The Masked Man

Last updated
The Masked Man
MaskedMan1Eclipse.jpg
The cover to The Masked Man #1; art by B.C. Boyer.
Publication information
Publisher Eclipse Comics
First appearance Eclipse #7 (November 1982)
Created byB.C. Boyer
In-story information
Full nameDick Carstairs
Species Human
PartnershipsBarney McAllister
The Masked Man
Publication information
Publisher Eclipse Comics
ScheduleBi-monthly (#1-9)
Irregular (#10-12)
Format Ongoing series
Publication dateDecember 1984 – April 1988
No. of issues12
Creative team
Written by B. C. Boyer
Artist(s) B. C. Boyer
Editor(s) Cat Yronwode (#1-9)
Fred Burke (#10-12)

The Masked Man is a fictional comic book crime-fighter created by B.C. Boyer and published by Eclipse Comics. His first appearance was in Eclipse #7, dated November 1982. The Masked Man is the alter ego of private eye Dick Carstairs, who takes on the identity of the Masked Man so that his friend Barney McAllister, a reporter, could grab headlines using tales of his crime-fighting adventures.

Contents

Publication history

Boyer originally created the character as a simple one-shot "throwaway" for Eclipse, and originally pitched it as White Collar Man before Eclipse publisher Dean Mullaney persuaded him to retitle the strip. While the character's visual similarity to Will Eisner's The Spirit has been noted, Boyer claimed the latter had no influence on the Masked Man, who was instead born out of the creator's apathy towards overcomplicated superhero costumes, and that he was unaware of the similarities until editor Cat Yronwode pointed out the resemblance. After being introduced to Eisner's work, Boyer devised the character of the Phantom Man in tribute. After the end of Eclipse, the Magazine in January 1983, The Masked Man graduated to colour successor Eclipse Monthly , appearing in all ten issues from August 1983 to July 1984; it was the only ever-present in the anthology. Yronwode chose to give Carstairs a blue mask for his colour debut, something she later admitted to regretting. [1]

The Masked Man was then given an ongoing series from December 1984. Initially the bi-monthly ongoing retold the character's origins. [2] The series was originally planned to end after 9 issues in 1986 [3] but resumed with #10 in 1987. [4]

The resurrected title switched to black-and-white interiors. The book would then keep an irregular schedule until the twelfth and final issue, with editor Fred Burke noting Eclipse published the issues "whenever they were ready". [5] In 1988 Eclipse sought Boyer's permission to include the Masked Man in crossover Total Eclipse . [6] He acceded and the character featured in promotion for the title, but ultimately Carstairs and McAllister would only appear in a single panel of the series - drawn by Boyer himself. [7]

Fictional character biography

During his crime-fighting career, Carstairs meets a number of allies and enemies. Among these is Dan Drekston, a reporter who threatens to reveal the identity of the Masked Man unless he can take Barney's place as Carstairs' companion. He also encounters Phantom Man, a.k.a. Lenny Winchester, when he saves Carstairs' life. The Phantom Man is an old man in a blue business suit, fedora, domino mask and gloves. Aphidman is another whom Carstairs crosses paths with, a high school student named Percy who mistakenly thinks he has superpowers like Spider-Man. Carstairs also meets Maggie Brown, who was blinded by gunfire; after saving her life, Carstairs falls in love with Maggie, although Barney believes she is faking her blindness. Barney also meets Carstairs' sister, Roxy Chicago, a criminal and murderer. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Amazing Heroes</i> Magazine about the comic book medium

Amazing Heroes was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, The Comics Journal, Amazing Heroes was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analytical journal.

<i>Zot!</i> Comic book by Scott McCloud

Zot! is a comic book created by Scott McCloud in 1984 and published by Eclipse Comics until 1990 as a lighthearted alternative to the darker and more violent comics that dominated the industry during that period. There were a total of 36 issues, with the first ten in color and the remainder in black and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airboy</span> Boy aviation comic character

Airboy is a fictional Golden Age aviator hero of an American comic book series initially published by Hillman Periodicals during the World War II, before ending his initial run in 1953. The hero was the costumed identity of crack pilot Davy Nelson II, and created by writers Charles Biro and Dick Wood with artist Al Camy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eclipse Comics</span> American comic book publisher

Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was one of the first to offer royalties and creator ownership of rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Yronwode</span>

Catherine Anna Yronwode is an American writer, editor, graphic designer, typesetter, and publisher with an extensive career in the comic book industry. She is also a practitioner of folk magic.

<i>Aztec Ace</i> Comic book title published by Eclipse Comics.

Aztec Ace is an American creator-owned science fiction comic book formerly published by Eclipse Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench, 15 issues appeared from 1984 to 1985. Amazing Heroes would describe the series as "a strange cross between Dr. Who and the Illuminati trilogy".

