Laughing Mask
Encyclopedia
The Laughing Mask is a Timely Comics
Golden Age superhero who appeared in Daring Mystery Comics
#2, 1941, and reappeared in The Twelve.
His one Golden Age story was reprinted in The Twelve #0.
glowing mask, plus a pair of .45 pistols. He accepted killing as a means for justice, shooting several unarmed gangsters during his first appearance.
, the Invaders
and a cadre of second-tier superheroes in the Battle of Berlin
. There he's ambushed and captured along with Blue Blade
, The Black Widow (unrelated to the modern character of that name), Captain Wonder
, Dynamic Man
, Fiery Mask
, Rockman
, the original Master Mind Excello
, Mister E
, Phantom Reporter
, the Witness
and the telepathically controlled robot Electro. As Electro is deactivated and unable to help the other heroes, they are doused with sleeping gas and put in cryogenic stasis by Nazi scientists, hoping to dissect them and discover the secret of their superhuman abilities. Dennis Burton, along with the others, is "lost" when the scientists are killed during the fall of Berlin, and he's discovered only many years later, in modern time.
Living in a luxurious mansion with his former teammates, he resumes his heroic business, this time in full compliance with the Superhero Registration Act. His trademark pistols become his undoing when he registers them as his weaponry of choice. The pistols are discovered to have been looted from his execution of a mobster during the 1940s, a crime for which the Laughing Mask is still held accountable. He is then arrested. Master Mind Excello later arranges for his bail.
Timely Comics
Timely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....
Golden Age superhero who appeared in Daring Mystery Comics
Daring Mystery Comics
Daring Mystery Comics is an American comic-book series published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics, during the 1930-1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books...
#2, 1941, and reappeared in The Twelve.
His one Golden Age story was reprinted in The Twelve #0.
Fictional character biography
Dennis Burton was a Deputy District Attorney who became frustrated with the American civil justice process and decided to take the law into his on hands. Using the alias "The Laughing Mask", he donned a red suit and phosphorescentPhosphorescence
Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with "forbidden" energy state transitions in quantum...
glowing mask, plus a pair of .45 pistols. He accepted killing as a means for justice, shooting several unarmed gangsters during his first appearance.
The Twelve
Some time after his official introduction as a superhero, The Laughing Mask joins Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, the Invaders
Invaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
and a cadre of second-tier superheroes in the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
. There he's ambushed and captured along with Blue Blade
Blue Blade
The Blue Blade is an American comic book character owned by Marvel Comics who exists in that company's Marvel Universe. His only appearance was in USA Comics #5, published in the 1940s by Marvel's forerunner, Timely Comics, during a period that is known as the Golden Age of Comic Books.After the...
, The Black Widow (unrelated to the modern character of that name), Captain Wonder
Captain Wonder (Timely Comics)
Captain Wonder is a fictional comic book character, first published by Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel Comics during the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. He is superhero who possesses the power of super strength...
, Dynamic Man
Dynamic Man (Timely Comics)
Dynamic Man is a fictional comic book character, first published by Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel Comics during the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books....
, Fiery Mask
Fiery Mask
Fiery Mask is a fictional character from the Timely/Marvel Comics universe. He was a Golden Age superhero created by Joe Simon and first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #1.-Publication history:...
, Rockman
Rockman (comics)
Rockman is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in U.S.A. Comics #1 , published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics during the 1930s to 1940s period historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comics...
, the original Master Mind Excello
Master Mind Excello
Master Mind Excello is an American comic book character owned by Marvel Comics who exists in that company's Marvel Universe...
, Mister E
Mister E (Timely Comics)
Mister E was a Timely Comics Golden Age superhero. He appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #2, and reappears in 2008 in The Twelve. His only story has been reprinted in The Twelve #1/2....
, Phantom Reporter
Phantom Reporter
The Phantom Reporter is a fictional comic book character who first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #3, published by Timely Comics, the forerunner to Marvel Comics, during the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books.He appears in The Twelve. He had no known superpowers...
, the Witness
Witness (comics)
The Witness is the name of at least three fictional, American comic-book characters, the first published by Timely Comics in the 1940s and the final two by its successor company, Marvel Comics.-Timely Comics:-Publication history:...
and the telepathically controlled robot Electro. As Electro is deactivated and unable to help the other heroes, they are doused with sleeping gas and put in cryogenic stasis by Nazi scientists, hoping to dissect them and discover the secret of their superhuman abilities. Dennis Burton, along with the others, is "lost" when the scientists are killed during the fall of Berlin, and he's discovered only many years later, in modern time.
Living in a luxurious mansion with his former teammates, he resumes his heroic business, this time in full compliance with the Superhero Registration Act. His trademark pistols become his undoing when he registers them as his weaponry of choice. The pistols are discovered to have been looted from his execution of a mobster during the 1940s, a crime for which the Laughing Mask is still held accountable. He is then arrested. Master Mind Excello later arranges for his bail.
External links
- Laughing Mask at Nevins, JessJess NevinsJohn J. Nevins, MA/MS, is an American author and librarian, born 30 July 1966 and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the World Fantasy Award-nominated Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana , and other works on Victoriana and pulp fiction...
, A Guide to Golden Age Marvel Characters. WebCitation archive of latter.