Com 50 101: A Crash Course in Mustache Maniacs Film Co.'s First Original Character

 By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co Headquarters; February 7, 2024)

    Tomorrow, the very first re-releases of 2024 will debut, with the return of both Com 50: Peril in Iran and Com 50 & 007, our first two Com 50 films. First released in 2005, these films marked the first time that the world was introduced to Com 50, but who is this original character? Before tomorrow's releases, let's dive in and learn more.

Where Did Com 50 Come From?

    The short answer is from director Andrew Bermudez's imagination. But to dive deeper into the story, we need to go all the way back to 2001, when the earliest stories featured in Crazy Compendium were first being written, because at that time, Andrew was first introduced to Spy University. A staggered educational activity center from Scholastic, Spy University followed the story of a trainee (that would be the subscriber) who has just enrolled into the namesake school. However, the trainee discovers that some of the students are conspiring against and back-stabbing each other for their own end. Figuring out their identities is the primary objective of the fifteen-book series, each of which included relevant gadgets to solve the puzzles inside. Above is just some of them, which included a key chain alarm (which never worked), decoder pens and cipher wheels, radios, filtered sunglasses, faux hacking devices, a carrying case to carry it all in, and a secret camera so specialized, it required the separate purchase of a specialty film cartridge. It all inspired Andrew Bermudez a lot, but the character of Com 50 was also birthed through another, more bizarre, means.

    Above is the ID Andrew created for Spy University, complete with a web-assigned trainee number. But on another part of the web, specifically on lego.com, Andrew joined LEGO's online club. Just like now, user IDs were automatically generated, but Andrew was given one that coincidentally had a special ring to it: Com50. In the early days of 2004, Andrew thought about creating a spy character inspired by Spy University, and by using the codename-sounding username from lego.com and an extra tap of the space bar, Com 50 was born.

A Character with Two Introductory Films

    In fact, the character of Com 50 was created at such an early time, Com 50's first film would end up being the last to be released, which occurred on July 29, 2009. From December 2003 through March 2004, all of the earliest films were shot with an analog tape camcorder, which we didn't have the means to import at the time. This film, simply titled Com 50, would be a simple story about the namesake superspy trying to stop Iranian terrorists from destroying the Sears Tower (which has dated the film; the tower is now known as the Willis Tower). It was straightforward and would end up being the shortest of the four Com 50 films.

    In April 2004, our filming equipment switched to a MiniDV camcorder which, while still a tape camcorder, was better designed for digital integration. After filming Trip to LEGOLAND and Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Leopard's Treasure on the unit, Com 50's introductory film was basically remade as the film Com 50: Peril in Iran. For the lack of a better description, it was basically Com 50 but filmed on a better camera and with more plot. This time around, the film was moved to a near-future World War 3 setting with more advanced gadgets and more screentime. Some of the shots were remade almost exactly, while others were invented for this version. This version of the film would go on to become the first Com 50 film released, which happened on February 8, 2005.

A Legion of Teammates

    On that same day, a more ambitious sequel titled Com 50 & 007, also debuted, which introduced new teammates for Com 50 to interact with. As the title suggests, Com 50 was paired up with 007 (who, in this continuity, is not James Bond, but rather shares the same codename) to track down Cal Pada's forces in the French Alps. Notably in this film, actors outside of Daniel and Andrew Bermudez were enlisted to help bring the film to life, including Luke Stabe as 007 (he had played the character in a separate series of films), John Stabe as Boris, and Teresa Bermudez as the infamous French singer Chaveux Bleus (that's French for Blue Hair, for obvious reasons). This expanded with the final film in the trilogy, Com 50-3: Raid on Central Island, which recast John Stabe as Professor Boris II (clone of the original), as well as cast Lauren Adkins as Ranger 22, Tyler Shefton as X, Jeremy Babcock as Hayman Talon, and Al Bermudez as W, among others. This outing also ended up being the longest Com 50 film to date, with the special edition debuting on March 10 of this year running even longer.

