Mask Comics #1

When government engraving expert Emory Green vanishes after a suspicious encounter, rookie cop Tim Dolan uses his knowledge of history to unravel a counterfeiting ring led by the elusive Silver John Fallow. As Dolan pieces together clues from a dated silver dollar and an unsolved kidnapping, he confronts the villain in a tense showdown that hinges on a single historical fact.

Bonnie Heather, a clumsy new cook, causes chaos at Mr. Glotz’s bakery with an explosive mishap, leading to her being fired and sent to work for the Van Nuyser family. At their home, she prepares spaghetti with a twist—unbeknownst to her, the ingredients are actually a prank setup that turns the dinner into a wild explosion when gangsters attempt a robbery.

Ethan Cavendish, reeling from the supposed death of his wife Gladys and consumed by despair, receives a shocking phone call claiming she’s alive and on her way to him—brought by Gregory Nixon. As he prepares to reunite with her, a growing sense of dread takes hold, and he arms himself, convinced a killer he hired to end his life is now coming for him.

In the swanky apartment of Larry Hodges, millionaire sleuth Calvin Colt is summoned after the sudden death of Lorna Deane during a game of "Murder"—a party game where participants pretend to be killed in the dark. With the lights out and everyone suspecting one another, Calvin must untangle the truth before the police arrive, all while a mysterious doorman and a ticking clock add tension to the already deadly game.

P. T. Barnum challenges a skeptical critic to a wager by claiming he can display a horse with its head and tail reversed—a feat the critic deems impossible. At the appointed time, Barnum presents a seemingly ordinary horse, yet insists the reversal is real, leaving the critic both baffled and defeated. The story ends with the critic admitting he’s been outwitted, and the two sharing a meal, hinting at more playful deception to come.

In Moscow, the legendary Harry Houdini accepts a challenge to escape from a prison cage designed to hold dangerous criminals, a test he believes will be his greatest triumph. But when he finds himself unable to escape, he realizes the lock was never closed—his failure is not from skill, but from a clever trick by the cage’s keeper, Serge Petruski. The story ends with Houdini, humbled and impressed, sharing dinner with Petruski, who has taught him a rare lesson in deception.

In ancient Syracuse, under the tyranny of Dionysius, the condemned man Pythias asks to return to Greece to say goodbye to his people, promising to come back to face execution. His friend Damon volunteers to stand surety, offering his own life if Pythias fails to return.

Norman Prince, a once-successful novelist, vanishes into the Bowery after stealing a plot from a struggling writer, seeking inspiration by living as a down-and-out. As he drifts through the streets and encounters a failed robbery attempt, he finds himself arrested and brought to the night court, where his identity is questioned and his past begins to catch up with him.

In "Death of You," two boys grapple with a rusted jalopy that feels less like a car and more like a living thing—its rattling engine and creaking frame earning it a reputation as a death trap. After years of uneasy coexistence, they finally part with the vehicle, selling it for scrap metal before answering the call to join the military.