M.A.S.K. Comic UK Issue 18

Issue 18 of M.A.S.K. Comic UK came out the 20th of June to the 3rd of July way back in 1987.  The front cover of our favourite comic has Sly Rax and Cliff Dagger hanging on to the skids of Switchblade for dear life!

On the back cover we see an erupting volcano from which our V.E.N.O.M. Rogues are trying to escape.

This is another great example of the excellent artwork found on the UK version of the M.A.S.K. comic - vibrant and strong.  Twenty Eight years later and this issue looks as vibrant and fresh as the day it was printed.

Table of Contents -

• Front and Back Wraparound Cover
• Five Pages - "Operation Vandal" Part 2 (B&W with Pink Tint First Cell)
• Four Pages - "Royal Rescue" Part 2 (Colour)
• Five Pages - "Island of Death" (B&W)
• Centre Page Spread - Floyd Malloy with Buckshot
• Single Page - Advertisement
• Four Pages - "Young at Heart" Part 4 (B&W)
• Single Page - Half Advertisement, Half V.E.N.O.M. Letters Page
• Two Pages - Half Advertisement, Half MASK Art
• Five Pages - "Inside the Volcano" Part 2 (B&W with Blue Tint First Cell)
• Single Page - Advertisement

Floyd Malloy on Vampire is causing carnage in London - destroying all sorts of Historical and Cultural Monuments - including Tower Bridge - as we start Part 2 of "Operation Vandal".

Meanwhile, Sly Rax surfaces in Copenhagen using his Piranha Sub to blow up "The Little Mermaid".

Matt Trakker and his team have set up at temporary base of operations in a disused Airfield in East Anglia, England.  Alex Sector believes he has intel on a V.E.N.O.M. base not 20 miles away.

As Alex is left to babysit Scott and T-Bob - Matt heads off in Thunderhawk with Dusty Hayes and Hondo MacLean in Gator.  Our M.A.S.K. team make a dramatic entrance to V.E.N.O.M.'s secret hideout - but they are long gone.  Conveniently, there is a map showing Mayhem's trail of destruction with a clue to another base located in France.

As more monuments across Europe are destroyed, we find out the true nature of Mayhem's plan - to blackmail the US for $10 Million - or they'll move their operations to America and destroy National Monuments.

Matt Trakker makes his way to France flying Thunderhawk - unknown to him, Miles Mayhem is also in the air in Switchblade - behind him!

Attempting a "Royal Rescue" of the kidnapped Prince Sabana, Matt Trakker and Bruce Sato in Thunder hawk with Brad Turner on Condor make their way to Switzerland.  They soon come under fire from Cliff Dagger and Sly Rax in Jack hammer.

Thunder hawk swoops down and fires an aerial bomb - causing an avalanche behind Jackhammer.  As Jackhammer lies engulfed in snow and ice, Matt decides they should land and take Rax and Dagger prisoner.

However, Brad notices they are heading into a trap as V.E.N.O.M. soldiers come out of the snow to ambush them - out heroes withdraw from the fight.

They make their way to the town of Alpdorf which is going to play host for the rest of their mission.  All of the residents have been evacuated from the town.

Unbeknownst to our team, a single V.E.N.O.M. agent is lurking in the town and aims an RPG at Thunderhawk and Condor as they come into land.  Luckily, Buddie Hawks is on hand - he uses his Pentrator Mask to come through a wall and take the agent by surprise.

Matt enters the fray and uses his Spectrum Mask to disorientate the enemy.

A plan is hatched and M.A.S.K.'s Master of Disguise, Buddie Hawks, is sent undercover as a V.E.N.O.M. agent to the still stricken Jackhammer.  The two agents guarding Jackhammer let it slip that Prince Sabana is being held in the castle.

Miles Mayhem and Sly Rax turn up and see through Buddie's ruse.  A couple of darts from Rax's Stiletto mask coated with a Knockout Solution disable our hero....

