Q&Ages 25 & Up #26: August 2011

Ready to get some answers? Let's rock.

Question #1 - G.I.Eddie asks:
Any plans to get Cap a new costume (like you did with the 25th figures) since the movie line has given us so many choices?

1337W422102 answers:
Other than maybe a Captain Britan to antagonize Union Jack and/or a Red Skull, I'm not getting anything from that line.

The Cap got a new costume in #146 "Two Holidays With One Stone." His new outfit looks like it's made of iron and custom-made for a patriot.


Question #2 - G.I.Eddie asks:
I may have asked this before, but since the weather's nice, do you have any plans to shoot any comics, or part of them, outside?

1337W422102 answers:
Not currently, but damn, you're right. It's going to get shitty out real soon, so I'd better step on it.


Question #3 - G.I.Eddie asks:
After seeing Connery in the Jeopardy comic, it got me thinking... any chance you could do a custom with maybe the SDCC Destro in a suit to create 007?

1337W422102 answers:
No chance at all. I don't have that Destro, I probably wouldn't make a custom out of an exclusive, and I don't have a young Sean Connery head, either, you know?


Question #4 - G.I.Eddie asks:
Since Fighting 1:18th is a bit more of a site for grown-ups, have you considered doing a hard R- or even X-rated comic?... with Clutch's hijinx and the suitcase full of cash that Destro comes with, I bet you could have a lot of fun...

1337W422102 answers:
Just because I have an account at that site doesn't mean I'm going to completely re-brand the comic, dude. I post at JoeCanuck.com (the leading Canadian Joe community), so would I make Guardian from Alpha Flight the main character? Would I replace the whole cast with Jedi for my friends at BanthaSkull.com, the greatest motherkriffing Star Wars forum ever? I could go on like this for a while, but you get the picture, and I don't want to sound like a passive-aggressive prick.

I don't have that Destro and I don't think I'd feel right cutting up an exclusive to make a custom. R-rated? The language in the comic is colourful enough without overdoing it, and excessive amounts of Photoshopped gore would be really, really tacky. And X-rated? Really? Do you really want to see the badly-done customs I would have to make for that sort of stuff interacting that way?


Question #5 - G.I.Eddie asks:
There have been so many great 1:18th figures coming out lately, be it PoC, or Marvel or any of the movie lines... When can we expect more cameos? They are my fave part of your comics...

1337W422102 answers:
I'm very selective in the figures that I buy. Just because it's 1:18th and/or a character I know doesn't mean I'm going to buy it. I love putting in non-Joe cameos. Just look at the current story: Joes teamed with Autobots and Indiana Jones, with Duke Nukem around! Expect more cameos, well, pretty much at any time. You never know who'll end up in the Joes' stockade or have a drink with Beard Force.


Question #6 - G.I.Eddie asks:
Halloween's coming up... great opportunity for a costume comic... Flash could be the nerdy guy that goes way over the top and makes a full on Voltron costume... and all the chicks can dress up as slutty *insert anything here*

1337W422102 answers:
Other than headswaps or just saying this figure is another character dressed up (like Clutch in the S.N.A.K.E. Armour), there's not really much I can do. Well, other than dressing 'em up in different vests and harnesses and stuff. But now that you mention it, yeah, I'd like to make a Halloween issue. I don't think I've done that before.


Question #7 - Monkeywrench asks:
You have run contests before, what's the chances of running a custom figure contest or even just a figure contest in general where readers would send you figures and you would create a story arc just using those figs?

1337W422102 answers:
I don't mean to hate on anyone's customs, but YOU made them so they're YOURS. You made the figures, you made up the characters, you know their stories. If you want those stories to be told, only you can tell them. And I'd feel really bad if I took your figures and didn't do them justice.

That being said, reader, toy supplier, and all-around great guy D.Chan provided me not only with a bunch of figures that I wasn't able to find myself, but also many custom figures and characters. Squads of expendable troopers, Cobra subgroups, servicemen from Fort Wadsworth who feel the Beard Force is giving the Army a bad name, vehicles and drivers, a team of battle-harded ladies who can give Clutch and the boys a run for their money, and more. He didn't just make the figures, either -- each of his characters have their own filecards with names, backstories, personalities... I want to use them before I go asking other folks to send in their stuff.

He's the one who made the Cover Girl from the Christmas 2011 issue that a lot of folks asked about. D.Chan, if you're reading this, thanks again! I sure hope I can do your figures justice.


Question #8 - Monkeywrench asks:
If you could go back and redo or change a previous story or comic... Which one and why?

