HOW TO READ THIS COMIC: This site hosts, technically, two comics. The navigation was custom built to accommodate this and is a little different from what you may be used to, but still pretty easy to understand. The simplest way to navigate is to just click on the strip itself. That will take you immediately [...]
Archive for ‘Chapter 01 – Insane Romance From Hell’
This is one of those that’s a favorite of a lot of people (or so I’m told) but that I’ve never really liked much. Bathroom humor always feels cheap and forced to me. On these early strips I was drawing at a smaller size and using paper and pens that were quite a bit different [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 9, 08 | 186 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 3 “Going Up” |
Sep 25, 06 | 4 – Who is Coming to Valhalla? |
Jul 13, 15 | 655 – He’s In |
Aug 20, 14 | 619 – The Repentant |
Feb 8, 07 | 98 – The Wedding of Captain Spectacular and Star Maiden |
After I did the first 10 SuperFogeys strips on my blog at MySpace, I decided to try to find a place to get the strip hosted and see if I could produce something like it on a regular basis. When the SuperFogeys did find a host site (pre-Th3rd World) I decided to start the strip [...]
Related Comics ¬
Oct 14, 06 | 21 – You Must Respect Women, Dr. Rocket! |
Oct 22, 06 | 28 – The Tragedy of Jerry |
Dec 14, 11 | 371 – Leaving Las Vegas |
Apr 16, 18 | 778 – Sam’s Guilt |
This is the first strip where I’m really demonstrating the perverseness of Dr. Rocket, an aspect of his personality that would come to define him later. It’s hard writing a perverse character in what is essentially an all-ages strip, but I think this strip is a good example of how it can be done. It’s [...]
Related Comics ¬
Oct 29, 12 | 453 – Buried Weapons |
Jan 28, 10 | 241 – He’s Gone |
Jan 6, 20 | 821 – Frightening Frogs |
Feb 6, 07 | 96 – Portal? |
Nov 25, 11 | Pg. 2 “The Third Man” |
I knew I wanted Dr. Rocket’s monologue to be about how he got Spy Gal unconscious, but I wanted his means of accomplishing that to be something humorous, brief and unique. I thought he might drug her, but just any ol’ drug wouldn’t do. It had to be something exotic. Boom: Space Pig Urine. It [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jul 23, 09 | 217 – Jerry’s Family? |
Dec 7, 11 | 369 – Donut Power |
Nov 25, 08 | 182 – Someone Steps Forward (Bubbles of Light 3) |
Feb 9, 21 | 872 – Zurida Down |
Aug 22, 16 | 692 – See! You Are Needed! |
There are essentially two ways to do a comic strip (as I see it): with or without a continuing story. The intro of Spy Gal is when I realized that I just wasn’t capable of doing one-off jokes. I ALWAYS have a story to tell. Spy Gal was originally supposed to be a character named [...]
Related Comics ¬
Apr 7, 14 | 586 – The New Percy |
Jan 29, 20 | 828 – Sorry About the Torture |
Dec 16, 11 | Pg. 5 “Full Power, Harvey!” |
Dec 2, 10 | 287 – GAH! |
Feb 15, 12 | 387 – A Hot Shower |
For Spy Gal’s intro, I wanted to push the boundaries of good taste a little. Is it right to make light of the dementia that all-too-often takes over the minds of older people? …Depends on how you do it. Turns out Spy Gal was faking, but it’s a theme I plan on revisting. Why Turnip? [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jan 20, 11 | 292 – Everything Was Chaos |
Jul 15, 08 | 145 – Wrinkly Butt |
Feb 1, 17 | 731 – Mr. Brightside |
Mar 26, 09 | 201 – The Orphan BBQ Will Have to Wait |
Feb 8, 11 | Pg. 2 “New Designer in Town” |
It still pains me to look at the art in a lot of these early strips. Where the crud are the frickin’ wheelchairs? The only answer I have is that I was lazy and was trying to draw as little as possible. I really saw the strips as more of an exercise in pacing and [...]
Related Comics ¬
Sep 7, 15 | 679 – The Design of His Life |
Jun 26, 13 | 516 – Time to Clean House |
Aug 15, 14 | Pg. 7 “Kill ‘Em All” |
Mar 23, 12 | Pg. 5 “Where Are The Unicef Upstarts?” |
Feb 1, 12 | 383 – Jackpot. |
his is the second of the additions I made to the original 10 black and white strips I did to kick off the SuperFogeys. Originally, episode 8 went into what is now episode 10 without this minor stopover to make explicit what was once subtle. She’s Spy Gal. Spy Gal is a spy. Duh. It [...]
