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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jul 31, 15 | 663 – Pandora’s Box |
May 19, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 14 “Save Him, Dirtlicker” |
Jul 3, 15 | 651 – Duplicity |
Jul 1, 15 | 650 – GAH! Feelings! |
May 9, 11 | 314 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 3: The One He Truly Hunts |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jun 24, 10 | 262 – What Happened to Star Maiden, Pt. 4 “All Hail” |
Nov 4, 19 | 809 – The Jerry Cradle |
Dec 18, 13 | 558 – Sokol Steps Up |
Oct 24, 12 | 452 – Book of Mormon Story |
Jul 30, 18 | Pg. 9 “Who is Talking?” |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Aug 5, 15 | 665 – All Out of Coffee and Goats |
Sep 24, 06 | 3 – Escape From the Carpathian Bug People |
Apr 13, 11 | 307 – T-Magus |
Mar 12, 18 | 770 – Bumps in the Road |
Sep 30, 11 | Chapter 7, “Visiting Day” Recap by Rossana Bugini |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jan 23, 13 | 474 – Overwhelmed |
Mar 2, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 9 “Mature Love” |
Oct 30, 19 | 808 – 2.5 Seconds Later |
Jun 10, 11 | Pg. 9 “College Years” |
May 25, 10 | SF Origins: The Life and Times of Soviet Sam, Pg. 1 “Where the Story Begins” |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Apr 28, 14 | 590 – Will He Fight? |
Jun 17, 11 | Pg. 10 “Lost Faith” |
Mar 16, 20 | 839 – What What |
Jan 2, 13 | Guest Strip by Brock Heasley (???) |
Mar 31, 07 | 130 – When Pigs Fly |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Oct 7, 06 | 14 – Watchin’ TV |
Nov 15, 06 | 43 – The Healer Approaches the Captain |
Nov 25, 08 | 182 – Someone Steps Forward (Bubbles of Light 3) |
Mar 26, 07 | 125 – Jerry’s Down |
Dec 8, 20 | 860 – Idiot Martha |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Aug 22, 12 | 438 – Don’t Insult the ‘Do |
Mar 12, 14 | 579 – The Romantic Smell of Blood and Suffering |
Jan 6, 11 | Guest Strip by Marjorie Rishel |
Nov 8, 17 | 745 – The Song of Rocket’s Loyalty |
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. [...]
Related Comics ¬
Mar 12, 07 | 111 – Forgive Dr. Rocket |
Nov 19, 12 | 459 – A Family Thing |
Jun 3, 13 | 509 – Villain to Villain |
Oct 20, 06 | 26 – How Jerry Met Spy Gal |
May 26, 15 | What You’ve Been Waiting to Know… |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Mar 26, 18 | 774 – Thwarted |
Jun 20, 12 | 422 – Whoof! |
Apr 22, 10 | 253 – Destiny Screwed Over |
Dec 12, 16 | 718 – What is Deserved |
Jan 15, 14 | 563 – Wreckage |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
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, [...]
Related Comics ¬
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 16, 08 | 188 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 5 “In The Dark” |
Oct 22, 20 | 849 – Break a Hip |
Sep 16, 11 | Pg. 2 “The Fallen Rabbit” |
Apr 10, 13 | 496 – The First Condition |
Mar 21, 11 | The SuperFogeys 2011 Teaser |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Aug 15, 16 | 690 – Name Calling |
Jun 8, 11 | 323 – What is a Villain? |
Nov 13, 06 | 41 – Swifty’s Litany |
Aug 7, 13 | 524 – Cracked |
