# The Mask (comic book)

The Mask is an American dark comedy-horror supervillain comic book limited series written by John Arcudi and illustrated by Doug Mahnke. Published by Dark Horse Comics as the first installment of the semi-anthological self-titled comic book series of the same name and the resulting franchise, the series chronicles the events following the death of Stan Ipkiss, as police detective Mitch Kellaway uses the titular mask to become a new "Big Head", attempting to clean up the city of its criminals.
The first half of the story (collected as Issue #0) was originally published in the four-issue anthology series Mayhem, between May and September 1989, with the four-issue miniseries following on from its events being published between July and December 1991, all receiving a generally positive critical reception, with a sequel, The Mask Returns, being published from 1992 to 1993, and a loose film adaptation releasing in 1994.

## Overview

In the prologue (originally published in Mayhem), Stanley "Stan" Ipkiss discovers a supernatural mask that grants the wearer nearly limitless power, he uses to enact great violence against those he hates in life, becoming the serial killer "Big Head", before his girlfriend Kathy Matthews puts on the mask herself and kills him. In the main events of the series, Detective Mitch Kellaway obtains the mask from Kathy, and on realising what it does on putting it on, decides to use the power of "Big Head" to attempt to take down the city's crime lords, constantly opposed by the impossibly-strong henchman Walter.

## Premise
### Mayhem (The Mask #0)

In an antiques shop, a weak, neurotic man named Stanley "Stan" Ipkiss shops for a gift to give to his girlfriend, Kathy Matthews. At the store he purchases an old jade mask which begins to speak to him. When Stan wears it, he is transformed into a wacky super-powered being with an abnormally large, bald, green-skinned head and a mouthful of large teeth. After exploring his new abilities, Ipkiss goes on a rampage, taking revenge on those with whom he has a grudge, and earns the nickname Big Head.
After taking the mask off, Stan begins to realize what has been happening. His acts as Big Head begin to take an emotional toll on him. He becomes verbally abusive toward Kathy. She kicks him out, but keeps the mask since it was a gift from Stan.
Later, Stan breaks into Kathy's apartment to steal it back just as the police arrive in response to an earlier housebreaking call. Deciding his only way out is as Big Head, Stan puts the mask back on and kills multiple cops during his escape in addition to causing a great deal of property damage. He returns home as Big Head and removes the mask, preparing to leave the city; only to be shot in the back and killed by Kathy now wearing the mask, who figured out the identity of Big Head and donned the mask while Stan's back was turned after he took it off.

### Miniseries

Kathy takes the mask to Lieutenant Kellaway for safe-keeping. Kellaway, who had been struggling with both the recent Big Head murders, and organized crime lords on the loose in his city, disregards Kathy's warnings, believing she is stressed and not thinking clearly, and tries on the mask. Becoming Big Head, Kellaway sets out to take down the crime lords who have plagued his police career.
City dwellers, not knowing of the magical mask, assumes Big Head is still the same killer whose targets are now high-profile crime lords. Despite Kellaway's good intentions, the mask causes his methods to become increasingly more violent. Big Head encounters Walter Avery, a behemoth-sized mob muscle-man who never speaks, who has undertaken a vendetta against Big Head for killing his employers. Walter never shows pain and is the only one who can injure Big Head to any real degree.
While fighting off Walter's attacks, Lieutenant Kellaway, as Big Head, becomes the target of a police manhunt. Big Head fights off the police and tracks down the remaining mobsters. When Kellaway's partner attempts to stop Big Head, the mask-altered policeman nearly kills his friend and colleague. Kellaway, realizing what he has been doing, flees. He removes the mask, buries it in his basement in cement, and vows never to let it be worn again.

## Characters
### Big Heads

* Mitch Kellaway – A police detective who wears the mask in an effort to take down the mob.
* Kathy Matthews – A woman who uses the mask to kill her violent boyfriend before giving it to Kellaway.
* Stanley "Stan" Ipkiss – Kathy's boyfriend who initially discovered the mask and used it for violence as "Big Head".

### The Mob

* Walter Avery – A behemoth-sized mob muscle-man who never speaks, and undertakes a vendetta against Big Head.

## Sequel

A sequel, The Mask Returns, was published by Dark Horse Comics from October 1992 to March 1993.

## Adaptations

In 1994, a film adaptation of the first half of The Mask was released, starring Jim Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss / The Mask, with Peter Riegert portraying Mitch Kellaway and Jim Doughan portraying Doyle, the roles of Kathy, Scully, and Vitelli becoming Tina Carlyle (portrayed by Cameron Diaz), Dorian Tyrell (portrayed by Peter Greene), and Niko (portrayed by Orestes Matacena), respectively. After that, the film entered development hell.
While there were early efforts to make a comic-book accurate version of the comic as a "dark horror" film at New Line Cinema (as a replacement for their fading A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), it was never completely intended as a "dark horror" picture. the film was ultimately redeveloped as a comedy film, with Ipkiss being portrayed as a hero versus the villain of the comic. The film also spawned a multimedia franchise, including a spin-off video game adaptation, an animated television series, and a stand-alone sequel; the Stanley Ipkiss version of the Mask would also cameo in the 2021 film Space Jam: A New Legacy.