Thank You for the Birthday Wishes!

First, I want to thank all of you for the birthday wishes.  It really means a lot to me.  The last year has been one of tumultuous turmoil and torture, and even though I posted The Good Life, pretty much any song off Pinkerton has felt true to me in the last twelve months (particularly tracks 1, 4, 5, and 9, but not in that order).  Don't worry, I won't write another cyberpunk short story about any of it this time.

Make no mistake.  As much as I'm tempted to make a Kyle Katarn reference no one would get, without you guys, I wouldn't "be a content old man."  You guys mean everything to me; you're the reason I'm here at all.

It really makes me glad to know that you guys are there.  I feel bad that I don't do enough for you guys any more and barely post anything, even less anything worthwhile.  Isolated and without drive or purpose, I struggle to get anything done these days.  I mean, I have a ton of unboxings and reviews to put together for you, but I don't know if I ever will.  These figures will probably stay sealed for good.  Hell, Figma Batou's still in the shipping box.

I'm not going to lie and say I've ever really been genuinely happy, as far as I know, but this last year has been even more soul-crushing than usual, and I'm sure many of you would agree.  I haven't even been able to finish A25U #400, which is a project I've really come to hate.  Sometimes I'll animate a second or two and not really want to touch it again for a week.  It should be done by now, yeah, but it should also be BETTER.  I've had to restart it entirely once and powered on through, despite feeling like I should reshoot the entire thing, both video and audio.

Or scrap it entirely.  How the hell I was able to make a 15-minute animated short in a single summer in college defies any kind of explanation these days.  Ah, to be young again...

I told you guys I would do it and I will keep my word.  #400 was supposed to be a silly celebration and it's become some kind of torment that would just finish if I could bring myself to hunker down and knock it out.  I don't know.  It was probably the best I could've done at the time I wrote and shot it, but it still feels like a testament to my good-enough laissez-faire attitude that reeks of mediocrity.  You guys deserve more, deserve better, but I still want to finish it.  Or at least, have it finished.  Have it behind me.

And move on.  Which is something I'd like to talk about if you'll let me bend your ear.

#400, when it gets done (if you believe me, and I don't blame you if you don't), won't be the final Ages 25 & Up comic.  That honour will go to #401.

Don't act so surprised.  You guys know that every time I try to do an animated issue for every one-hundred-issue milestone, the entire comic comes to a crashing multi-year halt.  To a certain extent, it's been a relief not having to throw anything together each week, desperately trying to be at least somewhat entertaining, sidelining real life sometimes and sacrificing my entire weekends others.

I have the finale issue planned already.  Had that round chambered for years.  Hell, I've had it prepared before there even was an A25U.  I'd written the script for a short student film in college that got butchered once it was taken out of my hands (even the director, a good friend of mine, had his powers stripped from him).  It'll finally see the light of day when I adapt it as the last issue of Ages 25 & Up, an issue in which a pair of average-joe--

Sorry.  Bad choice of words.

A story in which a pair of average, working-class Cobra Troopers pull off the job that just might be their last...  A story of endings, and new beginnings.  Of doors closing, and others opening.  Of the sun rising after a long, dark night.  It's not as sappy as I'm making it sound, if you'll believe me.  You'll see, if it ever comes out.

No amount of spending money on stupid crap I don't need can soothe whatever emptiness I might feel.  Only you guys' friendship can do that, and I want you all to know how much you mean to me, and have over all these years we've spent together.

So thank you, all of you.  I'm still here, I'm still trying, I'm still me.  And most importantly, I'm still your friend.

I had a Happy Birthday, in spite of everything, thanks to all of my friends.  I'll keep doing what I'm doing, and I am planning a fun Joe project tentatively called "Pages & Panels" (working title) in which I'll share with you some selections from the Marvel Joe comics as I re-read them.  Could be fun.

But like everything I do, we'll find out together.  Thanks, guys.

Your pal,

Numbers, Helix, Six, and every other callsign, codename, or handle you might know me under

Halloween 2020 and Farewell to Sir Sean Connery

2020 continues to be absolute crap.  It's Halloween, but I'm not scared.  Just angry that the legendary Sir Sean Connery is no longer with us.