Jan 28, 10 | 241 – He’s Gone |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Nov 27, 13 | 552 – Is Jerry Really Such a Bad Guy? |
Feb 5, 14 | 569 – Don’t Call Him a Communist When You’ve Been One For a Year |
Nov 3, 14 | 633 – A Different Destiny |
Mar 9, 12 | Pg. 3 “His Old Flame” |
Jul 29, 15 | 662 – Lazy Villainy |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jun 30, 22 | 902 – Devastation |
Apr 11, 12 | 402 – Lost Signal |
Jan 23, 17 | 728 – Oh, Brucie… |
Oct 28, 08 | 175 – My Pleasure |
Aug 23, 22 | 917 – The New Valhalla |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Oct 21, 11 | Pg. 4 “Zombie Madness” |
Feb 26, 18 | 766 – Always |
Oct 21, 08 | 173 – The Blender of Vengeance |
Oct 1, 06 | 9 – How to Turn Dr. Rocket On |
Nov 11, 10 | 284 – Pairing Off |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Nov 18, 08 | 180 – The Many Crimes of Dr. Rocket |
Mar 12, 18 | 770 – Bumps in the Road |
May 13, 13 | 503 – Money Man vs. Zurida |
Dec 5, 06 | 54 – Gene Gets What’s Coming to Him |
Aug 3, 15 | 664 – Too Old to Drive |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Mar 30, 07 | 129 – Captain Spectacular’s Plea |
Dec 10, 09 | 237 – A Surprise Visitor |
Apr 20, 12 | Pg. 9 “The Unicef Upstarts” |
Jul 9, 14 | 608 – Gumdrops and Rainbows |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Mar 12, 12 | 394 – The Bottom Drops Out |
Jan 5, 21 | 864 – Walking the Dark Side |
Jan 14, 13 | 471 – Mmm… Spaghetti… |
Sep 7, 15 | 679 – The Design of His Life |
May 9, 18 | 785 – What Spy Gal Wants |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Sep 16, 15 | 683 – What Makes Peace Worthless |
Aug 22, 16 | 692 – See! You Are Needed! |
Feb 2, 07 | 93 – Beginning the Tale of How Captain Spectacular Met and Married Star Maiden |
Sep 12, 12 | 444 – A New Mission |
Dec 12, 12 | 466 – Tunnel Vision |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Feb 9, 07 | 99 – The Tale of How Captain Spectacular and Star Maiden Met and Married, Conclusion |
Sep 11, 08 | 162 – Just Another Purty Face? |
Oct 31, 11 | 359 – Warmed Up |
Sep 18, 08 | 164 – Why “Tangerine?” |
Sep 1, 22 | 920 – …The More They Stay the Same |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jan 31, 25 | SuperFogeys 2025 Update |
Feb 2, 21 | 870 – Spy Gal’s Patience Runs Out |
Jan 21, 13 | 473 – Monkey Rain |
Jan 14, 13 | 471 – Mmm… Spaghetti… |
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, [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jan 28, 21 | 869 – A Wonderful Side Effect |
Jul 10, 08 | Guest Strip by Lucas Turnbloom of “Imagine This!” |
Jan 6, 12 | Pg. 7 “Space Pig the Sidekick?” |
Dec 9, 08 | 186 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 3 “Going Up” |
Mar 24, 07 | 123 – The Box is Opened |
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, that’s a big friggin’ deal. That makes today’s update sort of long-awaited. [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jul 11, 11 | 332 – Captain Spectacular’s Buds |
Jul 9, 18 | Pg. 6 “Date or Fight?” |
Jan 10, 18 | 753 – What She’d Like to Know |
Jun 23, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 19 “Did You Save Him?” |
Feb 13, 13 | 480 – A Bevy of Buxom Beach Beauties |
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, [...]
