Nightmask

Nightmask
Cover to Untold Tales of the New Universe: Nightmask(2005)
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.

Nightmask is a title given to several 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 young Japanese-American woman 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.

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.

Fictional character biography

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.

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.

Untold Tales of the New Universe

In 2006, a single issue story of Nightmask was published, providing the conclusion to the Kleinmann storyline.

Other versions

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.

newuniversal

Main article: Nightmask (newuniversal)

The re-imagined New Universe called newuniversal presents two different versions of Nightmask:

• Izanami Randall is as a Japanese-American girl living in San Francisco, who gains the Nightmask glyph during the 2006 White Event. Izanami is pulled from the world into a transdimensional space called the superflow by an alien communication station just after receiving the glyph ^[1]. The station informs her that she is one of the heralds of the paradigm shift which is in progress, sparked by the White Event; specifically, she is this age's Nightmask. It is the purpose of the Nightmask to help smooth the transition period of the paradigm shift due to the inevitable initial chaotic effects.

• Trull is the first Nighmask of the newuniversal imprint, and is introduced in the newuniversal: conqueror one-shot, set in the year 2,689bce (some years after the first failed White Event). Trull helped to found Latvian city of Zardath ruled by Starr the Slayer, bearer of the Starbrand. It is revealed that Trull, who might have once been good, is a wholly evil man who plots Starr’s death and desires to become king. Trull hunts down other superhumans and drains them of their minds and powers, a process that causes them to be monstrously mutated ^[2]. The character Trull is named after the wizard who appeared as an enemy of the original Starr the Slayer, in Marvel's Chamber of Darkness series ^[3].

Collections

The New Universe Nightmask series has not yet been reprinted.

Creators

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]

Art

• Tony Salmons - Nightmask #1 (November 1986)
• Ernie Colón - 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]

Notes

1. ^ Warren Ellis (w), Salvador Larroca (a). "Trauma" newuniversal 3 (2007), Marvel Comics
2. ^ Simon Spurrier (w), Eric Nguyen (a). newuniversal: conqueror 1 (October 2008), Marvel Comics
3. ^ Roy Thomas (w), Barry Windsor-Smith (a). Chamber of Darkness 4 (April 1970), Marvel Comics

External links

• Marvel Appendix Nightmask entry