I made sure to get the Joescale Sean Connery action figure in the Indiana Jones series as well as his Lego minifigure version, both of which appeared in the Combat Heroes story back in '11.  More importantly, he appeared as himself in the behind-the-scenes special of issue #150, reposted below.

I love Sean Connery.  His style, his classic leading-man charm, his voice...  To this day, whenever I read Joe comics, Destro's voice is HIS voice (to the point I was startled when playing Destro in Operation Blackout).

Here's some Sir Sean Connery, Ages-25-&-Up-style, and then every Halloween comic I can remember.

Hang in there, everyone.

Numbers Requesting Backup

Greetings, A25U folks!  Your old pal Numbers here, unfortunately in a bit of a bind.  I've fallen upon some hard times and an unexpected expense reared its ugly head -- I'm out of work for the time being and my damn glasses broke.

If you want to help, please consider checking out the GoFundMe page I set up, or you can use the comic blog's old PayPay donation page if it's better for you.  You can also keep in touch on the comic's facebook page, if you'd like.

Thanks for all the help, support, and friendship you guys have shown me over the years.  I don't want to ask you for anything more than that, but regrettably, I have to this time.

Blade Runner 2049 Review, Sitrep on #400, Flashback: SNAKE Eater!

Woah, I fell behind there!  Sorry for the radio silence.  Been real busy on my end.

I recently had a chance to watch Blade Runner 2049 and reviewed the film for AtomicMoo.com, so you can check out the review right here.  Can it possibly be any good?  In any way hold up as a sequel to my all-time favourite film?  Check out my review and find out!

EDIT: Since the site that used to host the review is down, I'm posting it here.

"The opinions expressed in the following review of Blade Runner 2049, do not necessarily reflect those of AtomicMoo.com, its staff, or its sponsor, Pan Am.

We find ourselves living in dangerous days.  In today’s entertainment industry, creativity is uncreative.  Originality is unoriginal.  All too often, companies heartlessly reimagine, rebrand, relaunch, and rehash beloved old brands, viewing them as nothing more than “intellectual properties” ripe for monetization.  But only someone extremely skillful or excessively vain would think himself capable of making any kind of worthwhile sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic Blade Runner.  And yet, Blade Runner 2049 is now playing in theatres everywhere.  It’s too bad it can’t possibly live up to any expectations -- but then again, what does?

Based on legendary science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick’s timeless 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner starred Harrison Ford as a down-on-his-luck cop in the futuristic Los Angeles of the far-flung year 2019, hunting rogue humanoid androids known as Replicants.  This was not called execution.  It was called retirement.  It’s not hard to see why Blade Runner became a cult classic: an otherworldly soundtrack by Vangelis, incredible visuals, a grim depiction of futuristic urban decay, fan-favourite Harrison Ford as a believable everyman rather than a larger-than-life hero with a smug lopsided grin...  Dripping with atmosphere, Blade Runner codified cyberpunk’s look and sound.  To this day, it is still a genre characterized by neon lights, synths, overarching despair, and tears in the rain.  Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner is a deliberately-paced sci-fi masterpiece.

Denis Villeneuve’s sequel Blade Runner 2049 is a deliberately-paced sci-fi masterpiece.

This is not the kind of movie you can rate out of five stars, then forget about and move on.  (“Not two, FOUR!  And NOODLES!”)  True to the original film, 2049 follows a lone blade runner on a slow-paced investigative thriller through a shadowy cyberpunk future that is both awe-inspiring and terrifying, plausible yet horrible.  Built upon the foundation laid by Ridley Scott’s classic, 2049 tells a similar story with many parallels, but it still manages to have its own identity.  It is not a mere retelling of the original film, even though both ostensibly tell their own tale of a conflicted blade runner tracking down Replicants while finding more questions than answers, with important subplots involving an artificial woman they hold dear.

