Miss Masque
Encyclopedia
Miss Masque is a fiction
al masked crime-fighter. She originally appeared in comic books published by Nedor Comics
, and was later revived by AC Comics
, America's Best Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment
.
Miss Masque first appeared in Nedor Comics' Exciting Comics #51 (September 1946). She also appeared in America's Best Comics (not to be confused with the DC Comics imprint), Fighting Yank, and Black Terror; her final Golden Age appearance was America's Best Comics #31 (July 1949).
There was no writer or artist credited for Miss Masque's first appearance. Alex Schomburg
and Frank Frazetta
provided art for later cover appearances, and Ralph Mayo penciled some splash pages.
Miss Masque is one of the many public domain
Golden Age characters revived by AC Comics in the early 1990s. The new version debuted in AC Annual #2 (1991). In AC continuity, Diana Adams is a Canadian socialite visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras
. Having forgotten to bring a costume for a party, she looks for one in a curio shop on Bourbon Street
. The shop owner attempts to tell Adams that the costume is possessed by the "spirit of justice". As Adams is in a hurry, she ignores the warning, buys the outfit, and quickly leaves. When the party is interrupted by robbers, Adams stops the criminals and saves the life of a fellow partygoer. Finding herself strangely satisfied by the experience, she decides to make crime fighting her full-time occupation.
In her AC Comics debut story, Miss Masque is revealed to be one of a group of 1940s era crime fighters that agreed to enter the Vault of Heroes, a stasis chamber designed to keep the heroes in suspended animation until they are needed again. She is revived in the 1990s and joins the Femforce
in their fight against the Shroud. She later becomes a member of the Sentinels of Justice
.
Miss Masque has appeared in several AC Comics titles, including Femforce, Good Girl Art Quarterly, and her own self-titled comic book. AC Comics has also reprinted several Golden Age Miss Masque stories as part of their Golden Age Men of Mystery and Golden Age Greats titles.
for his Tom Strong
comics, published by America's Best Comics (now an imprint of DC Comics
). Moore used the Nedor Comics public domain characters to populate Terra Oscura, the alternate universe
version of Tom Strong's Earth. In Moore's story, the heroes had been placed in suspended animation in 1969 during an alien invasion, and are revived 30 years later by Tom Strong. Miss Masque made her first appearance in Tom Strong #12 (June 2001).
Miss Masque subsequently appeared in the Tom Strong spin-off Terra Obscura
, written by Peter Hogan from plots developed by Hogan and Moore. Now calling herself Ms. Masque, she becomes a member of the reformed superhero team SMASH
. Ms. Masque's costume has been modified, replacing the mini-skirt with a pair of skin-tight pants. She is in a romantic relationship with Carol Carter, also known as the Fighting Spirit (daughter of the deceased Fighting Yank
).
and Jim Krueger
's new series from Dynamite Entertainment
entitled Project Superpowers
. This limited series
features many Golden Age public domain
characters, revamped and updated for today in a story that shows Ross and Krueger's vision for the fate of these heroes.
Masquerade was one of the superheroes who had appeared after World War II
, and was then trapped and imprisoned in the Urn of Pandora
by the misguided Fighting Yank
. When the Urn is broken decades later, she reappears (in Project Superpowers #3) in Japan
. Her outfit has been drastically altered from when she first entered the Urn; she now wears a long red overcoat and wide-brimmed hat with a domino mask and two gun halters, and is suffering from amnesia
. She finds another hero, V-Man
, and the two of them are taken to New York — now New Shangri-La — along with other heroes who were freed from the Urn.
Her time in the Urn has given her literal masking powers — she can now replicate another person's appearance (although the seventh issue of the series shows her actually possessing the other person's body). In addition to a person's appearance, Masquerade also gains all their knowledge, including memories and skill sets. Unfortunately, she also tends to briefly believe she is the person whose identity she is copying. It also caused her to fall in love with her teammate V-Man, having learned all about him.
In 2009, Dynamite Entertainment gave Masquerade her own mini-series, starting in February and tied in with the Project Superpowers storyline.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al masked crime-fighter. She originally appeared in comic books published by Nedor Comics
Nedor Comics
Nedor Publishing was a comic book imprint of publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines under a variety of company names that he also used for the comics...
, and was later revived by AC Comics
AC Comics
AC Comics is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.AC Comics specializes in reprints of Golden Age comics from now-defunct companies whose properties lapsed into public domain and were not reprinted elsewhere...
, America's Best Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
.
Nedor Comics
Miss Masque is the secret identity of Diana Adams, a young socialite who decides to fight crime and injustice in disguise. Miss Masque has no super powers, but relies on her wit and a pair of pistols. Her original costume was a mini-skirted red dress with red hat, gloves and cape, and a domino mask; yellow double "M" emblems on her chest and hat completed the ensemble. A later version of the costume had a bare midriff and shorter sleeves.Miss Masque first appeared in Nedor Comics' Exciting Comics #51 (September 1946). She also appeared in America's Best Comics (not to be confused with the DC Comics imprint), Fighting Yank, and Black Terror; her final Golden Age appearance was America's Best Comics #31 (July 1949).
There was no writer or artist credited for Miss Masque's first appearance. Alex Schomburg
Alex Schomburg
Alex Schomburg was a prolific American commercial and comic book artist and painter whose career lasted over 70 years.-Biography:...
and Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media...
provided art for later cover appearances, and Ralph Mayo penciled some splash pages.
AC Comics
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
Golden Age characters revived by AC Comics in the early 1990s. The new version debuted in AC Annual #2 (1991). In AC continuity, Diana Adams is a Canadian socialite visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
. Having forgotten to bring a costume for a party, she looks for one in a curio shop on Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street is a famous and historic street that spans the length of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. When founded in 1718, the city was originally centered around the French Quarter...
