Welcome to Chapter 16 – Invasion, Pt. 3: Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun. This promises to be a big, bold chapter taking us right through SF 500. You just know that one’s going to be HUGE. I can say no more right now. Newer SuperFans may be unfamiliar with Soviet Sam’s story. He’ll be telling [...]
Archive for ‘Chapter 16 – Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun’
One of the unique things about Soviet Sam is that before he became part of the main cast, he received an extensive introduction in SuperFogeys Origins. Most of you are familiar with his story from there, but my initial concern in introducing him to the Valhalla story was that there was just too much to [...]
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| Oct 13, 14 | 628 – Earth-Abbadon |
| Aug 31, 15 | 676 – Jerry, Meet Thrice Evil |
| Jan 14, 13 | 471 – Mmm… Spaghetti… |
| Jul 4, 14 | Pg. 1 “One Month Later” |
| Jul 7, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 21 “Sayonara, Sucker!” |
On the surface, this doesn’t look like a terribly personal strip, but I put a secret part of myself into Sam here. As some of you already know, my father was killed in an armed robbery some years ago, when I was just making the transition into adulthood. I was in no way responsible for [...]
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| Apr 16, 18 | 778 – Sam’s Guilt |
| Aug 31, 15 | 676 – Jerry, Meet Thrice Evil |
| Dec 5, 12 | 464 – Cuffed |
| Nov 18, 19 | 813 – Villains Landing |
| Apr 4, 07 | 134 – Driving Everybody Off |
Castro! The last time we saw our friendly neighborhood dictator was a long, long time ago. His appearance proved so popular he even inspired a T-shirt! (Did you get one? If you have a photo of you in it, I’d love to post it.) I think there’s a whole ‘nother story to be told about [...]
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| May 22, 13 | 506 – Disappearing Act |
| Feb 11, 10 | 243 – A Deal is a Deal |
| May 21, 09 | 209 – Coming to Jesus |
| May 20, 08 | SF Collection #4 Cover |
| Feb 21, 18 | 765 – The Spark Between Them |
The alien invaders have desired Dr. Rocket for quite a while that they might make him answer for his crimes. As far as the SF Universe is concerned, there’s no one who has done more damage or more wrong than Dr. Rocket. He is an out and out villain. Never pretends to be otherwise. And [...]
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| Oct 7, 08 | 169 – Faker! |
| Oct 14, 08 | 171 – Hello, Karma |
| Dec 21, 10 | SF Origins: The Thrice Evil, Pg. 3 “Out of Mongoloids” |
| Sep 1, 22 | 920 – …The More They Stay the Same |
| Dec 11, 08 | 187 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 4 “New Clothes” |
Last week was good stuff. It’s good to be reminded now and then that SuperFogeys has one of the most engaged and smart readerships out there who are always thinking–not just about the latest twists and turns, but about character. I the variety of opinions on the issue of what makes a character likable or [...]
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| May 24, 22 | 891 – Third Eye Blind |
| Feb 26, 20 | 834 – Percy Makes a Choice |
| Jan 18, 12 | 379 – A True Hero |
| Nov 19, 20 | 857 – Knocked Off the Perch |
| Apr 4, 18 | 777 – The Howl |
There’s no way to overstate how big a domino just fell in today’s strip. Soviet Sam and Space Pig are just catching up to a valuable piece of intel that was dropped on you, the reader, waaaaaaaay back in strip 100. I made a choice back then to reveal something to the reader that none [...]
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| Oct 5, 16 | 704 – Ankle Biters |
| Mar 31, 07 | 130 – When Pigs Fly |
| Aug 19, 13 | 527 – A Concerned Husband |
| Jul 6, 11 | 331 – Paradise |
| Apr 28, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 11 “Huzzah!” |
It’s been a long, long time since a strip has been tagged as “Bubbles of Light.” What the heck are Bubbles of Light? Here’s a tip: click on the tag below to see a good compilation of all the most important strips involving the Bubbles of Light. Once you’ve done that, come on back here [...]