Ryan Gosling stars as a quiet, reserved blade runner who, after a routine Replicant retirement, accidentally stumbles upon a thirty-year-old mystery which could rewrite the rules of Blade Runner’s world.  His search for clues takes him from the massive, wedge-shaped LAPD building to the headquarters of the Wallace Corporation, who took over the Tyrell Corporation and built an even bigger pyramid out of the old Tyrell campus from the first film.  The search for answers drives the tight-lipped blade runner into the bustling, rain-soaked neon-lit streets, to the off-the-grid society living in the junkyards beyond the city limits, and even into the irradiated wasteland of the kipple, not seen in the first movie but explored in Philip K. Dick’s novel and Westwood’s computer game that blended book and film.

Even though he does not talk much, Gosling’s character is never alone.  His superior officer is on his case, the virtual eyes of surveillance equipment (friendly and otherwise) track his every move, and whether he finds himself surrounded by the shady citizens of Animoid Row, slave children in the junkyard, beautiful prostitutes, or the cagey business types from the Wallace Corporation, danger lurks around every corner and those he can trust are few and far between.  His story does not directly mirror Deckard’s adventure from the first film, but there are parallels.  Not to mention Deckard himself.

Gosling shares the screen with Harrison Ford, returning once again as ex-cop, ex-killer, ex-blade runner Rick Deckard.  An important character in the investigation, Deckard has been in hiding since the events of the first film.  Make no mistake, 2049 is not merely a story set within the Blade Runner universe but a sequel – old fans will be treated with some familiar sights and sounds.  Thirty years have passed since the events of Scott’s Blade Runner: The Final Cut, the version of the first movie which Villeneuve has confirmed his film follows.  The amount of questions the original film left unanswered grows, and the characters of 2049 risk life and limb to solve its many mysteries.

Speaking of Harrison Ford, it was a real treat to see him not only return to one of his greatest characters, but to actually act again.  Ford delivers a surprisingly emotional performance, rendered all the more powerful due to the context of a particular scene.  Deckard is through running, blade running or otherwise, and is simply a tired old man.  The rest of the cast deliver strong performances as well, such as Gosling’s character keeping an air of calm professionalism despite the struggles of his unique line of work – until he is simply no longer able to.

Blade Runner 2049’s technical aspects are superb.  Composition and lighting are exquisite, as you would expect from a film worthy of the title Blade Runner.  World design, much like set design, is top-notch, with meticulously-detailed physical sets brought to life with practical effects and improved with special effects, lit well and perfectly captured on camera.  Naturally, there is a copious amount of CGI, but for the most part, it feels well-blended with the world, does not draw attention to itself, and used with purposed rather than simply exist as a large-budget display of Hollywood excess.  Again, very true to the original film.

One of the reasons it so faithful to Blade Runner might be the amount of returning veterans from the first film.  Bud Yorkin returns as a producer.  Ridley Scott returns not as director but as executive producer and was on the set to give input.  The story and screenplay are once again by Hampton Fancher.  Of course, director Denis Villeneuve’s respect for the original film cannot be ignored.  Neither can the return of Harrison Ford to the character of Rick Deckard.

Bear in mind that this cinematic sci-fi experience is not a short one.  Clocking in at two hours and forty-four deliberately-paced minutes, Blade Runner 2049 somehow manages to drag its feet even more than the original, which earned it the notorious nickname of “Blade Crawler.”  This is not an action movie.  It is a slow-paced hard-sci-fi art film, which makes it even more surprising that it was made at all, especially as a big-budget blockbuster from a major studio.  Villeneuve’s work feels like the sort of film that should be touring the festival circuit as a low-budget student project rather than have big-name actors and a cult-classic brand tied to it while it gets screened in megaplexes around the world.  And I do mean in that greatest way possible.

Blade Runner 2049 is not without its faults.  The story in particular relies upon a startling revelation that contradicts Chapter Sixteen of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, but more importantly, feels like bad fanfiction.  It would seem that the writer really ran with the concept of the Replicant as “the humanoid robot – strictly speaking, the organic android” as outlined in Chapter Two of the novel.  Granted, the films are only based on and inspired by Philip K. Dick’s book and do not take it as canon, and the idea has apparently come up in other Blade Runner media, but it still feels tacky at best.  Furthermore, the fact that Replicants are in fact fabricated labourers and not living, feeling human beings with rights, makes it impossible to take seriously the film’s presentation of Replicants as a downtrodden, second-class people, as they are in fact manufactured slaves.

