M.A.S.K. #5: T-Bomb is Here

M.A.S.K. #5 picks up with Matt Trakker’s son, Scott, being kidnapped by Miles Mayhem, only for Matt to quickly discover what is happening and devise a scheme to save him. It soon becomes clear that Scott is far more knowledgeable than he initially appears, acknowledging that he knows who Miles is before embarking on his own attempt to retaliate against his would-be captors. This ultimately leads to the introduction of another member of the M.A.S.K. Network, T-Bomb, a sentient robot Matt built to keep his son safe when he isn’t around.

Picking up seamlessly from the end of the previous issue, M.A.S.K. #5 wastes no time moving the story forward, maintaining a breakneck pace from beginning to end. That momentum keeps the series moving while ensuring the stakes remain personal for Matt and his team. The issue also delivers a bit of a plot twist toward the end, revolving around Matt’s relationship with Scott and leading to an unexpected cliffhanger that promises to carry the same momentum into the next chapter. Much like the other books in the Energon Universe, the series has done a great job of keeping its story engaging through strong characterization and development while maintaining enough action to remind readers what makes these characters and this universe so much fun.

The arrival of T-Bomb is one of the issue’s most enjoyable moments, highlighting Matt’s ability to create incredible things with his wacky and inventive mind. Most of the technology we have seen him design so far has consisted of the M.A.S.K. themselves and various vehicles, making the introduction of a sentient robot a significant development. T-Bomb even feels somewhat akin to a Transformer. While no one in this issue draws that direct comparison, it will be interesting to see whether T-Bomb eventually interacts with some of the Autobot heroes. It is also worth noting that T-Bomb is only autonomous to a certain extent, working directly for Scott and responding to his commands even when they conflict with its prime directive. In many ways, it is like giving Scott his own mask and vehicle while keeping both separate from his physical person to ensure his safety. Either way, T-Bomb is a fun new addition to the series, and it will be interesting to see how everything develops once the entire M.A.S.K. Network is assembled.

While Scott evades his captors, Matt quickly puts together a group of people from the network in hopes of reaching his son before Miles can complete his scheme. One of the ongoing threads of the series has been Matt’s tumultuous history with many of the people he is recruiting, while others barely know him at all. Although this makes some of these relationships strained, it is obvious that these individuals trust Matt enough to put their lives on the line when his family is in danger. The series hasn’t done much to explore Matt’s backstory yet, but the subtext here is becoming increasingly clear: Matt’s friends and allies trust him enough to know that he will do the right thing and that his intentions are ultimately good, even if they don’t always agree with how he goes about achieving his goals. That dynamic is on full display in this issue, giving us another side of Matt as the series continues to develop his character and gradually reveal more about his past.