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The Mask | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
First appearance | As Masque: Dark Horse Presents #10 (September 1987) As Big Head: Mayhem #1 (May 1989) |
Created by | Masque: Mike Richardson Mark Badger Big Head: John Arcudi Chris Warner Doug Mahnke |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Various |
Notable aliases | Masque Big Head Loki |
Abilities |
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The Mask | |
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Collected editions | |
The Mask | ISBN 18-78-57450-7 |
The Mask Returns | ISBN 15-69-71021-X |
The Mask Strikes Back | ISBN 15-69-71168-2 |
The Mask Omnibus 1 | ISBN 15-06-71253-3 |
The Mask Omnibus 2 | ISBN 15-06-71252-5 |
Adventures of the Mask | ISBN 15-93-07938-9 |
Itty Bitty Mask | ISBN 16-16-55683-8 |
Dark Horse Comics/DC Comics: The Mask | ISBN 16-30-08944-3 |
The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! | ISBN 15-06-71479-X |
The Mask is an American comedy horror comic book series created by Mike Richardson, developed by Doug Mahnke and John Arcudi, and published by Dark Horse Comics. Its artists include Mark Badger, Chris Warner and Keith Williams. The series tells the story of a supernatural mask that grants its wearers nearly limitless power, often at the cost of their sanity. The original trilogy of The Mask , The Mask Returns, and The Mask Strikes Back was published as a limited series, from 1991 to 1995, and has since expanded into various spin-offs and other media, including Itty Bitty Mask and the 2019 main series revival I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask!. The series is known for its dark tone and graphic violence.
The stories of The Mask revolve around a magical mask which bestows on its wearer reality-bending powers and an altered appearance, characterized by a large set of teeth and a green head. [1] The mask affects the wearer's personality by removing all social and moral inhibitions, causing the wearer to become insane. The character was inspired by a combination of villains from DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and horror movies such as the Joker, the Green Goblin, Freddy Krueger, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Steve Ditko's the Creeper. [2] In the original comics, Stanley Ipkiss wears the mask and becomes a villain. Other characters who wore the Mask became, regardless of their intentions in donning it, cruel antiheroes or murderous, vengeful villains with ultra-violent tendencies. In the 1994 film and the animated series, the Mask had much less predictable effects on its wearer; the main character Stanley Ipkiss is depicted as polite, meek and nebbish, but becomes a brash, confident, thieving, charismatic, dashing and still polite supervillain who later on becomes a superhero while wearing the mask, whereas Dorian Tyrell, the main villain, shows no change in personality whatsoever while wearing the mask. The same is true in the 2005 sequel Son of the Mask , whose main character Tim Avery is named after Tex Avery.
The title of the comic book originally referred to the mask itself and not the character it unleashed. In early stories, the character was referred to as Big Head; it was not until the films and television series that the character became known as The Mask.
The base concept of The Mask was created by Mike Richardson on 5 February 1982. [2] It first saw life as a single sketch he drew in 1985 for APA-5, an amateur press publication created by writer Mark Verheiden. [2] After starting Dark Horse Comics, Richardson pitched his concept to Marvel Comics comic book writer/artist Mark Badger. The outcome was the Masque strip that ran in the early issues of Dark Horse Presents . [2] Badger's strips became increasingly political, and Richardson ended the strip to bring the character back to his original concept.
Artist Chris Warner was hired to revamp the character based on Richardson's original APA-5 drawing and created the definitive look for the character. This new look was launched in 1989 in the pages of Dark Horse's Mayhem anthology. Aspiring writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke were hired to create the new adventures, which became the first popular use of the character, "a combination of Tex Avery and The Terminator". [2] The Mask stories from Mayhem #1–4 were later collected as the 1991 issue The Mask #0 and also in a trade paperback collection.
