The character of Stanley Ipkiss, as immortalized by Jim Carrey in 1994’s The Mask , was first introduced in Dark Horse comic books from the late 1980s. Though it might be hard to imagine, given the movie’s tone, those original comics were very violent. Inspired in part by popular horror villains like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Ipkiss transforms into a sadistic being known as Big Head whenever he dons his magical mask. In the original limited series, which debuted in 1991, Big Head even murders a bunch of police officers .

Mike Richardson and Todd Moyer of Dark Horse got some big offers to adapt the comic into a film, including one from Warner Bros.…