Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Alasdair Stuart hails the return of M.A.S.K.

M.A.S.K., Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand to its friends, was a line of toys that rode the same wave as Transformers, G.I. Joe, Thundercats and various others. The members of M.A.S.K.were world-class scientists, athletes and soldiers who, when the call came in, would don electronic masks that gave them extra abilities and ride into battle in a vehicle that turned into another vehicle. The premise, oddly, is very well explained by the opening credits.

God I wanted Boulder Hill (the gas station cover for their HQ) so badly. And by ‘wanted’, I mean I kind of still do.

It’s a great concept, one that owes a little to Mission: Impossible and that later work like Global Frequency would owe a lot to. It’s always seemed a sure bet for movies, and at one point the groundwork was being laid that would have led to M.A.S.K.being a unit within G.I. Joe, and in turn interact with the Transformers. Despite the last two Transformers being enormously fun (not to mention actually pretty good) that seems to have been put on the backburner.

But! M.A.S.K.is coming back anyway! Robert Kirkman (creator of The Walking Dead) runs Skybound, a comics imprint that recently got its hands on the Hasbro licenses. Void Rivals is great, their Transformers title is very good and their G.I. Joe one is definitely finding its feet. Now, it’s being joined by M.A.S.K. Dan Watters (Batman: Dark Patterns) is writing and Pye Parr (New Gods) is on art details and that’s especially good news. Parr excels at weird, plausible technology and Watters writes a mean techno thriller.  Here’s the announcement text:

The world is becoming a terrifying place. Matt Trakker needs your help saving it. Enter M.A.S.K. — a network of specialists ready to respond to the next global emergency. At a moment’s notice, Trakker and his agents can deploy bleeding-edge technology that converts their vehicles–and their drivers–into the ultimate weapon. But Miles Mayhem and V.E.N.O.M. are one step ahead in a secret arms race, scouring the globe for deadly weapons from this planet and beyond, ready to sell out the entire human race. Only M.A.S.K. can stop them… but will Trakker’s own secrets jeopardize their entire mission?

I’m so there. The first issues arrives 3rd June but we’ll get a glimpse of M.A.S.K. in the Energon Universe Special 2026, due for release on Free Comic Book Day, which is May 2nd. That will also feature new Transformers, G.I. Joe and Void Rivals stories.

In the meantime, I’m off to update my ebay alerts! One day Boulder Hill. One day…