Hans Zimmer provides the music this time around, and rather than simply make a soundtrack, he has created a haunting audioscape to perfectly complement the images on screen.  The result is a chilling atmosphere of mystery and wonder, but a departure from Vangelis’ electronic sound, a trademark of the first film.  Classic Vangelis tracks, such as the timeless “Blade Runner Blues” and original movie’s end credits theme, are nowhere to be found.  At least one scene featured old-world music, but “One More Kiss, Dear” did not make its return.  Vangelis’ “Tears in the Rain” is heard, and a take on the classic Main Titles theme is used in marketing materials, but the classic synthesizer-focused future-noir sound of Blade Runner is missing from 2049, which has its own musical identity.

All in all, I am stunned.  Not only is Blade Runner 2049 a fantastic cyberpunk art film, it actually manages to be a worthy sequel to my all-time favourite movie.  In an age where needless reimaginings and unnecessary sequels get churned out without craft or effort, this film’s mere existence is no small miracle, and makes it even more of an achievement.  Blade Runner 2049 is not to be missed.  Félicitations, M. Villeneuve.  You’ve done a man’s job, sir.

This movie review is provided by Atomic Moo’s designated Canadian, Numbers, who dreams of electric sheep, wants more life, and will tell you about his mother.  His opinions are facts."

As for #400, progress is progressing, yes?  Most of the voice work has been recorded.  There have been delays with my voice actors' union due to health reasons, as every one of my actors happened to fall sick at different points during the project.  These things happen.  As for a tease as to what #400 is about, well, there are more guest characters than a fighting game and, as you guys know all too well, no one lives forever.

Flashback time.  This time, let's head back to August 2009, when Inglorious Basterds was in theatres, and that awful Hollywood bastardization of the Joe brand still left a bad taste in our collective mouths.  Here's the "S.N.A.K.E. Eater" story, where the Joes get their hands on some Cobra tech, and they respond with a character who was so born to pilot a mech suit that he thinks he's in the BattleTech universe.

Join us next week for the fan-favourite "A Real American Teamup" story that introduced my satirical take on Captain America -- and maybe some production stills from #400.  See ya then!

Delaying #380 - This Ain't Happenin', Man

Last week, I said I'd try to do better next week.  Well, so much for that.

There's a bunch of stuff I'm trying to work through that's stressing me out, mainly family stuff including a death in the family (again; I know, right?) and how screwed the family's going to be trying to get into the States for the funeral.  (Taste that liberty, folks)

And to make matters more irritating, one of my favourite actors, Bill Paxton, also unexpectedly passed away, and my attempts to quickly write an issue worthy of his memory have not been fruitful.  His characters are unforgettable, often hilarious, and he's the only reason I watch a major U.S. network TV show each week.  Private Hudson is my spirit animal, man.

Basically, I need to get my shit together.  So I'm pushing #380 back until the weekend(ish).  I need some space to clear my head and sort things out and feel like I'm capable of making something remotely funny.  That's debatable but you know what I mean.

We'll be right back.

Gotta Delay #374

I should've given you more notice, but I thought I would've been able to power through, no problem.  Only that wasn't exactly the case.

Due to health reasons, I won't be able to finish #374 on time, so let's push it back to the weekend that's coming up (the weekend of Friday the 13th, oddly enough, though I should probably make a spooky comic for the occasion...)

Apologies for the short notice.  I'll be back in shape soon and we'll get this year started soon enough.

Numbers' New Year's Newsletter: We Mean 2016

[Other years' letters: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 ]

They were dead. All of them. The final scream was the exclamation mark to everything that had lead to this point. My finger released the trigger. To make any kind of sense of it, I needed to go back 5 years. Back to the night the pain started...

