Exciting Comics #51
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeExciting Comics #51 is the debut issue of Miss Masque — Diana Adams, a wealthy socialite who adopts the identity of a masked, pistol-packing crime-fighter — making it one of the few Golden Age titles to introduce a wholly original female lead in the waning months of the superhero era. Her arrival in September 1946, documented by Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes among other reference works, was part of a deliberate post-war push by Nedor to populate its anthologies with new heroines alongside established male stars like the Black Terror. Because Nedor/Standard let its copyrights lapse, Miss Masque passed into the public domain, which subsequently attracted Alan Moore (Tom Strong / Terra Obscura) and Alex Ross and Jim Krueger (Project Superpowers) to reinterpret her decades later — giving this single debut issue an unusually long creative afterlife.
In "The Case of the Mad Miser!", members of a psychical research society dive into the mystery of Bedford Manor’s supposed hauntings—only to uncover a far more grounded, and dangerous, scheme. With art by Ed Moritz and inks by Pete Costanza, this 1946 thriller blends eerie atmosphere with clever deception. The cover, by Alex Schomburg, captures the manor’s unsettling grandeur in bold, dramatic lines.
In "null," members of a psychical research society investigate eerie reports from Bedford Manor—only to uncover a sinister scheme behind the supposed hauntings, as a wealthy resident vanishes under mysterious circumstances. The story unfolds with a chilling blend of supernatural suspicion and human deception, all set in the atmospheric shadows of a 1946-era estate.
When Diana Adams's car breaks down near a remote farmhouse, she encounters Silas Mason—a miserly farmer so obsessed with his wealth that he refuses even basic kindness to strangers. As Miss Masque, she must investigate when a drifter turns up dead on his property, uncovering a twisted scheme born from greed and vengeance. A desperate chase through fire and across treacherous ground tests her wits against a man who values his money above all else—including his own survival.
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The issue was produced by Better Publications, the company run by pulp-magazine entrepreneur Ned Pines and variously known as Nedor, Standard, or Pines across its publishing history. The cover was painted by Alex Schomburg, the Puerto Rican-born commercial artist who had spent the early 1940s as the signature cover illustrator for Timely Comics and simultaneously supplied dynamic painted covers to Pines' Exciting Comics and related titles throughout the decade. Interior story art was handled by Bob Oksner and Al Hartley, though no writer or artist was formally credited on the Miss Masque debut story itself; indexer annotations note a possible Lin Streeter splash-page signature, but this remains unconfirmed. The issue's lead Miss Masque feature — titled 'The Case of the Mad Miser!' — launched without any published origin sequence, presenting Diana Adams as already active as a costumed crime-fighter, a narrative shortcut common to late Golden Age introductions.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Miss Masque (secret identity: Diana Adams), a masked, non-powered female crime-fighter who relies on athletic skill, detective ability, and a pair of pistols.
- Published September 1946 by Better Publications / Nedor Comics (also known as Standard Comics and Pines); cover-dated for that month.
- Cover painted by Alex Schomburg, who served as the primary cover artist for Pines' superhero anthology line throughout the mid-to-late 1940s.
- Interior story art credited to Bob Oksner and Al Hartley; no writer or artist was formally credited for the Miss Masque debut story.
- The Miss Masque debut story is titled 'The Case of the Mad Miser!' and presents Diana Adams as already established in her crime-fighting role, with no formal origin sequence.
- The issue is an anthology also featuring continuing Black Terror (Bob Benton and Tim Roland) and Crime Crushers stories, among others.
- Miss Masque continued in Exciting Comics #52–54, then transferred to America's Best Comics #23–31, and made guest appearances in Fighting Yank #22 & #24 and Black Terror #21 — totaling approximately 16 Golden Age appearances.
- Because Nedor/Standard closed in 1959 and let copyrights lapse, Miss Masque entered the public domain; she was later revived by AC Comics (early 1990s), by Alan Moore in Tom Strong #12 (2001) and the Terra Obscura spin-off, and by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger in Dynamite Entertainment's Project Superpowers (2008).
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Reprinted in Men of Mystery Comics #67 (2007)
Key issues in Exciting Comics
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