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| Aug 19, 10 | 273 – All Is Revealed |
| Jan 15, 18 | 754 – Not Strong Anymore |
| May 5, 08 | 102 – WebSpace Page: Swifty |
| Jun 17, 13 | 513 – Devil’s Bargain |
| Feb 3, 20 | 829 – Too. Far. |
I hate giving Marc strips with five panels. Believe it or not, I try to strip these things back as far as I can. If I can get it down to one panel, I will, but as you all know that almost never happens. Marc had a real challenge here. He had to set up [...]
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I was just looking back at Marc’s first work on SuperFogeys yesterday and it really stuck me not only how far along his line work has come, but also how much his method for coloring has changed. There’s just far more shades and details in his coloring now–things that aren’t even in the drawings themselves. [...]
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Today kicks off a short, long overdue flashback showing just what the heck happened to Dark (Star) Maiden after she left Las Vegas. While the 400th strip played out as a fun reveal, I really did see it as a promise of an untold story I’d have to tell one day. Enjoy. Why do you [...]
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| Aug 29, 12 | 440 – Up, Up and CRASH |
| Mar 19, 14 | 581 – Gorgeous Guy Has Feelings |
| Nov 6, 13 | 546 – Tangerine Makes a Decision |
| Oct 27, 14 | 631 – Two Decisions |
| Nov 3, 14 | 633 – A Different Destiny |
I was reminded this past week that not everyone shares the encyclopedic knowledge of SuperFogeys I have. That brain in the jar? That really is Star Maiden’s father, she’s not THAT crazy. This flashback is a bit of a sequel to both Star Maiden’s origin and the flashback that showed her trip home. If you’re [...]
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| Nov 20, 13 | 550 – Everything in its Right Place |
| Mar 17, 14 | 580 – The Pleasure of Conquering |
| Mar 26, 18 | 774 – Thwarted |
| May 9, 11 | 314 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 3: The One He Truly Hunts |
| Mar 27, 13 | 492 – Such Great Heights |
There were two issues that plagued this strip kind of from the get-go. One was what Percy was going to eat in panel two. I originally scripted it as the femur of one of Zurida’s palace guards, but after seeing Marc draw it I realized that was just one cannibal too many for SuperFogeys. Plus, [...]
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| Feb 28, 18 | 767 – Done Pretending |
| Sep 6, 22 | 921 – Obedience is Key |
| Jan 14, 10 | 239 – How Captain Spectacular Knows The Third Man |
| Jan 16, 13 | 472 – The Stink of the Space Monkeys |
| Aug 9, 22 | 913 – Any Questions? |
Here’s a tip to writers of comics: Wanna go easy on your artist? Script a bunch of head shots. Writing comics is often about balance. I can’t load up the detail and the backgrounds for multiple strips at a time or I’m gonna wear Marc out, so I’ve gotta also write stuff that it’s a [...]
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| Oct 21, 11 | Pg. 4 “Zombie Madness” |
| Jan 14, 13 | 471 – Mmm… Spaghetti… |
| Mar 23, 12 | Pg. 5 “Where Are The Unicef Upstarts?” |
| Jun 18, 12 | 421 – Space Monkey Report |
| Dec 28, 09 | Guest Strip by Don Oskowski of “Conduit Flux!” |
I don’t know when we’ve ever fit so many characters into a panel so small. I’m not even sure who all of those guys are! That’s exciting. Cami Fans: The real life Cami had her eighth birthday on Monday. On Saturday, we held our 4th Annual Birthday Ball Party in her honor–a half hour party [...]
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| Feb 26, 14 | 575 – Undermined |
| Sep 26, 12 | GUEST STRIP by Crystal Murphy, Summer Fun Pt. 2! |
| Nov 2, 06 | 30 – B-I-N-G-O |
| Sep 29, 06 | 7 – Turnip Turnip |
| Aug 30, 22 | 919 – The More Things Change… |
Okay, I kind of love how Marc draws Spy Gal when she’s in bad@$$ mode. That door never saw it coming. Last week was basically Cami week at my house as we celebrated her 8th birthday. My wife and daughter spoke at a school assembly about the damage the R-Word does and why it’s a [...]
