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The Mask
The Mask
Gold-plated geek Stanley buys his girlfriend Katherine a mysterious green mask -- a mask with an attitude that comes through even in the box. But it's when he tries it on that the mayhem really hits the fan, because it brings out the worst in anyone who wears it, and we mean the worst. The Mask carves his way through walls of cops and assorted creeps using weapons that range from pies to double-headed battle axes!
This book collects the original Mask issues and includes an introduction by Mike Richardson, and never-before-published pencilled pages from Doug Mahnke with an explanation by John Arcudi.
This book collects the original Mask issues and includes an introduction by Mike Richardson, and never-before-published pencilled pages from Doug Mahnke with an explanation by John Arcudi.
152 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 1993
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274 people want to read
About the author
John Arcudi
946 books100 followersJohn Arcudi has made a name for himself by scripting comics that manage to combine long-running subplots with impeccable characterization and action sequences, making for some of the most exciting and consistently good comics out today.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 6, 2019
Dark Horse's answer to Deadpool. Wearing the Mask allows someone to survive anything while giving off a corrupting influence to the user as they murder people Bugs Bunny style. This take is way different the Jim Carrey movie. It's dark. It's graphic. The book starts off with "Big Head" murdering 13 police officers. The story does feel dated now. It gives off a very 90's vibe.
This is Doug Mahnke's first work and you can see it slowly morph from the generic Dark Horse house style into the style he's known for today. Especially when he draws Big Head, his art becomes much more detailed. Dark Horse's coloring back in the early 90's looks very dated now. It looks almost like they used color pencils. Anyone who's read other Dark Horse books of the same era like Predator or Aliens will know what I'm referring to.
This is Doug Mahnke's first work and you can see it slowly morph from the generic Dark Horse house style into the style he's known for today. Especially when he draws Big Head, his art becomes much more detailed. Dark Horse's coloring back in the early 90's looks very dated now. It looks almost like they used color pencils. Anyone who's read other Dark Horse books of the same era like Predator or Aliens will know what I'm referring to.
February 7, 2016
So very, very violent and gory. It's brutal. And awesome.
If, like me, your knowledge of the character comes from the Jim Carey movie you probably won't expect the level of violence in this volume, but it totally works. He's still funny, and in a very weird and twisted way sort of the good guy.
So glad I finally got the chance to read this, I haven't seen the film 'adaptation' in many years, but if I were to see it again it'll be in a VERY different light.
If, like me, your knowledge of the character comes from the Jim Carey movie you probably won't expect the level of violence in this volume, but it totally works. He's still funny, and in a very weird and twisted way sort of the good guy.
So glad I finally got the chance to read this, I haven't seen the film 'adaptation' in many years, but if I were to see it again it'll be in a VERY different light.
March 29, 2020
My expectations were subverted.
I am a fan of the Jim Carrey movie and also of the animated series. And to my surprise, this book is nothing like them at all. It is more gory and evil, and less mischievous and fun. The complaint though, is not the gorey stuff, but the overall poor execution of the book.
I am a fan of the Jim Carrey movie and also of the animated series. And to my surprise, this book is nothing like them at all. It is more gory and evil, and less mischievous and fun. The complaint though, is not the gorey stuff, but the overall poor execution of the book.
April 25, 2018
Growing up adoring the film, I thought this would be a solid read but it is straight garbage. Unfunny, mean spirited, tonally uneven and depraved, this may be the most disappointing graphic novel I have ever read.
May 10, 2021
3.5 stars
February 22, 2017
This is the graphic novel containing issues #0 through #4 of the original Mask comic book series, in which Stanley Ipkiss, his girlfriend Katherine, and cop Lieutenant Kellaway each take turns being seduced by the mystical - and maniacal - powers of the mysterious mask. Arcudi and Mahnke managed to convey the gruesome hilarity of releasing stylized comic book violence into the real world with complete plausibility, no small feat for any format, let alone comic books themselves. It's a damn shame that The Mask was adapted into a film, as the PG-13 Jim Carrey vehicle was little more than a watered down family-friendly version of one of the most outrageously violent comic books of its time. It was a comic book adaptation twenty years too soon, and we can only hope that The Mask eventually gets a reboot now that violent comic book films are the norm.