A Witch Doctor has summoned all of the residents of the Tropical Island of San Justo to a ceremony at the base of an Extinct Volcano in our next story "Island of Death".  He tells them that the Volcano Gods have been angered and points out a man in the crowd responsible.

He pulls out a Voodoo doll and puts a pin through the chest.  As he does so, the man collapses and dies.  The Witch Doctor then demands the residents brings him gifts the following day to prevent the Gods further anger.

The Witch Doctor is greeted back at his hut by Cliff Dagger and Sly Rax.  As he removes his mask, we discover the Witch Doctor is none other than V.E.N.O.M. Leader, Miles Mayhem.  

We discover that the Voodoo doll was all a trick to instil fear in the residents, as a man comes to the door of the hut looking for payment for poisoning the victim!  He won't live long enough to spill the beans on Mayhem's plans as a venomous Marsh Snake has been hidden with his payment.

V.E.N.O.M. soldiers stand guard at island's quay as a small fishing boat heads their way.  All of a sudden a car drives through the cabin and quickly converts into a jet as Thunderhawk takes flight.  The soldiers surrender as Matt fires upon them.

However, Mayhem and his team are made aware of M.A.S.K.'s presence just moments before Brad Turner on Condor makes his attack.  As he flies over the mouth of the Extinct Volcano, we discover V.E.N.O.M. have been busy and built a base.  Heavily manned with various weapons and vehicles visible.  Condor and Thunderhawk make their attack.

Unfortunately for heroes, they come under heavy fire and both vehicles take hits and are forced to land.  Mayhem and his assembled minions make their way to victory over M.A.S.K.

However, it appears that the volcano isn't quite as extinct as first thought and starts to erupt.  The V.E.N.O.M. agents flee as we see Dagger and Rax cling onto Switchblades skids - the scene from the front cover.

V.E.N.OM. Agent Floyd Malloy takes pride of place in this fortnight's issue.

A man with hair so big his mask comes with a sunroof to let it all out!  But, seriously, Floyd is a fantastic character.

His black and red fatigues and mask are just simply stunning.  His wild hair suits his wild personality.

Buckshot is a well designed mask - one of my all time favourites - and suits Floyd so much.

I used to have to travel about 10 miles each day on a bus to high school.  One of the bus drivers we used to get reminded me so much of Floyd.  From the blonde hair and strange ears he is sometimes shown with.

Even back then I had dreams of a M.A.S.K. movie and hoped that someone that looked like this guy could play Malloy!

Part four of "Young at Heart" sees Matt Trakker being chased by Miles Mayhem, Sly Rax, Cliff Dagger and Floyd Malloy as he tries to rescue the stricken Bruce Sato.  Bruce has succumbed to V.E.N.O.M.'s gas and his mind has reverted back to that of a small, helpless child.

High above the scene, Brad Turner in Condor and Julio Lopez in Firefly provide support for our heroes below.  They cause a tree to fall on top the V.E.N.O.M. troupe, giving Matt precious time to reach Bruce.

Trying to get Bruce's Lifter mask back on to protect him from the gas, Matt realises he's far too late as Bruce sits sucking his thumb and talking childish gibberish.

The four V.E.N.O.M. agents, now free of the tree, use all of their masks - Stiletto, Torch, Buckshot and Viper - to unleash their combined fire power on Matt Trakker.  Julio drops a "Superstun Atomiser" bomb that soon sends the villains fleeing into the sewers.

Mayhem makes plans to grab a stockpile of his dreaded gas and unleash terror on mainland Europe.  We see Mayhem in Switchblade and Malloy on Vampire flying over the English Channel towards France.

Meanwhile, Alex Sector contacts Matt to inform him that he has made an antidote.  He his using his Jackrabbit mask to make his way to Matt's location from Germany.  Halfway over the English Channel, he runs into trouble as he comes under fire from Vampire and Switchblade - will he survive?

We have an unusual double page spread this issue -

As an advert for a water pistol takes up the bottom half of the two pages - I guess to highlight the distance that it can fire water - the top half of the two pages is reserved for MASK Art.