An Arsenal of Gadgets

    But remember those gadgets from Spy University that we showed earlier? Well, it turns out that Spy University did more than just inspire the Com 50 Trilogy. All of those gadgets ended up being used in the films as props! Above is just some of them (or rather what's left in the archive) stored in their carrying case and ready to be displayed when the time calls for it. On-screen, their usefulness ended up being situational (while the telescoping pen ended up being used, the specialty film camera did not), but they did add character to the ever-resourceful Com 50. On the other hand, the alarm key chain that broke and never worked properly did end up being used as the punchline for a joke in Com 50-3: Raid on Central Island.

Cal Pada: Evil At Its Most Comedic!

    In the original Com 50 film, the terrorists that Com 50 squared off against were never really named and really just existed to give Com 50 some nameless mooks to kill. However, in Com 50: Peril in Iran, this organization was officially introduced as Cal Pada, a terrorist organization intent on destroying the world unless their demands are met. What those demands are were never properly established, though the official canon did later state that Cal Pada was seeking respect and sponsorship from the Illuminati (which canonically dissolved after the events of Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients). However, what made Cal Pada stand out was perhaps two polar opposite takes on character humor:

1. The organization's leadership was constantly fighting amongst itself as personalities clashed and no one could agree on the best strategy for destroying the world. At the very least, through all of the bickering, they were at least able to make a few things happen, such as reawakening the mutated iguana kaiju nicknamed Godzilla in order to destroy Tokyo.
2. The organization's foot soldiers, on the other hand, were so ceaselessly one-dimensional, they all looked literally identical (because only one actor played all of them) and existed only to die. In fact, the Cal Pada Guard has become a running joke simply because of how uninspired they really are.

    It should go without saying that as the Com 50 Trilogy went on, Cal Pada was the primary reason for it becoming goofier and more removed from reality. This all, of course, came to a head in 2007, when the trilogy ended.

The Grand Finale

    Above is the reimagined poster for Com 50-3: Raid on Central Island (updated to match the upcoming special edition), the last Com 50 film to be produced (though, as mentioned before, not the last to be released). It's the longest film in the trilogy, clocking in at over half an hour, and the biggest departure from not only the simplicity of Com 50, but also the original plot for Com 50: Peril In Iran. This film had been in pre-production since early 2005, but with Kilroy Was Here! and Jolly Roger and the Pirate Queen getting the attention at the time, this film was pushed back to 2007, which changed the story significantly. The original World War 3 plot was completely dropped, and the visual look was remade from the ground up. Several new effects were used in this film, including our first-ever use of green screen. The result is a spy action film that is both funny and exciting, a proper send-off to the trilogy.

    Last year, we took a look at how this film is being reimagined for this celebration, and while we can't give everything away, we did realize that the original film's use of copyrighted footage to bring Godzilla to life wasn't going to work, so this film became another first for us: the first to use AI-generated footage to expand the film. We don't think this test has been as successful, but this film has once again acted as a testing ground for new ways to create films.

The Character's Legacy

    After the release of Com 50-3: Raid on Central Island, we defied the demand for another installment in the series and let it end where we planned to stop it (this was also helped along by another film that started production later in 2007, Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo, that shifted resources and later started its own popular series). However, that didn't mean that we fully abandoned Com 50 after 2007. In fact, Com 50's first film, Com 50, debuted in 2009 as a part of the Five-Year Celebration, which would then create a massive continuity headache in 2013 when the cinematic universe was established. Outside of that, though, spy thrillers in general are still a part of Mustache Maniacs Film Co.'s long-term plans. In 2015, Alpha Team: Mission Deep Jungle debuted to great praise. A sequel titled Alpha Team: Mission Deep City is set to debut in 2025.

    However, the biggest connection to Com 50 is the spiritual continuation in the Clone Saga, as it has been called. It's kind of a part of Project U (Only one of the films in the saga is an actual Project U film, but I digress), but the decade-long saga that started with Solarum ended last month with Agent: Thorgood, a spy thriller all on its own. This film not only revealed what Solarum Industries is really up to, but it also set up the plot for the upcoming science-fiction action-adventure film B.I.O. Corps, set to be released in 2029. Outside of that, who knows. Maybe when the time is right, Com 50 will come out of retirement to save the world again.

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