Authors notes: (If anyone wants to make fan art of my stories, there is no need to ask me, go ahead. If you are offering but expect payment let me save you time. I have no disposable money, I don't care how reasonably priced you are, and I'm not paying for something I could probably make myself. So please stop spamming my review section or my private messages. Go away!

I will repeat this until I am blue in the face.)

It's been a long while since I wrote a Mask crossover. With this one I'm going to do something a little different than my usual stuff. Usually in these crossovers I write a story about how the Mask moves from person to person between different characters in the crossover. But for this one I will focus on only one character being the soul wearer.

This story follows on from the Comic Book story Joker/Mask, where the Mask crossed over with the Batman DC universe. In that story the Joker wore the Mask. This means its set in the continuity of the comic book Mask rather than the movie Mask.

The design of the Mask will be that of the wooden Loki Mask, as it was in the Joker/Mask comic, but if you prefer to imagine it as the original jade Mask, then knock yourself out. There was no explanation as far as I can find as to why the Mask shifted from the Jade mask to the Loki design in Joker/Mask. I guess it's just because people were used to the Loki Mask over the jade mask. Perhaps there is a story somewhere to explain the shift, but this is not that story.

The main Mask persona that I have planned is going to be something unique that we haven't seen before. So I hope you enjoy it regardless.

The main inspiration for this story was a plot point in the Amazing Digital Circus episode Fast Food Masquerade.

Also, please keep in mind this is a living document, and I'll be moving backwards and forwards making minor changes as the story unfolds. But I'll make you aware when large changes are made.

Enjoy

-TimeLordParadox

Plot

The demon half-breed Raven has always had trouble expressing her emotions in normal ways, but when a cursed mask is dug up and ends up in her lap everything changes once she puts it on. Raven is smiling and feels like a real, human girl. But this Mask is known for leaving rivers of blood in its wake, and Robin is concerned Raven might not be in the driving seat.

Prologue

A patrol car passed by a van that was suspiciously parked outside of Edge City's central cemetery. The side was branded with the title 'Gardening and Landscaping on a budget.' When the patrol cars lights had passed two shadows detached themselves from the van. Both marched through the heavy rain dressed in unassuming, black clothing.

Garret hefted the bag of gardening tools and carried two shovels. Harry marched ahead trying to retrace the steps he'd memorized during the day. He navigated only by the low light from far off street lamps and buildings.

"Oof!" Garret went. He'd walked into a half opened gate he could barely see. Once they reached their destination Harry activated his flash-light long enough to see the name on the grave.

Stanley Ipkiss,

A friend who died too young.

Died 1991.

Garret set the tools down. "This the one?"

"Pay dirt, Garret. Pay dirt." Harry motioned to him. "Do your thing."

"I really don't know about this, Uncle Harry." Garret pressed his lips with his cold fingers. "I mean. Robbing the dead and all that."

"If it makes you feel any better the guy wasn't originally buried with the thing. Now get on with it."

Garret hesitated, but got onto his knees to do the deed. He started by taking up the grass carefully in slices so it could be put back once they were done.

Once the soil was exposed the pair dug and dug in the rain. It was a slog, but thankfully the grave was high up on a hill so there was no threat of the grave being water logged. They dug until they hit a solid lump. Scraping away the soil they uncovered the wooden casket. It had bent and bowed outwards due to the weight of the soil on top of it, but it was still intact. The lid had marks in it which indicated previous tampering.

Uncle Harry grabbed two crowbars from the bag. He thrusted one into Garrets hands.

The top was wrenched off the casket surprisingly easily and the lid lifted away.

Harry stood over the body and marveled. "One of the first victims of the Big Head killer."

Garret stared into the box. He'd never seen a corpse before. There was hardly anything left. Just the skeletal remains of the man called Stanley Ipkiss. A very short man in a suit that was still tattered and rotting. Just thinking that this thing had been up and walking not twenty years ago didn't settle Garret's nerves. The idea one was under his own skin made him feel sick. Resting on top of his bony hands was something that stared up at them with hollow eyes. A wooden mask of a Nordic design. Somehow, Garret got the impression it was pleased to have been rescued from its entombment.

Harry snatched the mask up into his coat and replaced the lid.

"Sorry about this, Stanley." Garret said.

"He can't hear you. It's dead!" Harry kicked the casket and shoved a shovel into Garrets hands. "Get filling."

"Rest in peace, Stanley Ipkiss."

They refilled the grave and replaced the grass tiles. Only an expert would notice the difference and in a few days time the rain would allow it to blend in hiding their crime.

The pair rushed out of the grave yard. They stopped and looked casual as a cop car pulled around the corner and took notice of them briefly. Harry nodded and waved. The non-curious cop in the passenger seat made a rude gesture and the car rolled on.

Harry and his partner climbed into the van and slammed the doors.

"What now?" Asked Garret. "We mail it to the guy?"

"No." Harry said, "they want it delivered by hand, in person. Then we'll get paid. But we'll make a slight detour before heading to our final destination."

"Detour? How come?"

Harry extracted the wooden mask from his coat and caressed it. "Insurance, little Garret. Insurance."

"Don't call me little. I'm taller than you are, short stuff." Harry gave Garret a scathing look. "Sorry."

Harry put the wooden mask inside a small sack and placed it under his chair for safe keeping. He started the van and drove off.

Soon the rain cleared up and the glow of dawn was on the horizon. Edge City was becoming just a silhouette in their rear view mirror.

Garret opened a news paper and turned to the page containing the strip cartoons. "Where is the drop off anyway?"

"In the warehouse district of Jump City."

Garret lowered his news paper. "Jump City?" He asked like he had misheard. "But that's over three thousand miles away, on the other side of the country. Do we have the gas money to get there?"

"Don't you worry, Garret." Harry sounded gleeful. "Our expenses will be paid and we'll be rich men."

Garret looked out the window at the reddened sky. "That mask must be something special. Wonder why they want it so bad?"

Harry shook his head. "Rich people are stupid. Someone once bought a framed canvas with a banana taped to it for a million dollars."

Garret turned to Harry. "Maybe its an historic artefact. Maybe we could sell it to someone else and get more money!"

Harry shook his head. "With the price this guys paying, we might get richer but we'd forever have a target on our backs."

"Suppose he won't pay up!"

"Oh, he will. That's why we're making a slight detour, Garret." Harry smiled. "As I said, insurance."

Garret looked back out at the brightening sky.

Under Harry's seat, inside the sack. The mask ominously glowed an ethereal green.

The Mask had returned.

To Be Continued...

Authors notes: Unlike the movie Mask, the comic mask is often shown to have some semblance of consciousness about it.

[Edit 26/Jan/2025]: I've decided to make Garret the lead in the prologue. Originally it was Harry. But as the story went on it just made sense for it to be Garret.
[Edit 02/Feb/2025]: Fixed the date and writing on the tomb stone as it was not consistent with the end of Joker/Mask

[Edit 03/Feb/2025]: Chopped a large section from the front that went into detail about Edge City. But listening back to it with the FFNet reader made me fall asleep. lol. So I cut it out so we get directly into the action.

Enjoy the new story guys.