The Leaders of both M.A.S.K. and V.E.N.OM have been lured into a trap by J. J. Kinsale and have been thrown together in a battle to the death - mano a mano.

As Mayhem uses his Viper mask to fight Trakker; Matt fights back with his Spectrum mask.

Neither of them willing to give nor gives no quarter.

All the time J. J. Kinsale sits and watches as flying cameras transmit all of the action back to him on large screens.

There is a brief interlude in the fight as Trakker and Mayhem exchange "pleasantries".

Matt then hears a distant rumbling as over-sized robotic elephants with robotic hunters enter the fray.  Slowly, Matt and Miles have to start working together to fend off a common enemy.

Mayhem uses his Viper mask to spit venom at the leg of one of the elephant causing it to topple over.

Matt then shows what he is made of as he uses his Spectrum mask to disrupt the marauding attackers.

However, there are too many of them and Matt and Miles are forced towards the rocks surrounding them to flee their impending doom.

As they do so, a truce is formed between to two enemies - who were once such close friends and colleagues.

We close off this issue with Matt and Miles surrounded by guns - what is their fate going to be?

As expected from the UK M.A.S.K. Comic this is another great comic.  Plenty of action, great stories and artwork.

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKComics

MASKart!

After posting a couple of images on my M.A.S.K. Comics Facebook Page over the past few days that had some good hits, I thought I continue on from a previous post - MASKart!

My son and I were doing some drawings.  I drew the above image of Firefly, then printed a copy of it.  The copy was lighter than above, but that allowed my son to draw over it to get some practice.

Then, yesterday, I lightly sketched an outline of Rhino to give Reece something to work with and this is what he came up with -

He's only 5 years old - so It's a good start!

MASKart was a regular feature of the M.A.S.K. UK Comics.  Between the comic strips, the centre page spreads and MASKart, there was plenty of inspiration for me to come up with some ideas.

During my teenage years I drew a number of concept drawings for M.A.S.K.  I had a lot of ideas running through my head and need to get them down on paper.  My Father was a car mechanic and his garage sold and maintained Saab's - so I drew a lot of inspiration from there - 

"Viggen" was my first attempt.  A four door Saab 900 Turbo Saloon.  Like Thunderhawk, Viggen (taken from the name of the Saab Viggen Jet Fighter) is a car that converts into a jet.

It was a fairly subtle conversion - so subtle, I had to draw a top view of the wings coming out so you would know that it had actually converted!!  The idea was that black side mouldings are where the wings are hidden - on the side view it doesn't look like much has happened.

The rear spoiler rises up as a tail wing and the there are machine guns in the front headlights.

My next vehicle - not sure if I actually gave it a name at the time, so we'll call it "Draken" (yes, another Saab Jet Fighter) - is a three door Saab 900.

One thing you will notice about many of my ideas, is that they draw inspiration (steal) from existing M.A.S.K. Vehicles.  Draken was very much a Car version of Condor.

Not a great design - but at least it has a bit more going on that the Viggen concept!!

So far you'll see a theme of Saab's, so you'll be please to know that my last Saab idea is below!

Ok, so this is a poor sketch at best.  Anyone familiar with Saab's will know that the Bonnet (Hood) is hinged at the front of the vehicle.  This lends itself well to becoming a "Shield" for a sort of tank.

We had an Irish Setter at the time and I came up with the idea that M.A.S.K. should have their own Setter.  Other 80's heroes of the time had their "pet" sidekicks - there was Brain in Inspector Gadget and Battle Cat in He-Man.  I felt that a dog, with a Mask that allowed him to talk, would be good.

Of course, V.E.N.O.M. need their own Canine Agent -

Not too sure if these dogs would add anything to the stories or just be a crazy idea.

Where would we be without a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am!  One of the icons of our generation!

Clearly, this vehicle is simply called "Firebird".  It's just really Raven, but without the ability to land on water!

