The Mask

The Mask originated as the name of the title character of a comic book series. This spun off a movie, The Mask, with Jim Carrey in the title role. The movie subsequently spun off a successful television series (also entitled "The Mask") and a much less successful motion picture sequel, Son of the Mask, in addition to its own comic book adaptations.

The Mask (comic books)

The Mask is a fictional comic book character created by Mike Richardson, Randy Stradley and Mike Badger (as The Masque in Dark Horse Presents #10, (1987)) and John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke (as the Mask in Mayhem #1, (1989)), appearing in comics published by Dark Horse Comics. It is about a magic mask that gives anyone who wears it physical invulnerability and a number of reality-defying powers (for instance, the ability to produce useful objects out of thin air), but also lowers the wearer's inhibitions and amplifies the repressed parts of the wearer's personality.

The series begins with the mask being found in an antiques shop by Stanley Ipkiss, a neurotic loser whom everyone takes advantage of. Trying the mask on, he is transformed into a wacky, superpowered being with an abnormally large, bald, green-skinned head. After exploring his new abilities for a while, he goes on a rampage, taking lethal revenge on everyone against whom he holds a grudge, from the motor mechanic who always overcharges him to his old first-grade teacher. Eventually after many adventures of vengeance, Stanley becomes corrupt with power and verbally abusive toward his girlfriend Kathy. Kathy eventually kicks him out and tries to keep the mask since Stanley had bought it for her as a gift. Stanley then breaks into her apartment and steals the mask while the police investigate a domestic violence call. Terror ensues as Stanley, under the possession of the mask, nearly kills them all. Afterwards he heads home and takes off the mask only to be shot in the back by Kathy, who has put two and two together and figured out the identity of "Big Head." The mask then falls into her hands.

A storyline about Kathy's experiences with the mask was planned, but never saw the light of day; the series continues with Kathy giving the mask to a police officer, Lt. Kellaway, for safe-keeping. Disregarding her warnings, Kellaway tries the mask on, and sets out to clean up the city. Despite his good intentions, his methods become increasingly bizarre, and soon Big-Head is the target of a police man-hunt (the world at large, not knowing about the mask, assumes it's always the same big-headed green-skinned freak; nobody realises that he might have a secret identity). When he nearly kills a friend and colleague who got in his way, Kellaway realises how badly things have gone wrong, and swears never to wear the mask again.

In the next storyline, the mask falls into the hands of a small-time mobster, who (as Big-Head) becomes the city's pre-eminent crime boss.

After another storyline, in which four teenagers find the mask and take turns trying it on, Arcudi and Mahnke left the title, handing it over to a succession of guest writers and artists.

Of note was Walter, a large, mutated mob hitman who never talked. Walter could be injured, but never indicated that he felt pain- and would even mutilate himself. After his mob employers were killed, Walter set out to hunt Big Head in revenge. He was the only one who could injure Big Head to any real degree, possessing phenomenal strength. On one occasion he attempted to wear the Mask himself, but fortunately his head was too large for the Mask to fit properly.

In addition to the ongoing series, there have been a number of specials, including:

Joker/The Mask, a collaboration with DC Comics in which the mask falls into the hands of Batman's nemesis the Joker. With the Mask, the Joker is essentially himself with superpowers, as he does not 'conceal' anything for the Mask to bring out. Fortunately, Batman is able to trick the Joker into removing the Mask, claiming that he is no longer funny (Not that Batman EVER found the Joker amusing). Note that the book is a continuity mess, combining elements of both the comics and the Mask animated series.
Marshal Law vs. The Mask, the mask is applied to a superhuman serial killer as part of a secret government experiment which inevitably goes disastrously wrong, requiring Marshal Law to take down a nemesis who is not only immune to his usual ultra-violence, but can warp reality according to his psychotic whims.
Grifter/The Mask
Lobo vs The Mask, alien bounty hunter Lobo is hired to find the "Ultimate Bastich", a being who has decimated numerous planets. His hunt leads him to Earth, where a petty thief has become Big Head. In a battle that decimates Manhattan, Big Head finally offers to "help" Lobo find the "previous wearer". The duo head through space, causing mass destruction, though it's obvious Big Head is leading Lobo on. In a space truck stop, Lobo ultimately wins the mask for himself, putting it on and causing even more damage. A black hole sends him back in time by a month and he ultimately ends up being the Ultimate Bastich himself. Realizing this (and waking up on Earth, tossing the mask in the same spot the thief found it), Lobo breaks the time loop when he meets his past self - and turns his past self in for the reward money. Former Mask comic team John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke returned for these books, along with Lobo writer Alan Grant.