March 31, 2020
If you're only familiar with the Jim Carrey film or the TV spin-off (both based off of this volume), the content of this book may be a bit of a shock. It's very violent and bloody as the Mask does battle against the police and mafia. Despite that, it's nice to see a lot of the origins that the screened material used, albeit with more fatal outcomes: the balloon tommy gun sceen, the visit to the crooked garage, the characters of Stanly Ipkis and Lieutenant Kellaway and for fans of the TV show, the silent, hulking Walter. The violence may be high, but it is offset by the low amount of gore and the Mask's zany quips, jokes and observations, making for a highly entertaining mix of action and humour.
My only issue with this concept is how cavalier everyone else takes the fact that 'Big Head' as they call him is indestructable and can seemingly conjure any weapon into existence, but I suppose that's pretty standard for comic books.
The artwork is clear and vibrant and the action is beautifully kinetic.
My only issue with this concept is how cavalier everyone else takes the fact that 'Big Head' as they call him is indestructable and can seemingly conjure any weapon into existence, but I suppose that's pretty standard for comic books.
The artwork is clear and vibrant and the action is beautifully kinetic.
July 17, 2020
The Mask is another of those characters in the ‘nuts’ category, with the likes of The Joker, Deadpool, Lobo etc. ‘Nuts’ characters manage to combine humour and violence, and The Mask does this really well. It’s a simple concept. The Mask itself conveys on whoever wears it total immunity to harm, and grants major superhuman abilities, albeit ones from a Tex Avery cartoon. This allows for a wide variety of stories, depending on the person wearing it. Good guys do relatively good things, bad guys relatively bad, and many are in that middle grey area.
This particular volume goes right back to the late 1980’s roots and the first two wearers of The Mask, neither of whom really come off well from wearing it. It’s anarchic, funny and violent in equal measure, with nice writing and workmanlike art by an early Doug Mahnke.
Way better than the film.
This particular volume goes right back to the late 1980’s roots and the first two wearers of The Mask, neither of whom really come off well from wearing it. It’s anarchic, funny and violent in equal measure, with nice writing and workmanlike art by an early Doug Mahnke.
Way better than the film.
September 3, 2024
This is a fun little crime caper but it feels very much incomplete, i thought the mask returns was its own separate thing but I guess not.
I think the weak point here is obviously "issue 0" the 60 page Stanley ipkiss plot, it just feels shallow and juvenile. Once the mask passes into kelaway's hands things pick up noticeably, and even though the plot feels like a bit of a cliffhanger, the lieutenant's arc wraps up nicely and still leaves some room to grow.
Mahnke's art feels rather inconsistent, issue 2 is absolutely gorgeous but the other 4 are mostly Mediocre with some of the panels being downright bad, maybe he just had tight deadlines or something who knows
I think the weak point here is obviously "issue 0" the 60 page Stanley ipkiss plot, it just feels shallow and juvenile. Once the mask passes into kelaway's hands things pick up noticeably, and even though the plot feels like a bit of a cliffhanger, the lieutenant's arc wraps up nicely and still leaves some room to grow.
Mahnke's art feels rather inconsistent, issue 2 is absolutely gorgeous but the other 4 are mostly Mediocre with some of the panels being downright bad, maybe he just had tight deadlines or something who knows
December 31, 2020
I read this earlier in the year and decided to actually count comics/manga/etc. on my reading challenge and upping my reading challenge goals because sometimes I don’t keep motivation to read naturally high.
It was very interesting to learn that the comedic The Mask take with Jim Carey is a far cry from what it truly was, a super violent gore fest murder spree.
That’s what the comic is. A lame dude gets a gift for his wife and it’s a mask that makes him a murderous psychopath.
Fun read but nothing more.
It was very interesting to learn that the comedic The Mask take with Jim Carey is a far cry from what it truly was, a super violent gore fest murder spree.
That’s what the comic is. A lame dude gets a gift for his wife and it’s a mask that makes him a murderous psychopath.
Fun read but nothing more.
January 7, 2020
Big fan. Probably the comic that got me into comics.
January 20, 2020
These are the comics your mom didn't want you reading as a kid.
June 19, 2022
Significantly darker than I expected.
July 11, 2023
Particularly lighthearted in its extreme ultraviolence, the source material for the Jim Carrey movie boasts more gore than the film but has similar tongue-in-cheek delivery. It's kind of cool seeing the rapid evolution of Doug Mahnke's art throughout the scant 152 pages, a testament to the work-in-progress nature of indie comics. This was a fun, easy read but nothing groundbreaking. I wouldn't have a problem recommending this to people, even if some of the content is a bit dated.
October 19, 2025
Fair warning. If you’re only aware of The Mask by way of the Jim Carrey movie, this goes into much darker territory.