Mayhem was canceled after four issues, but, in 1991, Arcudi and Mahnke continued with The Mask four issue limited series, which introduced one of the Mask's antagonists, a mute brutish hulk named Walter. This run was among Dark Horse's best sellers; following it, the company continued a succession of miniseries around the Mask, with various antagonists and protagonists wearing the mask. These series concluded in 2000 with the DC Comics crossover Joker/Mask , in which the magical Mask finds its way into the hands of Batman's arch-enemy The Joker. [3] The first major storylines and the Joker/Mask crossover have all been collected in trade-paperback format and in a limited-edition hardcover box set. It was later revived as two spin-off series: Itty Bitty Mask and I Pledge Allegiance To The Mask!.
The Mask | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | July – December 1991 |
No. of issues | 5 |
Creative team | |
Written by | John Arcudi |
Artist(s) | Doug Mahnke |
Letterer(s) | Pat Brosseau David Jackson |
Colorist(s) | Doug Mahnke Matt Webb |
Editor(s) | Mike Richardson |
In an antiques shop, a weak, neurotic man named Stanley Ipkiss shops for a gift to give to his girlfriend, Kathy Matthews. At the store he purchases an old jade mask which begins to speak to him. When Stanley wears it, he is transformed into a wacky super-powered being with an abnormally large, bald, green-skinned head and a mouthful of large teeth. After exploring his new abilities, Ipkiss goes on a rampage, taking revenge on those with whom he has a grudge, and earns the nickname Big Head.
After taking the mask off, Stan begins to realize what has been happening. His acts as Big Head begin to take an emotional toll on him. He becomes verbally abusive toward Kathy. She kicks him out, but keeps the mask since it was a gift from Stanley.
Later, Stan breaks into Kathy's apartment to steal it back just as the police arrive in response to an earlier housebreaking call. Deciding his only way out is as Big Head, Stan puts the mask back on and kills multiple cops during his escape in addition to causing a great deal of property damage. He returns home as Big Head and removes the mask, preparing to leave the city; only to be shot in the back and killed by Kathy now wearing the mask, who figured out the identity of Big Head and donned the mask while Stan's back was turned after he took it off.
Kathy takes the mask to Lieutenant Kellaway for safe-keeping. Kellaway, who had been struggling with both the recent Big Head murders, and organized crime lords on the loose in his city, disregards Kathy's warnings, believing she is stressed and not thinking clearly, and tries on the mask. Becoming Big Head, Kellaway sets out to take down the crime lords who have plagued his police career.
City dwellers, not knowing of the magical mask, assumes Big Head is still the same killer whose targets are now high-profile crime lords. Despite Kellaway's good intentions, the mask causes his methods to become increasingly more violent. Big Head encounters Walter, a behemoth-sized mob muscle-man who never speaks, who has undertaken a vendetta against Big Head for killing his employers. Walter never shows pain and is the only one who can injure Big Head to any real degree.
While fighting off Walter's attacks, Lieutenant Kellaway, as Big Head, becomes the target of a police manhunt. Big Head fights off the police and tracks down the remaining mobsters. When Kellaway's partner attempts to stop Big Head, the mask-altered policeman nearly kills his friend and colleague. Kellaway, realizing what he has been doing, flees. He removes the mask, buries it in his basement in cement, and vows never to let it be worn again.
The Mask Returns | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Bimonthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | October 1992 – March 1993 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | John Arcudi |
Artist(s) | Doug Mahnke |
Letterer(s) | Pat Brosseau |
Colorist(s) | Chris Chalenor |
Editor(s) | Mike Richardson |
The Mask Strikes Back | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | February – June 1995 |
No. of issues | 5 |
Creative team | |
Written by | John Arcudi |
Artist(s) | Doug Mahnke |
Inker(s) | Keith Williams |
Letterer(s) | Lois Buhalis |
Colorist(s) | Gregory Wright |
Editor(s) | Michael Eury Greg Vest |
Four friends, named Rick (a disgruntled anarchist), Ben (a failed musician), Hugo (a recovering drug addict) and Archie (a teenage savant), feel that their lives are at a dead end, until Rick, fascinated by the Big Head murders, finds the magical mask by the city pier and brings it home. Realizing this was the source of their hero's power, each of the four take turns trying it on. They attempt to use its power to fix their lives but end up making things worse for themselves. By the end, Walter, having recovered since being plowed into by Kellaway, finds the mask in his hands and is unable to use it and, in frustration, throws it off into the distance with tremendous force.
