The Haunted Mask (book)/Graphic Novel

The Haunted Mask is a graphic novel adaptation of the book of the same name and the 5th entry in the Goosebumps Graphix series as well as the first entry in the renamed Goosebumps: The Graphic Novel series. It was published in 2024.

Blurb[]

ARE YOU WEARING THE MASK—OR IS THE MASK WEARING YOU?

Carly Beth needs the perfect Halloween mask. One that will scare everyone she comes across—including her annoying little brother and the bullies from her school. A visit to a strange costume store provides just the right one. An ugly green, with fierce fangs, the mask makes Carly Beth feel powerful and scary. But when the mask won't come off, will the monster take over?

Differences from the book[]

A small intro is added with Carly Beth walking to school as narration boxes talk about Halloween.
In the book, the first scare from Steve and Chuck is the former simply touching Carly Beth's shoulder. In the graphic novel, he does so with a fake monster hand.
The graphic novel is set in modern day.
In the book, the science fair happens the next day after the opening scene, while in the graphic novel it happens on the same day.
After Carly Beth freaks out during the science fair, Sabrina tries to console her while in the book she was focused on cleaning up their project which got knocked over.
When Carly Beth gets home, the graphic novel adds a moment where Mrs. Caldwell hugs Carly Beth who simply says it's been a frustrating day.
In the book, Carly Beth first saw the duck costume as the mall, and in the graphic novel Mom says she saw it on a singing show.
The cafeteria scene is split into two, with there being a separate one set after she gets the duck costume which is when she eats the worm.
The scene where Carly Beth eats a worm, adds in her vomiting from it as well as Sabrina calling out Steve for doing it.
The Shopkeeper takes less convincing to sell her the mask, while also saying out loud that he can't handle "the responsibility", hinting at what will happen to her.
When Carly Beth sneaks out in the book, Mom is distracted by a phone call from Dad. In the graphic novel, she is distracted by the apple cider she is making.
Carly Beth strangling Sabrina is toned down to her simply shaking her.
The part with the elderly woman who wants to see Carly Beth's costume is set entirely outside, instead of Carly Beth going inside to show her the mask.
In the book, Chuck and Steve wear very simple costumes, with Chuck wearing a bandanna and black mask, and Steve dressed as a hobo with his face dirtied. In the graphic novel, Steve is a baseball player while Chuck appears to be a burglar.
The scene where Carly Beth scares Steve and Chuck happens at a playground instead of someone's driveway.
In the book the Shopkeeper says sometimes a mask will find a new home, while in the graphic novel he says it finds a new place to "stay alive".
The Shopkeeper is even more insistent that if someone else puts on the mask, especially Carly Beth, it will be stuck forever.
The final scene is stretched out a bit, showing Mom going to get some cider and this is where Noah walks in.

References to other Goosebumps media[]

There are multiple references to Goosebumps within the pages of the graphic novel.

Curly the Skeleton can be spotted as a costume in the party store.
The ears on the Haunted Mask were designed to resemble the Goosebumps G logo.
A poster of the dog with the glowing eyes from the 1995 series intro is on the wall at the party store.
One of the masks in the party store is a mask of R.L. Stine.
A pair of "Deadly Wedding" dolls in the store look like Mary-Ellen and Mr. Wood.
Among the many masks in the shopkeeper's room are the same versions of The Unloved as featured in the television adaptation.
A street sign says "Jacobus Street", a reference to original cover artist Tim Jacobus.
Carly Beth's wallet has an image of a rabbit in a hat. A likely reference to Amaz-O and Bad Hare Day.

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Trivia[]

This is the first Graphix book to adapt just one story, instead of being an anthology of multiple.
- As such, it's the first Graphix to feature only one artist.
Chuck's hair switches from red to brown throughout the book.
The clothes Carly Beth are wearing during most of the story are an homage to the original cover.
To keep the design of the mask consistent Maddi Gonzalez designed 3D models of the mask for references.
A Popeye mask can be spotted in the pile of masks Carly Beth looks through