Related Comics ¬
Feb 22, 12 | 389 – The Invisible Pain |
Dec 16, 09 | SF Origins: Harvey the Science Rabbit, Pt. 1, Pg. 3 “The New Dr. Rocket” |
Nov 4, 19 | 809 – The Jerry Cradle |
Aug 14, 20 | 845 – Better and Better |
Nov 11, 08 | 178 – Death, M.D. |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Nov 4, 06 | 32 – Bingo Night Begins |
Jul 4, 11 | 330 – Swim City |
Feb 5, 07 | 95 – Flying Away |
Aug 7, 19 | 789 – The Mantle of Captain Spectacular |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 16, 09 | SF Origins: Harvey the Science Rabbit, Pt. 1, Pg. 3 “The New Dr. Rocket” |
Jan 25, 11 | SF Origins: The Thrice Evil, Pg. 9 “We Can Work With That” |
Aug 11, 22 | 914 – Time to Go |
Feb 17, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 1 “Spy Gal” |
Mar 26, 07 | 125 – Jerry’s Down |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Apr 18, 11 | 308 – Time Displaced/Erased/No Taste |
Dec 5, 12 | 464 – Cuffed |
Mar 16, 07 | 115 – Star Maiden Flattens Dr. Rocket |
Sep 11, 19 | 799 – Redemption is Possible |
Aug 28, 13 | 530 – Jerry’s Greatest Hits |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Feb 9, 21 | 872 – Zurida Down |
Jun 1, 10 | SF Origins: The Life and Times of Soviet Sam, Pg. 2 “Fallen Villain” |
Oct 27, 14 | 631 – Two Decisions |
Oct 7, 19 | 801 – The Next Best Thing |
Jul 29, 15 | 662 – Lazy Villainy |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Sep 27, 06 | 6 – Introducing Spy Gal! |
Sep 4, 08 | 160 – Best Friends Forever? |
Jun 14, 22 | 897 – Streaking Past |
Jul 9, 09 | 215 – Little Snot |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Oct 22, 14 | 530 – The Long Arm of the Universe |
Mar 18, 13 | 489 – Change in Plan |
Sep 18, 13 | 536 – Zurida and Her Subjects |
May 28, 14 | 599 – Bubbles of Light Sideways |
Jun 17, 08 | 139 – Jerry’s Fate Revealed |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Feb 27, 12 | 390 – Bubbles of Light 7 |
Nov 14, 11 | 362 – Robots Don’t Sleep |
Jun 12, 13 | 512 – The Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened to Swifty |
Apr 1, 13 | 493 – Dr. Rocket’s Game |
Aug 10, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal’s Secret Mission, Pg. 4 “Courtesy Call” |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Dec 11, 13 | 556 – Sisters Rule, Pilatius Drools |
Nov 14, 11 | 362 – Robots Don’t Sleep |
Mar 19, 12 | 396 – Give Tom a Chance |
Dec 18, 13 | 558 – Sokol Steps Up |
Nov 3, 14 | 633 – A Different Destiny |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Sep 9, 15 | 680 – Thrice Evil is Not Pleased |
Sep 26, 06 | 5 – The Urine of What!? |
Aug 19, 13 | 527 – A Concerned Husband |
Aug 2, 22 | 911 – The Savior of the World |
Aug 7, 13 | 524 – Cracked |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Feb 8, 07 | 98 – The Wedding of Captain Spectacular and Star Maiden |
Aug 10, 12 | Pg. 1 “Baby Hands” |
Nov 11, 13 | 547 – Lashing Out |
Jun 3, 11 | Pg. 8 “Future Imperfect” |
Apr 21, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 10 “The Lodge of Doom” |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jan 23, 17 | 728 – Oh, Brucie… |
Nov 15, 17 | 747 – The Popped Grape |
Apr 29, 11 | Pg. 3 “Lucky” |
Mar 31, 12 | Pg. 6 “Find the Sharp Metal Instrument” |
Apr 23, 18 | 780 – Don’t Be a Jerry |
…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, [...]
Related Comics ¬
Oct 11, 17 | 737 – Dastard Number Two |
Sep 29, 09 | SF Origins: Herman’s Story, Pg. 5 “Time to Move On” |
Dec 31, 13 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, 3 |
Jan 27, 11 | 293 – Good Actor |
Jan 2, 13 | Guest Strip by Brock Heasley (???) |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jun 27, 11 | 328 – Pairing Off |
Nov 11, 08 | 178 – Death, M.D. |
Jan 30, 12 | 382 – A Better Question |
Oct 17, 06 | 24 – Too Little Too Late |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jul 15, 08 | 145 – Wrinkly Butt |
Jan 23, 07 | 82 – Refuge in Dr. Klein’s Office |
Aug 10, 12 | Pg. 1 “Baby Hands” |
Oct 24, 16 | 707 – Demise |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Mar 15, 07 | 114 – Enter: Star Maiden |
Mar 30, 11 | 303 – Namby-Pamby Religious Jaghole |
Jul 29, 13 | 521 – Spy Gal Awakened |
Oct 14, 06 | 21 – You Must Respect Women, Dr. Rocket! |
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 [...]
Related Comics ¬
Jun 30, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 20 “He Was a Noncombatant!” |
Jul 4, 14 | Pg. 1 “One Month Later” |
Aug 28, 10 | SF Origins: Operation: Valhalla, No. 5 “A Spot of Drool” |
Jan 26, 07 | 84 – You Don’t Mess with Dr. Klein |
Oct 21, 06 | 27 – Spy Gal’s Explanation |