Q & Ages 25 & Up #6

Our sixth Q&A session is even longer than the last one! Here's what Monkeywrench told me:

"It's that time for the June Q & A. Since #5 was such a success, I chose to include some of the long time readers again. This Q & A is even bigger than last month's."

Big thanks to the following Quizmasters: Monkeywrench, Hannibal, Interrogator, Topside, and Money-B!

And now, the questions:

Monkeywrench:
The Willow arc [which started in File #20 "The Scarlett Letter"] is one of my favorite arcs. Will we ever see Willow again?

1337W422102:
When we last saw her in File #29 "Portrait of the Artist as a Sister," she was being held and questioned by Law & Order. It is unclear whether or not they let her go. Her current whereabouts are unknown.

I don't know if I want to use her, as I don't want to make another story with her right now, and if she makes a cameo appearance, readers might be confused about why there were 2 Scarletts. Willow gave the Joes a lot of trouble, so she probably won't be returning to them any time soon, but who knows where she'll turn up next?


Monkeywrench:
Issue 50 is coming up! Do you have any specific plans for this issue that you can share with us?

1337W422102:
I was thinking of making a 'Yearbook'-style comic for #52, which will mark Ages 25 & Up's one-year anniversary! A look back at the past year, a letter from Hawk, a new story... you know, that sorta thing. I might bake a cake and take a photo of my Joes with it!


Monkeywrench:
So far the use of the Baroness has been brilliant in your comics. What can we expect of her in the future? Perhaps a full story arc around her?

1337W422102:
I'm planning an arc with her. I'm thinking of a crossover with some robots. It's still in the planning stages, I'm not sure if I'll do it yet. Either way, she'll still be up to her old tricks - giving her Troopers blue balljoints with that great sculpt and reminding us that Destro's a pimp.


Hannibal:
How do you decide which toys exist in your universe? And how loose is the integration? For example: we have seen Star Trek characters, are we to assume that there is an entire crew of those guys?

1337W422102:
The original idea behind Ages 25 & Up is that all of the figures that appear ARE toys. That explains why they talk about new sculpts, articulation, and stuff like that. That being said, I sometimes abandon the whole 'they're toys' theme when it seems fit, like for the Black Ops story.

The Ages 25 & Up Universe (the "A25&Universe," if you will) is always expanding. The characters who exist in said universe really depends on the requirements of the storyline of the comics. Rip Cord goes drinking with Leon from Resident Evil and the Transformers in File #30 "Rip Off." Leon doesn't reappear, and neither do any other RE characters (at least not yet), but the Transformers show up from time to time. So it would be safe to assume there's a crew of the alien mechs hanging around in the A25&U world.

So, to answer your question, it pretty much just depends on the requirements of a particular story.


Hannibal:
With the addition of the army men, has the 1/18th barrier been broken?

1337W422102:
Depends on what you mean by 'broken.' The focus of the comic will still be the 25th Anniversary Joes, but non-Joe characters will continue to make appearances. I won't be using any 12" Joes with life-like hair and beards!


Interrogator:
What was the idea of “Cards, Knives & Videotape”?

1337W422102:
I wanted to have another Beard Force story. A short one that wouldn't change too much, one that would just be fun. I wanted to write about Gambit & Deadpool because they're just so awesome. After all, they're the ones who now live in Clutch's old bachelor-pad apartment! So, I decided I'd make a "boys will be boys" comic. Clutch gets to know them a bit better, they get to know him, and have a night on the town. We also learn that Beard Force isn't always the best unit to call upon when you need a swift extraction. The title is a play on the title of sex, lies, and videotape.


Interrogator:
Will we be seeing more of Gambit & Deadpool or Dick Wanker?

1337W422102:
Absolutely! They will appear from time to time. I don't want to overuse them.


Interrogator:
“Book of Dread” is looking really cool. Is this going to be like “Plastic Gear Solid”?

1337W422102:
It's going to be shorter than Plastic Gear Solid, that's for sure.

Plastic Gear was a separate storyline from the regular "A25&Universe," a non-canon alternate universe created specifically for that story. Army of Plastic takes place in the established Ages 25 & Up canon. So Flint really did lose his hand!


Topside:
Where do you get all the figures you use in the comics? Are they all from your collection? Do your friends loan you some if you have an idea but not the figure(s) to make it work?

1337W422102:
That's basically how it works. Some figures and vehicles weren't available in my area, so I bought some from friends of mine. Other times, I needed to borrow pieces to make the set, like the Cobra Island base from Plastic Gear Solid (you can see it in the first panel of PGS-102 "Infiltration") and the Christmas village from File #19 "Special Occasions".

Other than that, everything you see does come from my collection. I try not to buy figures just for a comic, but sometimes I can justify a purchase by telling myself, "I'll write a comic about him!"


Topside:
Some longtime fans have screen names that correspond to actual Joes or Cobras. Have you ever considered a storyline to include them? What about one with self customs?

1337W422102:
Self-customs? I haven't made a figure of myself, if that's what you mean!

As for the figures of the members, I unfortunately don't have a Topside, an Interrogator, or a Monkeywrench. Flint and Imperial Serpentor have showed up in the comic, but I haven't used them as the members. (Sorry to other readers who I forgot to mention!)

I don't think I'll use the figures that way, but I had a similar idea, before. When the Q&As were just starting, it was just Monkeywrench asking me questions. What I wanted to do was make a Monkeywrench/1337W422102 sig in the spirit of the Frost/Nixon movie poster. Thing is, I don't have a Monkeywrench figure (at least, not yet!) and since I'm not named after a Joe character, I don't have a figure of 'myself.' The most I could do would be try to track down a figure of Enzo Matrix from ReBoot (the character in my avatar), but those are hard to come across...


Money-B:
In the current arc, we see for the first time the appearance of the little green men. Will they be reoccurring characters or will this be there only time to shine?

1337W422102:
I guess that would depend on the outcome of the Army of Plastic storyline! If they manage to survive the impending Cobra invasion, we might see them again.


Money-B:
The current story arc is progressing very quickly. How long will it last?

1337W422102:
It should last until about mid-July, roughly. I think. Subject to change without notice!


Money-B:
You have done some very amusing crossovers. What other characters will we see in the future? And what characters will we definitely see again?

1337W422102:
There will be more Transformers, that's for sure! Beyond that, I'm not sure yet.


Money-B:
As you already know I’m a huge Cobra fan. Will there be more stories focusing on Cobra in the future?

1337W422102:
Crashing through the night. Terror taking flight. You know the rest.

I'm planning a Cobra story. And we'll see more of them in the weeks ahead!

Money-B:
The one serious arc [Black Ops] is one of my all-time favorites. Will you be making more of the Resolute-style arcs?

1337W422102:
By Resolute-style, do you mean serious stories? If so, there are currently no plans for another serious story arc like Black Ops. At least, not yet!

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Another great Q&A session brought to you by the Ages 25 & Up readers of HissTank.com. Thanks again for reading and asking the questions, guys!