The Mask (comics): Difference between revisions

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The story of the comics begins when Stanley Ipkiss, a seemingly nice guy with repressed violent thoughts buys a green mask (really a semi-living artifact stolen from a tribe in Africa) for his girlfriend, Kathy. Putting the mask on that night and suddenly changing into a green-headed being with near-infinite powers, Stanley spends the next several months killing anyone he dislikes and becoming increasingly militant and deranged, until a final showdown with police and his girlfriend leaves him dead. The mask ends up in the hands of police Lt. Kellaway, who becomes the next "Big Head", carrying out similar murders against anyone he dislikes, until he finally realized what was happening. The stories over the years followed the mask itself as it went from owner to owner, usually pursued by Kellaway as he was one of very few who knew the truth.

 

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* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: While it's hard to think this could apply to the original Mask comics... they were actually the product of John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke fleshing out and adapting Mike Richardson's original "Masque" concept. Most of the original ideas remained intact, however.

* [[Art Evolution]]: The artist Doug Mahnke's pencilling style evolves quite a bit throughout the first album.

* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: At the end of the first two series, this is what happens to the cops when they try to stop Big Head.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Big Head is this, but it varies between wearers.

** Walter blasts Kathy/Big Head with both barrels of an elephant gun. For a being enhanced with the powers to bend reality and shrug off injuries, Kathy stayed down for the count long enough to make us think she was dead.

** This also happens the first time we see Walter as he gives Kellaway/Big Head quite a harsh beating that actually stuns him. We ARE talking about a being that gives entire police precincts the runaround here!

* [[The Juggernaut]]: Walter.

* [[Lost Tribe]]: The mask itself originally belonged to an unnamed African tribe, which used it in their rituals.

* [[No Man Should Have This Power]]: Kathy gives the mask to Lt Kellaway for safe keeping. When he finds he can't trust himself with it, he buries in concrete (which of course only keeps it down until the beginning of the next story arc).

* [[No Name Given]]: Lt. Kellaway's first name is never revealed. He even refused to tell people when asked.

* [[Puppeteer Parasite]]: The mask itself is a semi-living entity that can speak. Anyone who wears it is initially in control, or so it seems, as they seem to be fully aware of what they're doing with their new powers. However, they're quickly driven to murder and violence and after only a short time find their own minds being subdued as the mask takes control.

* [[Secret Identity]]: Subverted as the mask changed hands quite often, though as far as most of the police and media knew, it was the same killer each time.

* [[Squashed Flat]]: After Stanley first puts on the mask, he's run over by a car and flattened, complete with hideous amounts of blood. But he's just fine.

* [[Stable Time Loop]]: ''Lobo VS Mask''. {{spoiler|Lobo is hired to hunt down the "Ultimate Bastich", a being that destroyed numerous planets and killed billions. He's led to Earth, the last known location and finds Big Head, who, after a lengthy fight, admits it was his last wearer. After a lengthier galactic hunt, Lobo takes the mask himself, ends up going through a wormhole, and after being offended by a child's crayon drawing, obliterates numerous worlds. He'd been hired to hunt himself.}} The loop was broken at the end of the issue, however.

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[[Category:Dark Horse Comics]]