Every Wednesday, comic fans across the country pour into their local shops to pick up their subscribed-to favorites and chat with fellow fans. And maybe, if they are extremely lucky, they will find a new book that – for reasons they may not even know – pulls them in, promising new adventures and characters to root for. Luckily for me, this week I discovered The Masked Macher by writer David Goodman and with art by Alex Andres. As someone who grew up around the Yiddish language, I immediately recognized the word “Macher” which, as the cover of the book tells you, is Yiddish for Big Shot.
What awaits is a story set in the golden years of Hollywood during the Great Depression. It is here we are introduced to our protagonist Tony Hollywood, an acting hopeful who believes his rise to fame is not a matter of luck, but an inevitability. Tony’s defining characteristic is his utter lack of self-doubt and humility – a pairing that those he encounters find grating and endearing in equal measure. In many ways, I find that Tony reminds me of “The Tick:” a well-meaning and unintentionally oblivious character with an unflappable belief in his own excellence.
This first issue relates the story of how Tony Hollywood came to enter the ring as the Masked Macher. I greatly enjoyed following Tony’s journey and meeting his supporting cast of colorful characters who are determined to save their wrestling arena. Goodman imbues, even in just a few panels, these characters with personality and purpose. We first meet the cantankerous Mickey, the manager of the ring and recent widower. Mickey’s husband had been the original Masked Macher, and she seems to have deep connections to the inner workings of Hollywood that I hope are explored in further issues. Wang Wei is the ring announcer and confidante of wrestler Luisa Torres. Luisa is a skilled wrestler but hides behind male persona in the ring so she can participate as Tony’s first opponent. The story is partially related to the reader by a narrator whose identity remains hidden through the opening pages but whose reveal is one of the true laugh-out-loud moments of the entire comic. And this reveal is crucial to making this issue stand out from what had felt like an enjoyable, but somewhat predictable, read. It’s this mysterious narrator, too, who provides most of the humor in the issue and really sets the tone for what this mini-series will be going forward.
The issue is all brought to life by Alex Andres’ art, a standout of which is his ability to fully capture the emotion of his subject. Andres has a knack for framing the action in the ring, showcasing the physicality so that it was both exciting and easy to follow without sacrificing close-up character moments, as well. Andres also has a talent for setting the scene with his horizontal panels pulling the reader into the setting of his wonderfully rendered depression-era Hollywood. My only issue is that, at times, the backgrounds can feel muddled, and after the opening pages, the backgrounds tend to lose focus. It’s just a shame that we lose that detail in the vertical panels. Gonzalo Duarte’s colors capture the bright primary colors of the ring and the duller colors of the Depression-era streets. The lettering work of Mauro Mantella is well done, and it allows the reader to follow the story without crowding the panels and obscuring the artwork.
Overall, I really enjoyed the The Masked Macher, and it will immediately be added to my pull list. I want to avoid spoiler territory, so I’ll note that the ending of this first issue demands that you buy the second. This is a world filled with a lot of charm and hilarious moments, and I can’t wait to read the next issue.
Creative Team: David Goodman (writer), Alex Andres (artist/cover artist)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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