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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Jun 2, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 16 “Eagle vs. Bear” |
Jan 23, 17 | 728 – Oh, Brucie… |
Apr 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 9 “Press Conference” |
Jan 28, 13 | 475 – Too Old For This |
Feb 3, 14 | 568 – Old Biddy |
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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Dec 6, 06 | 55 – A Mysterious Figure in the Wings |
Aug 26, 08 | 157 – The Third Man’s Message |
Jan 13, 20 | 823 – Beating The Enemy Back |
Mar 16, 12 | Pg. 4 “An Unexpected Cellmate” |
Dec 29, 09 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, Part One |
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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Sep 14, 16 | 699 – How Captain Spectacular Takes Care of Business |
Oct 2, 08 | 168 – Tangerine Gets His Mad On |
Jan 15, 07 | 70 – Gene and Dictator Tot Reunite |
Oct 13, 20 | 846 – Oh, He Dead |
May 6, 13 | 501 – New Age Nitwit |
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 23, 08 | 174 – Big Mistake |
Mar 19, 12 | 396 – Give Tom a Chance |
Sep 26, 06 | 5 – The Urine of What!? |
Oct 7, 19 | 801 – The Next Best Thing |
Dec 2, 08 | 184 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 1 “Laban and Amram” |
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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Jun 3, 09 | The SuperFogeys Free Comic Book Day Page! |
Jul 22, 10 | 266 – The Greatest Book Ever Written |
Mar 26, 18 | 774 – Thwarted |
Aug 5, 15 | 665 – All Out of Coffee and Goats |
Mar 30, 07 | 129 – Captain Spectacular’s Plea |
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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Dec 7, 16 | 717 – The Fury of Soviet Sam |
Jul 27, 11 | 337 – Naked Greed |
Dec 30, 08 | Guest Strip by Chris Blanchard of “Renaissance Guy!” |
Jun 15, 10 | SF Origins: The Life and Times of Soviet Sam, Pg. 4 “Pantsless” |
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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Sep 30, 10 | 278 – The Others |
Jan 8, 18 | 752 – Like Jerry |
Jun 25, 09 | 213 – Bubbles of Light 4 |
Aug 26, 11 | Pg. 6 “The Missing Spark” |
Aug 17, 11 | 343 – Speak No More of This |
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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Aug 10, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal’s Secret Mission, Pg. 4 “Courtesy Call” |
Nov 6, 13 | 546 – Tangerine Makes a Decision |
Feb 27, 13 | 484 – Beaten Into Submission |
Oct 29, 09 | 231 – The Greatest Revenge Plot Never Imagined |
Sep 30, 06 | 8 – Hands Off Spy Gal! |
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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Jul 1, 15 | 650 – GAH! Feelings! |
May 9, 11 | 314 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 3: The One He Truly Hunts |
Jul 2, 12 | 425 – The Maiden Within |
Apr 13, 10 | SF Origins: Star Maiden, Pg. 1 “Troubled Birth” |
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 [...]