1337W422102 answers:
There's a lot I'd do differently. The Plastic Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action Figures story wasn't paced well and kept jumping back and forth between attempts at humour and accuracy to the serious story of the game. I'd rework that one for sure. Unfortunately, real life tends to dictate how much I can do with the comic during a certain week, so sometimes I have to cut scripts in half and spend two weeks telling what I had originally planned on doing in one. That's part of why some stories drag on and on.

Another thing I'd change is layout. I really don't like the way I arrange my panels. Layout is literally an afterthought, so the comic looks like a messy collage instead of, you know, a page out of a comic book, which is what I'd like. I think I'm just making panels too big. The layout would improve if the panels were smaller, but then there'd be tiny-ass pictures and it might be boring. I don't know.


Question #9 - Monkeywrench asks:
The second Joe "movie" has started filming. Can we get an official statement from you on your early thoughts?

1337W422102 answers:
It seems to me like they're trying really hard (if not TOO hard) to make Joe fans think that Hollywood gives a fraction of a shit about them.


Question #10 - Monkeywrench asks:
Let me throw an idea out to you: Ages 25 and Up: Special Missions featuring Cap! What do you think?

1337W422102 answers:
He'll cut down his foes like he cuts taxes for the mega-rich. He'll liberate your head from your neck. Captain Freakin' America.

"Hey, Cap, we're gonna get some lunch. You want Chinese takeout?"
The Cap spits and replies, "I'd rather take out the Chinese!"

I'll be completely honest: I'm really kind of getting tired of my Cap dude. I know a lot of readers like him, but I feel that I'm just making the same jokes again and again. He'll be bad, hence the new suit, but I don't want to overdo him like I did Rezzy-T, the Resolute Trooper who acts like a wannabe rapper. Hell, even I got tired of Rezzy.


Question #11 - Monkeywrench asks:
Is Rezzy T really dead?

1337W422102 answers:
Well, Rock N Roll shot him 9 times with the HumVAMP's gatling gun in #153, so he'll be gone for at least a while. Whether he recovers and thinks the incident gives him street cred, well, we'll wait and see.

Considering that he's the only Resolute Trooper produced at all, I don't want to write him out. So we'll see him again, but maybe this time, he'll know better and keep his mouth shut.


Question #12 - Monkeywrench asks:
How many action figures do you own?

1337W422102 answers:
You mean you guys count how many figures you own? You know the size of your collection doesn't make your penis any bigger, right?

I really have no idea, but at least several hundred from all kinds of different series and toy lines. My collection is definitely not growing exponentially like it used to. I'm glad it isn't. I'm running out of space. And cash. Luckily, crap movie toys and lack of availability/shitty distribution of the stuff I actually want helps me from spending as much as I would otherwise. That and great friends who help with the hunting.


Question #13 - Monkeywrench asks:
#150 was Awesome and thanks for using my idea! We talked about this before but when is a 25 and Up Wiki page going to get started?

1337W422102 answers:
Before anyone gets any crazy ideas, I didn't play favourites and pick Monkeywrench's idea because he's the unofficial Ages 25 & Up community manager/liason/badass. I chose it because it fit the criteria I was looking for in that it was short, easy to put together (didn't require making customs or elaborate sets or anything), and I thought it'd be funny to have Sean Connery played by Sean Connery. There were a lot of other great ideas, including an incredibly cool-sounding cowboy story with Wild Bill and Spirit!

The A25U wiki has already been started. I've been working on it over the summer. But I don't want to officially launch it until there's enough content on it. Otherwise it'd be pretty useless and filled with red links and "TO BE ADDED" reminders to myself. I'm trying to keep the articles short with links where needed, and pictures along the way. Nothing fancy. As always, your support and patience means everything to me. Thanks, guys!

COMIC - File #154: "Doctor's Orders"

We're getting there!


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COMIC - File #153: "Sandvich"

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COMIC - File #152: "Sins of the Father"

Outback and Indy crash in the desert and Snake-Eyes escapes Cobra's B.A.D.A.S.S. TV studio. More on this story as it develops. And it develops below. Scroll down and enjoy, gang.


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A Backlog of Batteries Not Included!

Wow, way to fail on my part. I forgot to share some Batteries Not Included comics with you. Let's fix that, yes?