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| Jan 15, 20 | 824 – Knives Out |
| Feb 10, 14 | 570 – Cavalry |
| Jul 9, 08 | Guest Strip by Rufus Edge of “comicdeoxyribonucleicacid!” |
| Jul 23, 12 | 429 – Shenanigans |
| Mar 28, 18 | 775 – Raging Percy |
One of the things that’s really hard to achieve in the strip format is any sense of scale. A comic book page gives you that vertical space that really allows you to expand the visuals out that a strip just doesn’t. True, there’s nothing saying we HAVE to do this in strips–that’s a self-imposed restriction–but [...]
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| Oct 13, 20 | 846 – Oh, He Dead |
| Mar 6, 13 | 486 – On a Thin Tether |
| Mar 17, 14 | 580 – The Pleasure of Conquering |
| Jan 21, 13 | 473 – Monkey Rain |
| Jan 15, 09 | 192 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 9 “Supposed to Be Me” |
Last Wednesday’s strip generated some great discussion about what Dr. Rocket and Zurida are up to. Today’s strip should provide those answers handily. Those of you with good memories should recall that Zurida saw Jerry quite clearly when she “visited” Valhalla in the previous chapter. Zurida’s invitation to Dr. Rocket to enter her palace kicks [...]
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| Mar 11, 20 | 838 – The Situation |
| Mar 13, 11 | 299 – Why The Hospital |
| Dec 15, 20 | 862 – That’s It!? |
| Oct 21, 08 | 173 – The Blender of Vengeance |
| Apr 9, 07 | 138 – Good News and Bad News |
I’m starting to find some unique joys in having a long-running webcomic. One of them is scenes like this. There’s a huge gap between how Cap and Doc related to each other at the beginning of the strip and how they are now. I believe firmly in change. People don’t stay one way through their [...]
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| Jul 27, 12 | Pg. 5 “Long Night of the Monsters” |
| Jul 11, 11 | 332 – Captain Spectacular’s Buds |
| Feb 17, 20 | 831 – Rage |
| Oct 7, 10 | 279 – Gina Galloway |
| Dec 14, 10 | SF Origins: The Thrice Evil, Pg. 2 “No One Should Die Among Strangers” |
I derive an unexpected amount of satisfaction from this interaction between Dr. Rocket and Captain Spectacular. Even more than the hug last week, I just love that they’re so simpatico here. Maybe this is born of my secret desire for Superman and Lex Luthor to knock back a couple of root beers and work their [...]
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| Oct 27, 20 | 850 – Grand Entrance |
| Feb 22, 12 | 389 – The Invisible Pain |
| Apr 27, 12 | Pg. 10 “Mother and Child Reunion” |
| Nov 23, 06 | 50 – And the Actual Winner of Bingo Night is… |
| Oct 7, 06 | 14 – Watchin’ TV |
I know I can be a wordy sonuvagun (though I’d like to think I’ve gotten better with time and experience), but I really do love strips like this that are more about economy of storytelling than how many words I can stick in a panel. Marc nailed the emotion in a big way, putting the [...]
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| Jul 9, 08 | Guest Strip by Rufus Edge of “comicdeoxyribonucleicacid!” |
| Mar 21, 11 | The SuperFogeys 2011 Teaser |
| Oct 6, 09 | SF Origins: JA – Tom’s Story, Pg. 1 “Hello, My Name is Tom” |
| Feb 4, 10 | 242 – Comfort Food |
| Feb 11, 13 | 479 – Rescued By Fidel Castro |
Sometimes you just have to slow things down to give them their proper weight. I know if you’re following the updates on the days they come out there’s not much new here, but I think for future readers who get to experience this chapter in book form or all at once, this will be a [...]