I used to watch a lot of US shows in the 80's and drew from them.  One of my favourites, that no one seems to remember, was The Highwayman starring Sam Jones (Flash Gordon).

I guess the trucks in The Highwayman had a big influence on "Magnum".

The image above isn't very clear - drawn on green paper.  But loosely based on The Highwayman's truck and an image from a book about the future I've had since I was a small child.

Being a large vehicle, it's a bit more complex than some of my other designs.

The trailer section detaches to from a mobile command centre with an anti-aircraft turret.

The front section the becomes a futuristic version of Rhino - even with it's own ATV!

My older brother, Alan, had a toy Recovery Truck when we were growing up!  It was a great toy - I was a bit jealous that it wasn't mine!

I didn't do much to it - I guess I could've done a lot more!

I guess the guns would get in the way of opening the doors!

I guess as ideas go - a Milk Tanker is a bit of an unusual one!  I live in a small village and there are a number of Dairy Farms around the area.  Within our village, there was a company with a fleet of Milk Tankers.

Like some of my other ideas, there is plenty more that I could've done with it!  I guess I didn't want it to be too much like Outlaw!

Speaking of Outlaw - a couple of weeks ago, this design for Outlaw emerged on the internet -

This is a great concept and there was something a bit familiar about it!

I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time, until I came across this design that I worked on in my teens - 

The concept for "Tornado" was taken from a toy tanker that I had as a kid.

I guess that with some of the ideas that I had, I already had an idea of what I was going to do with it.  Some of ideas came to me as I was drawing them.  As with the Outlaw concept above, Tornado is a Semi-Tractor Unit with a Tanker Trailer.

The Conversion is complex - but maybe not as complex as "Outlaw" above.

As I said above, I "Stole" many of my ideas from existing M.A.S.K. creations.  The Jet in the Tanker is very much like Slingshot.  The hydroplane coming out of the Tractor Unit is very much like Gator.

I'd like to think, due to the smokestacks coming done and being weapons on the ATV, that I improved Rhino's ATV design - just slightly!

This is just a silly drawing (a bit like the third Saab vehicle above) that I threw together when I had a few minutes to kill.  It was a Monster Car, that turned into a Hovercraft - a bit like Bandit - but had the added bonus of a jet hidden within.

The Ferrari Truck below was another toy of my brother's that I drew - I'm not sure what I was going to do with it!

I'm sure that whatever I was going to do with it - it was going to be awesome!

But, of course, M.A.S.K. isn't just about the vehicles.  There are also Masks.

When I looked out these images to post, I found list upon list of vehicles and Masks that I had ideas for.  All of the Masks were listed with their names and respective functions.

I only drew a few, however.

I guess I was kind of working my designs around the existing Masks so that they would fit in within the M.A.S.K. universe. 

Ok - so these REALLY AREN'T GREAT but don't judge me too much.

You'll be glad to know that NONE of the above, made it into my script!

I should have some more pictures - I'll maybe leave them for another time!

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKComics

M.A.S.K. Thunderhawk

I was recently contacted on Twitter (still not sure how to use that media properly - if anyone wants to teach me - get in touch @wscottcrawford) by @GaspareGas.  They are attempting to get Lego to make a M.A.S.K. Thunderhawk toy.

These are great looking images and would work well.  We've all seen the great Lego M.A.S.K. creations from Orion Pax that have garnered a lot of interest with the M.A.S.K. community.

I, for one, would love to see these toys being made and I've already signed up - and you can do the same to at this link for the Lego Projects Idea page.

We know that M.A.S.K. was made by Kenner who are now owned by #Hasbro and there have been no more signs of M.A.S.K. since the 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe Specialist Trakker.  So it's about time for Matt Trakker, Thunderhawk and the rest of the team to make a comeback.

Do I think that this particular project will succeed?  No!

Why?  Hasbro have their own toys called Kre-O that is their version of building block toys that directly competes against Lego. So, I'm not holding out much chance for this to become a reality.