The Mask: The Hunt for Green October | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | July – October 1995 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Evan Dorkin |
Artist(s) | Peter Gross |
Letterer(s) | Pat Brosseau |
Colorist(s) | Matt Webb |
Editor(s) | Greg Vest |
The Mask: Southern Discomfort | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | April – July 1996 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Rich Hedden |
Artist(s) | Goran Delic |
Letterer(s) | Pat Brosseau |
Colorist(s) | James Sinclair Pamela Rambo |
Editor(s) | Greg Vest |
The Mask: Toys in the Attic | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | August – November 1998 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Bob Fingerman |
Artist(s) | Sibin |
Inker(s) | Bernard Kolle |
Letterer(s) | Annie Parkhouse |
Colorist(s) | Pamela Rambo |
Editor(s) | Scott Allie |
The Mask: I Pledge Allegiance to the Mask! | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | October 2019 – January 2020 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Christopher Cantwell |
Artist(s) | Patric Reynolds |
Letterer(s) | Nate Piekos |
Colorist(s) | Lee Loughridge |
Editor(s) | Daniel Chabon |
Acknowledging how the main series was dormant for twenty years, the mask had been buried in concrete for two decades, during which Kellaway retired in California and Kathy became mayor of Edge City. Struggling politician Abner Mead finds it, and as Big Head uses his uninhibited and at times violent outbursts to make himself endearing to the populace and run for President of the United States. [4]
The Mask: Official Movie Adaptation | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Genre | |
Publication date | July – August 1994 |
No. of issues | 2 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Mike Richarson |
Artist(s) | Kilian Plunkett |
Inker(s) | Bruce Patterson |
Letterer(s) | Sean Konot |
Colorist(s) | Chris Chalenor |
Editor(s) | Bob Schreck |
The Mask: World Tour | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | December 1995 – March 1996 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Robert Loren Fleming |
Artist(s) | Gary Erskine |
Letterer(s) | Annie Parkhouse |
Colorist(s) | Bernie Mireault |
Editor(s) | Greg Vest |
Adventures of the Mask | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Ongoing series |
Publication date | January – December 1996 |
No. of issues | 12 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Michael Eury |
Artist(s) | Neil Vokes Dev Madan Marc Campos |
Inker(s) | Jay Geldhof Ande Parks Barbara Kaalberg |
Letterer(s) | Clem Robins |
Colorist(s) | Matt Webb Perry McNamee |
Editor(s) | Greg Vest Scott Allie |
Walter: Campaign of Terror | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | February – May 1996 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | John Arcudi |
Artist(s) | Doug Mahnke |
Inker(s) | Keith Williams |
Letterer(s) | Joe Rosen |
Colorist(s) | Marcus David |
Editor(s) | Greg Vest |
"Night of the Return of the Living Ipkiss... Kinda" | |
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Creative team | |
Written by | John Arcudi |
Artist(s) | Doug Mahnke |
Letterer(s) | Clem Robins |
Colorist(s) | Chris Chalenor |
Editor(s) | Randy Stradley |
Grifter and the Mask | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Dark Horse Comics WildStorm |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | September – October 1996 |
No. of issues | 2 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Steven Seagle |
Artist(s) | Luciano Lima |
Inker(s) | Joe Pimentel |
Letterer(s) | Clem Robins |
Colorist(s) | Cary Porter |
Editor(s) | Dave Chipps Greg Vest |
Grifter, of the WildC.A.T.s., is sent to Las Vegas to break up a weapons smuggling ring at a gun show. Trouble ensues when one of the tourists ends up with the mask, and Big Head causes a riot at the gun show by pulling a knife. Grifter initially mistakes the Mask for a target, but when the tourist's girlfriend is threatened, Grifter and the Mask team up to stop the smuggling ring.
