The Black Mask is without a doubt the single most important magazinefor the modern mystery field. In its pages writers such as Earl Stanley Gardnerand Dashiell Hammett reshaped the established view of mystery fiction, creatingthe tough-guy sleuth. The May 1920 issue — the magazine's second —shows the groundwork being laid for future issues, with a featured mystery novelby Hamilton Craigie and plenty of fast-paced adventures by authors such as GreyeLa Spina, Harold Ward, Frank Blighton and Walter Grahame.

Visual artist(s): Simon Gane, Nick Miller, Carlo Vergara, Rick Geary, Milton Knight, Gerry Alanguilan, Roger Langridge, Stanley Shaw, J. B. Bonivert, John Pierard, Jackie Smith, Rich Tommaso, Kevin Atkinson, Hunt Emerson, Joel Naprstek