. The shop owner attempts to tell Adams that the costume is possessed by the "spirit of justice". As Adams is in a hurry, she ignores the warning, buys the outfit, and quickly leaves. When the party is interrupted by robbers, Adams stops the criminals and saves the life of a fellow partygoer. Finding herself strangely satisfied by the experience, she decides to make crime fighting her full-time occupation.
In her AC Comics debut story, Miss Masque is revealed to be one of a group of 1940s era crime fighters that agreed to enter the Vault of Heroes, a stasis chamber designed to keep the heroes in suspended animation until they are needed again. She is revived in the 1990s and joins the Femforce
Femforce
Femforce is a comic book published by AC Comics that began publication in 1985, detailing the adventures of the titular team: the "Federal Emergency Missions Force" or "Femforce", some of them original creations, while others originated in the 1940s and 50s, lapsing into public domain by the time...
in their fight against the Shroud. She later becomes a member of the Sentinels of Justice
Sentinels of Justice
Sentinels of Justice is a fictional organization of superheroes. The comic was published by Americomics in 1983 during a very brief time that AC was able to license the Charlton Comics superheroes before the rights were purchased outright by DC Comics. The team consisted of Captain Atom, Blue...
.
Miss Masque has appeared in several AC Comics titles, including Femforce, Good Girl Art Quarterly, and her own self-titled comic book. AC Comics has also reprinted several Golden Age Miss Masque stories as part of their Golden Age Men of Mystery and Golden Age Greats titles.
America's Best Comics/DC
The Golden Age version of Miss Masque was revived by Alan MooreAlan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
for his Tom Strong
Tom Strong
Tom Strong is a comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm division.-Background:Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero"...
comics, published by America's Best Comics (now an imprint of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
). Moore used the Nedor Comics public domain characters to populate Terra Oscura, the alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
version of Tom Strong's Earth. In Moore's story, the heroes had been placed in suspended animation in 1969 during an alien invasion, and are revived 30 years later by Tom Strong. Miss Masque made her first appearance in Tom Strong #12 (June 2001).
Miss Masque subsequently appeared in the Tom Strong spin-off Terra Obscura
Terra Obscura
Terra Obscura is a 2003 comic book miniseries spun off from Alan Moore's Tom Strong series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriault. Each story is co-plotted by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan...
, written by Peter Hogan from plots developed by Hogan and Moore. Now calling herself Ms. Masque, she becomes a member of the reformed superhero team SMASH
SMASH (comics)
The Society of Modern American Science Heroes, or SMASH, is a team of fictional superheroes whose adventures are published by America's Best Comics and take place on the parallel world of Terra Obscura.- History :...
. Ms. Masque's costume has been modified, replacing the mini-skirt with a pair of skin-tight pants. She is in a romantic relationship with Carol Carter, also known as the Fighting Spirit (daughter of the deceased Fighting Yank
Fighting Yank
-Publication history:The initial comic-book character called Fighting Yank first appeared in Nedor Comics' Startling Comics #10 , during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. He was created by writer Richard E. Hughes and artist Jon L. Blummer...
).
Dynamite Entertainment
Miss Masque has been revived once again as Masquerade in Alex RossAlex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
and Jim Krueger
Jim Krueger
Jim Krueger is an American comic book writer, novelist, and filmmaker.- Filmmaking :Kreuger's first short film, They Might Be Dragons, which he wrote, directed, and produced, won "Best In Class" at New York University , a "Best Short Film" award from the New York Independent Film Festival, and a...
's new series from Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book company that primarily publishes licensed franchises of adaptations of other media. These include adaptations of film properties such as Army of Darkness, Terminator and RoboCop, literary properties such as Zorro, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in...
entitled Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2008. It was co-plotted by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, with scripts by Jim Krueger, covers by Alex Ross, and interior art by Doug Klauba and Stephen Sadowski for issue #0, and Carlos Paul for the...
. This limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
features many Golden Age public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
characters, revamped and updated for today in a story that shows Ross and Krueger's vision for the fate of these heroes.
Masquerade was one of the superheroes who had appeared after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was then trapped and imprisoned in the Urn of Pandora
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
by the misguided Fighting Yank
Fighting Yank
-Publication history:The initial comic-book character called Fighting Yank first appeared in Nedor Comics' Startling Comics #10 , during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. He was created by writer Richard E. Hughes and artist Jon L. Blummer...
. When the Urn is broken decades later, she reappears (in Project Superpowers #3) in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Her outfit has been drastically altered from when she first entered the Urn; she now wears a long red overcoat and wide-brimmed hat with a domino mask and two gun halters, and is suffering from amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
. She finds another hero, V-Man
V-Man
V-Man is a fictional patriotic-themed superhero character who first appeared in January, 1942. His name, and the large letter V on his costume, come from the “V for Victory” symbolism that had proliferated throughout the United States and Europe during World War II.-History:V-Man debuted in the...
, and the two of them are taken to New York — now New Shangri-La — along with other heroes who were freed from the Urn.
Her time in the Urn has given her literal masking powers — she can now replicate another person's appearance (although the seventh issue of the series shows her actually possessing the other person's body). In addition to a person's appearance, Masquerade also gains all their knowledge, including memories and skill sets. Unfortunately, she also tends to briefly believe she is the person whose identity she is copying. It also caused her to fall in love with her teammate V-Man, having learned all about him.
In 2009, Dynamite Entertainment gave Masquerade her own mini-series, starting in February and tied in with the Project Superpowers storyline.
External links
- Miss Masque at Don Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's Toonopedia was a web encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation. Don D...
- Miss Masque at Femfans Profiles
- Ms. Masque at SMASH website