Miss Masque
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Miss Masque is a fictional masked crime-fighter. She originally appeared in comic books published by Nedor Comics, and was later revived by both AC Comics and America's Best Comics.
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[edit] 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 revolvers. 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[1]
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 (see below)), Fighting Yank, and Black Terror; her final Golden Age appearance was Black Terror #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.[2]
[edit] AC Comics
Miss Masque is one of the many public domain Golden Age characters revived by AC Comics in the early 1990s. 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 picks up a costume from a curio shop on Bourbon Street. The shop owner attempts to tell Adams that the costume is possessed by the "spirit of justice;" in a hurry, Adams buys the outfit and quickly leaves. When the party is interrupted by robbers, Adams stops the crime and finds herself strangely satisfied by the experience. She decides to make crime fighting her full-time occupation.
In AC Annual #2 (1991), Miss Masque is revealed to be one of a group of crime fighters that agreed to enter the Vault of Heroes, a device designed to keep crime fighters in suspended animation until they are needed again. She is revived in the 1990s and joins the Femforce in their fight against the Shroud.[3]
Miss Masque has appeared in several AC Comics titles, including Femforce and her own self-titled comic book.
[edit] America's Best Comics/DC
The Golden Age version of Miss Masque was revived by Alan Moore for his Tom Strong comics, published by America's Best Comics (now an imprint of DC Comics). Moore used the Nedor Comics public doman 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, 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, now using the name 'Ms. Masque and a member of the reformed 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, aka the Fighting Yank II (daughter of the deceased Fighting Yank).
[edit] Notes
- ^ Black, Bill (1977),The Official Golden Age Hero and Heroine Directory, AC Comics, ISBN 1-56225-017-5
- ^ Ibid
- ^ [1]"Americomics version of Miss Masque", International Catalog of Superheroes. Last accessed 2/13/2007
