Cut-out Masks Featured In UK Comics

If you lived in the US in the mid-late '80s, you didn't get much exposure to M.A.S.K. in the comic book world. You probably were aware of the mini-comics that were snuck into toy boxes. If you were into comic books in general, it's possible you collected the 13 total books published by DC Comics from 1985-87. They were nothing special really other than we got to see more M.A.S.K. and V.E.N.O.M. battles.

If you lived in the UK during that same time, you definitely got your money's worth when buying M.A.S.K. comics. Our friends at M.A.S.K. EIRE and M.A.S.K. Comics Blog have allowed us American fans to really see the detail and features of a comic book world we would've loved to experience as kids. Other than being tremendously detailed, the UK comics are known for including large posters and fun cut-out masks for kids to take the adventure beyond the pages, Even though these masks were rudimentary and needed alot more than the paper they were printed on to become real playtime masks, I believe it showed some initiative by the publisher that their comics were more than just books.

From what our Irish friends have posted in their extensive photo collection on Facebook, there were at least 10 masks published in the UK comics including these two cardboard masks that were actually included with the 1st comic book...

I thought it would be fun to feature the ten masks and examine each one to find which were the best renderings. In other words, which of these would you have actually tried to "cut out, stick onto cardboard, attach rubber bands, and pierce eyeholes" so you could pretend to be an agent? Also, which mask(s) did they leave out and should they have included in this collection?

Here is a checklist of the masks and what UK comic issues they can be found in:

• Spectrum ?
• Lifter #4
• Torch #5
• Penetrator #8
• Stilleto #9
• Backlash #10
• Jack Rabbit #12
• Hocus Pocus #13
• Streamer #15
• Blaster #16

Thanks again to M.A.S.K. EIRE for posting the images. Please show your appreciation by liking their Facebook page!