First, in BNI #12 "Take Your Vitamins," a steroid-powered hero returns to the fray. (He's also in the current A25U story arc, so we'll see some more of him soon.)
Like summer blockbusters? Me neither. BNI #13 (Some Annoying Rhyme) features some colourful superheroes.
You'll spend some quality time with Captain America in BNI #14 "USA F YEAH". Read the Cap's Guide to Freedom & Liberty.
Thirsty for more Batteries Not Included? Check out the BNI page at Crimson Monkey to find all of the strips!

COMIC - File #151: "Arrivals"

Sorry for the lateness this week. There was trouble at the lab.


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COMIC - File #150: "Behind The Scenes"

The contest is closed, and the winner is revealed below. Read on to find out more and to see the behind the scenes special. Have a great weekend, guys! Stay frosty.


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COMIC - File #149: "Backlot Backstabbing"

This week, we have a comic and a contest for you. Get the details about the contest right here and get your entries in by Thursday!

Here's the message board sig I made about the contest. Click it for details if you'd like:

Until then, enjoy the new (and overdue) comic!


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Submit Your Ideas For the Behind-The-Scenes Issue!

Next week marks the 150th issue of Ages 25 & Up, so roughly our third year. To mark the event, I'll be making a special behind-the-scenes issue to show how the comic gets made, documenting the process from humble idea to humble .jpeg file. But YOU get to help.

What I'm looking for is a short idea for the comic I'll make for #150, the one whose creative process will be documented in the behind-the-scenes special. The comic would, ideally, but short. But other than, I'm not looking for anything in particular. Here are some rules I'd like if you'd keep in mind, though:

• Keep the idea simple, please! Remember, I'll have to make the comic and a comic about that comic, so let's aim for a short one.
• You don't have to submit any dialogue or anything specific. If you just have a vague concept (say, Snake-Eyes and Scarlett having a picnic) send it in!
• Don't worry about A25U canon. The short comic can exist outside of the A25Universe, so if you'd like a character or vehicle to appear that I've written out, send the idea in anyway!
• You can include non-Joe characters if you want. Roadblock arm-wrestling Death's Head, yes? Captain America being a stereotypical caricature of a bygone era heavy with wartime insensitivity? No problem!
  
• Mood/tone doesn't matter. Make it as serious or silly as you'd like.
• I don't really have a limit on content, but don't feel bad if I don't choose your idea about Timber going to town on the Baroness' ample hindquarters.
• Submit a name under which you would like me to credit you. I'll put some flavour of "Original Idea by (your name here)" banner, so let me know how you'd like to be credited.
• Submit your idea by the morning of Thursday, July 28, 2011. I'd like to have all the ideas received by the time I get up on Thursday. I was going to say "when Wednesday becomes Thursday," but this way gives you more time, time you'd have, anyway!
• You can send in your ideas a few ways. Post them in the Comments section under this entry, post them in the chat box in the left-hand column, send me an email at 1337W422102 at Gmail dot com, post it on Helix's Facebook page, send me a PM on any forum you know me on or post it in the A25U thread at said forum (should one exist), or contact me telepathically.
• One entry per person, please!
  
• Don't get mad if I don't choose your idea.
• Please, keep it short!
  
• Good luck, have Batman!

That's pretty much all I can think of right now. So, get those ideas in! I look forward to reading them and making one! If you have any questions, let me know and I'll correct/adjust these rules as necessary. And if you'd like to improve your chances by bribing me, my Steam username is 1337W422102 in case you want to gift me a game or three from my extensive wishlist.

Thanks for reading, supporting, participating, and just plain being fantastic. I internet brofist you all!

What should we do for #150?

Guys, I need your help.

Next week marks the 150th issue of the comic, but I don't have anything special planned yet. I don't have the energy (or time) to make another animation like I did for #100, and a Yearbook issue-- well, I did that already in #50.

So my question to you is, what should I do? Should I do anything at all? The current story is dragging on too long anyway, so I figured I'd just let #150 be the next issue the current story arc and, if anything, we could do something fun on the side.

A community chat via Skype? Joke around, ask questions, stuff like that? A Team Fortress 2 night, or some other gaming session? Or would you rather I just did something like make a behind-the-scenes special about how the comic gets made, showing all the steps from idea, to the stuff you see on your screen each week?

The last anniversary events were basically me horn-tooting, but I'd like this one to be about you, the readers. Without your support, there's no way I'd have made it to #150. I wouldn't have got beyond #5. So let me know what you think and feel. Post your comments in the comments section, use the chatbox on the left, email me, contact me on whatever message board you know me from, or put your thoughts on Helix's facebook page. And thanks for sticking by me for three fantastic years!