Who’s that bad blue dude with the Hawaiian shirt?  HItman! That’s right. Today FRP2 decides to shine a white, but bright, light on the occasional skinner and movie reviewer Hitman to see what he’s been up to over the past few years. Is he just an ultimate tease or has burnout and the lack of time gotten the better of him? Please… us true thinkers know what really happened. Let’s just say a little vampire and a ton of explosives were involved. Intense, no?

FREEDOM FORCE

Hitman, let’s start out with the typical questions. How did you come up with your name, find the community, and why did you decide to stay?

For the last time, I was nowhere NEAR Hoboken, NJ that time when all that water turned into lime Jell-O… oh, sorry, I thought you were going to lead off with another question.

The name is actually from an old sports nickname. See, once upon a time in Junior High, I played basketball. Now, none of you have ever seen me, but let’s just say I was not (and am not currently) exactly the “basketball” type. The coach caught on to this and would only play me when we were way far ahead or when we’d need a foul to stop the clock. I took fouling the other team pretty seriously, and he started calling me “The Hitman” because of this. Years later, I joined a few forums (Freedom Reborn being one of them), needed a screen name, and the rest, as they say… is history.

I found the community while looking for a mesh for Arthur, The Tick’s sidekick and buddy. And the reason I stayed is the community. It’s been said a thousand times, but Freedom Reborn is one of the closest online communities I’ve ever seen.

Although you don’t do it often these days, you’re classified as a skinner. What got you into skinning?

I dunno… I had toyed around with skinning a little bit for the game The Sims and, at the time, was prepping myself to be a digital artist. The first Freedom Force skin I had done was of a character called Action Item for the member Klauser. It was a fairly simple design, and no one was helping him out, so I figured I’d take a stab at it. And I found, much like potato chips or LEGO sets, you can’t have just one.

You seem to have particular tastes when it comes to your choosing of skins. What’s the driving force behind your skinning choices?

I do? Huh… never noticed that before….

I really don’t have any driving force behind my skins, honestly. But now that I think about it, I do tend to stick with lesser-known or lesser-skinned characters. I mean, no sense in adding to the plethora of Spider-Man skins when you can be one of the first to skin Ambush Bug or something, I guess. I also have a soft spot for original characters and avatars.

Everyone has a favorite something, no? What would you classify as your best or favorite skin?

Captain Planet. I don’t know why, but everything sort-of clicked for me on that skin. I also enjoyed doing Mr. Incredible and Dash. Dash was done before anyone thought of transplanting a teen-sized model onto another mesh, so I had to work out the correct proportions to shrink an adult model to a kid size without making it look like a midget or something. That was fun.

Recently, you were in a skinning contest where you skinned a TAS inspired Wolverine. How was it participating in that contest and how do you feel about the results? Also, for my own selfish reasons, will we ever see that skinned released?

Geez, always with the “Will this be released” questions with you! Give me a chance to breath, Mr. Impatient!

I kid, of course. I really enjoyed that skinning contest. I had a lot of fun with the skin, and I’m very happy about how it turned out. And for releasing it, only The Shadow knows…. (Mwahahahaha!)

Freedom Force is a game where almost everything is customizable. Have you ever considered taking up another skill outside of skinning such as mapping?

I’ve thought about it. I do use Nifskope quite frequently, and I’ve looked into mapping, FX, and have even attempted modding, but like most things I do, I get burnt out too quickly. That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on any of it, though.

FR is full of interesting characters that might incite some type of reaction. Is there anyone on the boards that inspire or motivate you?

Oh, sure. Skin-wise: C6, AfghanAnt, Podmark, Unkoman, Tomato, Murs, and TUE have all influenced me in one way or another. And I get really motivated by some of the amazing ‘skopes Johnny Patches, Blkcasanova, and Area34 have done.

And if I’ve forgotten anyone, please don’t feel slighted or anything, I just know I’ve forgotten some folks!

Despite all the drama that has taken place over the years, FR is a community that is still going fairly strong. What do you think it is that keeps the community going?

The friendship. You know, there are many message boards out there that feel lifeless, that feel like everyone’s a stranger to everyone else. That’s not the case for FR. I feel that, even though I’ve never seen or spoken to the vast majority of you out there, you all are close friends to me. I guess that’s what makes the unhappy times feel more serious as well.

I’ve been known to use you as a sounding board from time to time, no? What are some mod ideas you’d like to see pop up over the next few years?

Oh gosh, Prev, just pick a few from your “to-do” list! I really like what you and Benton are doing with the Patriot City Tales, as well as Cat’s Liberty Bay mod. I’m also psyched about Dr. Mike and AA’s collaboration.

… I guess that doesn’t really answer your question, though. I’d like to see a few more original character mods in the future, I ‘reckon. And, y’know, for my own bit of narcissism, a Hitman mod would be kinda neat. Just sayin’.

Hitman, as a skinner, you obviously learned some Photoshop tricks. Have you found that any of your FF skills have helped you in real life?

Yes and no. While I was a graphic design major, I did notice that skinning really helped me improve my art, but nowadays I don’t have the need to use those skills as often.

