“Yesterday’s” Comic> Adventures of the Mask #3

Apparently Kellaway gave him a steak.

Adventures of the Mask #3

Dark Horse Comics (March 1996)

When Milo goes missing the Mask tracks him to Dober-Man, who thanks to a mad scientist father is a dog-boy who can control dogs and has been using them in a crime spree. However, he’s not a bad kid (puppy?) and the Mask asks Kellaway to go easy on him. He’s just happy that Stanley has Milo back.

What they got right: The first original story and they opted to create an original character, and a rather sympathetic villain–a rarity for any version of the Mask, as far as I know–and he’s a good character. We’ll see Dober-Man again in a later issue. There’s also an “Ace Ventura” joke about getting a “pet detective”. Interestingly, the Mask cartoon crossed over with the Ace Ventura cartoon, also airing on CBS but I believe produced by a different animation studio.

What they got wrong: When it comes to humans it IS the hand and not the butt that dogs sniff. Dogs only sniff other dogs there, so it’s a lame excuse to use a “mind-controlled Milo bites the Mask on the behind” joke.

Recommendation: This is an example of how the animated spin-off comic adaptation should be done. It doesn’t conflict with the show and allows the story to stand on its own. Plus it’s a good story. Track it down if you can.

Related Articles

• “Yesterday’s” Comic> Adventures of the Mask #1 (bwmedia.wordpress.com)
• “Yesterday’s” Comic> Adventures of the Mask #2 (bwmedia.wordpress.com)