Lobo/Mask | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Dark Horse Comics DC Comics |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | February – March 1997 |
No. of issues | 2 |
Creative team | |
Written by | John Arcudi Alan Grant |
Artist(s) | Doug Mahnke |
Inker(s) | Keith Williams |
Letterer(s) | Ken Lopez |
Colorist(s) | Francesco Ponzi |
Editor(s) | Dan Raspler |
The Mask: Virtual Surreality | |
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Publication information | |
Format | One-shot |
Publication date | July 1997 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Michael Eury Sergio Aragonés Mark Evanier Aaron Lopresti Mike Mignola Dave Taylor Dave Cooper |
Artist(s) | Ivan Reis Edde Wagner Sergio Aragonés Aaron Lopresti Mike Mignola Dave Taylor Dave Cooper |
Letterer(s) | Clem Robins Stan Sakai Ken Bruzenak Pat Brosseau |
Colorist(s) | Dave Nestelle Chris Chalenor James Sinclair Pamela Rambo |
Editor(s) | Scott Allie |
The Mask/Marshal Law | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | February – March 1998 |
No. of issues | 2 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Pat Mills |
Artist(s) | Kevin O'Neill |
Letterer(s) | Ellie DeVille |
Colorist(s) | Dave Stewart |
Editor(s) | Scott Allie |
"Angry Young Mask" | |
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Creative team | |
Written by | Rick Geary |
Artist(s) | Rick Geary |
Inker(s) | Rick Geary |
Letterer(s) | Rick Geary |
Editor(s) | Randy Stradley |
"No Mask Is an Island" | |
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Creative team | |
Written by | Henry Gilroy |
Artist(s) | Lucas Marangon |
Inker(s) | Randy Emberlin |
Letterer(s) | Steve Dutro |
Editor(s) | Randy Stradley |
Joker/Mask | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Dark Horse Comics DC Comics |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | May – August 2000 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Henry Gilroy Ronnie del Carmen |
Artist(s) | Ramon F. Bachs |
Inker(s) | Howard M. Shum |
Letterer(s) | Steve Dutro |
Colorist(s) | Dave McCaig |
Editor(s) | Dave Land |
Itty Bitty Mask | |
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Publication information | |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | November 2014 – February 2015 |
No. of issues | 4 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Art Baltazar Franco |
Artist(s) | Art Baltazar |
Editor(s) | Brendan Wright |
Dark Horse Comics has published two omnibus editions featuring The Mask stories in chronological order. However, this collection didn't reprint bonus materials previously released in the individual trade paperbacks for the individual series, such as deleted pages, author forwards, and retrospectives.
The Mask Omnibus Volume 1
Collects The Mask #0–4, The Mask Returns #1–4 and The Mask Strikes Back #1–5. Published August 13, 2008. [5] Second Edition published March 27, 2019. [6]
The Mask Omnibus Volume 2
Collects The Mask: The Hunt for Green October #1–4, The Mask: World Tour #1–4, The Mask: Southern Discomfort #1–4, "Night of the Return of the Living Ipkiss... Kinda" and The Mask: Toys in the Attic #1–4. Published March 11, 2009. [7] Second Edition published September 11, 2019. [8]
Adventures of the Mask Omnibus
Collects The Mask: Official Movie Adaptation #1–2, Adventures of the Mask #1–12, The Mask: Virtual Surreality, "Angry Young Mask" and "No Mask Is an Island". Published July 15, 2009. [9]
A film version of The Mask was released in the United States on July 29, 1994, starring Jim Carrey in the title role. Directed by Chuck Russell, the film co-starred Peter Greene as Dorian Tyrell, Peter Riegert as Lt. Mitch Kellaway, Orestes Matacena as Niko, Richard Jeni as Charlie Schumacher, Amy Yasbeck as Peggy Brandt, and Cameron Diaz, in her screen debut, as Tina Carlyle. Ben Stein has a cameo role as Dr. Arthur Neuman.
While there were early efforts to take the film in the direction of horror (some at New Line Cinema saw it as a replacement for their fading A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), [10] it was never completely intended as a "dark horror" picture. [11] New Line had problems coming up with a script that could show violence that was comical, but had more success with a story that was primarily a comedy and had violence. Mike Richardson and Chuck Russell always pushed in the direction of the second option, which was eventually adopted. Executive producer Michael De Luca's suggestion of Jim Carrey for the lead, together with the "Cuban Pete" production number in the screenplay, set the final tone for the film.
