M.A.S.K Finally Makes Its Long-Awaited Return With

4 days ago 7

Published Apr 7, 2026, 8:01 AM EDT

Sam Fang primarily covers news for CBR, with over a decade of experience writing about entertainment and pop culture and degrees in both journalism and art.

Skybound, Hasbro, and Image Comics have finally unveiled the long-awaited first look at M.A.S.K.’s arrival in the Energon Universe. The new series will make its debut this June, but it comes with one catch that’s likely to divide fans.

Bleeding Cool shared the first look at the interior of M.A.S.K. #1, from Dan Watters and Pye Parr, releasing on June 10 from Skybound. A preview of the series will also be available for fans to check out at this year’s Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 2. The new pages show a thrilling chase in the Nevada desert, all culminating in a death-defying jump. While the new series will undoubtedly get off to a high-octane start, its release also features a blind-bag incentive that might end up frustrating some fans looking to collect everything.

M.A.S.K. Joins Transformers & G.I. Joe in Skybound’s Energon Universe

“The world is becoming a terrifying place. Matt Trakker needs your help saving it,” Skybound’s solicit for M.A.S.K. #1 reads. “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.”

The first issue of the series teases a much larger and sinister plot that will unfold throughout the Energon Universe. “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?”

With the release of M.A.S.K. #1, Skybound will also release the first ‘Energon Universe blind bag program’, giving fans the chance to get their hands on exclusive variant covers that can only be obtained through the blind bags. This new type of purchasing incentive has drawn mixed reactions from fans in the past, with DC and Marvel both releasing titles through their own blind bag programs last year.

The characters from the M.A.S.K. title screen.

The press release for M.A.S.K. #1 reveals further details about the blind bags and just what fans can expect to get with their purchases. “M.A.S.K. #1 also features a first-ever Energon Universe blind bag program that allows fans a chance to get ANY of the solicited covers from A through K, intermixed at varying degrees of rarity (that mirror existing ratios),” Skybound shared.

“However, there are three rare SURPRISE Energon Universe comics that can be found in these blind bags. Those SURPRISE comics will not be publicly announced in advance of the issue release.” The three secret covers come alongside Skybound's 18 already announced variants, with Lunar codes for the issue going from Cover A all the way to Cover R and including rarities of 1:100, 1:250, and even 1:500.

While the blind bags are likely to encourage fans to purchase multiple copies in order to collect all the rare covers, Skybound still has plans to give fans the chance to check out M.A.S.K. for free. “[An] exclusive first look at M.A.S.K. [arrives] in the Energon Universe Special 2026, a Free Comic Book Day issue,” Skybound shared. “The special issue will include four all-new stories from Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Void Rivals and will serve as the first official glimpse into Dan Watters and Pye Parr's M.A.S.K.”

M.A.S.K. #1 releases on June 10.