M.A.S.K. Animated Series Gets Comic Reboot Ahead of Feature Film

05/02/2016 12:38 pm EDT

M.A.S.K. is one of the several properties in development at Paramount currently for a planned Hasbro Cinematic Universe. The feature films will exist in one world, much like those of Marvel Studios, bringing their disparate properties, previously brought to life as toys or animated series, together.

But ahead of that development, the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand is mounting up once more for a new comicbook series at IDW from Brandon Easton and Tony Vargas. The series will reboot the M.A.S.K. franchise, telling a new story based on the original concept.

"This is a M.A.S.K. for the 21st century with a diverse team of specialists who are chosen for a top-secret program with a painful learning curve," writer Brandon Easton told USAToday in the announcement. "Ultimately, each participant will have to choose a side — and no matter which side they choose, the consequences will be great."

Their new version of the leader Matt Trakker is "an engineering genius and intellectual bad boy" who deals with daddy issues - if that sounds a little bit like another cinematic superhero it's probably not much of a coincidence, as they describe Trakker as Elon Musk meets Idris Elba. The villain, Miles "Mayhem" Manheim and his group V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem - 80s acronyms were the best), will be "deadlier" than in the past, as the military strategist, who is a role model for Trakker at first, is ready to rule the world.

While it's a modern take on the franchise, the writer and artist both promise to use elements and callbacks to the original series when they can, including using the original logo for the new comicbook.

The series launches this fall. No official timeline for the other Hasbro films in development has been announced, though their impressive writers room was revealed just last week. G.I. Joe, Micronauts, ROM, and Visionaries will join M.A.S.K. in that world.

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