By Kieron Gillen on October 29th, 2009 at 4:08 pm.

But it ain’t nothing without a postcard. This is quite the thing. It seems some people sent off the Spy vs Sniper coupon from a while back. They received Saxton Hale postcards in the mail. There appear to be five in existence, at least so far. A couple are in this thread. Three more are on this chap’s Flickr account. Also, for your convienience, here’s three smaller-resolution versions of the latter three below…



Also – that looks like Mike Oeming artwork to me. Since he mentions it on his own forum, you suspect so. Hurrah for Mike Oeming. As well as the splendid Powers, I especially liked his Ares mini series for Marvel. In fact, for those who are interested in Ares, there’s another mini-series out this week which (Snip! – Ed).


So this could be teasing the TF2 comic they hinted at a while back?
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Hurray I’m famous!
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Hurrah for Tinker!
KG
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AN APE WILL DIE ON EVERY PAGE.
Also, kind of a .. strange choice to place Saxton as the lead of a girl’s action comic, even if it’s only a joke. Hm.
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Mann Co obviously just covering all the demographics. Don’t forget that in the US of A little girls need automatic rifles and grenade launchers too.
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It’s a crossover mates, I’m bloody well sure of it.
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Damn it. Haven’t these sick freaks heard multiple stab wounds can be detrimental to a monkeys health.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ7J7UjsRqg&NR=1
I am so boycotting Steam over this!
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But I mailed in the coupon and got nothing! Wah!
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When did you mail it? I sent it all the way back in June, so who knows.
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The week the coupon was available. Maybe the day.
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Actually, wait, I mailed in the Force A’ Nature coupon. Perhaps that’s why I received nothing. But shouldn’t they have done something for that one too?
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Yeah I’m quite sure the FAN people got a keychain?
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Bloody hell! I’m sincerely disappointed now.
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Sharks have feelings too!
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Those are absolutely brilliant, especially the second one. “An ape will die on every page” runs a close second…
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Also man RPS, you’re fast. I only posted them online (well, at least publicly) a few hours ago. Props to you for internet detective work.
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I’m so confused… what coupon are you talking about?
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http://www.teamfortress.com/sniper_vs_spy/day04_english.htm
this one
I doubt you’ll still get free stuff though.
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Just exactly how much time and effort goes in to coming up with these pun titles? I mean they’re genius, and I love ‘em, not complaining. Wouldn’t be RPS without them. Are they agonized over for hours? Maybe you guys come up with the titles first, and then go looking for some topic to fit? Has there been news that wasn’t reported on because nobody could come up with a good title?
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You’re obviously not the fella who runs the “Abysmal RPS Story Title Efforts” site.
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I always wondered if reviews for PCGUK were written in the same sort of way: come up with the ‘Big Word’ first and write the review to fit that.
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Pace: Desperate improvisation with usually scant seconds thought. Normally more time is spent working out how to fit a version onto a line – especially now after there’s less room in the new design – than the gag. A decade of games journalism has just honed that sort of random association word-nonsense.
KG
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It’s a talent man, a true talent.
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This has “awesomeness” written all over it.
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I clicked the link to the TF2 thread and didn’t see any images there. (Which may be a result of not being a member of the TF2 forum, which I don’t really want to be) And I can’t go to flickr while at work, so I can only see the three images posted here on RPS. Anyone have links to the two others?
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It’s Imageshack, not Flickr.
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I uploaded them a little neater on EvilDaed’s site; http://www.mantaengie.com. I could also mail them to RPS if they send me a mail, I suppose.
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I feel manlier already.
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The fabled tenth TF2 class will be Saxton Hale.
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This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time, the "an ape will die on every page" thing had me in tears :P
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Thanks Tinker I couldn't see the pictures any where else but here. I like the letter ( I love their form letters with the check boxes) Personally I wouldn't mind if Saxton Hale smoked my money away to try and impress a woman :)
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The cool part is that it’s not something automated. They actually filled in the boxes with pen and stamped the stamp, something which you might not see from the scans. Someone at Valve’s been busy :)
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I wonder if maybe each person has a personal letter at that with diffrent boxes checked in to give a slightly diffrent answer?
I really liked the one that had for the person who did the Attack Dog class a few weeks back that rejected his request for invention or what have you.
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Actually, I saw some pictures earlier of a German guy who got the same package on the same day (except with the Shark and Barber comic fronts, not the three I had), and he had the same letter.
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saxton hale is easily one of the best things that Valve has ever done. I assume a lot of it is Chet and Eric’s writing.
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Oh Mr Hale! Such a man. *Swoon*
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I Love these guys! Valve is just quality… QUALITY.
Grade A content.
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I just relaized I can't see the other 2 (just the Apes, the Girl Scouts, and the Turtle one" I will have to wait till I get home to see the other two.
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Saxton Hale is an anagram for ‘hot anal sex’.
Go ahead, figure it out for yourself.
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* SPOILER *
note: If you can read this you’re way too close to your monitor
I am going to steal this pictures, and timetravel to the year Team Fortress was invented (1997?).. Imagine the face of the naive people of that era seeing this images. HAHA.
* FAKE SPOILER END*
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And RPS Is one step closer to being banned at my work location ;) thanks mate (J/K don't worry about it)
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That is hilarious, my friend. Loving the covers.
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girls, action, flames, fire tips, burned bears…
I see what you did there, valve…
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I was wondering if I was the only one who caught that, heh.
Our good Mr. Hale needs to come out of the closet… guns blazing!
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As if this wasn’t enough:
http://www.teamfortress.com/pumpkinpatch/
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Is the flickr account link supposed to send me to image shack?
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yeah, no idea why they called it flickr
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Awww. Theory beat me to it.
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Not sure if anyone’s picked up on this yet, but TF2 currently is only $2.49/£2.49, if for some unholy reason someone out there doesn’t have it yet.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/440/
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Also notice that the game is now on sale @ steam for just 2,5 € /$. God bless valve
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“64 pages of Gorilla stabbing”
I lost it right about here.
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Modest Suspense for the Faint of Heart.
Awesome, like Devlin Waugh’s machoer macho uncle.
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I’ve said this before but I’m gonna say it again: Valve need to make a Saxton Hale game, in the style of a 90′s ego-shooter but even sillier!
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Now this is why I’ll always have a warm, sweaty, soft place in my heart for Valve. It’s like they want to please their fans or something……..
…… nar, that’ll never catch on.
Btw, this is definately going to get a mention in Episode 38 of our international TF2 Podast. (hope the Halloween fun doesn’t steal all your thunder).
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This is really lovely. The Mildly Thrilling Tales are my favourite.
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These are amazing.
Incidentally, I don’t think I ever realised that Saxton Hale’s chest hair is shaped like Australia.
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Thanks for pointing that out I never noticed that :)
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Am I the only one who’d like to read the whole comic (if it were real)?
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Why why why why couldn’t Gabe and Tycho have given the Lookouts fill-in job to this guy?
“What’s the matter, girls? You wanna live FOREVER?”
“MAY WE DIE IN THE FOREST!”
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Saxton Hale’s Mildly Thrilling Tales are just perfect for a man of my age and proclivity. Thank you Saxton Hale!
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Grizzly bears burn!
An ape will die on every page!
So, probably not a PETA or WWF tie-in, is it?
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hey guys they are actually doing tf2 comics and mike oeming acted as a consultant in making them
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I also never noticed that before. Thank you!
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