Miss Masque

Miss Masque
Miss Masque, on the cover of Exciting Comics #53 (January 1947). Art by Alex Schomburg.
Publication information
Publisher	Nedor Comics AC Comics America's Best Comics
First appearance	Exciting Comics #51 (September 1946)
In-story information
Alter ego	Diana Adams
Team affiliations	Sentinels of Justice (AC Comics) SMASH (America's Best Comics)
Notable aliases	Ms. Masque Masquerade

Miss Masque is a fictional masked crime-fighter. She originally appeared in comic books published by Nedor Comics, and was later revived by AC Comics, America's Best Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment.

Miss Masque is the secret identity of Diana Adams, a young socialite who decides to fight crime and injustice in disguise. Miss Masque has no super powers, but relies on her wit and a pair of pistols. Her original costume was a mini-skirted red dress with red hat, gloves and cape, and a domino mask; yellow double "M" emblems on her chest and hat completed the ensemble. A later version of the costume had a bare midriff and shorter sleeves.

Miss Masque first appeared in Nedor Comics' Exciting Comics #51 (September 1946). She also appeared in America's Best Comics (not to be confused with the DC Comics imprint), Fighting Yank, and Black Terror; her final Golden Age appearance was America's Best Comics #31 (July 1949).

There was no writer or artist credited for Miss Masque's first appearance. Alex Schomburg and Frank Frazetta provided art for later cover appearances, and Ralph Mayo penciled some splash pages.

Miss Masque is one of the many public domain Golden Age characters revived by AC Comics in the early 1990s. The new version debuted in AC Annual #2 (1991). In AC continuity, Diana Adams is a Canadian socialite visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Having forgotten to bring a costume for a party, she looks for one in a curio shop on Bourbon Street. The shop owner attempts to tell Adams that the costume is possessed by the "spirit of justice". As Adams is in a hurry, she ignores the warning, buys the outfit, and quickly leaves. When the party is interrupted by robbers, Adams stops the criminals and saves the life of a fellow partygoer. Finding herself strangely satisfied by the experience, she decides to make crime fighting her full-time occupation.