Related Comics ¬
Nov 16, 11 | 363 – Liberated |
Feb 3, 07 | 94 – Everything Changed |
Apr 27, 11 | 311 – The Glow of the Screen Shines Brightly |
Oct 29, 09 | 231 – The Greatest Revenge Plot Never Imagined |
This is one of my favorites. I think it really brings home the idea that these guys are old. We don’t know how Mr. Crook died, but he was in a nursing home and that’s what people tend to do there so we don’t even wonder what the cause was. Maybe that’s a story I’ll [...]
Related Comics ¬
Sep 7, 16 | 697 – No Fun Being Ignored |
Apr 30, 18 | 782 – The Lone Figure in the Doorway |
Jul 9, 14 | 608 – Gumdrops and Rainbows |
Sep 11, 08 | 162 – Just Another Purty Face? |
Feb 15, 11 | Pg. 3 “For The Girls” |
I had written myself into a bit of a corner. I had Spy Gal come to Valhalla, but she didn’t really need to be there. Somehow, I had to make her stay. Enter the Orderly (later named Gene) and the Power Dampener. Visually, Spy Gal would never be the same after this strip and I [...]
Related Comics ¬
Mar 18, 10 | 248 – The Difference Between Justice and Revenge |
Dec 5, 11 | 368 – Darn That Dr. Klein |
May 27, 13 | 507 – Telling Off Skunk Head |
Feb 17, 11 | 296 – Even Her |
Dec 9, 10 | 288 – Fill Me In |
This is one of my absolute favorites. I think it’s one of the funniest last panels I’ve ever come up with. So, of course, only about half the people who read it actually get it. This one gets knocked down by a lot of people for not standing too well on its own. I suppose [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 19, 16 | 720 – Thank You for Making Me Angry |
Jun 22, 10 | SF Origins: The Life and Times of Soviet Sam, Pg. 5 “How People Look at You” |
May 6, 10 | 255 – Parental Duty |
Oct 2, 06 | 10 – Why Spy Gal Came to Valhalla |
Time between the creation of SuperFogeys 12 and 13: 2 months. This is the first strip that really sets the tone for what the SuperFogeys would be. The art is finally coming into its own, resulting in a strip that I’m really proud of. I love the subtle pacing of the camera zoom. It’s a [...]
Related Comics ¬
First of all: yes, they’re watching Jeopardy. The real point of this strip was to show Jerry’s concern for Spy Gal and Captain Spectacular’s utter lack of it. I wrapped that point in a Jeopardy joke recycled from Groundhog Day because I figured I’d better do this joke now and early in order to get [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 29, 10 | Guest Strip by Javier Del Villar (Extra) |
Dec 18, 08 | 189 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 6 “The Medallion” |
Apr 8, 13 | 495 – A Willing Prisoner |
Oct 31, 11 | 359 – Warmed Up |
Jan 3, 11 | Guest Strip by Javier Del Villar, Part One |
What’s sadder than a guy who can run really fast that’s stuck behind a walker? The answer is nothing, my friends, nothing. That’s what makes Swifty so much fun–we all know exactly why he’s so bitter and grumpy and you just can’t blame the guy. For Swifty’s design, I couldn’t make him look too much [...]
Related Comics ¬
Nov 11, 06 | 39 – Jerry Arrives Late |
Feb 17, 11 | 296 – Even Her |
Jan 18, 12 | 379 – A True Hero |
May 17, 22 | 889 – So Much Love to Share |
May 2, 18 | 783 – FINALLY! |
This is one of those strips I really, really struggled with. I knew the last thing I wanted was for Dr. Rocket to successfully take advantage of Spy Gal. I mean, this just isn’t that kind of strip. The simplest solution would have been to have Jerry or Captain Spectacular bust through the wall and [...]
Related Comics ¬
Aug 11, 09 | SF Origins: Tangerine, Pg. 3 “New Parts” |
Aug 15, 11 | 342 – The Wrong Man |
Dec 12, 16 | 718 – What is Deserved |
Jul 17, 08 | 146 – Cad and a Layabout |
Nov 2, 06 | 30 – B-I-N-G-O |
Related Comics ¬
Sep 7, 15 | 679 – The Design of His Life |
Sep 17, 09 | 225 – And the Winner Is… |
Jan 19, 07 | 76 – Space Pig’s Feelings Get Hurt |
Jul 15, 08 | 145 – Wrinkly Butt |
Mar 13, 07 | 112 – Budapest ’68 All Over Again |
This one is just ugly. None of the characters look right, though I do love how the idea of Spy Gal kissing Dr. Rocket just rolls off Captain Spectacular. The man just does not care. Plus: sexy shoulder blades.