<i>Scout</i> (comics) American comic book series

Scout is an American dystopian comic book series created and written by Timothy Truman, and first published by Eclipse Comics in 1985. The story stars a Native American Apache named Emanuel Santana. The setting of the series is a future United States which has become a Third World country.

<i>Alien Encounters</i> (comics)

Alien Encounters is an American science fiction anthology comic book published by FantaCo Enterprises and then Eclipse Comics. The comic debuted with FantaCo in 1981, and in 1985 was taken over by Eclipse.

<i>Total Eclipse</i> (comics) American comic series

Total Eclipse is an American comic book limited series in five prestige format parts published by Eclipse Comics in 1988 to 1989. A cross-company crossover commemorating the company's tenth anniversary, Total Eclipse was intended to bring all of the company's characters together, no matter how obscure or bizarre. These included Airboy and the Air Fighters, Strike! and Sgt. Strike, Prowlers Leo Kragg and Tim Kida, Aztec Ace, The Liberty Project, Miracleman, The New Wave and Beanish.

<i>Eclipse Monthly</i> Comics anthology magazine

Eclipse Monthly was a full color comics anthology title published from 1983 to 1984 by Eclipse Comics. It was a successor to the company's previous anthology title Eclipse.

<i>Twisted Tales</i> Horror comic anthology

Twisted Tales was a horror comics anthology published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell.

<i>Eclipse</i> (magazine) Comics anthology magazine

Eclipse, The Magazine was a black-and-white comics anthology magazine published bi-monthly by Eclipse Comics from 1981 to 1983. It was the company's first ongoing title, Eclipse having previously published graphic novels, and was designed as a competitor to the likes of Epic Illustrated and Heavy Metal.

<i>The New Wave</i> (comics) American comic book series

The New Wave was a superhero team comic book published between 1986 and 1987 by Eclipse Comics.

<i>The Liberty Project</i> American comic book series

The Liberty Project is a creator owned American comic book series created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist James W. Fry. It was originally published by Eclipse Comics between 1987 and 1988, and concerned a group of super-powered criminals working for the U.S. government in exchange for the possibility of early parole.

<i>Crossfire</i> (Eclipse Comics)

Crossfire is an American comic book series created by writer Mark Evanier and artist Dan Spiegle originally for Eclipse Comics. It was a spin-off from DNAgents, which was also written by Evanier. The series ran for 26 issues from May 1984 to October 1988.

<i>Miracleman</i> Superhero comic book series

Miracleman is a superhero comic book series, centred on the character of the same name. Originally created by Mick Anglo and published by L. Miller & Son, Ltd. as Marvelman between 1954 and 1963, the character was revived in 1982 for a revisionist story written by Alan Moore, beginning in the pages of British anthology Warrior. From 1985 the character was renamed Miracleman, and the series was continued by American publisher Eclipse Comics until 1993. Since 2009 the rights to the character have been licensed by Marvel Comics, who have published new material.

<i>Doc Stearn...Mr. Monster</i> Comics character

Doc Stearn...Mr. Monster is a comic book featuring a superhero created by Michael T. Gilbert, most recently published by Dark Horse Comics.

<i>Strike!</i> (comic book) American comic book series

Strike! is an American creator-owned superhero comic book series created by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Tom Lyle, published by Eclipse Comics between 1987 and 1988. It concerns about a teenage boy who finds the power harness of Sgt. Strike, a hero that fought for the US in World War II before disappearing.

<i>Prowler</i> (Eclipse Comics) American comic book series

The Prowler is a creator-owned American comic book series created by Timothy Truman and John K. Snyder III. It was published by Eclipse Comics between 1987 and 1988, and chronicled the adventures of 1930s vigilante Leo Kragg, a.k.a. The Prowler, as he trained teenager Scott Kida to take up his legacy.

References

  1. 1 2 Eric Yarber (January 15, 1985). "Who is that Masked Man?". Amazing Heroes . No. 63. Redbeard, Inc.
  2. ↑ Diana Schutz (January 1, 1985). "Masked Man". Amazing Heroes . No. 62/1985 Preview Issue. Redbeard, Inc.
  3. ↑ "Newsflashes". Amazing Heroes . No. 91. Fantagraphics Books. March 15, 1986.
  4. ↑ "Top of the News (advertisement)". Amazing Heroes . No. 121. Fantagraphics Books. July 15, 1987.
  5. ↑ John Wilcox (January 15, 1988). "The Masked Man". Amazing Heroes . No. 133/Preview Special 6. Fantagraphics Books.
  6. ↑ Andy Mangels (January 15, 1988). "Total Eclipse". Amazing Heroes . No. 133/Preview Special 6. Fantagraphics Books.
  7. ↑ Wolfman, Marv  ( w ), Hampton, Bo  ( p ), Rick Bryant  ( i )."Heroes and Villains"Total Eclipse,no. 3(November 1988). Eclipse Comics .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.