#The mask comic book movie#
#The mask comic book series#

The producersвЂ™ original inclination was to cast Anna Nicole Smith as Tina Carlyle. ДЄfter snagging their star, it was essential to cast the female lead next. Following that filmвЂ™s success, Carey was paid $7 million for Dumb & Dumber.

вЂќ New Line ended up procuring Carrey for a bargain of $450,000 as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective had not yet been released. Upon reading the script, Carrey fittingly said, вЂњ I feel like this was written for me. Thus, WerbвЂ™s next draft of the screenplay was written specifically with the actor in mind. After writing a couple of drafts of the script, Russell and Werb realized that Jim Carrey was the perfect person to play the filmвЂ™s lead. Once the screen story was in place, screenwriter Mike Werb ( Face/Off, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider ) was brought on to expand it into a screenplay. To ensure that he could take the tone of the comic book in a more comedic direction, Russell hired screenwriters Michael Fallon ( The Virgin of Juarez ) and Mark Verheiden (who also adapted another Dark Horse comic, Timecop ) to pull from the source material and create the filmвЂ™s story.

#The mask comic book movie#

Had the director not taken such a route, the movie adaptation of The Mask would have been extremely violent, and more likely than not a bit horrific. Despite liking the comic, I can undoubtedly understand RussellвЂ™s inclination to tone down the violence for the filmic version. Still, I will be going back to read the rest of that original run. The art style, in particular, has that vibrant, yet simultaneously diluted color palette of the era The Maxx being a perfect comparable comic book example.

#The mask comic book series#

However, much like the movie in review here, this original series of comics is most definitely a product of its time. In reading the first couple of issues of the original limited series of The Mask, I found that I dug it. Not being overly familiar with this source material, I decided to go back and get acquainted. Following the storyвЂ™s success, Acuda and Mahke created a four-issue sequel (also in limited series format) entitled, The Mask Returns (October 1992-March 1993.) This original limited series ran from July-December 1991. A violent hybrid inspired by The Joker and Tex Avery animation. ДЄcuda and Mahke indeed took the initial concept of RichardsonвЂ™s and ran with it, making the protagonist of the series a character known as Big Head. However, Russell was more interested in adapting the limited series comic of The Mask created by writer John Acuda and artist Doug Mahke. In the early 90s, they hired director Chuck Russell ( A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors ) to do just that. Considering that the studio was known as вЂњ The house that Freddy built ,вЂќ itвЂ™s no surprise that New Line wanted to adapt this violent comic into a new horror franchise. (Most iterations of which donвЂ™t resemble The Mask, as it would come to be known.) By 1989, the Dark Horse founder sold the film rights for this ever-evolving concept to New Line Cinema. A year later, Richardson founded Dark Horse Comics and handed the concept off to several different writers and artists. The initial concept that eventually inspired The Mask comic book series was conceived by artist Mike Richardson for an indie publication called APA-5 in 1985.

For now, letвЂ™s look at where The Mask began: More important than being one of the best products of its time though, The Mask is a more important comic book movie than people give it credit for being. Despite my being a little scared of DorianвЂ™s ( Peter Greene ) transformation at the time, I loved the movie! And why wouldnвЂ™t I have? The Mask is a quintessential 90s film thereвЂ™s the colorful cinematography, the humor, the tone, and of course, Carrey. I can distinctly remember the first time I saw the film at the house of some family friends, The Heafners. My favorite out of CarreyвЂ™s вЂ™94 trifecta is most definitely The Mask. Finally, Carrey capped the year off with a favorite comedy and mine, and many of the folks I grew up with, Dumb and Dumber that December. Thankfully, their thirst for new comedy king of the 90s would be quenched with the release of The Mask months later in July of that year. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was released in February of вЂ™94 and audiences found that couldnвЂ™t get enough of Carrey.

CarreyвЂ™s meteoric rise from a comedic actor managing to make a living to global superstar is thanks to his starring in three huge comedies in 1994. This year marks two-and-a-half decades of Jim Carrey (Kidding ) being an absolute star.

Night of the Return of the Living Ipkiss.Man, oh, man, IвЂ™m starting to feel old.

Mask: The Night Before Christmas (1994).

The Mask: Official Movie Adaptation (1994)

The Mask: The Hunt for Green October (1995).