I told you about my business project in 2011: selling matches to children to rake in huge profits. I told you how, in 2012, that earned me a supervillain nemesis -- and the mech I used to defeat him. I told you how, in 2013, I dealt with my nemesis' legacy: a series of demon-infested bases on Mars' two moons. I told you how I fought my way home in 2014, only to return to space in 2015 to stop my nemesis' successor.

For those among you who don't remember, the successor wasn't my late nemesis' son, daughter, or even wife.  It was his waifu.  Limpdicked cuck that he was, he entrusted his entire operation to his camwhore, who had worked overtime to end my empire.  While I fought through Time, Space, and Hell itself (it's a long story; please see my previous New Year's Newsletters for all of the details), she tore asunder all that I had built, and aimed to conquer the stars.

I assembled my crew of trusted advisors and loyal brothers-in-arms, and once we had donned our power armour and strapped ourselves into our mechs, we rocketed towards the icy refuge of the so-called Madame President, self-appointed Queen of Space.

The operation was a complete failure.  Setting up her palace on the Ice Planet was Madame President's first mistake, as even her hubris couldn't prevent the deep cold from turning her opulent fortress into a frozen mausoleum.  All my team found was a dead space colony on a lost planet.  Or so it would seem.

Scans detected no Thermal Energy (or "Tang") readings other than those of my mech team -- except for a faint trace under the icy tundra.  It could have been a false positive, dust on the lens, so to speak, but I was not about to take that risk.  Ordering my team to patrol the area, I loaded my suit with as much solidified weaponized Tang that I could carry, and popped my mech's hatch.

Fashioning versatile equipment out of the glowing orange Tang, I made myself a highly-advanced communication/threat detection system, some transparent orange skis, and a powerful transparent orange chainsaw. With these tools, and a lot of luck, I began my assault on Madame President's frozen fortress on the Ice Planet.

As I'd expected, the colony was a decoy.  Deep underground, she'd set up a multi-levelled base, with the icy castle on top, utterly devoid of life, serving to mislead any would-be heroes.  As always, I was nobody's fool and saw through the clever ruse.  The lair was impregnable.  Could not be pregnated.  Except by me.  My transparent orange chainsaw cut through the frigid barricades and I penetrated all of her defences.

Security was a bad joke and by the time I infiltrated her throne room, the only weapons Madame President had left were her words.  She was shouting something about "harassment" as my transparent orange chainsaw effortlessly tore through her chest cavity.  I still don't know what "her-ass-meant".

But I had an idea.

This deep underground, my suit's commo systems were practically useless.  I could not raise my teammates, no matter which encrypted channel I switched to.  Fearing the worst, I made a mad dash for the surface, carefully placing Tang-based detonation packs in strategic locations, collapsing the subterranean shadow complex by the time I reached the surface.

As I stood atop the rubble of her ruined fortress colony, my friends' mechs were nowhere to be found.  Comms were dead.  And I will be, too, if I don't find them soon.

I am typing this into my suit's terminal as I seek shelter in the ruins of the late Madame President's fortress, hoping the signal will bounce off the geosynchronous satellite we deployed into orbit before going planetside.  With luck, it will reach you, and, I hope, my mech-piloting friends.  If not, then I give you my word that this icy hell will not be our frozen grave.  I will scavenge what I can from the destroyed underground tunnels, build what I can with the Tang I have left, find my team, and spend New Year 2017 with you all, back home on Earth.  This, I promise.

- Numbers, Guardian of the Frozen Wastes
Ruins of Madame President's fortress, Ice Planet
January 2016

[Other years' letters: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 ]

Operation: "Tree-Hunnid," Sitrep 2: Delays Ahead.

I'll cut right to the chase:

#300 is coming along well, but slowly.  So, it is with much self-loathing that I have to push back its release date, but only by a few days.

The previously-announced tentative release date of June 7 is going to be pushed back by LITERALLY  a couple of days.  I want it up by JUNE 9, 2015.  If I need it push it back again, I will let you know but I really want to have it ready by the 9th.

