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HEROES: Just for the sake of back story, how did Visions get started?
TOM: Well I had been reading comics since I was like 10 or something. I moved to New Zealand, got a computer and started browsing the net for all kinds of X-Men stuff (my comic preference at the time) and I came across a fan fiction site called the X-Zone. It belonged to Reuben M Supereub. After reading most stories on that site I decided I wanted to write one. But me being me I wanted to be different, so I decided to start a fan fiction series. Now this was the early months of 1997 and aside from the mytho X-Writers (of which I heard much later anyway) there were no fan fiction groups. My idea was a revolutionary one. Visions, or as it was called then, Vision Comics, went on from there. Me and Reuben became friends and he was my first editor and beta reader. A great man he was. He later disappeared after the heavy pressure from Mutant Comics and Visions had to branch out to other sites to get exposure.
GARY: Actually Tom is lying. Visions was founded by a pair of chimpanzes who, having successfully escaped from the circus figured "what the hell!" and went ahead and set up a fan fic group.
TOM: Well okay then I suppose people have the right to hear the real story then..
GARY: Based on information I've received over the past few months, Tom discovered the group soon after, killed off the chimps using Alanis Morrissette records, and put himself in charge.
TOM: And you know I recently found out that one of the chimps survived and is now running somethig called "HEROES". Bloody chimps. I think I'm going to have to use the ABBA Clasic Hits Collection this time.
HEROES: Chimps? Here?
GARY: You mean to tell me someone is running HEROES?? Shh no one tell Marvel X ok?
TOM: [scoobydoo voice] Okay !
HEROES: What kind of reaction did Visions get initially, with it being so different than what folks were used to?
TOM: Well back in the day, our only place of exposure was the X-Zone and that didn't hold for long, only showcasing #1. We got a couple of good responses but that was it. The real test came later, once we began posting to ACFF and OTL, but by then the idea of fan fic groups had grown. So that's why most people don't know that we were the first Fan Fiction group out there (at least from those on HEROES). We were preety quiet for the first 6 months.
GARY: I certainly know that *I* had no idea of that until just now. Maybe you should think about getting a neon banner.
TOM: Yeah... that's not a bad idea, maybe a striper outside the door too, now *that* would help.
HEROES: Well, Tom, what's been happening with Visions since we last heard from you?
TOM: Considering that the last time you heard from me it was during our 2nd Year Anniversary Blow Out, much has changed, especially story wise. Xavier woke up from his coma, Magneto came back and recently became the leader of the X-Men, the team was cut down to 7 members, Maggott appeared and joined, we revealed who the mysterious Lukin was, Graviton returned from another dimension, Bolt returned. But most of all Xavier decided that he needed to revive the dream and created the New Mutants !!
GARY: Lucky me.
TOM: Behind the scenes wise, we managed to get everything done for about a month until Cloud disappeared and staying on schedule with Gen. X and Unpredictable X-Factor went to hell. Right now we're looking for someone to fill in on #2-4 for us, so if you're interested mail us on vision-@ihug.co.nz
GARY: He says "fill-in", but what he actually means is "Sell your soul".
TOM: *coughshutupgarysough* But of course our biggest happening right now is the new New Mutants series!
GARY: Of course it is. (g)
TOM: And don't let anybody tell you otherwise! We've got banners around the place, this month has been offcialy renamed the Gary Dreslinski month, heck we even have an orchestra playing !! Go the NEW MUTANTS !!!
GARY: September would have been better, being my birth month, but I know these things take time. After all, Walt Disney himself wasn't able to open his gift to me (Magic Kingdom) until three days AFTER my birth!
HEROES: Any news on a new site that was mentioned a few months back?
TOM: Uh.... the site...well uh GARY ! Quick, provide a distraction!
GARY: Hey - isn't that a comet??!!??!!!
TOM: Thanks Gary, a desperate man couldn't ask for a better distraction, sigh a comet...
GARY: It works for JMS
TOM: Heh, seriously then. Around May this year I got in touch with a man named Kingbob, who most of you may not know. He was the EIC of Mutant Comics, for which my pal Reuben worked for. It was that way that I later landed a job writing their series Tenet. Having finished #1 I sent it away to Kingbob only to find out that Mutant Comics had fallen apart. Many moons later Kingbob responded to my plea for feedback in X-Men Gold and Blue #23 and we kinda got talking from there. He asked if I was interested in helping him with this idea for a X-Force maxi series he had in his head and I said yeah, we would make it work for it to be in cannon for Visions. We also got talking about web sites. I was frustrated because Shifting Sands, our major site was down for many months and with that our exposure slowly faded. Kingbob offered to construct a site for us. I agreed, he started on it but disappeared again, as people do on the net. So I was basically eating hope for breakfast.