Outside of the skinning challenge you entered, you’ve been on hiatus for quite awhile, correct? What is keeping you out of the FF ring, and what would drag you back into it?

Well, asking silly questions about when I’m coming back to skinning, for one thing. *laughs*

Major burnout and lack of time to make quality skins are pretty much the reasons. And to be honest, I’ve been trying to get back into it for a little while now. I have a few things about 75% done but just haven’t found the time to finish them.

As for what would get me back into serious skinning? Hmmm… waffles would be a good start.

And finally, what would you say is the biggest selling point of the FF series, and do you think the game will remain popular in the years to come?

I think putting the FF series on Steam was a good start. The campiness, the plots, and the fully customizable nature of the game are the definite selling points. What I really think we need is one more game in the FF series, but I know the chances of that happening are slim-to-none.

MISC.

I know you do hero movie reviews, but let’s stick to comics right now. Are you happy with the general direction of comics these days?

That’s a tough question. I like a lot of the stories being told in comics today, but I think that all these major cross-continuity arcs and the idea of “writing for the trade” is killing the monthly sales. I’m not saying we need to go back to every book having separate stories, but when I have to buy 7 monthly titles to get one story, something’s wrong.

Speaking of direction, several characters have hit high and low periods over the years. What is your favorite character and how well do you think he’s (or she’s) been handled?

Well, Kyle Rayner’s just died, so that pretty much sums it up.

I will say I like how Plastic Man has been handled in the past few years, and with exception to the last issue, Ambush Bug has gone relatively unchanged, so that’s a big plus.

JLA vs. Avengers, which one is your premier team and why?

Depends on what mood I’m in. Right now, I’d be more inclined to say Outsiders or Agents of Atlas. If I had to choose, I guess I’d go with JLA. But that’s more of a publisher’s preference.

Now let’s get to the movies. You’ve recently begun to write reviews for Major Spoilers. How is it writing reviews for them, and how do you deal with reviews that seem to cause polarizing responses?

I love writing for Major Spoilers. It’s really made me more critical of films and [of] the way I write. As for “polarizing responses,” it took a little bit getting used to, but at the moment I just take negative responses in with a grain of salt, as they say. I mean, everyone’s entitled to their opinions, right?

Sometimes a reviewer has to suffer for their craft. Are there any movies you’ve watched and reviewed that you absolutely hated?

See, that’s a trick question, because I enjoy bad movies a great deal. I guess that’s why I enjoy Mystery Science Theater 300 so much.

There is one movie that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It’s a late 90s HBO re-imagining of the 1950s Teenage Caveman. I can’t un-see that movie. I won’t explain why it’s awful, I can’t even give a hint, but please, please, PLEASE don’t go looking for it. You have been warned.

If you could have ANY of your ideas turned into a movie, book, or comic, what do you think you would pitch?

I dunno… I always thought a musical version of Robot Monster would be a hoot. Guy dressed up in a gorilla suit, wearing a deep-sea helmet, singing about how he must kill the “Hu-mans,” but can’t because he has a thing for blonde chicks….

We all have very definitive traits as people that may not be obvious at first glance. What are three words you’d use to describe yourself?

Wow… um, eccentric… offbeat… and, uh… pepperoni pizza…?

Defining one’s self is not just a bunch of adjectives! What are some musical artists that you enjoy?

Weezer, definitely. Jet, Weird Al, The Aquabats, Foo Fighters, The Fratellis, Biran Stetzer Orchestra, and Franz Ferdanand are a few more current ones. I also have a taste for classic rock, like Led Zepplin, The Who, The Eagles, y’know, that stuff. The Beatles, of course. I’ve recently picked up Them Crooked Vultures, which is Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones of Led Zep. Pretty good stuff.

You’re a person that enjoys movies, so I think I would be missing out if I didn’t question what movies you’d recommend to others: So, what movies would you immediately recommend to others?

Immediately? As in right now? Yikes, putting me on the spot. Well, off the top of my head, I’d recommend any of the Astérix and Obélix films. They’re very different from movies in the ‘States. I’d also recommend Plan 9 From Outer Space, Robot Monster (naturally), the original Pink Panther films, and for you Troma fans out there, Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD. Excellent balance of action, plot, and camp. And this list is just scratching the surface. I can go on and on and on and on….

Dreams are something you have to chase after, I’ve been told. If you were allowed to instantly achieve one dream, what would it be?

Oh, a full night’s sleep, that’s for sure. And the ability to sustain any amount of creativity long enough to finish up some of the projects I’ve started. And maybe the power to make grilled cheese sandwiches appear out of thin air. Yeah….

Ok, pop quiz! Everyone get out a piece of paper and tell me a few things you’ve learned about The Hitman from this Spotlight! No worries, I’ll go first. What I learned from Hitman is that he obviously had something to do with all the water in Hoboken, NJ turning into Jell-O and that he should stop denying it, he loves writing for Major Spoilers and has gotten accustomed to the [sometime] polarizing responses, and he’d really like a full night of sleep if he had the power to make one wish come true. Cool, no? If you’re interested in using Hitman’s skins and skopes in your game, you can get them from his yahoo groups (2). If you want to keep track of Hitman’s reviews, visit here.