I will leave you with an exclusive still from the short, one that I haven't even shown to the rest of the cast.  What could it mean?  Has Lenin returned and taken over Cobra?  Do androids dream of electric sheep?

All will be revealed next week.  Thanks for your continued patience, sorry to keep you waiting, and hang in there -- we're almost ready!

Numbers' New Year's Newsletter: To Ice Planet 2015 and Beyond

[Other years' letters: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 ]

Every year, I try to keep you all abreast of my various escapades and endeavours.   Every year, I write these humble Newsletters.  Every year, I grow more uncertain if I will live long enough to write another one.

I wrote to you in 2011, explaining how I built an empire out of selling matches to schoolchildren.  I told you in 2012 how my nemesis tried to end the world and conquered Mars.  I revealed in 2013 how I fought my way through Hell, only to end up lost in time and space, desperately seeking a way home.  And last year, I explained how I confused a tentacle-monster-filled technofuture with modern-day Japan and crushed the New Arstotzkian uprising.

I made it home to find my matchstick empire in embers.  Factories burned down, distribution plants demolished, European cargo trucks mysteriously rammed off the roads.  Someone was out to get me, despite all I had done for this planet.

I converted an abandoned multistory car park into a headquarters/mech bay, where I assembled a crew of my most trusted friends and loyal advisers.  After much sleuthing, we discovered that my ex-arch-nemesis, the one I defeated on Mars, had an heir to his throne.

Not a son.  Not a daughter.  Not a wife.  But a waifu.

When he left the Earth on his mission to Mars, he knew that he might never return.  And so he entrusted his empire to his favourite camwhore, a raven-haired vixen to whom he would frequently fap.  Swiftly realizing that his empire was borderline-worthless, she sold off whatever of his assets that she could, and amassed a small fortune from fake crowdfunding campaigns.  It was not hard for her to find heroes-for-hire willing to destroy my matchstick empire for a reasonable price.

My crew decided it best to hit her where it hurt: the pageviews.  We turned her own tools, that of internet attentionwhoring, against her.  Soon, her name was disgraced, her image worthless, her former fans fapping to someone else.  But she would not sink back into the sea of piss from which she came.

Using what little of my ex-arch-nemesis' research she found worthwhile, she soon launched her own space program.  She was not content to be a citizen of the stars, but their conqueror.  Setting up shop on a planet as cold as her own tiny heart, she declared herself President of Space and, according to intercepted transmissions, began plotting an all-out attack on Earth.

I would not let this stand.  Using what little resources remained from my ruined empire, I kicked the Mech program into full, metal, top gear.  My entire crew became mechanized, and with former military specialist Admiral Killthunder serving as my second in command, we rocketed towards Madame President's icy refuge.  Fearing the worst, we came prepared.

To prevent our systems from freezing in the mighty cold, my R And The D department developed a powerful form of Thermal Energy, or "Tang."  This glorious glowing life-giving orange fluid had already proven itself in space missions of the past, and this new modified version of it might hold the key to our future.

Glowing red-orange Tang sources lit up our mechs, and we fashioned tools and weapons from its solid form.  Our mechs were upgraded with transparent orange skis, and powerful transparent orange chainsaws.  With these, we might just stand a chance.

Life is a series of mistakes from which we learn nothing and can only hope to recover.  I type this from the cockpit of my mech, with green readouts all across the board and friendly indicators lighting up my HUD like Christmas morning.  With a spinning drill on one arm and a transparent orange chainsaw on the other, I stand ready to lead this rag-tag band of brave mech warriors through this frozen wasteland, not unlike the Canada of my youth, and back through Hell itself if I have to, in order to save that shining jewel, Terra.  For we are residents of the Earth, but citizens of the stars, and will not stand idly by while an angsty attentionwhore threatens all that there is.

I do not know how long this campaign on the Ice Planet will last, but rest assured that by this time next year, the Earth will be free.  You have my word, and my drill, and my transparent orange chainsaw.

