Masks takes place in Halcyon City. Halcyon is a great big metropolis, full of gleaming towers and statues. It's Marvel's NYC, or DC's Metropolis. It's Astro City, and it's Gotham.

Halcyon has seen three generations of supers before today.

The first generation, the Golden Generation, were heroes in gaudy colorful costumes, with names like The American Flag and The Human Lightning Bolt. If they had powers, they weren't great or cosmic. They were the heroes who went off to fight in World War II. They fought the good fight, against Hitler, against crime bosses, against corporate fat cats. They paved the path for everyone who came after them. And of course, since then, the people of Halcyon have realized that, sure, the Golden Generation was pretty sexist. And racist. It had plenty of issues. But their statues are still erected all over the city. Most of them are now retired, or dead.

The second generation, the Silver Generation, was the first generation of true superheroes. They were powerful, extremely powerful, cosmically powerful. They were the first generation to truly fight against supervillains, too—people possessed of superhuman power and diabolical plans, no longer representatives of nations or normal parts of society. The Silver Generation fought the good fight, and did it nobly. Thanks to them, the world was saved countless times. But still, their struggles were defined by a black and white perspective. The villains were villains, and the heroes were heroes, and rarely did the heroes see a need to intervene in real issues—they were too busy stopping supervillains and aliens. And the way those heroes did things was right. Members of the Silver Generation are still around, and are currently in the most prominent positions of power. They're the ones who are still in charge, across the board.

The third generation, the Bronze Generation, grew up with its parents in power, and said, "Well, what is there for us?" When they were gaining their own powers, they were coming into a world already dominated by the Silver Generation. So they became the first cynical, self-reflective generation of superheroes. The first ones to truly question what it meant to be a hero. The first to laugh at their parents' ideas. Some became dark vigilantes in the shadows of the streets. Some became social justice advocates, preaching for real meaningful change. Some became government agents, working for organizations and agencies secret and powerful. Some became explorers, leaving this world to find others in whatever directions were available. They were a darker generation, one capable of seeing the false simplicity of its parents, capable of seeing the world in ample shades of grey. And they allowed that grey to define them. They're still around, still active to this day, and still working in what daylight was afforded to them, in the shadows, and in the cracks left to them by the Silvers.

And then, there's today's generation. The fourth generation. Unnamed, unproved, untested. That's you. That's the Masks. What will your generation be?