Good god, but this book is beautiful.

I know Alex Ross has his detractors, but you cannot deny that the man is good at what he does. Ever since I first laid eyes on Kingdom Come and Marvels, I knew I’d be a fan for life. It’s been quite some time since Ross has provided the full interiors on a book, but here in Masks #1 he returns to sequential storytelling with a bang. One of the chief complaints about Ross (and painterly comic artists in general) is that his style makes the images sort of static and unmoving. Not so here, as several of the action scenes almost leap off of the page. Ross also goes a bit crazy with his layouts, and while some of them don’t flow quite as smoothly as the artist maybe intended, I still admire the sheer craft and imagination.

Chris Roberson’s story is nothing to sneeze at either, even if it’s a little too simplistic and on-the-nose. It’s an idea ripped straight from the pulps, as a new political body called the “Justice Party” takes control of New York, and starts to enact corrupt laws and practices which sees non-Caucasions jailed merely for walking the street. Roberson also seems to have a nice grasp on each of his varied characters, although we only really get to see the Shadow, the Green Hornet and Kato in this first issue. It’s not going to break any new ground, but for a 1930’s adventure story teaming up some of the greatest heroes of yesteryear, it’ll do.

I don’t know what Alex Ross’ involvement in the rest of the series will be (I know next issue sees Denis Calero join the art team), but I hope he stays on as more than just a cover artist in future issues. Regardless, this is a fantastic issue, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here.