- Commander Numbers, Mech Pilot, Lover, Gentleman.
Somewhere on the surface of Ice Planet 2015

[Other years' letters: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 ]

Issue #262 Delayed due to Image-Hosting Maintenance

No doubt you've noticed that no images are loading on this here comic-blog.  The reason for that is thus: my image hosting service is currently undergoing longer-than-expected maintenance.  No doubt it will be over soon, but for the time being, sit tight and check back later.

SitRep: Hardware's Done; Software's Next

Hey, guys.  Here's an update on my computer's status.

We rollin' now.  All the hardware is recognized; all the drivers installed.  Took me longer than expected to get the OS all updated.

Now, programs.  I have to get all of my crap reinstalled and the backed-up data transferred over to this computer.  So it'll still be a while, as I don't have any of fonts, Photoshop brushes, or hell, even Photoshop itself.  None of my imaging software yet, either, so I can't even crop/resize that picture of Helix I shot when I slapped in the new drive.

Long story short, no comic this week.  We should be back on track next week.  Should!

Comic Delayed-- For Now!

Ah, crap!

If you've been checking out Helix's posts on the book of faeces or my own irritated ramblings, then you already know what's going on. If you don't check out either of those, you are lucky enough to stay away, far away, from those sites.

Long story short, as Dr. Syn from the Smuggling Cove put it, we are now Ages 25 & Down.  I was hit by a hard drive failure (not a Smooth Criminal, luckily), but managed to back up pretty much everything I care about: saved games, music, photos, university papers, HD content, and of course, the A25U folder.

A new hard drive is in and I've finally got all my hardware drivers installed (kriffing Toshiba didn't want to recognize my karking Radeon!), so all that's left to do is the long, laborious process of reinstalling all of my programs and getting everything updated.  (Steam's going to be working overtime.)

All this to say, there won't be a new comic this weekend, but I'll do my best to get a new one up next week.  Happy Thanksgiving, hosers.  Be seeing you.

The third and final trailer for #200 is now online! It features Dick Wanker, the overcompensating anchor from CUNL news. The release date for #200 is revealed, a bit of the plot is mentioned, and a few explanations of what's taking so damn long are provided. Dig in and mark your calendars!

"What Could Go Wrong?" - Teaser #2

Here's another fresh teaser for #200!  Meet the crew and wonder who the hell would give them high-powered assault weapons.

Update on #200

Hey, fellas.

I'm still working on #200 and it seems like I'm going to have reshoot some of it.  Glaring continuity errors too big to Photoshop out.  I let some slide, but some of this...  Yeah, it ain't gonna fly.

So, I'm going to get it all shot and corrected for you.  The next update I post will be a new teaser trailer, the second and probably last one.  Because the next video I post after it will be #200, in all its glory.

Sound good?

Teaser for #200!

And here it is! The first teaser for #200. See? I told you I'm making progress.

Ages 25 & Update: #200 Teaser Tomorrow

So my good friend Dr Syn from The Smuggling Cove sent in this picture, which he describes as "Helix hard at work and updates for Ages 25 and up (right?)"  And you'd better believe he's right!

Tomorrow, I am releasing an animated teaser for #200.  Now it's going to be short, very short, as it's just a very small taste of what's to come.  So sit tight, stay frosty, and check back tomorrow for the briefest of briefings!

 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Status of #200

All right, so I'm a few days late to wish you all a Merry Christmas and too early to wish you a Happy New Year, so how about this?  "I hope you had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year."  There we go.  Still got it.

I wasn't able to make a new seasonal issue this year, what with the animation and all, so here are all of the Christmas/New Year A25U comics I could remember.  Enjoy!

Oh, and keep scrolling down for news on #200, too.

