JON HEX REVIEWS: MASKS AND MOBSTERS #2

Masks And Mobsters #2

Written by Joshua Williamson

Art by Mike Henderson

The second offering of Masks and Mobsters, the crime anthology series from Monkeybrain Inc. sees the return of Bobby Silver, the killer of Doctor Daylight in the first issue. Bobby has been laying low since every masked hero is searching for him when he runs into two old buddies, Tony and Marco. The pair are staking out jewelry store the mob extorts protection money from because someone has been on a robbery spree with the heroes preoccupied. The culprit: a robotic automaton.

Mike Henderson is a very capable artist, bringing the right touches to make the scenes feel like the 40’s. His effects are outstanding even in black and white. Joshua Williamson has a way with giving exposition and making it seem like casual conversation.

Understanding that the series is about the mob’s response to the prevalence of masked heroes, certain elements keep me from enjoying the book. For one thing, the masked men seem fairly easy to kill. Between Daylight’s death and the resolution of this issue, I have no clue as to why the mob sees these people as credible threats. Yet, it is made obvious that the mob see them as a huge obstacle to their operations.

The so far unseen masked heroes being clueless to a robot on a robbery spree also strains their effectiveness credibility. How many are there that they can be thorns in the sides of various crime families, yet totally absent when they’re looking for one guy?

Another thing, Bobby Silver must be some kind of ninja. He pops up from the shadows and mysteriously runs into people hiding out on rooftops. Daylight brags about all the esoteric training he went through and Bobby manages to draw and shoot him down. After being thrown through a window, no less. If his prowess will be explained somewhere down the line or is part of some mystery, I kind of wish that was made known or alluded to.

The length of the books is also a factor in my enjoyment. At 10 pages, this issue really has no time to build much since there is the robot to deal with. If more of the masked heroes were shown or maybe other mobsters who have to deal with them, I think would open up the world.

Bottom line: Masks & Mobsters is a fun concept but the execution needs some work. 3/5 Kirby Krackles