May 1, 2011
A really amazing and unique story about a super natural mask that gives it's wearer amazing powers and seeming invincibility, but which also twists their mind and makes them do things they wouldn't ordinarily condone. The main character in the beginning is Stanley Ipkiss who discovers the powers of the Mask by accident when trying it on. Stan then goes on a revenge tour against all who have wronged him. The Mask later falls into other hands with less egotistic motives, but nevertheless, gradually twists the mind of it's new owner too.
The story is full of humor and strangeness. Just like in the Jim Carey movie adaptation, the Mask let's it's wearer change appearance, turn into all kinds of characters such as a barber telling a long haired mugger that he needs a hair cut and a carnival worker making balloon animals, and make objects appear out of thin air as he needs them. Unlike the Jim Carey movie, the Mask wearer turns not just silly, but violent and cold. The book is full of mayhem and gore, blood and guts. All of it displayed very graphically.
The comic presents a twist on classic super hero comics where the main character alternates between well meaning but violent vigilante which would make the Punisher talk about restraint, and dangerous criminal with personal motives, depending on the wearer and his current mood. It has a basically realistic setting (at least to the extent that any regular cop tv-show can be called realistic) of cops and crooks, mobs, crooked lawyers and bribed district attorney assistants. On top of this we have a layer of extreme unrealism with a main character who can take a shot through the head in one instant, and stand still making a joke in the next. The unrealistic elements are not even consistent. Sometimes, gun shots make a hole which then repairs in the next panel, sometimes a whole barrage of bullets fail to leave even a scratch. I'm saying all this as a compliment to the writers. They apparently decided to not stick to any specific set of powers and limitations, the reader never knows what to expect next from the Mask, there are no apparent limits.
This is the first collection of Mask comics and later, I'll tackle the second (and last?) one, we'll have to see if that one's as amazing as this was...
The story is full of humor and strangeness. Just like in the Jim Carey movie adaptation, the Mask let's it's wearer change appearance, turn into all kinds of characters such as a barber telling a long haired mugger that he needs a hair cut and a carnival worker making balloon animals, and make objects appear out of thin air as he needs them. Unlike the Jim Carey movie, the Mask wearer turns not just silly, but violent and cold. The book is full of mayhem and gore, blood and guts. All of it displayed very graphically.
The comic presents a twist on classic super hero comics where the main character alternates between well meaning but violent vigilante which would make the Punisher talk about restraint, and dangerous criminal with personal motives, depending on the wearer and his current mood. It has a basically realistic setting (at least to the extent that any regular cop tv-show can be called realistic) of cops and crooks, mobs, crooked lawyers and bribed district attorney assistants. On top of this we have a layer of extreme unrealism with a main character who can take a shot through the head in one instant, and stand still making a joke in the next. The unrealistic elements are not even consistent. Sometimes, gun shots make a hole which then repairs in the next panel, sometimes a whole barrage of bullets fail to leave even a scratch. I'm saying all this as a compliment to the writers. They apparently decided to not stick to any specific set of powers and limitations, the reader never knows what to expect next from the Mask, there are no apparent limits.
This is the first collection of Mask comics and later, I'll tackle the second (and last?) one, we'll have to see if that one's as amazing as this was...
April 4, 2017
As a teenager in the 90s I ended up seeing Jim Carrey's movie version of The Mask before Arcudi and Mahnke's version, and in case you've been living in a cave since then, here's a newsflash for you: they are two VERY different beasts. This Mask is brutal, violent, horrific, and yes, still very funny. In the first story, The Mask turns a poor schlub into a creature that is vicious and violent with incredibly poor impulse control, getting revenge on anyone he thinks has done him wrong. Sounds a little like the movie, but this guy goes WAY too far, and what was first a kind of fun revenge tale starts going horribly, messily wrong. In the second story, The Mask turns a loose-cannon police officer into a vigilante, and I found this a little easier to enjoy, but that's kind of the point: it's someone doing horrible nasty things to people who are generally horrible and nasty, which is easier to stomach than someone taking revenge to terrible extremes.
The action scenes are incredibly violent, verging on gory, but are strangely beautiful thanks to the art. It's really interesting to see early Doug Mahnke's work after falling in love with his work on Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein which was published over 15 years later. He's developing as an artist as he draws this series, and it is really cool to see the progression from issue to issue. You can tell that it's his work based on the lines, action scenes, and facial features, but I think I also see a little Richard Corben influence in it as well. It's not easy to read, but it's fun in a twisted way, and the art is teriffic. A must-read for comics fans or for people who want to see the twisted mirror image of the movie romp.