Right now Shifting Sands is kinda open again and we're working on improving our existing Official Visions Sub Page there. The stuff is all there, but as we understand there's some password problem and that's why the site is down. In the meanwhile readers can use our back up site at the Corner of The Cosmos.
HEROES: Who's that sly devil who craftly writes X-Corps semi-monthly when he gets off his studly ass and churns it out?
TOM: Huh? I don't know who you're talking about. Gary ? Do you know who he's talking about?
GARY: No idea. Maybe he means that guy who writes Hellblazer and Huntress for FDC, or the guy who's doing a mean job over at Marvel X on Captain America. Perhaps he's thinking of the guy who's helping to rebuild Another Dark Horse... Can't think of any X-Corp writer....
TOM: Hmmmm. I seem to recal something called the X-Corps, I think I even called it X-Crops once, but for some reason I can't just remember what it was hmmmmmm. Do we get any clues?
GARY: Maybe you can hum a few bars?
TOM: I give up !!!
HEROES: But, Visions has slowly but surely added on one book at a time as new writers have hopped on. How did you come across the new folks?
TOM: Well, you know. Few phonecalls here and there, bit of gambling with the devil, well you know the usual :) Seriously I think it's just that people want to write about their favourite characters, epscially if they're beeing treated badly in their proper books (read: X-Men), and VISIONS can provide that. Plus we have the only New Mutants series out there, so Gary didn't have much of a choice. But at the end of the day, we're all doing it for the nookie.
GARY: Actually I've recently ran across another NM series starting up, but I don't recall where it was. I'm sure someone out there will see the chance for a cheap plug and write in! About the "nookie" - Tom apparently hasn't noticed the male/female ratio in comic book fan fiction yet. Shh, no one tell him!
TOM: Huh ? What ? No one tell me what ? Anyway, a new New Mutants series eh ? I'll take care of that, don't you worry about that. Gary remind me to ring Mephisto once this interview is over.
HEROES: So, Visions is expanding again. Why New Mutants?
TOM: I suppose Gary can give you a million of answers as exactly to why New Mutants, and I'll let him do that but basically, I've had the idea for doing a New Mutants series for about a year now. It was when I was writing up the plots for Year 3 of X-Men Gold and Blue that I realized that the New Mutants would be formed. At the time I had no idea who they were going to be or who was going to write, I just knew that X-Men would become more heroic and take on the role of the late Avengers (or at least try to) and that Charles would form a new group of young mutants to build the every day bridges. I was so proud of myself :)
And then when I told Cloud (our Gen. X writer) about this he goes: "And what about Gen. X ?!!" To keep this interview kiddy friendly I'll say that I said "Do'h !". But fortunately Cloud was fast to come up with the idea of rivalry between these two groups, kind of like Marvel's New Mutants and Hellions. I was like: "whew"
GARY: Actually Gen X would have been a *horrible* choice to be the one to "build bridges", after all they were never really set up to do that. They're the kids of the 90's, or the outer manifestations of the inner part of the children of the 90's. Marvel sort of backed themselves into a corner with that team that I'm not really sure they've even realized yet. Good luck to Cloud getting them out(g).
TOM: I think Cloud is doing a great job with them. With the arrival of New Mutants into their lives, things are about to get even better.
GARY: Cloud is doing an excellent job with them. It's just not a job for which I envy him. Gen X has it's place, and it's not as the foundation of a new era of mutants.
As for "why the New Mutants"? The most honest answer is : It was the title Tom was advertising!
TOM: Well duh !
GARY: But I wouldn't have jumped at the chance if the original series wasn't my first love. It started my "obsession", oops I mean "collection" and was the one book that I held on to the longest, even after it started to REALLY bite. So in a lot of ways I'm coming home with this book, and it feels good.
TOM: "Welcome home where time stands still where no one leaves and no one ever will."
HEROES: Word is that there were problems with the initial plans for the NM series. What happened?
