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Good morning, and welcome to The Pull List from Epic Panels Comics — your daily comic briefing for Sunday, June fourteenth. Here's the one story everyone's talking about today: a classic Space Knight just quietly joined the biggest shared universe in comics, and you might have to dig through a blind bag to find him. Let's get into it.
But first, a quick look at this day in comics history. Back in 2011, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark held its official opening night on Broadway — one of the most talked-about theater events ever tied to a super hero. And it was even produced by U2's Bono!
And it's a notable day for creators, too: writer and editor Paul Kupperberg, whose long run at DC helped shape the line for decades, was born on this date in 1955. Alright — on to today's news.
ROM has landed in the Energon Universe — and he's hidden inside the blind bags for M.A.S.K. number one. According to Image Comics, with reporting across C-B-R, Bleeding Cool, A-I-P-T and The Beat, Skybound tucked a full ROM number one into the randomized blind-bag program for M.A.S.K. number one, marking the Space Knight's first appearance in this shared world. The surprise issue reunites the Void Rivals co-creators, Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici, and there are rare variant covers mixed into the bags at varying odds, too. Here's why collectors are paying attention: a brand-new debut appearance, buried in packaging you can't see into, is exactly the kind of thing that moves fast. And the story keeps going — the publisher is already pointing readers to Void Rivals number thirty-three for what comes next. We've got M.A.S.K. number one open for pre-order now, and the link is in the show notes.
Now to a new number one worth your attention: Spider-Man: Long Way Home number one, from Jonathan Hickman and Adam Kubert. According to Marvel, this one throws Spider-Man, the Punisher, and the Hulk onto the same no-mercy collision course. A first issue from a creative team like that is an easy watch-list pick, and there's a Dave Johnson foil variant that adds a built-in collectibility hook for the spec crowd. It hits shelves June seventeenth, and we have it open for pre-order. If you loved Hickman's big-canvas House of X era, you are going to want to see where this one is heading.
For our spec pick this week, let's stay with that M.A.S.K. number one blind bag — and here's the thinking. One: it contains a first appearance, ROM's debut in the Energon Universe, which is the single strongest collector signal there is. Two: it's randomized packaging, so the supply of any given insert is uncertain, and uncertainty tends to push prices. And three: it's tied to a line with real momentum and a creative team with a proven track record. As always, buy what you'll enjoy first — the collectibility is the bonus, not the promise.
And now the Rumor Mill — and the usual reminder: this is unconfirmed, and you should treat it as rumor until it is officially announced. Following the ROM reveal, there's industry chatter that more classic Hasbro properties could be lined up to join the Energon Universe. Bleeding Cool framed the M.A.S.K. blind-bag surprise as leaving the door wide open for more. But nothing beyond ROM has been confirmed by the publisher, so treat any specific name you hear as pure speculation for now. We're logging this as rumor zero-zero-one.
A couple of quick hits on the collected-editions shelf. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is out in trade, collecting the Tom King and Bilquis Evely miniseries that inspired the film — perfect timing with the movie opening June twenty-sixth. And DC GO!'s Nothing Butt Nightwing volume one, collecting that Ringo Award-winning webcomic, is due in October.
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Thanks for listening to The Pull List — your daily comic briefing.
