How does The Mask movie compare to the comic series it’s based on? Directed by Chuck Russell, The Mask is one of a trio of 1994 movies (alongside Ace Venture: Pet Detective and Dumb And Dumber) that helped put Jim Carrey on the map. The loopy comedy cast Carrey as a meek bank clerk named Stanley Ipkiss who comes across a mysterious mask that when worn transforms him into the movie’s titular antihero – a green-faced, grinning trickster with cartoon-like superpowers that Stanley uses to fight crime.
It’s a little-known fact but The Mask is based on a comic book series of the same name published by Dark Horse Comics. The mask itself is the brainchild of Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson and debuted in an early issue of the comic book anthology series Dark Horse Presents before getting a more fleshed-out story in the publishing company’s Mayhem series, which also introduced Stanley Ipkiss. Stanley and the mask went on to get their very own comic which was created by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke and ran for five issues in 1991 before spawning several sequel comics.
While both the Carrey film and The Mask comic share the same basic premise, there are several major differences between the source material and its adaptation. The most obvious difference between the two properties is that the Dark Horse comic series is much darker and a lot more violent than Jim Carrey's comedy The Mask, which is far more kid-friendly and slapstick in tone. This extends to Ipkiss too; while the movie paints him as a hapless but decent soul, the comic version is a bitter and twisted man who uses his newfound powers to exact revenge on people who’ve wronged him rather than fighting crime.
The Mask movie also features several characters who weren’t in the original comic series. For example, Ipkiss’ love interest in the movie is gangster’s moll Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz) – a completely new character who replaces Stanley’s comic ex-girlfriend Kathy. The film also pairs Stanley with a cute, four-legged sidekick in the form of his pet Jack Russell terrier Milo who didn’t feature at all in the Dark Horse comic series. The character of police officer Mitch Kellaway underwent a few changes too: in the movie, he’s played by Peter Riegert and is the butt of many a joke, whereas in The Mask comic he’s a lot more competent and becomes a main character in the latter half of the original series when he dons the mask himself and goes on a murderous rampage.
All things considered, The Mask movie is a very different beast to the comic but there’s a chance a more faithful adaptation of the Dark Horse series could happen in the future. Rumor has it Jim Carrey is in talks to make a reboot of The Mask but whether it will continue the PG-13 tone of the original movie or go for the edger edge of the Dark Horse comics remains to be seen.