TOM: Well as soon as I knew what I wanted from the series I went to find the writer. That turned out to be Jenna. Not may people outside of OTL and ACFF know her, but she was truly a magnificent writer. She started out with a story of hers about Gambit and her own character entitled "Seeking Peace". I think I gave her feedback on like part 3 or something and from there we went on as good online buds. She was like 10 years older than me but we got on very well :) She was firstly going to write our X-Factor series, which too had been in plans but I realized that she would be better off writing her own characters, offered her New Mutants and she jumped at it. We started working out the schematics, she even wrote the opening scene for #1 and then she too disappeared (talk about bad luck with disappearing). I waited for about 7 months but she didn't return. I was slightly reluctant about finding another writer, I really wanted to see Jenna's version of New Mutants. After reading that opening scene for issue 1 I was blown away. Now try to leave that behind and go find another writer with which you'll be equally amazed with. With a bit of help from HEROES and a shitload of blind luck I found Gary :) But problems didn't end there did they Gary ? Gary ? Gary ! Wake up, it's your line !
GARY: Let's see... problems? Well there's the whole bit where Tom put me through the submission process while the other two people dropped out. I had gotten everything ready to send off - and then discovered that the word program I'd been using at work wasn't compatible with the program at my sister-in-law's house. It read the entire thing as gibberish. ( I can hear Barry Reese's quip now, "But Gary - you never corrected that problem! It STILL reads like gibberish!")
TOM: Hehehe
GARY: So we had to send the file to her friend (and old boyfriend) to completely convert the file over and send it back. She did it this way ONLY because she called her father in Vermont first and he wasn't home. Otherwise it would have gone from Florida - to Vermont - back to Florida and off to New Zealand, or whatever BFE Tom claims to be from. We got it off okay and...
TOM: Well if this isn't full commitment to the project then I don't what the hell is.
GARY: I JUST remembered what you were probably hinting about Tom! The conversion problem was my SECOND problem getting this gig. My first was the fact that I completely lost a day of working time due to the fact that... um...this is a "family" publication right? Um ...heheheh... let's just say I was sitting on the ground, waiting for my ride to show up... hehehe... and the phrase "ants in your pants" is something you need to watch out for. Especially if they happen to be *large* ants and happen to bite you in certain parts of the male anatomy! See Jason - aren't you glad you decided to interview me??? Neil Gow doesn't have stories like that!
TOM: [runs out of the room, screaming] ARRRGHH ! I JUST GOT A MENTAL IMAGE!!!
HEROES: I'll be sure to ask him...
GARY: I'm pretty sure he doesn't. On the other hand, ask him to tell you about the time he was in the nunnery with a Vicar, A Bobbie and a talking WC.
HEROES: Gary, what made you interested in taking up NM for Visions?
GARY: New Mutants were my first comic experience, my "first love" if you will. I liked the idea of being able to craft a completely new team - the RIGHT way and then make them fit into someone's universe. Never let it be said that I don't enjoy a challenge.
HEROES: You've gotten awfully prolific as of late, Gary, what other series do you write?
GARY: Let's see - as of this moment... For Faux DC I'm writing Doom Patrol - Which is actually my first fan fic series. I've already chartered out my entire run on the book. All 14 issues, which means I still need to make a deal with Clay over what to do with the rest of the extended contract. I have some ideas that should surprise quite a few people.
TOM: [pops his head back through the door] You have contracts at FauxDC? Uh, I mean you have contracts too at FauxDC? AAAA! The images again!!!
GARY: Some would say I have a contract *on* Faux DC - but that's another situation entirely.
Extreme Justice: It's a 4 issue mini series based on a Showcase story by Barry Reese. Barry was supposed to write the thing, but given that he's busy conquering the known universe, Clay asked me. That's right - *I* received the proposal on this one! It's really fun to write, not much like work at all. The funny thing is that I'm working towards something fairly major with this, and another one of my books (No, I'm not going to mention which one) that is going to be quite groundbreaking, provided that no one shoots the idea down in the meantime.
Shade: The Changed Man: This one is always a mini series, a quarterly at that. I feel really protective toward this series, since I put so much, on a personal level, into it. The first issue is actually the "cream puff" of what I have planned. Although I'd like to point out that the character in issue one, Kyle, is still not Asian(g). (Sam still rules though.)
Power Ring: What can I say about Power Ring that hasn't been already printed on my headstone? It's a one-shot, that spawned a sequel - and who knows, by the time this interview comes out - maybe even be the only one shot to have a #3 of 1. This is the book that got me the Extreme Justice job! I've been told it's one of - if not THE funniest thing ever written for fan fic. I'm not sure about that, since I'm still pretty new, but I certainly enjoy writing it.
TOM: [now sits down, taking deep breaths] Gary, you never told me you were funny..