Related Comics ¬
Aug 15, 11 | 342 – The Wrong Man |
Aug 28, 19 | 795 – The Duality of All Creatures |
Mar 23, 12 | Pg. 5 “Where Are The Unicef Upstarts?” |
Sep 30, 11 | Chapter 7, “Visiting Day” Recap by Rossana Bugini |
Apr 9, 07 | 138 – Good News and Bad News |
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, this was a step in the right artistic direction for the SuperFogeys. The changing camera views were necesitated by the storyline and made for a much stronger reading experience. There’s a little easter egg in this one with the picture of the girl on the wall in [...]
Related Comics ¬
I love this strip. I think this is the one where you get the best sense of the relationship between Captain Spectacular and Jerry. The first panel alone–I think if the entire strip were just that panel, I’d be happy. I don’t think anyone else laughs at that first panel (That’s not where the joke [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 10, 09 | 237 – A Surprise Visitor |
Dec 9, 10 | 288 – Fill Me In |
Oct 23, 17 | 740 – Boop |
Nov 21, 11 | 364 – Comrade |
Me: Hey, I’ve got a great idea. Me: What’s that? Me: You know how we could get a lot of strips done quickly? Me: How? Me: We could just cut/paste all the best bits from previous strips and add only minor alterations! Me: Genius. Future Me: I beg to differ.
Related Comics ¬
My lazy self strikes again. As for the story here, this strip was important to me because I had a very real fear at the time that it was going to be perceived that I had a hatred towards women. Dumb, right? I mean, Dr. Rocket is a character, he doesn’t speak for me, but [...]
Related Comics ¬
Aug 6, 09 | 219 – Bubbles of Light 5 |
Jan 1, 14 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, 4! |
Jan 7, 21 | 865 – Balance |
Sep 12, 11 | 350 – Great Things Ahead |
Nov 2, 16 | 710 – Crimson Oils |
This is the strip that finally broke me. I enjoy the dialogue here a lot, but the art is the (seemingly) umpteenth strip made out of spare parts. This is when I realized things had to change.
Related Comics ¬
Aug 31, 12 | Pg. 4 “Crib Cage” |
Aug 5, 13 | 523 – The Big Slam |
Oct 12, 12 | Pg. 8 “Gross Fetuses” |
Mar 14, 07 | 113 – “THAT’S NOT FAIR!” |
Jul 8, 11 | Pg. 13 “A Tree Falls in the Forest…” |
I do believe this strip marks the first close-up I’d ever done in the Superfogeys. I began looking for ways to change the camera around and push the framing into the storytelling more. It was just one panel, but it was a start.
Related Comics ¬
Dec 10, 20 | 861 – tink tink tink |
Sep 27, 12 | GUEST STRIP by Crystal Murphy, Summer Fun Pt. 3 |
Nov 19, 20 | 857 – Knocked Off the Perch |
Dec 23, 08 | 190 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 7 “Test Subjects” |
Oct 21, 10 | 281 – Expected |
I love this little experiment. It’s two jokes, one the main plot and one a jokey subplot, that don’t work so well on their own but that compliment each other, I think, pretty well. Jerry’s frustration here is my own. Sleep, it seems, will always be denied me. I had no idea the Space Pig [...]
Related Comics ¬
Double-sized strips are always fun, but I’m not sure this is the best use of it. The flashback certainly was fun to do. The idea here should be clear: Jerry is Captain Spectacular’s sidekick. This is all set-up and revelation. You should be getting the idea by now that Chapter 1 is really Jerry’s story.
Related Comics ¬
Dec 1, 06 | 51 – Can Hair Eat? |
Apr 23, 09 | 205 – Here is What I Propose |
Nov 14, 12 | 458 – Quite An Entrance |
Sep 24, 09 | 226 – The Deal is Off |
Mar 10, 14 | 578 – A Different Kind of Torture |
This is the episode that almost never was. My original plan was to go from strip 26 to the last strip of Chapter 1–what is now strip 28. However, I realized fairly late in the game that I hadn’t really done anything to set up WHY CS and Spy Gal would get back together. I [...]
Related Comics ¬
Apr 6, 11 | 305 – Favorite Thing He’s Seen All Year |
Sep 22, 09 | SF Origins: Herman’s Story, Pg. 4 “I Am Dr. Rocket” |
Mar 12, 18 | 770 – Bumps in the Road |
Aug 6, 14 | 616 – One of Zurida’s |
Aug 8, 14 | Pg. 6 “Back From the Dead” |
The last strip of Chapter One is one that I had planned for a long, long time. Once I decided to do the SuperFogeys for real, I quickly came up with a grand plan. This plan extends far, far beyond this chapter, though this ending is the first touchstone in that plan. If you ever [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 16, 11 | Pg. 5 “Full Power, Harvey!” |
Dec 5, 06 | 54 – Gene Gets What’s Coming to Him |
Oct 17, 18 | HUGE NEWS! SuperFogeys Volume One—Inaction Heroes now on Kickstarter! |
Dec 21, 11 | 373 – SWAT! |