The action scenes are incredibly violent, verging on gory, but are strangely beautiful thanks to the art. It's really interesting to see early Doug Mahnke's work after falling in love with his work on Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein which was published over 15 years later. He's developing as an artist as he draws this series, and it is really cool to see the progression from issue to issue. You can tell that it's his work based on the lines, action scenes, and facial features, but I think I also see a little Richard Corben influence in it as well. It's not easy to read, but it's fun in a twisted way, and the art is teriffic. A must-read for comics fans or for people who want to see the twisted mirror image of the movie romp.
June 17, 2012
Enough time has passed, I suspect, that no one really remembers this book or the successful (if flawed) film it spawned. This is as it should be, as at the very least one can read this with fresh eyes, uninfluenced by the manic buffoonery of Jim Carrey in mind. Unfortunately, however, reading The Mask 20 years after its release removes us from the context of its comic surroundings at the time. The early 90s would have placed this series on a shelf suddenly obsessed with darkness and violence that was unseen in comics even ten years earlier. The Mask took that violence and liberated it into a fairly real world, imbued with a twisted sense of humour it seemed to have inherited from the undergrounds of the 60s and 70s. It's fun, strange and weirdly kinetic.
Arcudi's writing is pretty standard fare. He doesn't do much with the concept, though we have to imagine it's his inspiration to deliver the gags as they are. The dialogue comes out as basic comics writing, and we don't get a whole lot more than cardboard cutouts for characters.
Where these books undeniably shine is with Mahnke's art. He brings to mind Geoff Darrow or Liberatore in his detailed hyper-real style, yet doesn't clutter his panels with too much prop. This first book suffers from his own colouring (which would be vastly improved by a separate colourist in The Mask Returns), but the quality of his work is evident even in this flawed form.
I wouldn't recommend The Mask to just anyone, but fans of books like Hard-Boiled or even Sin City might find this slightly lighter touch to violence & crime will hit a pretty sweet spot.
Arcudi's writing is pretty standard fare. He doesn't do much with the concept, though we have to imagine it's his inspiration to deliver the gags as they are. The dialogue comes out as basic comics writing, and we don't get a whole lot more than cardboard cutouts for characters.
Where these books undeniably shine is with Mahnke's art. He brings to mind Geoff Darrow or Liberatore in his detailed hyper-real style, yet doesn't clutter his panels with too much prop. This first book suffers from his own colouring (which would be vastly improved by a separate colourist in The Mask Returns), but the quality of his work is evident even in this flawed form.
I wouldn't recommend The Mask to just anyone, but fans of books like Hard-Boiled or even Sin City might find this slightly lighter touch to violence & crime will hit a pretty sweet spot.
June 13, 2021
As a Millennial who grew up watching the adapted Jim Carrey's version a lot of times in TV, I really thought movie was the original source of everything related to the Mask character. It's evident I enjoyed the film which is an important part of my childhood, but I have to admit that I finished captivated with this pioneer story. To begin with the story, this has nothing in common with what is shown in the movie. It's extremely violent and explicit especially regarding deaths and dialogues.
Maybe you could think that the name " Stanley Ipkiss" will be a sign or spoiler about what will happen. It doesn't. Indeed, except main character's the name, all the story is completely different to the known. The Stanley Ipkiss we knew , was a funny and harmless silly. In this vertion, Stanley is a sociopath repressed who dreams with a wild revenge empty of any kind of mercy against everyone who had the audacity to disturb him at some point in his life... or anyone who crosses his path while he is taking revenge, be it a group of policemen or his own girlfriend.
Stanley is completely drunk of mask's power and although in theory he says he wants to be a superhero, he really never does anything heroic. The Mask's temptation and the ethical dilemma related to the enormous power it has, all this is posed there. All accompanied with a frenetic atmosphere which in many moment remind you other comics such as Grezzo. Its ending is not less remarkable, it is ironic and loaded with black humor (my favorite of course). What a shame that this story could not be presented with better fidelity in cinema instead of the family friendly version launched in 1994.
Maybe you could think that the name " Stanley Ipkiss" will be a sign or spoiler about what will happen. It doesn't. Indeed, except main character's the name, all the story is completely different to the known. The Stanley Ipkiss we knew , was a funny and harmless silly. In this vertion, Stanley is a sociopath repressed who dreams with a wild revenge empty of any kind of mercy against everyone who had the audacity to disturb him at some point in his life... or anyone who crosses his path while he is taking revenge, be it a group of policemen or his own girlfriend.