GARY: Actually I'm not. I got the chimps to write that one for me. I just threw them into a room full of typewriters...
TOM: Uh I see. I suppose you do that for New Mutants too ?
GARY: DEO - Which may or may not be out by the time this issue hits the net. This is the spin-off from Doom Patrol, and in a lot of ways the book I've been working toward. Spys - superheroes - laughs - relationships... this book really does have the potential to have it all, and I really hope I'll be able to carry it off.
For Avengers 2000 I'm writing
Captain America: I almost went a completely different way with this book, using the same characters, but then I was pitching a Doom book to Marvel X and I saw that he was in their Cap. (Written by some guy named Jason).
TOM: You mean like Jason King? Whoever the hell that is.
GARY: I think the guy's last name is Keeney or something like that. Personally I've never heard of him.
It's a good thing I ditched my first draft [of Cap]- since it involved Cap, Doom, Shield and going into Latveria! WAY too close [to MX's]. I *SERIOUSLY* doubt anyone is going to come up with anything close to my take on Cap anytime soon. I'm just surprised the hate mail hasn't started rolling in, yet.
TOM: Uh, there's a good explenation for that Gary... uh I'll get back to you once I find one (eh, the stuggle to get feedback in todays world...)
GARY: The Incredible Hulk: The great thing about this series is that there is just about nothing that CAN happen to the character that hasn't already been written by Peter David! That's a challenge, and I love challenges. I'm trying to build on PAD's foundation, with a bit of the Casey run (which actually wasn't that bad) thrown in to boot in the hopes of fixing the damage Byrne has done over the last couple months. Including, oh say, making the Hulk a (while under the control of another) mass murderer! I've got my work cut out for me, but it's going to be a fun ride!
For Marvel X I'm writing
Lightning Rods: The new Marvel X series NOT written by Neil Gow! In the course of the four issue mini I'm really turning the most out there team in the Marvel X Universe into the straight men. They're coming up against people like Erickson Moore-Eels, a group of a villains posing as heroes that ALSO call themselves the Lightning Rods and oh yeah - Deathurge! This series is guaranteed to make you look twice at your copy of Defenders #182! So far it's a lot of fun.
TOM: Oooo ! ooo! I wanna see this one. Lightning Rods are so funny... hehehe.
Gary, you never told me you were writing so much! Man how do these people do it? Is it the shorts? Is it the shoes? It must be the shoes.
GARY: The irony here is that when I pitched New Mutants, I had JUST pitched Shade: The Changed Man. The only other book I was working on was Doom Patrol. I had NO intention of doing anything else. But then SOMEONE, not saying who, took his sweet Kiwi time on getting back to me and I got bored.
TOM: Hey ! I responded to you the very next day ! (didn't I ? hmm that memory of mine) oh well.
GARY: Worse, I started looking around to see what the other companies were doing. The more I looked, the more places I saw that I liked and wanted to do projects for. Even worse, I started talking more to Barry Reese, which led to my eventual invite to come over to Avengers 2000 when it formed, as well as serving as my "in" at Marvel X.
TOM: I just hope that all those proects don't knock you out of schedule with New Mutants. Of ocurse you do know that New Mutants is the very first inline for your work, otherwise, I have few photos of you that I'm sure your wife would like to see :)
HEROES: Tom, other than X-Men Blue & Gold and the first 3 issues of GenX, have you written much other fanfic?
TOM: Well actualy I wrote 4 issues of Gen. X and plotted 5. I wrote two stories in the Altered Visions corrner, one beeing a typical Gambit/Rogue story. It's called "Broken Hearts", but it's actually not your typical story. It's got a sad ending, which certinaly sets it aside from the rest of the boring Gambit/Rogue stories. My other work, which I'm actually proud of is called "Who You Are". It's a Psylocke story, set in between Uncanny X-Men #280 and X-Men #1. It basically does what the whole Revanche crap failed to do, reveals just what the hell happened to Betsy after she went through the Siege Plerious, why it happened and what efects did it have. It's a great story that I've gotten heaps of feedback on (yeah, wonders never end to cease) and I'm really looking to pick up again once I have some free time. Right now, the story is at part 8 and has been so for a while now but I've got some of the next 2 parts done and I might be working on it again soon. I definately want to finsh it off, I'm about half way one. All that can be found on our site under the Altered Visions label. It also looks like I'm going to be filling in on Unpredictable X-Factor to help Cloud get back on schedule because no one aswered our call for helo laast month :(
HEROES: Gary, how did you get into fanfic, or, the groups in particular?