The plot of the film was loosely based on the first half of the Arcudi/Mahnke comic book miniseries.
The film also inspired a spin-off video game adaptation, released for the Super NES in 1995. [12]
The film version of the character subsequently appeared in an animated TV series entitled The Mask: Animated Series (with Rob Paulsen as Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask). [13] John Arcudi wrote season one's "How Much is That Dog in the Tin Can" and season three's "The Goofalotatots" (a parody of Warner Bros. Animation's Animaniacs , which Paulsen starred in). The series took many elements from the source film but made numerous changes. Tina was absent, and reporter Peggy Brandt had become the main female character, but not a love interest. Also, unlike in the film, Ipkiss appeared to be able to use the mask in daytime as well as at night, while gaining the mischievous and heroic personality of The Mask along with having superpowers. The series also had a crossover with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , another animated series based on a Jim Carrey film.
Four VHS volumes of the series were released (an extra two in Australia), all of which are now out of print. Upon the initial DVD release of Son of the Mask , Wal-Mart stores sold an exclusive two-pack of the film with the pilot episode of the animated series ("The Mask Is Always Greener on the Other Side" Parts 1 and 2).
Son of the Mask is the stand-alone sequel to the 1994 film, directed by Lawrence Guterman. [14] The film had an $84 million budget and a $17 million domestic box office gross, [15] along with a $40 million foreign box office gross.
Director Chuck Russell, who helmed the original film, expressed his interest in a sequel in his 1996 LaserDisc commentary. He was hoping Carrey would return, along with Amy Yasbeck. Russell had decided to cut the scenes when Peggy dies and leave the character open for the sequel, which became this film. The concept was completely changed when Carrey decided not to return. Though it does exist in the same universe as the 1994 film, the plot instead focuses on another man (played by Jamie Kennedy) who finds the mask and unintentionally conceives a child while wearing it. The result is a son who possesses the powers of the mask without needing to wear it. At the same time, Loki (played by Alan Cumming), the Norse God and original creator of the mask, searches the human world attempting to find it.
Ben Stein reprises his role of Dr. Arthur Neuman from the first film. He is involved in the film to reestablish the relationship between the mask and its creator Loki. He is the only actor to appear in both films as well as the animated series.
The Stanley Ipkiss version of the Mask appears in Space Jam: A New Legacy . He is among the Warner Bros. Serververse inhabitants that watch the basketball match between the Tune Squad and the Goon Squad. The Mask can be seen with two versions of the Penguin from the Batman franchise, one from the 1966 Batman Television series and one from the 1992 film Batman Returns .
Barb Wire is a fictional character appearing in Comics Greatest World, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. Created by Chris Warner and Team CGW, the character first appeared in Comics' Greatest World: Steel Harbor in 1993. The original Barb Wire series published nine issues between 1994 and 1995 and was followed by a four-issue miniseries in 1996. A reboot was published in 2015 and lasted eight issues. In 1996, the character was adapted into a film starring Pamela Anderson. Unlike the comics, the film takes place in a possible future rather than an alternate version of present-day Earth.
The Joker is a supervillain who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book Batman on April 25, 1940. Credit for the Joker's creation is disputed; Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for his design while acknowledging Finger's writing contribution. Although the Joker was planned to be killed off during his initial appearance, he was spared by editorial intervention, allowing the character to endure as the archenemy of the superhero Batman.
Robin is the alias of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson to serve as a junior counterpart and the sidekick to the superhero Batman. As a team, Batman and Robin have commonly been referred to as the Caped Crusaders and the Dynamic Duo. The character's first incarnation, Dick Grayson, debuted in Detective Comics #38. Conceived as a way to attract young readership, Robin garnered overwhelmingly positive critical reception, doubling the sales of the Batman titles. Robin's early adventures included Star Spangled Comics #65–130 (1947–1952), the character's first solo feature. He made regular appearances in Batman-related comic books and other DC Comics publications from 1940 through the early 1980s, until the character set aside the Robin identity and became the independent superhero Nightwing.
