Itty Bitty Mask

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Itty Bitty Mask
Publication information
ScheduleMonthly
FormatLimited series
Publication dateNov. 2014 – Feb. 2015
No. of issues4
Main character(s)Herman Shazbert
Creative team
Created byMike Richardson
Written byArt Baltazar
Artist(s)Art Baltazar
Franco Aureliani
Editor(s)Brendan Wright

Itty Bitty Mask (also known as Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask) is an American dark comedy supervillain comic book limited series written by Art Baltazar and illustrated by Baltazar with Franco Aureliani. Published by Dark Horse Comics as the second installment of the anthology series Itty Bitty, the series is a spin-off of The Mask comics and franchise,[1] chronicling the events that follow mild-mannered zookeeper Herman Shazbert buying his wife the titular strange mask, which his entire family then becomes obsessed with,[2] it was published across four chapters: Who Is That Masked Man?! (November 12, 2014), Zoo Suit Riot! (December 10, 2014), Vote Mask! (January 14, 2015), and Behind the Mask! (February 11, 2015).

The series received a generally positive critical reception.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Development[edit]

In August 2014, The Mask creator Mike Richardson announced that the comic book series would be revived with the limited series Itty Bitty Mask, written and illustrated by Art Baltazar with Franco Aureliani as a follow-up to Itty Bitty Hellboy, stating that "we're planning a whole line. We've been talking about reviving The Mask [and this is] the perfect vehicle to bring the character back", taking influence from Teen Titans Go!.[12][13] The series was published by Dark Horse Comics across four issues from November 12, 2014, to February 11, 2015, and collected as an omnibus edition on June 25, 2015.[2]

Characters[edit]

  • Herman Shazbert – A zookeeper who purchases the mask from a Magic Spells Depot on mistaking it for a spa store.
  • Suzie Shazbert – Herman's wife, whom he buys the mask for as an anniversary present.
  • Mee-Maw Shazbert – Herman's mother, who dons and uses the energy to do her regular actives at high-speed.
  • The Shopkeeper – The owner of the mask, who keeps trying to reclaim it from the Shazbert family.
  • Reggie – A zookeeper and a coworker of Herman's.
  • The Lion – A lion at the zoo Herman works at, who ends up donning the mask, and spreading copies of it to all the other animals of the zoo.
  • Mayor Clarence Middleton II / The Masked Mayor – The newly elected mayor of Big City, who ends up donning the mask after a gust of wind blows it onto his face, with his unbound positivity leading him to become a monster and take a bite out of the moon.
  • Barbara – The mayor's unquestioning personal assistant, who makes coffee and takes notes for him.
  • The "Moon Martians" – The alien inhabitants of the Moon, who invade Earth searching for the mayor in response to his "attack" on the moon.

Sequel[edit]

Preceded by Itty Bitty Hellboy in 2013, the series was followed by Itty Bitty Comics: Grimmiss Island in March 2015.[14][15]

Reception[edit]

Issue # Publication date Critic rating Critic reviews Ref.
1 November 2014 4.7/10 3 [16]
2 December 2014 7.9/10 3 [17]
3 January 2015 9.0/10 2 [18]
4 February 2015 9.0/10 2 [19]
Overall 7.7/10 10 [20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Armitage, Helen (December 27, 2021). "The Mask Movie vs. Comic Comparison". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Art Baltazar (w), Franco Aureliani (a). Itty Bitty Mask (June 25, 2015). Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved on August 1, 1994.
  3. ^ Beveridge, Chris (November 12, 2014). "Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask Issue #1 Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  4. ^ Adder, Aldous B. (November 14, 2014). "Buccaneer Book Reviews: Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask Issue #1 Review". Book Buccaneers. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  5. ^ Maltby, Oscar (December 11, 2014). "Comic Review – Itty Bitty Mask #2". Word of the Nerd Online. Archived from the original on March 24, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Beveridge, Chris (December 10, 2014). "Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask Issue #2 Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  7. ^ Hendricks, Byron (December 3, 2014). "Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask #2 – Review". Fortress of Solitude. Archived from the original on July 31, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  8. ^ Maltby, Oscar (January 19, 2015). "Comic Review – Itty Bitty Mask #3". Word of the Nerd Online. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  9. ^ Beveridge, Chris (January 14, 2015). "Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask Issue #3 Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  10. ^ Maltby, Oscar (February 12, 2015). "Comic Review – Itty Bitty Mask #4". Word of the Nerd Online. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  11. ^ Beveridge, Chris (February 11, 2015). "Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask Issue #4 Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  12. ^ Sunu, Steve (August 7, 2014). "Exclusive: Richardson Details Dark Horse's "Itty Bitty Mask" Plans". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  13. ^ Armitage, Hugh (August 8, 2014). "The Mask gets the Aw Yeah Comics treatment". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  14. ^ Tweedale, Mark (October 8, 2014). ""Itty Bitty Hellboy" Returns in 2015". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  15. ^ Zawisza, Doug (March 16, 2015). "Itty Bitty Comics: Grimmiss Island #1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  16. ^ "Itty Bitty Mask #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  17. ^ "Itty Bitty Mask #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  18. ^ "JItty Bitty Mask #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  19. ^ "Itty Bitty Mask #4 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  20. ^ "Itty Bitty Mask (2014–2015) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
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