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Aug 17, 16 | 691 – That’s Enough |
Jul 30, 12 | 431 – Blights of the Round Table |
Sep 30, 08 | 167 – Captain Spectacular’s Shame |
Jun 25, 12 | 423 – Family Resemblance (or Lack Thereof) |
Aug 8, 12 | 434 – Marching Orders |
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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Nov 30, 16 | 715 – Master and Student |
Aug 10, 16 | 689 – Zurida, the Mother |
Jan 11, 17 | 725 – Slaughter Many, Many More |
Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
Feb 21, 18 | 765 – The Spark Between Them |
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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Nov 16, 06 | 44 – Beginning the Tale of How Captain Spectacular was Paralyzed |
Jun 25, 12 | 423 – Family Resemblance (or Lack Thereof) |
May 14, 08 | SF Collection #1 Cover |
Jan 21, 10 | 240 – ZAP! |
Dec 29, 11 | Guest Strip by Marjorie Rishel! |
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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Jul 30, 09 | 218 – Good Friends |
Dec 18, 19 | 820 – Heart-Stopping Great Looks |
Aug 5, 08 | 151 – Peanut Butter Cookies |
Jan 11, 17 | 725 – Slaughter Many, Many More |
Jul 13, 11 | 333 – A Word with Her Fiancee |
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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Sep 8, 22 | 922 – The New Normal |
Sep 2, 11 | Pg. 7 – “Silent Heart” |
Feb 17, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 1 “Spy Gal” |
Oct 10, 12 | 448 – Thinking Like a Hero |
May 15, 08 | SF Collection #2 Cover |
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 9, 17 | 736 – This Blighted World |
Sep 22, 06 | 1 – Introducing Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket! |
Aug 22, 12 | 438 – Don’t Insult the ‘Do |
Oct 2, 17 | 734 – Lovely and Darling |
May 26, 15 | What You’ve Been Waiting to Know… |
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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Jan 18, 12 | 379 – A True Hero |
Dec 22, 09 | SF Origins: Harvey the Science Rabbit, Pt. 1, Pg. 4 “His Darlings” |
Sep 5, 12 | 442 – The Rest of Them |
Aug 7, 08 | 152 – Best Man |
Nov 3, 09 | SF Origins: Spy Gal vs. Star Maiden, Pg. 1 “The Mrs. and the Ex” |
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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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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Jun 22, 10 | SF Origins: The Life and Times of Soviet Sam, Pg. 5 “How People Look at You” |
Sep 27, 06 | 6 – Introducing Spy Gal! |
Dec 5, 12 | 464 – Cuffed |
Mar 10, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 4 “Arrival in New York” |
Jun 17, 11 | Pg. 10 “Lost Faith” |
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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Jan 29, 20 | 828 – Sorry About the Torture |
Aug 4, 22 | 912 – Jerry Speaks |
Dec 21, 12 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy! |
Apr 13, 11 | 307 – T-Magus |
Apr 2, 14 | 585 – Atomic Fly’s Special Delivery |
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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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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May 4, 11 | 313 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 2: A Lovely Woman |
Jun 4, 18 | Pg. 1 “My Name is Gordon Jones” |
Jun 17, 13 | 513 – Devil’s Bargain |
Oct 26, 12 | Pg. 10 “The End?” |
Oct 1, 15 | Chapter 21 Teaser! |
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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Mar 31, 07 | 130 – When Pigs Fly |
Feb 18, 10 | 244 – Locked Away |
Oct 30, 19 | 808 – 2.5 Seconds Later |
Mar 4, 10 | 246 – Righteous Kill |
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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Oct 21, 19 | 805 – Across the Mountaintop |
Sep 18, 16 | 700 – Happy Tenth Anniversary, SuperFogeys |
Nov 5, 06 | 33 – Why Walk When You Can Fly? |
Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
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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Mar 30, 07 | 129 – Captain Spectacular’s Plea |
Jan 29, 18 | 758 – No One Else He Can Think Of |
Dec 16, 08 | 188 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 5 “In The Dark” |
Jan 28, 21 | 869 – A Wonderful Side Effect |
Apr 25, 12 | 406 – Spy Gal’s Wall of Evidence |
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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Aug 25, 22 | 918 – Not Going in There |
Sep 16, 15 | 683 – What Makes Peace Worthless |
Nov 8, 12 | A Call to Arms |
May 6, 13 | 501 – New Age Nitwit |
Aug 9, 22 | 913 – Any Questions? |
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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Nov 5, 06 | 33 – Why Walk When You Can Fly? |
