COMIC - File #80: "Tech Support," Part 6

This is the eightieth comic! Another base-ten milestone! Thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement!

Anyway, here is the new comic!

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Q & Ages 25 & Up #14: February 2010

Time again for me to try to answer some readers' questions! Monkeywrench and the gang from HissTank.com have prepared another great batch. Let's see how I'll dodge them...

Question #1 - Monkeywrench asks:
Clutch hasn’t been very active lately. What has he been doing? When will he return?

1337W422102 answers:
Remember that epic party he threw with Iron Man, Gambit, Captain Kirk, Duke Nukem, and Vega from Street Fighter ? Remember those boils he mentioned in the New Year’s comic? Well, let’s just say he’s been on leave for medical reasons and leave it at that.

He had a cameo in Tech Support, Part 5, and details on what he and the rest of Beard Force have been up to will be revealed in a later comic.


Question #2 – Monkeywrench asks:
I think A Real American Teamup was your best story to date. Looking back, how do you rate it? Do you feel it’s going to be difficult to top that story?

1337W422102 answers:
Thanks! It was a hell of a lot of fun making that story. I was surprised by the positive reader response. Only one person felt it was an attack on his American way of life instead of my poking fun at a comic book character.

I really like that arc. It lasted longer than I anticipated because I had to cut some comics in half due to my busy schedule. Part 6 and Part 7 were originally supposed to be one comic. I also wasn’t sure about the humour. It was a little too political, and Part 3 must’ve been really stupid if you’re not familiar with the Marvel Civil War. If you’re not a Marvel fan, the stuff with Gambit and Deadpool probably wasn’t that funny at all. (By the way, those two REALLY need their own team-up book!) Oh, and panel 3 of Part 7 was my homage to the cover in which the Cap punches Hitler in the face, which probably wasn’t that obvious if you don’t know your Marvel. That being said, it’s my favourite story arc so far.

It’s just too bad I couldn’t use the “Americar” vehicle more. This picture would’ve been funny to have in the comic, but I didn’t want to have the truck transform (not yet, anyway) and I didn’t want to piss off more people. I still managed to slip in an oil joke in Part 6. As for being able to top it, oh hell. I have no idea how I’d accomplish that!


Question #3 – Monkeywrench asks:
Can we expect a story involving Storm Shadow in the future? I think a dark serious Storm Shadow story would be awesome.

1337W422102 answers:
That would be cool. He’s going to play important (and somewhat serious) role in an upcoming crossover story. I was also planning a non-serious issue with him, but I’d need his Resolute figure first.

I find he’s a really difficult character to write for, as there’s a lot going on in his mind. You know, the whole Duty vs. Honour thing. I don’t have plans to give him a solo story, at least not yet.


Question #4 - Night Viper 143 asks:
How do you feel about a Seth Rogen cameo? Either the cop character form Superbad or the mall cop from Observe and Report would be incredibly funny.

1337W422102 answers:
Wait, what? That’s a strange crossover... It makes the crossovers I’m planning seem relatively plausible!

If I had a Seth Rogen figure, sure, I might toss him in and have Cobra get “f%$@ed by the long dick of the law,” but until then, there are no plans to have him join the cast. Sorry, man.


Question #5 – thatjimboguy asks:
It’s obvious that you use the Joe mythos as source material, but what else do you use? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

1337W422102 answers:
I use the Joe mythos as a base and then build off it, adding my own crap here and there and defacing other stuff for fun. When I have other characters show up, I try to keep their mythos at least somewhat intact. For example, in Rip Off, Megatron gives orders to Soundwave, who complies and in turn issues an order to Ravage.

Other than that, I’m not really sure where the inspiration comes from. Often, it’s just how I’m feeling at the time. “I just got this figure, so let’s put him in the comic.” Or, “I don’t like this character, so I think I’ll make fun of him.” Or, “I like this movie/game, so maybe I’ll spoof it.” Not everything works and not everything gets made into a comic, but that’s pretty much how it goes.


Question #6 – Interrogator asks:
Back in File #20 you introduced Scarlett’s sister Willow and started the Willow arc. Do you plan on using Willow again?

