Nightmask
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| Nightmask | |
 Cover to Untold Tales of the New Universe: Nightmask(2005) |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Nightmask #1 (November 1986) |
| Created by | Archie Goodwin, Tony Salmons |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Keith Remsen |
| Abilities | Able to enter and manipulate the dreams of others, able to project illusions directly into another person's mind.He can also fire concussive energy blasts from his mitts. |
Nightmask is a title given to two fictional characters who appear in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Nightmask, Keith Remsen, was created by Archie Goodwin and Tony Salmons and first appeared in Nightmask #1 (Nov 1986), a series which was published under Marvel's New Universe imprint. Remsen is a paranormal, one of the people affected by the "White Event", and has the ability to manifest himself in other people's dreams.
In 2006, Warren Ellis and Salvador Larroca introduced a different version of the Nightmask character when they revived the New Universe concepts in a new series, newuniversal. Izanami Randall, who first appears in newuniversal #1 (Feb 2007), is a Japanese-American teenager living in San Francisco. After the White Event, Izanami discovers that she has been appointed as the Nightmask and has gained the power to manipulate the "superflow", a "transuniversal space" through which dreams, ideas and telepathy interact with the physical world.
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[edit] Publication history
The Nightmask series was cancelled after twelve issues, although Remsen continued to feature as a significant New Universe character, with a supporting role (and occasional back-up stories) in other titles.
Oddly, the 'Gnome' storyline was abruptly abandoned (and subsequently ignored) midway through the Nightmask comic's run - this plot was only resolved when Untold Tales of the New Universe: Nightmask was published in 2006.
[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Main Series
Keith Remsen was an eighteen-year-old whose parents sent him to study with Doctor Horst Kleinmann, an expert on dreams. Kleinmann had perfected a way of entering dreams cybernetically, and was worried that Remsen's parents were trying to steal his research. Kleinmann planted a bomb which killed Remsen's parents, paralyzed his little sister Theodora ("Teddy"), and left Keith himself in a coma, where he remained until he was awakened by the White Event.
When he awoke, he gradually discovered that he had the power to enter people's dreams telepathically, which he used to assist in psychotherapy. His sister Teddy was able to communicate with him while he was in the dream state and served as his anchor to reality. He also fought Kleinmann in the dreamscape, although the conclusion to that fight was never published owing to editorial difficulties and the cancellation of the series.
[edit] The Draft and The War
After the Black Event, in which the city of Pittsburgh was destroyed, Remsen was one of the first paranormally gifted people drafted into the military. His training and abilities earned him a commission and he was assigned to use his abilities to scan paranormal draftees for signs of mental aberration. Unfortunately, without his sister to act as his anchor, his dream self became more and more unhinged until he felt he could no longer tell the sane from the insane. This led him to approve a candidate with a dangerously unstable personality and an equally unstable power-- the ability to teleport, leaving behind an explosion whose power is directly proportional to the distance travelled. When this recruit finally reached his breaking point, he attempted to assassinate the President of the United States (thwarted only because the unnamed President had developed paranormal regenerative abilities himself).
Remsen stalked the recruit in his dreams until the recruit sought him out personally, intending to kill Remsen and anyone around him. However, Remsen was carrying a sidearm and he fatally shot the recruit.
[edit] Untold Tales of the New Universe
In 2006, a single issue story of Nightmask was published, providing the conclusion to the Kleinmann storyline.
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Exiles
An alternate version of Keith Remsen attempts to defeat the mutant Proteus within his dreams. The attempt fails and Proteus strikes back - Remsen appears to suffer a heart attack, it is unclear whether or not he survived.
[edit] newuniversal
Marvel has announced that Writer Warren Ellis and Illustrator Salvador Larroca, in honor of The 20th Anniversary of The New Universe, are working on a single-title re-imagining of the New Universe saga named newuniversal. Ellis has "named Nightmask as one of the more interesting concepts of the previous New Universe incarnation".[1]
The new version of Nightmask will not be Keith Remsen, however - instead it will be an entirely different character, Izanami Randall, "a Japanese-American girl in San Francisco".[2]
The re-imagined Nightmask, Izanami Randall is a Japanese-American girl living in San Francisco, who is contacted by a stranded alien station during the White Event who informs her that she is one of the heralds of the "paradigm shift" which is in progress, sparked by the Event; specifically, she is this age's Nightmask. Believing she is still asleep and hallucinating, Izanami expresses disbelief; the machine intelligence explains that she is in the Superflow, a trans-dimensional network that worlds occasionally pass through and she can change her appearance at will. It explains that it is an alien communications station making first contact due to earth entering something called the "newuniversal web". Superhumans have existed previously on Earth during previous White Events, and she is now Nightmask, a sentient being capable of entering the Superflow at will. The newuniversal is an alien construct, not a natural part of the universe; it possesses a degree of intelligence, and when a new world enters or prepares to enter the newuniversal system it alters and empowers several individuals to help smooth the chaos from the resultant paradigm shift. Izanami wakes from her "dream" at first in disbelief; after seeing the news and realizing the White Event has actually happened. She is informed by the Superflow that she has to find Optima Down and (presumably) Ken Connell. Using the Superflow, Izanami Randall travels the large distance in "about an hour," arriving only to find the US military have occupied the town and are in the process of hunting the new Starbrand.
[edit] Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
When Malibu Comics revived a number of public domain Centaur Comics characters, a superhero known as The Masked Marvel was among them. Fearing that Marvel Comics might sue if they retain this codename, they changed the codename to Night Mask.
[edit] Collections
The Nightmask series has not yet been reprinted.
[edit] Creators
[edit] Writers
- Archie Goodwin - Nightmask #1-2, 4, 8 (November 1986-December 1986, February 1987, June 1987)
- Cary Bates - Nightmask #3, 5 (January 1987, March 1987)
- Dann Thomas - Nightmask #6-7, 10-12 (April 1987-May 1987, August 1987-October 1987)
- Roy Thomas - Nightmask #6-7, 10-12 (April 1987-May 1987, August 1987-October 1987)
- Sandy Plunkett - Nightmask #9 (July 1987)
- David Wohl - "The Real Me" in Justice #25 (November 1988) [back-up story]
- Mark Gruenwald - "Night of the Mask" in D.P. 7 #25 (November 1988) [back-up story]
- Gregory Wright - "Madman" in The Star Brand #16 (November 1988) [back-up story]
- Fabian Nicieza - "Teddy Bare!" in The Star Brand #17 (January 1989) [back-up story]
[edit] Art
- Tony Salmons - Nightmask #1 (November 1986)
- Ernie Colon - Nightmask #2 (December 1986)
- Alex Saviuk - Nightmask #3 (January 1987)
- Ron Wagner - Nightmask #4 (February 1987)
- Arvell Jones - Nightmask #5 (March 1987)
- Javier Saltares - Nightmask #6 (April 1987); "Night of the Mask" in D.P. 7 #25 (November 1988) [back-up story]
- Michael Blair - Nightmask #7 (May 1987)
- Keith Giffen - Nightmask #8 (June 1987)
- Mark Bagley - Nightmask #9 (July 1987)
- Mark Badger - Nightmask #10, 12 (August 1987, October 1987)
- Kyle Baker - Nightmask #11 (September 1987)
- Tom Morgan - "The Real Me" in Justice #25 (November 1988) [back-up story]
- Kieron Dwyer - "Madman" in The Star Brand #16 (November 1988) [back-up story]
- Ron Lim - "Teddy Bare!" in The Star Brand #17 (January 1989) [back-up story]