Why did I sign up to support this cause then?  We need to keep up pressure and momentum to bring back M.A.S.K.  Even if this toy isn't made by Lego, the fact that people are supporting it is great.

I'm willing to support any cause that may highlight M.A.S.K. - this has already included supporting my Rivals Wyatt and Jason of Agents of M.A.S.K. with their M.A.S.K. script - even thought I've written my own.

So, I'd ask you all go pop over to the Lego site and show your support for this great idea.

Whilst we are on the subject of Thunderhawk, another concept has been doing the rounds on Facebook just now - 

The quality of artwork and the attention to detail on this project is amazing.  The conversion of the original Thunderhawk was quite a simple affair - this has brought it back up-to-date.

If I'm honest - I would like to see the original Thunderhawk in a a Live Action Movie - maybe with this as a replacement in a sequel?

This version of Matt Trakker in his Spectrum Fatigues if also better, in my opinion, than the 25th Anniversary Specialist Trakker.  Again, I'd prefer something more akin to the original for the first movie.

But I'd like to hear your thoughts on these projects - either in the comments below or over on my Facebook Page.

Thank you,

Scott.

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKComics

Wanted - Jean Chalopin - M.A.S.K.'s 30th Anniversary

The growing fandom surrounding M.A.S.K. at the moment is staggering.  From Websites to Facebook Pages to growing speculation of Matt Trakker appearing in the next installment of G.I. Joe.

One fan in particular is working particularly hard on his attempts to Bring Back M.A.S.K. - José Manuel Rosario Rodríguez!

A recent campaign that he has started is his search to find Jean Chalopin -

Chalopin was responsible for setting up DIC - the studio that behind many of my favourite childhood cartoons.  Ulysses 31, Inspector Gadget, Pole Position and Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors to name a few.

These were all great Cartoons - but my heart belongs to M.A.S.K.  I know that the comics were my route into M.A.S.K. but the "As seen on TV" on the covers got me into watching the early morning cartoons also.

Back in the day I used to record them and watch them time and again.  Jean, you are a Legend!  If you are reading this, or if anyone who knows you is reading, please feel free to e-mail me or contact me via my Facebook Page - I'd love to do a piece on my blog!

Retroblasting have also shown an interest in interviewing you and I'm sure that Jason and Wyatt over at Agents of M.A.S.K. would also love a chat!

Thank you for giving us M.A.S.K.

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKComics

Why I`ve been absent for so long

I thought I`d do a little post to let you all know why I`ve not been posting recently.

As I`m sure you all know, I`m a massive M.A.S.K. fan!  I`m lucky enough that growing up, I started collecting the UK M.A.S.K. Comics from the very start and stuck with them.

This was unusual for me as I would normally only find out about great comics after they had been around for a few issues and quite often they wouldn`t quite hold my interest.

After I finished writing my M.A.S.K. script I realised that I may have to promote myself to other M.A.S.K. fans.  I`m too sure why.  It wasn`t anything that I`d ever considered doing before.

Through my blog I`ve come in contact with some really great people who appreciated where I`m coming from with my love of M.A.S.K.  The build up to #MASKday was great and I worked hard with fellow M.A.S.K. fan sites.

But, there comes a time when you have to take a back seat for a while.  I work long hours and this is a big year for my son as he started school in August.  There are a lot of things going on right now.

I guess there was also the realisation that trying to get my script read by Hasbro was going to be a bigger challenge than I thought it was going to be and I`ve come to the conclusion that the likely hood of my script reaching anyone at Hasbro is very slim.

It pains me to see something so great that has so much potential be a wasted opportunity.

The other issue that I have is that there are now a lot of M.A.S.K. fan sites and Facebook Pages out there and at times we are just duplicating each others work.  When I make a post I know these will be shared by the owners of the other sites - and I`ll do the same for them.

We mutually respect each other.

The problem is, I know that I`ve liked many M.A.S.K. Pages and joined lots of Groups and when the same things are posted on all of the sites it gets a bit repetitive.  I worry sometimes that readers will get fed up of seeing the same thing numerous times on their wall.