GARY: I was bored. I was surfing the net - I came across Faux DC. The funny thing is that I had found another group months earlier and dismissed the idea as silly. But something about the group caught my interest. My wife and I were traveling the country, and staying with a friend up in Providence, Rhode Island ( a *beautiful* place btw, much better looking than it is on the show. Plus, it must be said Thayer Street rocks! As does Atomic Comics and what I like to call East Side Pizza! Of course, Federal Hill isn't too shabby either(g)) and the temp service was having a hard time finding me work. So - since we weren't paying rent, Jessica (my wife) suggested that I set myself a schedule for getting back into the habit of writing. (I had barely written anything since we got married 3 years ago.) I agreed, pitched the Doom Patrol to Clay - and the rest is history.
TOM: I wish I had a wife that would tell me to write some more.... wait a minute, I don't have a wife... ooops. Forget I said that.
HEROES: What are your guys' plans for NM, or, what can you tell us about them?
GARY: I really want to develop their interpersonal relationships. Expect some villains of course, but the real threat to the group comes from within. You've got one member (Icarus) who HATES mutants, one (Cassandra) that believes that sooner or later Charles Xavier is going to be responsible for their deaths, another (JOB) who's power to cause accidents is a danger to himself as well as everyone around him, yet another (Tantalus) who has secrets piled up on secrets, some of which are going to compromise his role with the team - let alone their impact on the future of Xavier's dream and still another (Red Mosquito) who really isn't cut out to hold it all together, no matter what she thinks. This isn't your usual team - this is far closer to your usual "disaster waiting to happen", and yet, they get by, somehow... for now at least.
TOM: We also have heaps of old New Mutants villains returning, which is exactly what I asked for, and Gary delivered very well. Not to mention a certain old New Mutant (Gary's all time favourite I understand?)...
GARY: Certainly one of them
TOM: ...mentoring the team, but we won't say who yet, you gotta stick around to see that.
We basically plan to make this the best damn New Mutants series there is. We want these kids to become firends and enemies, we want them to learn the cruel ways of the world. We want them to be reall people, and Gary's imagination withstanding, they are preety reall. But I'm just sitting here drinking hot coco, and Gary is doing all the work.
GARY: When I gave Tom the list of characters I wanted to use, he actually had to stop and ask me who the hell I was talking about on a couple of them! I had to explain that they were New Mutants villains from the *old* days of the series. I want to be able to engage the nostagia of the old series, while still very much being about kids growing up in the late 90's/early 00's.
TOM: Which is great, I mean I hard the old New Mutants series was a blast and we want tobring some of that feel back.
HEROES: Happen to be sitting on any proposals right now?
TOM: Well actually yes, right now I'm working with a writer on a X-Babies one-shot that would set the stage for our Mojo Verse story in X-Men Gold and Blue #32-33. But I've said enough already. Gary, hand me the amnesia flasher.
GARY: (hands over amnesia flasher)
TOM: FLASH ! Now you will remember nothing of the X-Babies one shot. To remember it will cause you great pain.
HEROES: What X-Bab...ARUGH!!!!
GARY: While we're talking further projects I have a few I WANT to do as well. I've already decided that I'm going to develop something for Yesteryear. I'm not sure WHAT yet. All I know is that I love what they're doing, and I want to be part of it.
Same goes for DC: Future Shock - although I know *exactly* what I want to do, I just need to make sure I have the time for it. Maybe after a couple of the minis are out of the way.
There's also something I'd adore doing for Another Dark Horse - but I'm not sure if they'd consider it considering that it's based on a book that's bounced around to several different companies, including, at one point, Dark Horse. Hmm...I wonder if there's anyone around here I could give a hint...
TOM: Well it ain't me for sure :)
HEROES: Well, I'm on close personal terms with a guy at ADH if you'd like me to help you out....
What do you hope to see from Visions in the future, immediate and distant?
TOM: I hope to reach a wider audience, once Shifting Sands finally opens. The months we spent there gave us a great readership and I hope we can return to those people once again. I also hope to get Cloud's books back on track :)
As for the stories, I want X-Men Gold and Blue to be a good, all around book. We'll be resolving a couple of old X-Men mysteries soon, but we're also going into new ground, mainly interacting more with the Marvel side of Marvel, as opposed to the X side. It's the same thing with X-Factor. I also hope that the New Mutants kids will settle into their roles as the junior league and have few not so pleasant run-ins with Gen. X.