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional forensic psychiatric hospital appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring the superhero Batman. It first appeared in Batman #258, written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv Novick. Located in Gotham City, the asylum houses patients who are criminally insane, as well as select prisoners with unusual medical requirements that are beyond a conventional prison's ability to accommodate. Its high-profile patients are often members of Batman's rogues gallery.
The Scarecrow is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3. He has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.
Michael Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer best known for creating Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including B.P.R.D., Abe Sapien, Lobster Johnson, and various spin-offs. He has also created other supernatural and paranormal themed titles for Dark Horse including Baltimore, Joe Golem, and The Amazing Screw-On Head.
The Batman Adventures is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other Batman titles because it is set in the continuity of Batman: The Animated Series, as opposed to the regular DC Universe.
Son of the Mask is a 2005 superhero comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman. A standalone sequel to The Mask (1994), it is the second and final installment in The Mask franchise, an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Dark Horse Comics. The film stars Jamie Kennedy as Tim Avery, an aspiring animator whose child is born with the powers of the Mask. It co-stars Alan Cumming as Loki, whom Odin has ordered to find the Mask, alongside Traylor Howard, Kal Penn, Steven Wright, Bob Hoskins as Odin, and Ryan and Liam Falconer as Tim's baby Alvey. Ben Stein cameos as Doctor Arthur Neuman from the original film. The film was a critical and financial failure upon release, grossing $59.9 million against its $84–100 million budget.
The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film directed by Chuck Russell and produced by Bob Engelman from a screenplay by Mike Werb and a story by Michael Fallon and Mark Verheiden. It is the first film in the Mask franchise, based on the comic book series of the same name by Mike Richardson, published by Dark Horse Comics. It stars Jim Carrey in the title role along with Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, and Cameron Diaz in her film debut. Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, an ordinary man who finds a magical wooden mask that transforms him into the titular green-faced troublemaker who can cartoonishly alter himself and his surroundings at will. Filming began on August 30, 1993, and concluded in October 1993.
"Knightfall" is a 1993–1994 Batman story arc published by DC Comics. It consists of a trilogy of storylines that ran from 1993 to 1994, consisting of "Knightfall", "Knightquest", and "KnightsEnd".
Douglas Mahnke is an American comic book artist, known for his work and penciling books including The Mask, JLA, Batman, Final Crisis, and Green Lantern.
John Arcudi is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on The Mask and B.P.R.D. and his series Major Bummer.
The Mask: Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the 1994 film of the same title. The series aired for a total of three seasons and fifty-four episodes from August 12, 1995, to August 30, 1997. It spawned its own short-run comic book series, Adventures of The Mask. John Arcudi, former writer of the original comics, wrote two episodes of the series.
The Batman franchise, based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s: Batman and Batman and Robin. The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman, which was a feature film adaptation of the 1960s Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with the 1989 film Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of Batman Unchained.
Mark Schultz is an American writer and illustrator of books and comics. His most widely recognized work is the creator-owned comic book series Xenozoic Tales, which describes a post-apocalyptic world where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures coexist with humans. In 1993, Xenozoic Tales was adapted into an animated series titled Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and a video game of the same name. Schultz's other notable works include various Aliens comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse and a four-year run on the DC Comics series Superman: The Man of Steel. In 2004, Schultz took over the scripting duties of the Prince Valiant comic strip.
Dean Rankine is an Australian comics artist, writer and illustrator. Rankine's work has appeared in many comics, books and magazines.
The Hellboy Universe is the fictional universe of the Hellboy comic and its various spinoffs, created by Mike Mignola. Its first appearance was in a black-and-white, four-page promotional comic by Mike Mignola with a script by John Byrne published by Dark Horse Comics in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, distributed at San Diego Comic-Con. The Hellboy Universe currently spans over eighty trade paperbacks. It is also sometimes informally called the "Mignolaverse".
The Mask is an American media franchise based on the comic book series of the same name by Dark Horse Comics. It revolves around a mask that gives various individuals cartoonish and god-like superpowers, the individuals are ultimately faced with the challenge of overcoming the obstacles and conflicts they create while wearing it.
I think going with a much darker vision, darker even than the comics, would be fun to see. Horror mixed with comedy is much more common today than it was back in 1994.