Rumors of a crossover with Sam Kieth's The Maxx had floated around at one point (a crossover likely due to similar character names), but if it had been in the works, it was cancelled before an official announcement could be made.

With Dark Horse's shift towards licensed properties, and less emphasis on their own titles, the Mask has fallen on the wayside, with no titles published recently. The last one was Joker/Mask, in 2001.

Collections

The Mask (it collects the Ipkiss and Kellaway storylines)
The Mask Returns (the crime-boss storyline)
The Mask Strikes Back (the storyline with the four teenagers)
The Mask: The Hunt for Green October (the storyline with a failed cartoonist and his 10-year-old dumb daughter on Halloween)
The Mask: World Tour (the storyline where a burglar with split personality syndrome enters the dimension of Dark Horse Heroes)
The Mask: Southern Discomfort
The Mask: Toys in the Attic

Concept Influence

It is believed that the concept of The Mask is based on a Australian Comic series The Mask: The Man Of Many Faces by Yaroslav Horak (illustrator of early James Bond comic strips). ^*

Adaptations and spin-offs

The Movie

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/Dorian Loki Tyrell, Peter Riegert as Lt. Mitch Kellaway, Orestes Matacena as Niko, Richard Jeni as Charlie Schumacher, Amy Yasbeck as Peggy Brandt, and was Cameron Diaz's (Tina Carlyle) screen debut. Ben Stein has a cameo role as Dr. Arthur Neuman.

The film was loosely based on the early issues of the comic book series. The film version is much lighter and cartoonier: the mask's effects are zany, but not particularly evil, and Carrey's Stanley Ipkiss is a nice guy who uses the mask (mostly) for good purposes and gets a happy ending. The bloody violence of the comic book is nowhere to be found in the film adaptation (in fact, the only gag recycled from the comic books was the balloon animal/tommy gun scene, albeit without the gruesome ending). Originally it was planned to be a dark horror film, and several screenplays were written for this premise (none of which were particularly impressive), but when Carrey got the role of Ipkiss, they redid the movie to be a vehicle for Jim Carrey's unique style of comedy. Whereas the comic book interpretation could bleed and be mutilated (though unhurt, regardless), this Mask was merely indestructible - a living cartoon. Lt. Kellaway from the comics is retained, albeit heavily altered (his first name is never given in the comics- the movie's credits list it as "Mitch"). Kellaway is partnered with Detective Doyle, who was not in the comics (Doyle, interestingly, is rather intelligent in his first scene, but quickly becomes an idiot as the movie progresses).

Stanley's love interest Kathy is renamed Tina for the film. The villain is a gangster named Dorian Tyrell (Greene), Tina's lover, who is determined to overthrow his boss and will stop at nothing to gain what he craves. At the film's finale, the wooden mask falls into his hands and he dons it, thus becoming the monstrous super-demon Dorian Loki Tyrell, invulnerable to almost any attack. He challenges his boss Niko, played by the memorable Orestes Matacena, into shooting him square in the stomach while in his Loki form. Unharmed, Dorian breathes the bullets into his mouth and fired them back, killing Niko. Dorian then has Tina wrapped to a pine tree with a large bomb by her feet, intending to blow up the club and her. Stanley arrives on the scene, only to be caught by one of Dorian's men as he tries to save Tina. Dorian Loki Tyrell is tricked into removing the mask by Tina, who asks for one last kiss. Dorian removes the mask, and as he kisses Tina, she kicks it out of his hands.

A battle starts, in which Stanley's dog Milo puts on the mask and becomes Loki Milo, stalling Dorian's men while Stanley fights Dorian. Eventually, Stanley gets the mask back on and scares Dorian's men off with fake guns. Dorian runs to stab Stanley Loki Ipkiss, but Stanley paints a flush handle on a tree, and when Dorian jumps into the pool to get to Stanley, Stanley pulls the flush, and Dorian is drained away into the sewers. Following this, Stanley discarded the Mask, Tina having revealed that she loved Stanley's honest and caring personality more than she loved the Mask's wacky love-crazy attitude.

