M.A.S.K. issue 3
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| Publisher | IDW Publishing, Ted Adams | ||||||||||||
| First published | March 1, 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | January 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Brandon Easton | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Juan Samu | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Jordi Escuin | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Gilberto Lazcano | ||||||||||||
| Editor | David Hedgecock | ||||||||||||
| Editorial assistant | David Mariotte | ||||||||||||
Tensions run high in M.A.S.K. as the team plans another attack against V.E.N.O.M.
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
Reeling from the discovery that Miles Mayhem killed his father, Matt Trakker sits alone on the edge of the ship's deck. Gloria Baker joins him, asking him to open to her, and the two share a tender moment. As they are about to kiss, the ship is attacked by another vessel. Julio Lopez asks if the attackers are V.E.N.O.M., but Matt doesn't think so. Gloria takes the Shark to launch a counterattack, but her torpedoes are unsuccessful in breaching the enemy ship's hull. Gloria uses her Aura Mask to hack into the ship's computer, overriding the navigation and propulsion to send the ship into a rocky shoal, wrecking it. Gloria then downloads the ship's records onto Aura.
Back on the ship, Gloria tells the rest of M.A.S.K. that the attacking ship, the Tee-Bawb, belonged to a crew of drug smugglers based out of Miami. Brad Turner reveals that the ship they used to reach Barbados also belonged to the Tee-Bawb crew, with Brad using some of his old DEA connections to borrow it. Learning that Brad's work for the DEA was less than clean, Matt tells Brad that he needs to be able to trust his teammates. Gloria shows the team a map, marked with locations and timestamps, she found hidden in the Tee-Bawb's database. Brad confirms that it isn't a drug pipeline, but does recognize some of locations marked on the map, theorizing it to be a series of invitation for smugglers around the world. Suspecting Mayhem, the team decides to infiltrate the next meeting.
A week later, the team arrives in Toronto, Canada. Matt, Gloria, and Julio go ashore, while Brad remains behind on the ship to recover. Matt tells Julio to stay behind in the Jackhammer while he and Gloria infiltrate the meeting. Upon entering, the team confirms that Mayhem is indeed the organizer of this meeting, where Mayhem is auctioning off a set of Masks. Matt refuses to see his father's work being sold to criminals, and he and Baker charge into battle. Matt destroys the Masks with a blast from his Spectrum Mask and goes after Mayhem, but he is cut off by Bruno Sheppard, still seeking revenge against Matt. Bruno uses his Thunderflame Mask to burn Matt, but Gloria activates the building's fire suppression system, allowing Matt to break free of Bruno's hold. However, she is then captured by Mayhem's Python Mask, while Vanessa Warfield appears and freezes Matt in place with her Ice Queen Mask. Matt blasts Mayhem and Warfield, allowing him and Gloria to break free. As Matt corners Mayhem, ready to kill him, Matt's mother appears out of nowhere, telling her son to spare Mayhem's life. Shocked to see his mother, Matt freezes. Mayhem pulls a gun out and grabs Alessandra, aiming the pistol at her head. Mayhem tells Matt that he makes far too many empty threats before pulling the trigger on the gun.
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
Characters in italic text appear only in flashbacks.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| M.A.S.K. | V.E.N.O.M. | Others |
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Quotes[edit | edit source]
"You M.A.S.K. idiots are far too easy to manipulate and defeat. Clearly, you know nothing of the subtle aspects of wartime strategy."
- —Miles Mayhem
Notes[edit | edit source]
Continuity notes[edit | edit source]
- Brad borrowed a ship from the crew of the Tee-Bawb back in issue #1.
- Brad is still recovering from the injuries Sly Rax gave him back is the first issue.
- This is the first issue to showcase Julio and Miles using their M.A.S.K. powers.
M.A.S.K. references[edit | edit source]
- The drug smuggler ship that attacks the M.A.S.K. team at the beginning of the book is called the "Tee-Bawb," a reference to the character of T-Bob from the original M.A.S.K. cartoon.
- Though Mayhem's mask is visually based on his classic "Viper" mask, its name in this issue is given as "Python", the name of another of Miles' 80s masks. This was presumably a change made to avoid confusion with the Cobra mooks — though, confusingly, M.A.S.K. #5 uses the "Viper" name.
Real world references[edit | edit source]
- One of the buyers in Toronto is wearing a Hell's Angels jacket.
Errors[edit | edit source]
- The Shark is once again blue.
- Julio is somehow able to use his Gulliver Mask's power on Matt and Gloria's Masks, despite not being in range of them.
- Bruno's cybernetics appear completely different from how they were drawn in the last issue, now appearing on his right side instead of his left and only covering his eye rather than the entire half of his head.
- Matt threatens to rip Mayhem out of his armor, even though Mayhem is clearly just wearing his military uniform.
Other notes[edit | edit source]
- Originally scheduled for release in January, this issue arrives two months late in March.
- Backmatter for the issue consists of Part 3 of 5 of an interview with M.A.S.K. voice actor Doug Stone, conducted by cover artist Tommy Lee Edwards, and a fan showcase page of art, cosplay and memorabilia.
Covers (4)[edit | edit source]
- Regular cover: Gloria Baker and the Shark, by Tommy Lee Edwards.
- Subscription cover A: V.E.N.O.M. in their classic 80s cartoon look, by Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado.
- Subscription cover B: Nothing but lies, by Ron Joseph.
- Retailer incentive cover: M.A.S.K. using their Masks, by Marcello Ferreira and Jordi Escuin.
Advertisements[edit | edit source]
- "The Hasbro Tribune" editorial page promoting January's Hasbro Universe Reconstruction titles, including G.I. Joe #2, this issue, Lost Light #2, Optimus Prime #3, Till All Are One #7, Revolutionaries #2, Micronauts #9, Micronauts Annual 2017, ROM Annual 2017, and ROM #7.
