The Green Mask II (Michael Shelby)
The Green Mask, alias Michael Shelby, is a U.S. mystery man and action-hero based in New York City. The Green Mask gained super-powers due to exposure to the Vita-Ray invented by Prof. Lascomb, having the powers of super-strength, invulnerability, flight, and super-speed. His abilities included detective skills and the art of disguise. The Green Mask wore a blue costume with a brown leather belt, blue gloves and boots, a blue cape with a red lining, and a green cowl. 1)
Michael Shelby was born the son of Senator Shelby.
In June, 1940, Michael Shelby's U.S. senator father was targeted for assassination by a criminal organization called the Grim Circle because of his bill making the death sentence mandatory for members of criminal gangs convicted of murder. A gunman named Red Simpson and his men shot down Senator Shelby and Michael Shelby, and they knocked the visiting Prof. Lascomb unconscious. After he awoke, Lascomb found that the senator was dead, but Michael Shelby was still clinging on to life. In a desperate bid to save Shelby's life, Lascomb put the young man in his Vita-Ray machine, which sent thousands of volts of electricity through Shelby's body before he shut it down. Shelby awoke fully healed and possessing tremendous energy that granted him super-powers. Shelby vowed to use his newfound abilities to avenge his father's death and combat crime. Approached by Walter Green to take over the identity of the Green Mask, Shelby was given his costume and began investigating the Grim Circle. 2)