Aug 20, 12 | 437 – Ever Since The Shriveled Speedster Left |
Aug 26, 19 | 794 – 3,000 Miles Away |
Jan 11, 17 | 725 – Slaughter Many, Many More |
Nov 5, 14 | 634 – Twin Plots |
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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Mar 7, 18 | 769 – Weeping Wandering Fat Children |
Oct 19, 16 | 706 – Money Man’s Daughter |
Mar 23, 12 | Pg. 5 “Where Are The Unicef Upstarts?” |
Feb 13, 13 | 480 – A Bevy of Buxom Beach Beauties |
Oct 9, 19 | 802 – Nothing More Important Than Loyalty |
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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Apr 22, 10 | 253 – Destiny Screwed Over |
Oct 19, 12 | Pg. 9 “Let’s Go!” |
Sep 21, 15 | 685 – Doom Comes to Abbadon |
Jul 16, 14 | 610 – Do the most you can do. |
Nov 16, 06 | 44 – Beginning the Tale of How Captain Spectacular was Paralyzed |
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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Dec 11, 13 | 556 – Sisters Rule, Pilatius Drools |
Feb 17, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 7 “Two Years” |
Nov 17, 20 | 856 – Grab That Rabbit! |
Mar 21, 07 | 120 – Swifty’s Losing? |
Jan 23, 13 | 474 – Overwhelmed |
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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May 16, 11 | 316 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 5: The Last Place Anyone Would Think to Look |
Sep 21, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 4 “The Best Day Ever, Ever” |
Dec 26, 11 | Guest Strip by Will Boyer! |
Jun 28, 22 | 901 – Vanished |
Dec 19, 16 | 720 – Thank You for Making Me Angry |
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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Apr 20, 11 | 309 – Time Travelin’ Scamps |
Oct 4, 11 | Chapter 9, “Head Games” Recap by Eric Merritt |
May 21, 09 | 209 – Coming to Jesus |
Sep 21, 11 | Five Years of The SuperFogeys |
Jun 20, 12 | 422 – Whoof! |
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 21, 16 | 721 – Requiem for Money Man |
Jan 21, 10 | 240 – ZAP! |
Feb 27, 13 | 484 – Beaten Into Submission |
Jun 5, 13 | 510 – The Evil, Evil Plan |
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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Feb 26, 18 | 766 – Always |
May 9, 18 | 785 – What Spy Gal Wants |
Jan 23, 13 | 474 – Overwhelmed |
Sep 12, 11 | 350 – Great Things Ahead |
Mar 12, 07 | 111 – Forgive Dr. Rocket |
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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Jun 24, 11 | Pg. 11 “Partners Again” |
Dec 16, 13 | 557 – Dog Off the Leash |
Nov 16, 11 | 363 – Liberated |
Oct 16, 06 | 23 – The Incontinent Duo |
Feb 7, 18 | 761 – Rolling Peas |
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 30, 11 | 367 – The Division Sword |
Nov 2, 11 | The 2nd SuperFogeys Free Comic Book Day Page |
Feb 22, 12 | 389 – The Invisible Pain |
Sep 7, 15 | 679 – The Design of His Life |
Jun 3, 13 | 509 – Villain to Villain |
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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Mar 20, 13 | 490 – Two Thirds of a Secret Revealed |
Mar 25, 13 | 491 – Proof |
Jan 8, 18 | 752 – Like Jerry |
Dec 4, 13 | 554 – Not In a Way That Matters |
…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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Mar 12, 07 | 111 – Forgive Dr. Rocket |
Aug 8, 16 | 688 – Zurida, The Peacemaker |
Nov 30, 11 | 367 – The Division Sword |
Oct 9, 13 | 542 – The Visible Man |
Sep 16, 08 | 163 – Dr. Klein’s Got Some Splainin’ to Do |
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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Mar 15, 07 | 114 – Enter: Star Maiden |
May 9, 18 | 785 – What Spy Gal Wants |
Jul 23, 14 | 612 – A Tale of Two Swifties. |
Jul 15, 11 | Pg. 14 “Why Wouldn’t She?” |
Oct 9, 08 | 170 – There Will Be Blood |
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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Jun 22, 15 | 646 – Dark Maiden Wants What Now? |
Feb 26, 09 | 197 – Requiem |
Apr 1, 11 | Pg. 9 “Always” |
Feb 15, 11 | Pg. 3 “For The Girls” |
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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May 6, 08 | 75 – WebSpace Page: The Space Pig |
May 25, 12 | Pg. 3 “A Couple of Brothers” |
Mar 28, 18 | 775 – Raging Percy |
Sep 23, 08 | 165 – Not a Villain? |
Mar 8, 11 | Pg. 6 “Area is Secure” |
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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Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
Jan 2, 12 | 374 – A Spy Gal Shaped Hole |
Jun 5, 13 | 510 – The Evil, Evil Plan |
Nov 6, 19 | 810 – Meanwhile, In Las Vegas |
Jul 11, 12 | 428 – You Know Who You Sound Like? |