So I`m going to try and keep my posts to a minimum and not share them as much.  This is due to not having as much free time and not wanting to "force" my page onto people.

Yes, it would be great to have more likes and page views, but what is important is making sure that those of you whom I reach enjoy what I`m posting.

I also said a while back that if my script isn`t made into a movie that I`d make it available for people to read it online.  I`m going to give it one more go to try and get it noticed and if nothing comes of it, I`ll need to find a way to post it on my blog for people to read.

Having a look through my blog history, I`ve realised that the last comic review I did was in November 2013 - I can`t believe it`s been so long - so I`m hoping to get back on the plan soon.

I do have another project in mind but I need to get into writing mode and make a start on it.  If I manage to write it, I`m hoping to start a Kickstarter campaign to get it off the ground.

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKComics

Rumour- Matt Trakker of M.A.S.K. to appear in G. I. Joe 3

There are a few rumours doing the rounds about M.A.S.K. on the internet.  Stories about a new toyline about to be announced to the possibility of a movie, etc.

A new rumour has emerged that Matt Trakker will appear in G. I. Joe 3.  Part of me isn't surprised at this rumour, afterall, there was the Specialist Trakker M.A.S.K./G.I. Joe crossover figure.

However, is this a wise move on the part of Hasbro?

As a M.A.S.K. fan, I'd love for it to come back but I don't think that this is the right way to do it.  Let's think about it logically.

From Hasbro's perspective - it makes perfect sense. They have already introduced Matt into the G.I. Joe fold as an action figure.

Although they own the trademark of "M.A.S.K. - Mobile Armored Strike Kommand" - they do not, as far as I'm aware, own the trademark for "V.E.N.O.M. - Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem".  This provides a problem - without V.E.N.O.M. to fight against, there is no M.A.S.K.!

However, if the M.A.S.K. characters merge into G.I. Joe and the V.E.N.O.M. characters merge into Cobra - problem solved!

So, all of these characters and vehicles that will add value to a G.I. Joe movie - especially as they killed off all of the characters from the first Joe's movie.

But, there is more to it than that.  The first movie was a mixed bag for me.  Overall, I thought it was good.

What I didn't like includes the following - 

•  There was FAR too much CGI.  I'd expected the action to be more real, but the underwater scenes were very much like a cartoon!
• The character of James McCullen/Destro is meant to be Scottish - yet he's played by an Englishman!!!  Ok, Christopher Eccleston is a great actor, but his Scottish Accent is horrendous!
• I didn't think the vehicles fitted into the G.I. Joe Universe, but I'm not an expert.  In fact during the Paris Scene, I felt that the Hummer used by Cobra was very much like Ratfang from M.A.S.K.
• The Accelerator Suits also felt more akin to something from M.A.S.K. than G.I. Joe.
• The biggest problem for me was the ending of the movie that seemed to rip off the ending of Firefox.  Ripcord has to use the Gaelic word for "Fire" instead of Clint Eastwood's character using the Russian for the word.

The Second movie was a vast improvement, and more what I would've expected from the first movie.  It's a shame that they had to kill off all the characters from the first movie.

I guess, therefore, by bringing in M.A.S.K. Characters to the next G.I. Joe movie would help fill in the gaps left by all of the Joe's that have been killed off.  But is there any need?  I believe that there are plenty of Joe's left in that universe that could take up the mantle!

So, why introduce M.A.S.K. Characters?  Is it because Hasbro have realised the mistakes made in the first two and they are hoping to correct it by propping it up with M.A.S.K.?  Or, are they looking to use this as a first step to reintroduce M.A.S.K. and follow it up with it's own standalone movie?

I might be biased but I believe that M.A.S.K. is as current today as it was 30 years ago and if brought out as a standalone movie would far exceed any expectations.

Lets hope that whatever Hasbro do, M.A.S.K. will prevail!