Stanley is completely drunk of mask's power and although in theory he says he wants to be a superhero, he really never does anything heroic. The Mask's temptation and the ethical dilemma related to the enormous power it has, all this is posed there. All accompanied with a frenetic atmosphere which in many moment remind you other comics such as Grezzo. Its ending is not less remarkable, it is ironic and loaded with black humor (my favorite of course). What a shame that this story could not be presented with better fidelity in cinema instead of the family friendly version launched in 1994.
July 22, 2012
In John Arcudi's The Mask, Stanley purchases the mask as a gift for his estranged girlfriend, but quickly claims it for his own. When wearing the mask, he is violent, invincible, and able to disguise himself. The mask, unfortunately, only brings out the worst in Stanley, and he proceeds to work down his personal hit list. If the reader was ever routing for Stanley, by the end, she certainly is not.
The mask is an entertaining idea, but the plot does not become interesting until the mask ends up in the hands of a cop, who must determine whether he can use the power for good. Since the reader never really cares one way or the other for Stanley, he is insignificant. It is essential to any story that a character either require sympathy or hatred from the audience, or we're just not going to care.
The mask is an entertaining idea, but the plot does not become interesting until the mask ends up in the hands of a cop, who must determine whether he can use the power for good. Since the reader never really cares one way or the other for Stanley, he is insignificant. It is essential to any story that a character either require sympathy or hatred from the audience, or we're just not going to care.
December 19, 2008
Forget the horrible movie and read the original: wacky, brutal, and dangerous, like Bugs Bunny if he turned into a serial killer. Meek little accountant comes across a Mask that lets him do anything he wants....oh, but that Mask ain't sweetness and light my friend. He declares that he'll use the power to right wrongs, but we don't get a superhero comic, no sir, because he says, "...but first...."
he sets out to avenge all the perceived wrongs done to him--I particularly enjoyed the murder of his grade school teacher in front of the entire class. Yes, it is that kind of comic! Meanwhile, others search for the Mask.
he sets out to avenge all the perceived wrongs done to him--I particularly enjoyed the murder of his grade school teacher in front of the entire class. Yes, it is that kind of comic! Meanwhile, others search for the Mask.
March 28, 2016
If I pick up a book and it has a scantily clad man on it, clutching at a similarly clad woman. It's a romance. If I pick up a book and it has blood splatters all over it, it doesn't mean that the library needs a tougher stance on damage on returns, it means that it is a crime thriller. A couple will meet and fall in love in the romance, someone - hopefully many someone's - will die in the thriller. If I pick up a graphic novel with a picture of the mask on it, I expect Jim Carrey jokes and Stanley Ipkiss kicking ass, standing up for the little guy and wooing the Cameron Diaz looking gal!
How wrong can one person's expectation be?!
How wrong can one person's expectation be?!
May 1, 2015
Easily one of my favorite comics of all time, Arcudi's Mask is a much more toothy grin than the one offered by the horselike Jim Carrey. Arcudi's Mask takes comic violence to obscene new heights that are a dash of crime mystery, a slice of Looney Tunes, and a pinch of Gary Panter chopped up in a blender of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth artistic sensibility.
There are few comics I find more enjoyable to yank off my shelf and giggle on the couch with. It just feels like all the fun of hiding under your blankets with a flashlight.
There are few comics I find more enjoyable to yank off my shelf and giggle on the couch with. It just feels like all the fun of hiding under your blankets with a flashlight.
June 23, 2011
I first got introduced to this when my cousin gave me an animated and voice acted version of the cartoon on a CD and since then it's been one of my all time favourite comics. The humour is great, the violence is over the top and the storyline is genuinely good. Love it, and would recommend to my friends.
August 15, 2024
I read this many years back and just had to revisit it. Wildly different from the more popular movie and cartoon that it spawned, this is dark, violent, and still fascinating all on its own. In a world where Deadpool is raking in a billion bucks, I think the world is ready to see this properly adapted to its blood-soaked extremes.
July 13, 2017
This I though was an interesting take on objects that give you superpowers, this mask gives powers to who ever wears it and brings violence whether their intentions were good or bad. This book does contain violence and some gruesome illustration so I reccomend to mature readers. ~Ashley
October 14, 2012
Good, anarchic fun from the book that inspired the Jim Carrey movie.
October 14, 2012
Loved the humour, the art work and the story. One of my favourite comics. Really fun.
September 7, 2014
I thought I used to love the movie.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews