EXCLUSIVE: Patric Reynolds Talks THE MASK: I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE MASK
July 14, 2019The Christopher Cantwell, creator of Halt and Catch Fire, is taking his talents to Dark Horse to ‘Make America Green Again’, with an all-new limited series, The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to The Mask.
This October, the Big Head Killer is back, returning after 20 years and, he is spreading the word, with a homicidal political campaign.
Patric Reynolds has been brought onboard to provide the art, having drawn on titles like, Joe Golem, Hellboy, Aliens: Fire and Stone, Exile to Babylon, along with multiple other DH titles. The creative team have also brought on colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Nate Piekos.
Galaxtic Pop recently linked up with Reynolds, post SDCC, to get his take on the upcoming series.
GXP: What went into getting you involved with this new series?
“My editor and good friend, Daniel Chabon, had been looking to put me on another project after a creator-owned series fell though. He told me that Dark Horse was planning a new Mask series and that the writer, Christopher Cantwell, was interested in working with me on it. At first I was skeptical that I’d be a good fit for it, since there is quite a gulf between my artistic style and the artwork of the original series drawn by Doug Mahnke. Daniel told me that they were looking for a different approach with this new series, something grittier, darker and more violent than previous entries. After that, I felt a lot more comfortable and I was totally on board.”
GXP: What can we expect from the series?
“Well, it definitely won’t look like any iteration that came before it. The element of light and shadow will play an important part in how the reader experiences the story. Most importantly, readers can expect a very thoughtful commentary on how terrifying it can be to be alive in 2019.”
GXP: Can you shed a little light on your favorite scene from the series?
“It’s hard to talk about a favorite scene without giving away any spoilers, but for right now, I’d say its any scene where Big Head unleashes his Tex Avery-inspired mayhem. Sometimes I get a little jealous that he can manipulate reality around him. And of course, his costumes choices are always on point.”
GXP: Did any challenges come up while working on getting the book ready?
“The most challenging thing for me is trying to blend the gritty realism with the cartoonish, over-the-top violence and not have it look too jarring. I’m finding that it means I have make the realism a bit more elastic and rely less on photo reference.”
GXP: What are the chances we get a sequel to this series?
“Chris has written the series so that a possibility for a sequel is there. Regardless, The Mask, itself, always seems to find its way back into the hands of the desperate and vulnerable, so …”
The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to The Mask #1 (of 4) releases on October 16, 2019. For more information on the series, click HERE.
