While checking the message boards of one of my favorite comic artists, Mike Oeming, I came across a post simply entitled "Saxton HALE from Valve :)" wherein I found a link to the TF2Maps forums. I'm not entirely sure I can adequately describe the awesomeness contained therein, so I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. Beware, what lies beneath is not for the faint of heart, or those of you with weak constitutions. Only the manliest of men should venture forth.

Sent to a select few, these faux comics (apparently they're just postcards) feature Mann Co.'s president Saxton Hale in a variety of adventures. According to the information printed on the back of at least one of the postcards, the comics were "... part of a bold Mann Co. initiative to sidestep an increase in postage costs for their weapons catalogs. The first 64-page issue contained four pages of thrilling tales and 60 pages of ads for exciting new Mann Co. products."

While it's a shame that none of these stories will ever see the light of day, just getting to see the covers is good enough. I mean, look at how bad-ass Mr. Saxton Hale looks taking on that lion at the barbershop. If only these were available on newsstands when I was growing up, perhaps I would have grown up to be a successful Australian billionaire adventurer. Alas, we'll never know what could have been. In the meantime, if you happened to send away the Spy vs Sniper coupon, keep your eyes open. You may be one of the lucky bastards who gets an envelope from Mann Co. containing some of the above artwork.

UPDATE:

Mike Oeming just linked to this page, where upon closer inspection, you can find this picture:

What it all means, nobody knows. One thing's for certain: Valve loves making all kinds of extra content for the fans. And that's awesome.