SPOILER ALERT: M.A.S.K. #1 Just Unmasked a Monumental Energon Universe Debut!

Collectors, clear some space in the long boxes, because Skybound, Image Comics, and Hasbro just pulled off the kind of surprise drop that makes comic shops feel dangerous again.

The launch of M.A.S.K. #1 has officially become more than just the debut of another major Hasbro property inside the red-hot Energon Universe. It is now a full-blown collector event, thanks to the reveal that ROM has made his first appearance in the Energon Universe through a secret standalone comic hidden inside the new M.A.S.K. #1 Blind Bag program.

Yes, that ROM.

The beloved pop culture icon, long demanded by fans since the Energon Universe first launched, has finally arrived. Skybound confirmed that Void Rivals co-creators Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici have reunited for ROM #1, a standalone issue available only through the M.A.S.K. #1 blind bags.

That sound you hear is the aftermarket waking up, stretching, and immediately choosing violence.

Kirkman, who has helped shape the Energon Universe into one of the most exciting shared comic book playgrounds in years, could barely contain his excitement over the reveal.

“Nothing is more exciting to me than an unexpected comic drop,” Kirkman said. “Getting to a store and finding out a brand-new book exists is just the coolest thing. The only thing that could make it better… is if it was ROM!”

And honestly? He’s not wrong. In a comics era where fans often know every variant, reveal, teaser, and twist months before a book hits shelves, this kind of genuine surprise feels refreshingly old-school. It is the comic shop equivalent of opening a toy aisle treasure chest and realizing the thing inside is somehow cooler than what you came for.

ROM’s arrival is not just a cute cameo or nostalgia button either. According to Skybound, fans can expect to see more of ROM and his alien companion Carpet as the hunt for the Dire Wraiths continues in upcoming issues of Void Rivals.

Executive Editor Ben Abernathy made the moment official with the kind of energy this reveal deserves: “ROM HAS JOINED THE ENERGON UNIVERSE!”

That alone is enough to get fans buzzing, but Abernathy also teased that readers may want to keep an eye on Void Rivals #33 to see what comes next. Translation: this is not a one-and-done surprise. ROM has entered the building, and the Energon Universe may never be the same.

The blind bag program itself is also stacked. Fans picking up M.A.S.K. #1 Blind Bags have a chance to pull any of the solicited covers from A through K, mixed at different rarity levels that mirror the existing ratios. But the real madness comes from the secret Energon Universe comics hiding inside.

Alongside ROM #1, collectors can also find two equally rare surprise releases: M.A.S.K. Origins #1, which reprints and collects the first appearances of M.A.S.K. and V.E.N.O.M. in the Energon Universe, and a special advance edition of M.A.S.K. #2, giving lucky readers the chance to jump straight into the next chapter before everyone else.

That is not a blind bag. That is a comic book slot machine with nostalgia, speculation, and pure fan chaos baked in.

At the center of it all is M.A.S.K. #1, which introduces readers to a world spiraling into danger. Matt Trakker is assembling a network of specialists ready to respond to global emergencies at a moment’s notice. Their edge? Bleeding-edge technology capable of transforming both vehicles and drivers into powerful weapons.

But every great hero team needs a problem big enough to make the engines roar, and that problem comes in the form of Miles Mayhem and V.E.N.O.M. They are already ahead in a secret arms race, hunting for deadly weapons from Earth and beyond, willing to sell out humanity if the price is right.

Only M.A.S.K. can stop them, but Trakker has secrets of his own. And in the Energon Universe, secrets have a nasty habit of exploding at the worst possible time.

With Transformers, G.I. Joe, Void Rivals, M.A.S.K., and now ROM all orbiting this expanding shared universe, Skybound continues to prove that the Energon Universe is not just built on nostalgia. It is built on momentum. Big swings. Real surprises. Characters fans love, reintroduced with purpose instead of cheap applause.

The ROM reveal inside M.A.S.K. #1 is exactly the kind of comic book moment that reminds fans why hunting physical issues still matters. Sometimes the biggest reveal is not on a spoiler page, not in a trailer, not in a press cycle.

Sometimes it is sitting inside a blind bag at your local comic shop, waiting to blow up your whole Wednesday. Comic collectors, Energon faithful, ROM loyalists, and M.A.S.K. fans, consider this your warning: the chase is officially on.

The full list of covers is below:

M.A.S.K. #1 Cover A by Pye Parr (Lunar Code: 0426IM8000)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover B by J. Scott Campbell & Sabine Rich (Lunar Code: 0426IM8001)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover C by Cedric Poulat (Lunar Code: 0426IM8002)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover D by Mark Spears (Lunar Code: 0426IM8003)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover E Energon Universe Third Anniversary (Connecting) by Tom Reilly & Adriano Lucas (Lunar Code: 0426IM8004)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover F Energon Universe Third Anniversary (Connecting) by Tom Reilly (Lunar Code: 0426IM8005)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover G (1:25 Copy Incentive) by Kael Ngu (Lunar Code: 0426IM8006)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover H (1:50 Copy Incentive) by E.J. Su (Lunar Code: 0426IM8007)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover I (Foil) (1:100 Copy Incentive) by Jonboy Meyers ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8008)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover J (1:250 Copy Incentive) by Joshua Cassara & Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Lunar Code: 0426IM8009)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover K (1:500 Copy Incentive) by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer (Lunar Code: 0426IM8010)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover L Blank Sketch Cover (M.A.S.K.) ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8011)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover M Blank Sketch Cover (V.E.N.O.M.) ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8012)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover N (Foil) by Pye Parr ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8013)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover O Foil) by J. Scott Campbell & Sabine Rich ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8014)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover P (Die Cut Foil Mask Cover) by Pye Parr & Luke Preece & Andres Juarez ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8015)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover Q (Die Cut Foil Mask Cover) by Pye Parr & Luke Preece & Andres Juarez ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8016)
M.A.S.K. #1 Cover R Blind Bag by Andres Juarez ($5.99) (Lunar Code: 0426IM8017)

M.A.S.K. is the latest addition to the historic collaboration between Skybound and Hasbro, a new part of the shared Energon Universe that features ongoing series VOID RIVALS by writer Robert Kirkman, artist Conor Hughes (White Ash), and colorist Patricio Delpeche (Catwoman), the two-time Eisner Award winning TRANSFORMERS by writer Robert Kirkman, artist Jason Howard (The Astounding Wolf-Man), and colorist Mike Spicer (Stillwater, Murder Falcon), and G.I. JOE by writer Joshua Williamson (Superman, Dark Ride), artist  Andrea Milana (X-Men ’97), and colorist Lee Loughridge (Thor, Star Wars).

M.A.S.K. #1 (Lunar Codes Above | SRP: $3.99, unless otherwise noted) is available TODAY at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Author Profile

Al Mega: I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!