Wrap-Up Comments on Miss Masque
I've already commented on a few things in my replies to others, so I'll just make a few extra comments here. As we mentioned earlier, the stories in this collection are not presented in chronological order. I was going to try to find the order, but there seem to be a lot of Miss Masque stories on the site that aren't in this collection. So instead, I'll do them in two groups--the two oldest stories where she has the original costume with the sideways MM on her bodice and then the other ones in the more modern costume.
OLDER STORIESThe Case of the Mad MiserThis is Miss Masque's first appearance, but unlike a lot of similar comics, she doesn't have an origin story as such or much background. Miss Masque is already Diana's heroic personae and she dons the costume when Miss Masque is needed. As this was the first story, maybe they were waiting to see how the character was received before getting too involved with her background or what led her to be a crimefighter. Maybe that comes out in some of her other stories that aren't in this collection.
The story is a classic morality tale, showing that money is the root of all evil. Silas is certainly a nasty piece of work and gets his just desserts. Miss Masque is certainly intrepid. As it ends with the dog standing next to her, I wondered if he was going to be her sidekick, like the Phantom and Devil. But we don't see him again. The art was pretty good and she makes a daring debut.
The Devil to PayInteresting that both of the older stories in this volume make some reference to the devil. I liked the fight sequence in the dark, with the blue, black and grey colouring. Very noir. She certainly has some interesting acrobatic fighting moves. I wonder if we ever find out how she developed her skills?
LATER STORIESThe Case of the Bawling BabyQuite a drastic change in fashion, with more 'good girl' art for Diana Adams and a slightly more daring Miss Masque costume. Interesting touch to have the African-American maid reading a crime novel. Does she pop up in any other Diana/Miss Masque stories? Though there's nothing really to indicate what the relationship is between Diana and her maid. Perhaps a lost opportunity for an interesting sidekick.
Pretty dumb for the crooks to think anyone would believe the shrivelled old guy was a baby. I think that lost it for me. And Diana seems to be channelling 1940s movie stars in the very last frame with the long hair over half of her face. Lauren Bacall? Veronica Lake?
The Society Swindle CaseThe perspective in the first frame on p. 2 isn't right. How can they be facing each other eye-to-eye when the old lady is lying in bed? On that same page, Diana refers to herself as the 'light-headed butterfly' who might be the right bait to catch the crook. But even when she is playing Diana, she doesn't seem to be a light-headed butterfly. She still comes across as an intelligent woman.
p. 5 Given the number of times Diana gets hit on the head in these stories, she should have irreversible brain damage, but she always bounces back. I had to smile at the picture of her driving on p. 7. The angle makes it look like she's flying a plane.
So scammers will try to rob people of their savings? Nothing has changed in the 80 or so years since this story came out, except that now the internet and social media have made it easier. I've been a victim to scammers twice in the last 8 months in spite of being fairly savvy to those types of things. On both occasions, their attempts to get money out of my account were thwarted, but some of my friends haven't been so lucky. It used to be easy in the days of the Nigerian princes who wanted to give you a million dollars if you would kindly forward them your back details. However, sammers have become much more sophisticated and harder to detect. Moral of the story? Miss Masque is still disturbingly relevant.
The Ring of DeathMiss Masque again displays some inventive fight moves. However, why is it that whenever a masked superhero is captured, no one takes off the hero/heroine's mask? That's the first thing I'd do
Sing a Song of MurderIf someone puts an ad in the paper to say they have a genuine map to a pirate treasure and need your help, it must be true! Though I suppose people do hire others to help them look for possible treasure.
I know Diana is just tagging along, but given that she donned the attractive diving suit to look for the treasure with Edmond, I wonder why he didn't offer her a share? Though it might be just as well since he was later killed over the money.
The art isn't quite as good in this one. When she's drawn as Diana, she looks a lot harsher rather than beautiful.
Death on SkisIn spite of the mix-up with the page order, I liked this one. As Panther said, we suddenly learn that Russ is her fiancee. That hasn't been mentioned so far in this collection, though maybe we would see more of a romance arc if we looked at some of the other stories.
Interesting that she breaks the fourth wall in the last frame on p. 4 and speaks to the reader. That's the only time it's happened in these stories, so I wonder why?
With all the dazzling changes to her costume (as noted by SuperScrounge and Panther), it's amazing she couldn't find the time to sew up a winter version. Her midriff must be pretty cold by the end of that ski run
And I learned something on p. 7 with the line 'Looks like a Roman Holiday for death!' I hadn't heard that saying before except for the title of the Audrey Hepburn movie, so I thought maybe that movie title had a double meaning I hadn't realised. But when I looked up the term, I found that it is 'an occasion on which enjoyment or profit is derived from others' suffering or discomfort'. That doesn't seem to fit the movie, but I guess it fits this story.
OverallThis collection provided a good sampling of Miss Masque stories. The art was good on the whole. Some stories were better than others, but you always get that. I liked her as a character and would read more of these. She's in a similar category for me as Phantom Lady, though perhaps not quite as good. A fun romp overall.
Cheers
QQ
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Topic: Reading Group #356 - A Duo of Daring Dianas (Read 865 times)
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