected President, and sending him into hiding. MASK falls into a trap when they come to help. leaving Matt to come up with a plan to rescue his colleagues and capture VENOM.

What they got right: I haven’t followed the rest of the storyline so right now I can’t tell you if it’s a good conclusion but it’s a good story. While it continues Fleisher’s narrative that Matt Trakker is the bestest ever and ever, it is a good plan on Matt’s part, and the “Jungle Challenge” figure (a vehicleless Matt Trakker action figure whose mask is supposed to create force fields) gets a good showing.

What they got wrong: The Miles Mayhem counterpart, “VENOM’s Revenge”, doesn’t do as well. We don’t even see what his mask can do and he’s trying to use it to escape rather than get revenge. And why does Matt have the Jungle Challenge gear in his trunk when he couldn’t have known he’d be heading into the jungle before going on the run?

Recommendation: A good story that’s worth reading.