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKComics

A Blast from the Past - M.A.S.K. The Beginning!

So, I was going through my e-mails yesterday and put "M.A.S.K." in the search bar as I was looking for a specific e-mail that I sent.  The first e-mail in my Hotmail account was one that I'd e-mailed myself with a basic outline for my script.

Crazy thing is, I didn't start writing my script until Sept 2009, but this e-mail was dated 

the 7th of February 2006.

If I'm honest, I completely forgot all about this and it's hard to imagine I was working on ideas three and half years before I started writing my script.

To the left is the list of characters I was going to include in my script.

Working through it, you'll notice a "Joe Trakker".  Those of you familiar with M.A.S.K. will know that Matt's brother was called Andy.  However, in the UK Comics he was called Joe - at this point I was using my knowledge of the Comics as my guide to aid me in writing my script.

In the end, I decided to use the name "Adam" instead.  

You'll also notice "Miles (Surname)".  My thought process was that the name "Mayhem" would be a bit strange and I was going to give him a pseudonym until he betrays Matt Trakker then his real name would be used!  Another idea that crossed my mind was to maybe have his name as being say French or something and not pronounced as Mayhem.

In the end, he goes by his real name throughout my script!

In the UK Comics "The Beginning" story was published firstly in the Preview Comic, then again in Issue 1 - with the addition of some colour to some of the pages.

As you will see from the screenshot on the left taken from my 2006 e-mail, much of my story line was based on "The Beginning" story.

The Cartoons never had a beginning - they started with "The Deathstone" episode and both M.A.S.K. and V.E.N.O.M. were already established.  Although the cover for the DVD does give some insight into a back story and mentions Matt's little brother - no mention of his name, though.

"While investigating the mysterious death of his brother, MATT TRAKKER uncovers an international organization known as VENOM"

I've redacted one line so as not to give you a spoiler to my script and I've highlighted a blooper on my part - I wrote "Dagger" Mask instead of "Torch".

When I came to writing my script, I decided to go down a different route.  There were a few reasons for this.

1. I didn't know who owned the rights to the story line in the comic - if making a movie using that as a basis, we would need their permission to use their ideas.  Seemed simpler to write a new story.

2. The Terms Peaceful Nations Alliance and Contraworld - again, who owns these names?  Instead, I created the Anti Terrorist Alliance and the V.E.N.O.M. agents work in cahoots with a well known terrorist organisation!

3. Part of the story involves Matt Trakker making a Landsurfer out of spare parts to rescue himself.  After watching the great movie "Sahara" with Matthew McConaughey, I realised that this has already been seen in a movie - again I didn't want a conflict of interests!

You'll notice in my e-mail that I mention that Joe Trakker's Body isn't recovered.  Part of my story was that in the next installment of M.A.S.K., we would find out that Joe wasn't killed and was found with amnesia by some Nomads - however one of his arms was amputated due to being too damaged.

I had an idea for a Mask called "Armament" that Joe would then use that would replace his missing arm with various different weapons!  "Man-At-Arms" was one of my favourite He-Man Characters - and to have a character who could change his arms and truly become a "Man-At-Arms" (or perhaps "Man-OF-Arms" might be a better description) seemed neat to me.

I decided against this idea!

Looking at it now, there are still some similarities between my finished script and the notes in my e-mail.

I hope that you enjoyed this little insight I hope that you will leave your comments below and over on my M.A.S.K. Comics Facebook Page!

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKComics

#MASKday - Open Letter to Hasbro

When I first discussed the idea of a joint "M.A.S.K. Day" with fellow M.A.S.K. sites I had no idea how much support - if any - we would receive.  After starting the #assembleMASK campaign and the Bring Back M.A.S.K. Change.org Petition, I was looking for a way of boosting these campaigns.

Although the comics were my route into M.A.S.K., the World of Illusion, when Jason from Agents of M.A.S.K. suggested that we make the 16th of September #MASKday - the air date of the first cartoon episode - we all agreed.  