GARY: Not so pleasant run-ins with Gen X - yes. Settling in to their role? Not anytime soon. At least not how most people will be expecting them to settle.
TOM: That's immediate future. As for distant.... *sigh* I hope to be continuing doing this for a long time to come. I was once talking with Cloud about a story as far away as X-Men Gold and Blue #75 and it just seemed so far away, that I would never make that mark. But then I looked back and I noticed I already had 30 issues behind me, and that went pretty fast. So I'm hoping to reach #75 and then #100 of X-Men Gold and Blue, and tell all my stories that I have to tell. After that, I'll either be unemployed and living with my parents or writing proper comics :) I just want to put out some good fanfic and hope that people like it.
GARY: I just hope that people like the book and WRITE IN to let me know. For now, that's enough.
TOM: It's like that for everyone. I jump with joy around the room until people start giving me strange looks when I get any feedback. I wish readers knew just how important feedback was to writers and just wrote in, even with a couple of sentences.... but then again I wish beer was free and it certinaly ain't...
GARY: I honesly can't predict how long I'll be on the book. Hopefully for a long time, for the foreseeable future at least.
TOM: What do you mean??? You're signed on for life mate, and after that the devi... uh I've said enough. Move on...
GARY: But sooner or later I'm going to have to get serious about why I came to fan fic in the first place, as a stepping stone, a place to learn and grow, on the way to banging on those walls of a working profession. Sooner or later I'm going to take my shot, and keep taking it until I get in. I already have several "ins" I just need to get myself back up to speed writing wise and have the courage to take that chance. Hopefully when I do, I'll see a *bunch* of familiar names already there, waiting for me.
TOM: Ah, the eternal dream. Hopefully we're all see eachother at the other side of the fence one day.
GARY: Or at least share adjoining cells.
HEROES: So, Tom, you're looking at more than just X-Books? When might we expect that?
TOM: Well, it's more like X-Men and X-Factor are looking to be having stories in more than just the X-Verse. XMGB #27 had Graviton, I plan on using the Kree sometime in X-Factor (yes I know our mutants would stand zero chance against the Kree), as well as Punisher, and SHIELD, and a certain group of heroes that I won't mention yet. Basically, the Marvel Universe is such a rich and deep place for characters that I'm just starting to explore, and whatever characters I like I'm going to use. You can bet on SOME Marvel characters/places showing up in the 4th year of XMGB, I'm just starting to write the plots for it now. Also the New Mutants will be going beyond just X-Books aren't they Gary?
GARY: OH yes. I've already come up with quite a few non-standard mutant appearances for the near future
HEROES: Does this mean HEROES REBORN?
TOM: Hmmm, interesting idea. I can tell you straightaway that the heroes won't come back up until around XMGB #100. But I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to look in on them and see what's going on with them. Maybe a LS or something, but not major plans. I would however, if I'm still around by then, for the Avengers to get their own title once they get back.
GARY: Maybe we could get Neil Gow or Alex Maggi to write it. I've heard stories about them being "sorta interested" in doing an Avengers book.
TOM: I don't even know these people, but what the hell, we might try.
HEROES: And, to end on what could be an interesting rant, Tom, any crossovers in the forseeable future?
TOM: Aside from the semi-planned NM/Gen. X story, which isn't really a crossover, no. I hate crossovers, they suck. They have little impact and are usually too long and terrible. No crossovers anytime soon, we learned our lesson with Operation Zero Tolerance.
GARY: That's what I like - No Tolerance for Zero Tolerance.
TOM: heh heh.
GARY: Other than the natural cameos and the Gen X story, the New Mutants have their hands full without going into someone else's book.
TOM: Damn, and there I was preparing a New Mutants/Pokemon crossover. Well onto plan B... hehe
GARY: ALTHOUGH, if they WERE to show up someplace else, I would look for them where you'd least expect it!
TOM: Like Playboy ?
HEROES: Well, gents, thanks for the fun and best of luck on everything. I'm looking forward to see what you all churn out.
TOM: Thanks Jason ! (or if that really is your name....) We've had shitloads of fun doing this interview and thanks to HEROES for the opportunity to do this, we both appreciate it. Now go and read NEW MUTANTS!!! I would just like to leave off with a quote: "You can take my life, but you can never take my FREEDOM !!" .... uh wait wrong quote.
GARY: You don't WANT to know what Tom can "churn out", especially after a large lunch. I've heard that's part of the reason he doesn't use his last name - too many people know too many stories about him.