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| Aug 17, 12 | Pg. 2 “Youthfulenergysupersurplus!” |
| Sep 8, 09 | SF Origins: Herman’s Story, Pg. 2 “The Happiest Year” |
| Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
| Aug 9, 22 | 913 – Any Questions? |
Marc did such a great job pacing this strip and conveying the emotion that you almost don’t even need words to get what’s happening here between Cap, Zurida and Michelle. In fact, I was able to get rid of a little bit of dialogue, and it’s a stronger strip for it. Next week we’ll be [...]
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| Dec 27, 13 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, 1 |
| Sep 23, 06 | 2 – Introducing Jerry! |
| Mar 10, 14 | 578 – A Different Kind of Torture |
| Oct 2, 17 | 734 – Lovely and Darling |
| Aug 21, 15 | 672 – To The USZ! |
I wish I had a lot more space to give over to Percy as I think he’s a pretty fascinating dude with some real identity issues. Hopefully, tidbits like the ones you’re getting today are enticing. I’d love to do a SuperFogeys Origin with Percy someday. I mean, with a hot, despot mom and a [...]
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| Feb 25, 21 | 877 – The Honor is Hers |
| Oct 15, 20 | 847 – Macho Verve and Vigor |
| Mar 9, 12 | Pg. 3 “His Old Flame” |
| May 26, 22 | 892 – Ejection |
| Jan 29, 20 | 828 – Sorry About the Torture |
If we’ve done our job right, today’s post is not quite what you were expecting. I’ve been touting SF 500 for weeks now as a gigantic update–and it certainly is at quadruple the normal size–but the scope of the tale is actually quite intimate, not unlike SF 300 a couple years back. This is, simply, [...]
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Welcome back, everyone! Last week’s break was, I’m sure, completely unwelcome, but we both appreciate your patience and understanding. Your response to SF 500 was overwhelming and so, so positive. 107 comments and counting. For a webcomic with a modest readership like ours, Â that’s a big friggin’ deal. That makes today’s update sort of long-awaited. [...]
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| Dec 29, 09 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, Part One |
| Mar 11, 20 | 838 – The Situation |
| Oct 7, 19 | 801 – The Next Best Thing |
| Mar 21, 11 | The SuperFogeys 2011 Teaser |
| Aug 27, 14 | 621 – Jerry’s Powers |
This strip is a Marc Lapierre special. I’ve learned that with action scenes the less scripting I do the better. Marc has references to pull from that I can’t touch and a much better visual mind for the choreography and how it should play out across panels than I do. Even in the last panel, [...]
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| Dec 14, 10 | SF Origins: The Thrice Evil, Pg. 2 “No One Should Die Among Strangers” |
| Jul 4, 14 | Pg. 1 “One Month Later” |
| May 9, 11 | 314 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 3: The One He Truly Hunts |
| Oct 21, 13 | SuperFogeys Q and A: 3 of 4 |
| Sep 27, 06 | 6 – Introducing Spy Gal! |
I imagine when you’re older you have to really conserve your movements. Think about it: energy reserves are lower than in the past and maybe the bones don’t work as well. So, you don’t do anything that requires more energy than necessary. Money Man has obviously learned this lesson well. Lots of great, (sometimes) crazy [...]
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| Sep 22, 09 | SF Origins: Herman’s Story, Pg. 4 “I Am Dr. Rocket” |
| Nov 9, 06 | 37 – Is Dr. Klein a Sexy Beast? |
| Aug 25, 14 | 620 – Her Husband’s Keeper |
| Feb 25, 10 | 245 – One Week Later |
| Feb 5, 07 | 95 – Flying Away |
I don’t think you get to strike the pose Money Man is OWNING in the first panel and not be considered a total bad@$$. Like, he’s not even gonna give you his front. Naw, you gotta look at him from the side if you wanna admire him after he takes out the bad guy (or [...]