1337W422102 answers:
Not really. Her story was told in #20, #22-24, and #29. She did make a cameo in the recent Christmas special, though, so I guess Law got his helmet cleaned back in #29. Well, that last panel of "Merry Cobramas" was pretty much non-canon fanservice, take it with a pile of salt. She might show up again, but it will most likely just be a small cameo.


Question #7 – Interrogator asks:
PGS was left at a cliffhanger, any plans on continuing or are you just leaving it up to the readers imagination?

1337W422102 answers:
I ended the Plastic Gear Solid story with a cliffhanger to mimic Metal Gear Solid’s open ending. I don’t currently have any plans to make a sequel to Plastic Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action Figures. I don’t even know what I’d call it. Sons of Collectability? Maybe if I play MGS2 some time and get a headful of ideas, I might try something. Solid Snake-Eyes would definitely be the Resolute/City Strike mould, that's for sure!


Question #8 – Interrogator asks:
Interesting way to introduce Helix, will we hopefully see her join the Joes and become a 25AU regular?

1337W422102 answers:
It’s too early to say. Who knows what could happen over the course of her Tech Support story? Though if she has been programmed to obey Hawk’s orders as mentioned in "Project Helix", I guess she wouldn’t really have any choice in the matter.


Question #9 – Interrogator asks:
Last Q & A, you mentioned a Joe-noir style story, do you have any subtle hints for it? Or perhaps a start date?

1337W422102 answers:
I’d like to get started on P.I. Joe once Tech Support is done. I’m still writing it. The story takes place in an alternate-universe noir Springfield, USA. A private eye named Joe takes what sounds like a simple case. During his journey through the rain-soaked night, he learns more than he wanted to know.


Question #10 – FlyingFigg asks:
Considering that numbers is a proud Canadian, will there be some sort of 25AU nod to the Vancouver Olympics?

1337W422102 answers:
Maybe. The dude who won Gold in skeleton reminds me of Outback. I should’ve probably thought of Snow Job since it’s the winter Olympics. The hockey should be good, and I’m excited about the curling. Both the men and women’s teams are undefeated. Now that’s awesome. Laugh all you want, I used to be a curler myself. I even became the skip of a team, and the other teams told us that we had the best sportsmanship of the entire league. (We were there to play, not to rage over messing up shots and losing matches.) Besides, the Canadian women’s team’s skip a gorgeous redhead with beautiful eyes. And holy crap, is she good.

I’m off-topic again. If anything, maybe some of my Canadian figures will watch the game. Wolverine, Deadpool, some ReBoot characters... I don’t know.


Well, that's it for this month! I'd like to thank Monkeywrench, Night Viper 143, thatjimboguy, Interrogator, FlyingFigg, and all the readers! See you later this week for more Helix-related hijinx!

COMIC - File #79: "Tech Support," Part 5

We now return to the Tech Support story arc! In Part 4, Hawk had a flashback and now remembers shocking details about "Project Helix." Read on as the exciting story continues, and stuff.

Oh yeah, Q&A answers will be up either this weekend or next week. Stay tuned.


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A Special Day

We all know it's that holiday again.

So, hope you all have a very happy Chinese New Year!

COMIC - File #78: "FredX Delivery"

In the last issue, we were granted a rare glimpse into the past as Hawk had a shocking flashback which could bust the Helix situation wide open. There's only one thing to do at a time like this: break for commercials! The Tech Support arc continues next week (no, we're NOT taking an Olympic break). See you then!


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COMIC - File #77: "Tech Support 4: Project Helix"

Last time, we met Mainframe's new girlfriend, Helix. (You can become her friend on facebook by clicking here.) But who is this girl? What the hell is Mainframe getting himself into (giggity!)? And why does Hawk find her so familiar? Read on to find out!


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Happy Groundhog Day!

Not sure if you guys follow the whole mammal-based meteorological prediction scene (and I don't mean The Weather Channel), but if you do, hope you guys had an enjoyable Groundhog Day. If not, you still have time to pop in a DVD and let Bill Murray show you the true meaning of the holiday.