Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Alex Schomburg, golden age, Miss Masque, Ned Pines, Standard/Better/Nedor

Alex Schomburg Covers the Mysterious Miss Masque, Up for Auction

The character Miss Masque took over Standard/Better/Nedor's Exciting Comics and America's Best Comics in the late Golden Age.

The iconic cover artist Alex Schomburg created over 240 Golden Age covers for publisher Standard/Better/Nedor, among them a group of Miss Masque covers on Exciting Comics, America's Best Comics, and Fighting Yank during the late Golden Age.   Created by artist Lin Streeter, Miss Masque was a sign of the times in comic book in this 1946-1949 era during which female superheroes were on the rise.  The combination of an appealing character and Schomburg's cover artistry has always served to make these issues desirable to collectors, and there are several issues of Exciting Comics, America's Best Comics, and Fighting Yank featuring Miss Masque covers by Schomburg up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions.

While the character was never given an origin, Miss Masque is the wealthy socialite Diana Adams, relying on her athletic ability and her handguns to fight crime.  She was created by the artist Lin Streeter for Exciting Comics #51 in 1947. The cover of America's Best Comics #23 with the Black Terror and Fightning Yank literally giving Miss Masque her flowers is a good symbol of what was happening in the comic book industry at the time. The character rose to cover stardom at a time when a new wave of female superheroes such as Black Canary, Namora, Sun Girl, and Blonde Phantom were being introduced and gaining popularity. Streeter (1915-1968) worked for a wide variety of publishers throughout the Golden Age and beyond, from Lev Gleason to Marvel/Timely and ACG.  Streeter and artist Bob Oskner likely did several of the interior Miss Masque stories here.

In comic books, Alex Schomburg is best remembered for his Marvel/Timely WWII-era covers, but he did more covers for Standard/Better/Nedor than any other comic book publisher.  Like all of his Golden Age covers, Alex Schomburg's Miss Masque covers are sought after by collectors, and these covers have the added significance of being from a time when female characters were on the rise in comics. There are several issues of Exciting Comics, America's Best Comics, and Fighting Yank featuring Miss Masque covers by Schomburg up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions. Any prospective bidders should check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.

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