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| May 4, 11 | 313 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 2: A Lovely Woman |
| Jun 19, 08 | 140 – The Kindness of His Heart |
| Nov 18, 10 | 285 – Medical Centre |
| Jan 22, 20 | 826 – Into the Suckface |
| Jan 10, 18 | 753 – What She’d Like to Know |
This is probably the week you’ve been waiting for. Maybe you’re like Cap and you want to know how Money Man is back, but is that really the question you should be asking? Money Man says no. And when Money Man says no, that’s it. He’s rich. He can do what he wants. In other [...]
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| Sep 6, 22 | 921 – Obedience is Key |
| Feb 6, 12 | 384 – Taking It Well |
| Oct 9, 19 | 802 – Nothing More Important Than Loyalty |
| Feb 25, 10 | 245 – One Week Later |
I’m gonna be honest with you guys–I did not plan on introducing this story thread in this chapter. I mean, there’s an alien invasion going on. How many more threats do the Fogeys need to deal with? This isn’t the same as saying this is an unplanned story. What Money Man is talking about is [...]
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I think I mentioned that I’ve been rereading SF lately as I prepare files for Comixology. In the course of that, I’ve noticed that one thing I have a tendency to do is cut rapidly between simultaneously occurring scenes, jumping from character to character sometimes after only one or two strips. That’s fun and it [...]
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| Apr 22, 10 | 253 – Destiny Screwed Over |
| Apr 13, 12 | Pg. 8 “Enter: The Thrice Evil” |
| Apr 1, 10 | 250 – To Be So Stupid |
| Jul 2, 18 | Pg. 5 “Promise” |
| Jun 18, 14 | 602 – The Legless Speedster |
Some expert storytelling from Marc in this strip. It looks deceptively simple, but there’s really a lot going on across these four panels and fitting all the beats in and choosing just the right angle is no mean trick. I honestly didn’t know how Marc was going to interpret the script, but he did a [...]
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| Mar 4, 13 | 485 – To The Stars |
| Oct 17, 11 | 355 – Bubbles of Light 6 |
| Jan 26, 07 | 84 – You Don’t Mess with Dr. Klein |
| Oct 7, 11 | Chapter 12, “Jackpot!” Recap by Steve VanDyken |
| Oct 5, 11 | Chapter 10, “Bubbles of Light” Recap by Danny Burleson |
While it may not have seemed like it at the beginning, this chapter is, I think, aptly named. Every single character has got so many different secrets and agendas and a rule of storytelling (at least one of my rules) is that nothing that is hidden remains so forever. True, new mysteries have been introduced [...]
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| Feb 2, 21 | 870 – Spy Gal’s Patience Runs Out |
| Dec 5, 12 | 464 – Cuffed |
| May 27, 11 | Pg. 7 “In the Future” |
| Jul 10, 15 | 654 – An Honest Conversation |
| Sep 1, 22 | 920 – …The More They Stay the Same |
New to SuperFogeys? Then you’ve come on the right day. Though the invaders first arrived at Earth in SF 400, this is the first time their overall plan has been spelled out. We’ve known their motivation–Dr. Rocket made a genocidal sweep of the universe in a merciless act of vengeance–but their goal has been somewhat [...]
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| Oct 2, 17 | 734 – Lovely and Darling |
| Mar 18, 13 | 489 – Change in Plan |
| Nov 25, 13 | 551 – The Guthrie is Turned On |
| Jan 31, 25 | SuperFogeys 2025 Update |
| Aug 29, 10 | SF Origins: Operation: Valhalla, No. 6 “Spy Gal Arrives” |
I confess the speculation last week’s strip inspired caught me unawares. It didn’t even occur to me that Zurida’s words in the last panel might be construed to mean that she was suggesting another mastermind behind everything. Obviously, that’s not exactly the case. Of course, there IS another mastermind lurking somewhere and we’ll meet him [...]
