“Hey there! I just read your article on The Scarab! I have something I think you may be interested in seeing!”
I received that message via my Facebook Messenger from Ricky Henry, a writer, producer, editor, and VFX artist, after my review of Avenging Force: The Scarab was published. The “something” he wanted to show me was a project his production company, Electric Tapes, was trying to get off the ground called Miss Masque’s Saturday Breakfast Cereal. And like The Scarab, it draws on characters from the public domain.
Miss Masque’s Saturday Breakfast Cereal, abbreviated MMSBC from here on out, is a flashback to a begone era where a live-action host would engage in bits, do interviews but mostly introduce cartoon to the audience watching at home. The host of Henry’s version would be the costumed adventurer named Miss Masque (Samantha Ryan).
Miss Maque is a pre-existing comic book hero who made her first appearance in Exciting Comics #51 in 1946. She was Diana Adams, a young socialite who decides to fight crime and injustice in a disguise–a mini-skirted red dress with red hat, gloves and cape, and a domino mask with yellow double “M” emblems on her chest and hat. She had no superpowers to speak of, instead she fights crime with her fists and a pair of guns.
The character entered the public domain after her publisher, Nedor/Standard, closed up shop in 1959. She was revived several times of the last 40 years, first by AC Comics in the early 1990s, then by Alan Moore in 2001 as part of his America’s Best Comics initiative for Wildstorm, who renamed her “Ms. Masque” and replaced her miniskirt with a pair of skintight pants. In 2008, Jim Krueger and Alex Ross revived the character in their Project Superpowers project for Dynamite Comics. She was once again renamed to Masquerade. She appears in the above film as “Red.”
Henry has been a comic book fan since he was a child in the 1980s, being introduced into the medium by Marvel’s “Star Comics,” a kid-friendly imprint the company operated from 1984 to 1988. Henry, who was born in 1982, cites He-Man and Heathcliff as his particular favorites from the line.
It wasn’t until the Bat-Craze that erupted surrounding the release of 1989’s Batman film where Henry developed an interest in the Golden Age of Comics and their corresponding media. “I stumbled upon a magazine that showed a picture of the old Batman Columbia Serials, and let me tell you, I was beyond mesmerized,” Henry says. “My 6-year-old brain couldn’t even fathom what that would have been like. I spent years hunting for VHS copies, and that’s when my obsession with old-timey superhero media really kicked in.”
Henry’s decision to choose Miss Masque as the star of MMSBC wasn’t based on the popularity of the character, but rather the character’s resemblance to an actress he worked with on Space Foxes, a filler segment that he created for IFC’s Night Flight, in 2018. “Much like Tim Burton or Christopher Nolan, I’m all about keeping the casting in the family and sticking with people I’ve worked with previously and am comfortable around,” Henry tells us. “When I first started conceptualizing, I entertained various ideas, including Miss Fury’s Friday Theater, but when I stumbled upon Miss Masque, it was an immediate realization – she looked like Shelby Shinkle, who was the lead in another series I worked on, Space Foxes!”
“Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts and other roadblocks prevented Shelby and me from collaborating again, so we had to start from scratch,” Henry relates. “We auditioned a ton of people, and after much searching, we found the perfect Miss Masque (in Ryan). It felt like everything fell right into place.”
“I honestly didn’t know Miss Masque existed until I was cast in this, BUT she is most certainly my type, between the look and the era she comes from,” Ryan, who has experience as a writer, director and actress in small films before being cast, says. “I did some research in what she looked like, some video clips of what Ricky was hoping to achieve in her dynamics; sweetness, humor, and innocence, and how he was hoping her to move. Capturing Miss Masque felt so right, because I truly feel like we have similar personality traits.”
Ryan was also was called upon to sing the theme song for the show. “I was so nervous when he asked me to sing!” Ryan says. “I sadly can’t read music, but he gave me the lyrics, and the tune with a voice track which was a huge help.
MMBSC will feature a number of public domain, royalty-free cartoons in every episode. “For years I’ve been obsessed with collecting Public Domain cartoon compilations on both DVD and VHS. While I don’t have an exact number, it’s enough to keep us going for a LONG time! In fact, during development of the show I’ve been in close contact with an archivist and historian making sure I get the absolute best prints. His name is Dave Humphreys in West Virginia. Great guy!”
Other public domain heroes such as Nedor’s Black Terror, Fawcett’s Bulletgirl and Prize Comics’ Airmale make an appearance in the pilot. Henry has his eyes on more public domain characters if the series is picked up–and not just superheroes either. “I think if I had a short list of public domain characters I am itching to use in the future it would be Dracula, Frankenstein, Santa Claus, and Phantom Lady.” Phantom Lady was created by the Eisner and Iger Studio for Quailty Comics in Police Comics #1 in 1941. The other three characters you should already be familiar with.
The inclusion of Bulletgirl and Phantom Lady in MMBSC raises a long-standing debate about what characters are in the public domain and which ones aren’t. Both characters appear to be owned by DC Comics–Phantom Girl was acquired by DC when they bought Quality’s characters in 1956 and Bulletgirl was acquired when they did the same with Fawcett in 1991. However, there was controversy involving the ownership of Phantom Girl dating back to the 1940s and the Iger Studios believe they owned the character, leasing it out to other comic book publishers such as Fox Feature Syndicate, Star Publications and Ajax-Farrell Publications. Both character appears in the 7th wave of the Amazing Heroes line of action figures from Fresh Monkey Fiction, a line of toys featuring Golden Age characters in the public domain and newer characters from independent creators.
When asked about any concerns or precautions he made in using Bulletgirl, he offered Fresh Monkey Fiction as a precedent setter. “I guess you could say that I took the same precautions as Fresh Monkey Fiction. Sure, Bulletgirl is all over the place, but I think I’m safe using my bumpkin version. She’s our Ellie Mae Clampet and hands down my favorite character to write for.”
MMBSC will also feature interviews with celebrities and influencers from the worlds of YouTube, in pro wrestling, and podcasting, among others. But fans shouldn’t expect the typical, boilerplate interview. “It’s fun to stray away from the stereotypical stuff and just ask them things like ‘What was your favorite cartoon growing up?’ or ‘What’s a part of YOUR complete breakfast!?'”
Henry has been shopping the concept around and has gotten interest from at least one cable network. “I’m trying to get as much support from l like-minded folks to get these execs to pull the trigger and give us a budget for a full season.” He believes that now is the right time to strike, as shows like METV’s Toon In With Me and Svengoolie shows that audiences are interested in this type of retro entertainment.
“We need them to know that Svengoolie and METV can’t be the only game in town…there’s room for more fun, hosted TV content that speaks to all ages in the over the air markets.”
“I want people to know that is all in good, clean fun for the whole family to watch and enjoy,” Ryan adds. “Learn something new, watch some classics, poke fun at the current times, and take some great advice to start, or end your day.”