The movie also received a video game adaptation, released for the Super NES in 1995.

The Mask : the Animated series

The movie version of the character has subsequently appeared in an animated TV series entitled The Animated Series (with Rob Paulsen as Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask) and his own short-run comic book series, Adventures of The Mask. John Arcudi, former writer of the original comics, penned two episodes of the cartoon. Tina was absent, but reporter Peggy Brandt had become the main female character. Unlike in the movie, Ipkiss appeared to be able to use the mask in daytime as well as at night.

The main villain, Dr. Praetorius (voiced by Tim Curry), was a madman who had his own head removed from his body and placed on tiny, spider-like robotic legs, which could attach to a larger android body. Coming from the comics was Walter, still silent but now indestructible. Walter chased the Mask for several episodes, but when he obtained the wooden mask and it failed to work for him, he simply dropped it and was never seen again. Ben Stein reprised his role as Dr. Neuman, from the movie. In one episode, the mask falls into Neuman's hands, and he becomes a super-villain known as Loki Ipkissiomascosus, determined to kill Stanley and even goes as far as to spring Pretorius from prison to aid him (a running gag, however, was that Dr. Neuman refused to believe the mask worked, even when he had it on).

Another deadly villain who emerges is the Cheese Witch known as Gorgonzola, whose powers include the Cheese-Eye (an eye laser that turns anything into cheese) and the Shot-Cheddar (a razor-sharp cheddar cheese arrow, that would be fired from Gorgonzola's palm).

A third villain who has made it to the TV series for a few times was the mad Dr. Chronos, who, with her ambitions of gaining power and dominance through the manipulation of time, often caused quite a lot of chaos through inventions like a machine that kept rewinding time every half hour for everyone but herself (so that the Mask could never foil her plans, since by the time he got to her, everything would be reset to half an hour ago), a gun that reversed/fast forwarded time for whoever it was aimed at (so that the person would keep getting younger and younger until he/she became nothing, or became older and older until he/she was dead), a large time portal through which she could summon anything to defeat the Mask (such as prehistoric creatures, robots from the future, etc.), or an actual time machine through which she could travel into the past/future to manipulate events so that she would ultimately end up victorious in her quest for world dominance.

Much like Dorian before him, Dr. Pretorius did eventually gain the mask, and as with Dorian, retained his own personality while wearing it (While the mask is said to release one's own inhibitions, those who have no inhibitions seem to retain full conscious control while wearing the Mask, such as the Joker in the DC crossover).

Much as with the Beetlejuice cartoon before it, The Mask TAS took many elements from the source movie but dropped characters and changed certain other characters. Peggy's inclusion also officially discounts the cut scene in the film where she is killed. Tina is never even alluded to. However, the events of the movie happened for the most part, as Charlie knew that Stanley was the Mask (though did not know Stanley kept it), and Stanley was still upset over Peggy selling him out to the mob (given that Stanley and Peggy were never treated as a potential couple, there may have remained some bad feelings over that).

Many other villains were introduced, generally DC Comics parodies (some Marvel references were made, like The Mask becoming Biclops, a parody of Cyclops and a villain that turned into a dinosaur like Sauron; though Dark Horse has generally had a good business relationship with DC). Notable were Skillit (parody of Mr. Mxyzptlk and Peter Pan, albeit much more malevolent in nature) and Putty Thing (parody of the The Animated Series version of Clayface, albeit now a dumb teenager rather than an angry, jaded actor). Pretorius was also likely a parody of drug dealer/mob boss Eugene Rapaz from the original comics (both share the same face. Rapaz wore small, rounded-lens dark glasses and Pretorius had round optic implants that looked similar, as well). Ironically, during The New Batman Adventures in 1997, Batman villain Mr. Freeze would become a disembodied head, walking on small spider-like legs and controlling a robotic body, much in the way Pretorius did. Given that Batman TAS writer Diane Capizzi worked on The Mask TAS in early episodes, and given the span between shows, this may have been an intentional homage.