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| Sep 27, 11 | Chapter 4, “Dictator Tot’s Revenge” Recap by Jeremy Bentley |
| Dec 12, 12 | 466 – Tunnel Vision |
| Nov 14, 11 | 362 – Robots Don’t Sleep |
| Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
| Aug 26, 15 | 674 – A Little Window Above His Head |
The end of a chapter is my favorite part. It’s when everything comes together and the design of the thing is made clear. The chapter basically has three endings. You’ve seen one already, but this next one coming up should be obvious to longtime readers with good memories. But it’s the third ending I’m REALLY [...]
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| Nov 25, 11 | Pg. 2 “The Third Man” |
| Jul 21, 22 | 908 – Torture |
| Oct 24, 12 | 452 – Book of Mormon Story |
| Apr 2, 09 | 202 – He Started Stuttering |
| Feb 14, 18 | 763 – Serious Issues |
If there’s something you want that you’ll do just about ANYTHING to have it… then what would you do to keep it? I feel like the tide is always shifting on Jerry. Sometimes you guys love him, sometimes you hate him. I wonder if today’s strip will garner reactions just as divisive. Huge kudos to [...]
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| Aug 9, 22 | 913 – Any Questions? |
| Sep 30, 11 | Chapter 7, “Visiting Day” Recap by Rossana Bugini |
| Oct 28, 13 | 543 – The Ignored Little Boy |
| Dec 14, 11 | 371 – Leaving Las Vegas |
| Sep 9, 15 | 680 – Thrice Evil is Not Pleased |
…and Swifty saw it all. Speculate at will. Next week will be a lot of fun. Hey, quick note about an update to the website. There is now a handy dandy “Like” button for The SuperFogeys Facebook page on the left side. SuperFans on Facebook not only get the privilege of being admitted to Valhalla, [...]
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UPDATE 2! Since this time travel business has been woven so much into the background of the story of the SuperFogeys (and time travel can be kind of confusing), I want to help point you guys towards the right places as much as possible. Some of you are wondering WHY this is happening, and I [...]
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| Jun 2, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 16 “Eagle vs. Bear” |
| Oct 16, 06 | 23 – The Incontinent Duo |
| Jul 22, 15 | 659 – Wasting Time |
| Jul 17, 08 | 146 – Cad and a Layabout |
| Sep 7, 15 | 679 – The Design of His Life |
I’ve been much encouraged by the way Soviet Sam has been accepted by the majority of you since his proper introduction to the strip in SF 322. In a story with A LOT of characters (seriously, the cast is getting too big. I gotta kill a few off), he’s managed to come in fairly late [...]
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| Dec 9, 19 | 817 – Master Masticate Stands with Fork Ready |
| Mar 16, 21 | 882 – Says You |
| Dec 21, 16 | 721 – Requiem for Money Man |
| Sep 8, 22 | 922 – The New Normal |
This is it! The Penultimate strip of Chapter 16 – Invasion, Pt. 3: Secrets, Secrets are No Fun. It’s all been building to what happens on Wednesday. There was a seed planted a long, long time ago that is finally gonna pay off–one I don’t think anyone has ever noticed. My mind has already turned [...]
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| Dec 8, 20 | 860 – Idiot Martha |
| Apr 4, 11 | 304 – Catchy and Mysterious |
| Dec 2, 10 | 287 – GAH! |
| Oct 2, 06 | 10 – Why Spy Gal Came to Valhalla |
| Sep 30, 06 | 8 – Hands Off Spy Gal! |
UPDATE! Have some fun and read Chapter 16 from the beginning all the way through right here! Secrets, secrets are no fun Secrets, secrets hurt someone Here’s the deal, the title of this chapter is a lie. Secrets are really fun. It’s fun to have them, it’s fun to keep them and, in storytelling, they’re [...]
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| May 6, 08 | 75 – WebSpace Page: The Space Pig |
| Jan 26, 21 | 868 – The Blame Game |
| Aug 20, 09 | 221 – And By Books Do You Mean Skin Rags? |
| Dec 18, 19 | 820 – Heart-Stopping Great Looks |
