(written by Terry MacNeil, on May 16, 20, 27, and June 5, 8, 2025)

I avoid reading superhero comic books, for the same reason I avoid watching professional wrestling – I was once a HUGE fan of both, and I don’t want to become addicted to either again. The main reasons, is that being a superhero comic book collector is INCREDIBLY expensive (and time consuming), and being a professional wrestling fan requires watching WAY TOO MUCH televised programming (though I always found the villainous wrestlers hilariously antagonizing the audience to be WAY more entertaining than the actual “wrestling”). But I recently decided to make an exception for the collections of The Mask comics – mainly because there weren’t many of them made (and I was curious to see how they compared to the movies).

In the 1994 movie The Mask, the actor Jim Carrey portrays the meek/unconfident/unassertive protagonist – who is completely inept around women. So the protagonist is supposed to embody the saying “nice guys finish last” (a saying that is rarely true in real-life). When he puts on “the mask”, he acquires godlike superpowers. But more importantly – when the protagonist wears “the mask”, he is the confident and suave person he always dreamed of being. But it must be emphasized – the protagonist, deep down, is kind-hearted. And that is reflected in what he does while wearing “the mask”. Overall, I consider The Mask to be a children’s movie – that I enjoyed as a child, and am (much to my surprise) still able to enjoy as an adult.

In the various (R-Rated) comic miniseries of The Mask, there are various protagonists that end up wearing “the mask”. But the first (and most infamous) protagonist to wear “the mask” in the comics, is a meek/unconfident/unassertive dude – though it must be emphasized, he is also a bitter, hate-filled misanthropist. Deep down, the protagonist is NOT kind-hearted – and fantasizes about violently punishing everyone who has ever wronged him. So when the protagonist puts on “the mask” – he acquires godlike superpowers. But more importantly – when the protagonist wears “the mask”, he is the psychopath he always dreamed of being. Since the protagonist, deep down, is such a rotten guy – when he wears “the mask” he becomes an out of control mass murderer, sadist, and cop killer. Since the protagonist is immortal as long as he wears “the mask” – he treats the rest of the World the way he always dreamed of treating it. Unlike the protagonist, most teenage misanthropists grow out of their misanthropy before (or during the early years of) adulthood – and evolve into genuinely nice/caring people. That said, I was a misanthropist into my thirties. Oh. There’s one element in the comics I enjoyed more than the violence, and it’s that the longer you wear “the mask” – the more of YOUR SANITY you lose! Too bad everyone goes back to “normal” when they take off “the mask”. I wish they became PERMANENTLY insane and deranged even when “the mask” is taken off!

And yeah, I also heard there are comics in The Mask franchise that were inspired by The Mask children’s TV cartoon (said cartoon having been inspired by the 1994 movie). Well, I hated that cartoon in my childhood – and I sure as fuck don’t want to waste my time reading G-Rated comics inspired by THAT DRECK.

As for a future movie in The Mask franchise? I want Jim Carrey portraying the protagonist – but this film exists in an alternate universe, where he is an aging and bitter misanthropist. Also, the film is R-Rated – and just as violent/gruesome as the R-Rated comics.

As for the 2005 movie Son of the Mask – the nearly universally despised sequel to the 1994 film? NO COMMENT – except FUCK THAT SHIT MOVIE. Ⓐ