The Mask also had a few more enemies in his rogues gallery such as:

The Tempest: (real name: French Drizzle) A fired weatherman who was struck by lightning which rebounded from a satellite dish onto him and he was mutated into a freak with the ability to control the weather. He put Edge City into a hailstorm and flood. He resembles Robin from The Animated Series and has powers similar to that of the X-Man Storm. The mask was able to stop him by opening a manhole which sucked him along with the flood waters he created.
Kablamus: A green-haired explosive man who could cause destruction by blowing himself up like a balloon without dying, but returning to normal size. He has a special pouch in his costume where he puts different grenades that explode with him. Jim Cummings did his voice.
Channel Surfer: A madman who glides using his surfboard and travels by teleporting through television. He had all of Edge City watch the tv shows he liked and he was able to trap Stanley (wearing the mask) inside the television.
Dragon Lady, War Machine and Rip Tide: A Trio of villains who came out of Doyle's favorite comic book set out to kill Lt. Kellaway after mistaking him as their SuperHero enemy. The Dragon Lady (Kath Soucie)can transform into a dragon, fly and breathe fire. War Machine (Jim Cummings) is a robot armed with deadly weapons and ammunitions. RipTide (Frank Welker) is a punky villain with the ability to transform into water. Stanley/the mask defeated the trio by ripping the comic book from whence they came.
Walter: A frankenstein monster who is completely invulnerable to harm and is after Stanley's mask. Walter is mute.
Chep Bozzack: The high school bully of Stanley who accidentally wore half of his mask when it was cut into two. Stanley and Chep along with their half mask personalities battle it out ending only when Chep stopped his mask personality from killing Stanley.
Fish Guy: Technically a harmless villain-partner of Putty Thing, he is a teen who was transformed into a fish after crashing into a public aquarium while under radiation. Even if he's a fish, he can't swim or breathe underwater and relies solely on the help of Putty thing.

One particularly memorable episode had the Mask team up with another Jim Carrey movie character, Ace Ventura. Ace Ventura also had a cartoon series at the time (both cartoons ran on CBS in adjoining time slots), an obvious cartoony parody of the movies where everyone had the typical four fingers per hand (as opposed to the more realistic style of The Mask TAS). When Stanley's dog, Milo, goes missing, he hires Ace Ventura to find him.

However, Ace is drawn in the style of his own cartoon (it should also be noted that Rob Paulsen did not try to imitate Jim Carrey's voice, however, Michael Dangerfield, the voice actor for Ace Ventura, did imitate Carrey). Upon the end of the episode, Ace's pet monkey, Spike, steals the mask, and Stanley must follow Ace to Florida to get it back, leading to the second part carried over in an episode of Ace Ventura. Stanley/Mask keeps his own artistic style in this episode.

The cartoon, despite having a "realistic" setting, would often rely more on Tex Avery-style humor and on occasion, broke any meaningful laws of reality - one episode featured the Goofalotatots, parodies of the Animaniacs, treating them as if they were naturally alive. Another featured the Mask becoming a personal assistant to the President of the US, with the job merely handed to him (the president was a caricature of no real president - it should also be noted that former Mask comic writer John Arcudi wrote both example episodes, a stark departure from his usual writing). Police officers were portrayed as idiots who couldn't see even obvious clues, and Doyle was so dumb, he could not have possibly passed a written police academy exam. The show's inability to take anything seriously likely led to its failure, especially in the era where Batman: The Animated Series was taking cartoons seriously.

Movie sequel - Son of the Mask

A live-action sequel, entitled Son of the Mask, was released in 2005, but it was a box office flop. Upon the initial DVD release of the sequel, Wal-Mart stores sold an exclusive 2-pack of the movie. It consisted of the standard DVD with a bonus DVD in the shrink-wrap containing the first 2 episodes of the cartoon. As with all Wal-Mart exclusive shrink-wraps, the bonus DVD was a separate disc with its own case, the 2 cases merely packaged together. It is unknown if the disc will see separate release.

External links

The Mask at TV.com
An Introduction to The Mask
Darkhorse.com search for "Mask"
The Mask (game) at All Game Guide and GameFAQs

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