Perhaps, from my perspective, that was fate.  In September 2009, I started the very first steps of writing my script which has then led me on this incredible five year journey.  I've met some great people along the way via my blog and Facebook Page - set up after I eventually finished off my script a couple of years ago.

I guess I was maybe somewhat naive in thinking that if I wrote a script it would be made into a movie.  Perhaps the imagination to write a script gave me the hope to believe.

It was only after I finished the script that I found out all of the Trademarks for M.A.S.K. had not been renewed and cancelled by default.  My dreams shattered, I wasn't going to let that phase me.

My imagination ran wild again; this time working on ideas to protect the characters, vehicles and masks we have come to love - to allow Hasbro to bring back this great franchise.

I have tried the direct approach with Hasbro - this has failed.  When you contact a company with ideas they see this as "Soliciting".  This doesn't go down too well.

Therefore, I'm going for the subtle approach with an Open Letter to Hasbro - which I would like all of you to share for me.

All I'm asking for is the chance to share my ideas with Hasbro - with the aim or bringing back M.A.S.K.  We all know that the original toys were made by Kenner, however Kenner was bought over by Tonka which in turn was sold to Hasbro.

I assume that at the time all of the designs for the toys were passed over - it was just the Trademarks that were lost.

I believe that Hasbro are keen to have M.A.S.K. as part of their lineup.  They have Trademarked the term "M.A.S.K. - Mobile Armored Strike Kommand".

There have been various sightings of M.A.S.K. characters cropping up such as the G. I. Joe Anniversary and the mention of the M.A.S.K. division in the Transformers cartoon.

I'd heard a rumour of a comic release by IDW, for a convention I believe, that featured M.A.S.K. as a specialist Police Task Force.  Up until today, when Darren Gregson shared some images with me, I had never seen any proof of this.

The picture to the right is taken from the front cover an you'll see another well-known Hasbro toy featured below - Jem and The Holograms.

Some of you may be aware that Jem and The Holograms are currently getting the Live Action Treatment from Hasbro Films.

Isn't it time that M.A.S.K. made a comeback?

Transformers; G.I Joe; Battleship; and more great movies on the way from Hasbro Films based on our favourite toys.

All we are missing is the best one of them all M.A.S.K. - Mobile Armored Strike Kommand!

Do I think this could be as bit a success as Transformers?  Perhaps not.  But I do believe that it could do better than G. I. Joe - which had mixed reviews from fans.

That is why five years ago this month I started my script.  Unknown to me on the other side of the Atlantic Jason and Wyatt had a similar idea.

Unfortunately, neither my script nor Wyatt and Jason's are likely to be made into a movie if Hasbro don't have the means to protect their interests.

That is why I'm asking Hasbro to allow me to discuss my ideas with them.  There is a good chance that my ideas may not work.  However, I have quite an analytical mind - combined with a great imagination and I feel that I have come up with great solutions to challenges faced by Hasbro.

I'm sure that anyone reading my blog will agree that M.A.S.K. is long overdue a return.

Hasbro, please let the fans of M.A.S.K. help you bring back this great franchise, if you are indeed entitled to the Trademarks.

Thank you.

M.A.S.K. Comics Facebook Page

M.A.S.K. EIRE Facebook Page

Agents of M.A.S.K. Facebook Page

Matt-Trakker.com Facebook Page

Boulder-Hill.net

Back to the Old Drawing Board Facebook Page

Epic Toy Box Facebook Page

My 80's Toys

M.A.S.K. Toy Collectors

Your 80's Toy Shop

Toy Escapades

And many more....

Remember to sign the Bring Back M.A.S.K. Petition at Change.org

When I post this I'll be live on Facebook until 11:30pm (BST/GMT+1) for chat and comments and remember the great M.A.S.K. Book I'm giving away - for your chance to win you need to -

• Like my post on Facebook
• Share my post on Facebook
• Make a comment on my post that must contain - #assembleMASK #Hasbro #MASKday #MASKComics

Thank you for your continued Support!