Here's the very first Christmas issue, from way back in 2008.  Appropriately enough, I posted it late, too.  Click on the image below to check out the comic, #19 "Special Occasions":

There was no New Year's issue that year, but the Christmas 2009 issue proved to be one of the most important of the entire series.  It started a subplot that lasted for the entirety of 2010!  Check out #71 "Merry Cobramas" by clicking on this image:

There was a New Year's comic for the first time that year, posted on 31 December, 2009.  It was called "G.I. Joe: Resolutions," which wasn't very clever, and still isn't:

For Christmas 2010, I'd decided to break out the custom Cover Girl figure my buddy D.Chan had made for me and try a new pairing.  Decide for yourself if it works in #121 "That Time Of Year":

New Year 2011 saw the Cobra Commander back in power in #122 "The Big Broadcast of 2011":

The Cobra Commander was also the star of 2011's Christmas issue, #170 "And To All A Good Night":

New Year 2012 began a new story, one that introduced two original characters (each created and whose figures were custom made by D.Chan -- thanks again, man!).  Stinger Driver Roy (who first appeared in #172) and Meredith, the sassy redhead from Cobra "Supplier Relations" would work against Clutch in their story arc, but it began with her getting her drank on in #171 "Dropping The Ball!":

Right, so, about #200. It's going to be an animated short, but nothing like #100, which was just a cut-to-sound. This one is much more ambitious, with sound effects and even voices. Yep, a full talkie!  And it even features a guest writer, sort of.  I'll try to have it ready by mid-January, but I'm still not sure if I'll be able to make that release window.

I took on a much bigger project than I had expected and I should have planned this out better.  Had I not encountered those technical issues in the summer, I would've been able to finish it during my break, but as it spilled into my final university semester, it unfortunately had to take a back seat to studying, papers, and exams, not that that is any excuse for not keeping you guys up to speed with updates and previews.  Thanks again for your continued patience and support, and speaking of previews, here are a couple new stills and the ones from last time:

So, Season's Greetings and whatnot, and stay tuned for a bright 2013 and the return of Ages 25 & Up with an animated short for #200.

AGES 25 & UPdate: Still Alive

NEWS AND PREVIEW IMAGES BELOW!

Numbers reporting in.  Contrary to popular belief, I'm alive!

First of all, I want to apologize for my radio silence recently.  And by "recently," I mean "for the last few months."  I've been around and busy.  Busy with what?  Busy piecing together the next comic, aided by the computer you guys helped me acquire!

Thank you for contributing and for being patient while I got my crap sorted out.  If it wasn't for your help, I'd probably have to make the comics by hand, by cutting up 35 mm film, or something.  Things have been hectic here at the A25U HQ, where production of Duke Nukem Forever #200 continues.  What the hell is taking so long, you ask?

Well, first of all, #200 is the largest A25U-related undertaking I have ever undertook.  So much so that I couldn't even do it alone and have enlisted the help of my friends and brothers-in-harms from the AtomicMoo.com, the most Refreshingly Geek (TM) site you are likely to find on an entire internet.  This isn't just some remastered #100.  It even has a guest writer... sort of!  Here, have a preview image:

Unfortunately for me, real life is duking it out with #200.  I'm currently in my final semester of university, so I often find myself writing papers when I'd rather be editing up the new A25U.  So it's taking a while and will continue to take a while.

No ETA yet, but I want to get it posted before the end of November.  Whether this happens or not, I'm still not sure.  Rest assured: I don't think I'll do something this elaborate for #300.

So here's what I'll do.  I'm going to keep working on #200, while providing occasional updates to you guys, with production stills.  A week before #200 is released, I'll put up #199.5, which will recap the story arc that #200 is a part of.  You remember, that one about Destro coming back or something.

I've also removed the spam-filled Cbox comment field thing from the left sidebar.  I've replaced it some kind of twiddler comment box.  I'm not sure if it's an improvement, but at least there won't be spam now.   Do with it what you will.

Here's another preview.  That's right: #200 has Cobras, Iron Grenadiers, and even beer!  Surely that's worth the wait, right?   ...right?

So, enjoy the photos, post some comments or questions or whatever you want, and stay tuned.  I know I ask a lot of you guys, but I say this as honestly as I can: #200 is coming!

Thanks again,
- Numbers

Image Hosting's Hard, Knawmeen?

My image hosting service provider's acting up, so images aren't loading around the comic blog. Including the comics. I'm assuming this'll sort itself out soon, so sit tight, wait it out, and check back later.

Sorry for the inconvenience, everyone.