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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Feb 11, 21 | 873 – Against the Wall |
Apr 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 9 “Press Conference” |
Mar 6, 13 | 486 – On a Thin Tether |
Sep 21, 11 | Five Years of The SuperFogeys |
Apr 21, 14 | 588 – In the Dark, Where He Thinks He Belongs |
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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Aug 5, 08 | 151 – Peanut Butter Cookies |
Apr 20, 12 | Pg. 9 “The Unicef Upstarts” |
Aug 24, 12 | Pg. 3 “Crybabies” |
Sep 9, 08 | 161 – Tangerine’s Arrival and Dr. Klein’s Return |
Oct 1, 06 | 9 – How to Turn Dr. Rocket On |
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 15, 13 | 504 – A Striking Mustache |
Nov 12, 20 | 855 – Making Thrice Evil Sad |
Aug 16, 22 | 915 – Return to Valhalla |
Oct 6, 06 | 13 – How About a Kiss? |
Jan 25, 11 | SF Origins: The Thrice Evil, Pg. 9 “We Can Work With That” |
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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Aug 26, 19 | 794 – 3,000 Miles Away |
Jul 1, 11 | Pg. 12 “Comic Book Clothing Physics” |
Mar 19, 12 | 396 – Give Tom a Chance |
Nov 19, 06 | 47 – Bingo Knight! |
Mar 17, 14 | 580 – The Pleasure of Conquering |
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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Dec 24, 12 | Merry Christmas From The SuperFogeys! |
Feb 2, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 4 “Zurida, Mistress of Worlds” |
Mar 16, 21 | 882 – Says You |
Jul 23, 12 | 429 – Shenanigans |
Mar 2, 07 | 105 – Dr. Klein is Leaving? |
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 5, 12 | 464 – Cuffed |
Jun 26, 13 | 516 – Time to Clean House |
Dec 14, 16 | 719 – It’s Easy When You Know How |
Sep 30, 11 | Chapter 7, “Visiting Day” Recap by Rossana Bugini |
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 2, 15 | 677 – His Greatest Creation |
Jan 7, 10 | Guest Strip by Will Boyer of “The Misadventures of Super Milo!” |
Dec 9, 06 | 58 – Jerry’s Single Chest Hair |
Nov 23, 06 | 50 – And the Actual Winner of Bingo Night is… |
Jan 16, 12 | 378 – Things Fall Apart |
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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Apr 20, 12 | Pg. 9 “The Unicef Upstarts” |
Nov 3, 06 | 31- Spittin’ Oatmeal |
Jan 6, 20 | 821 – Frightening Frogs |
Jul 13, 10 | SF Origins: The Life and Times of Soviet Sam, Pg. 8 “Sweet Dreams” |
Oct 14, 08 | 171 – Hello, Karma |
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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Apr 15, 11 | Pg. 1 “A Sudden Meeting” |
Oct 2, 17 | 734 – Lovely and Darling |
Oct 7, 08 | 169 – Faker! |
Nov 6, 17 | 744 – The USZ is Truly a Wondrous Place |
Aug 12, 11 | Pg. 4 “Fear of the Space Pig” |
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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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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Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
Sep 9, 13 | 533 – Mega Matt Tells It |
Feb 6, 13 | 478 – What If Money Man Had Lived? |
Jun 1, 11 | 321 – Unified By a Common Purpose |
May 4, 11 | 313 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 2: A Lovely Woman |
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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Dec 12, 12 | 466 – Tunnel Vision |
Feb 6, 13 | 478 – What If Money Man Had Lived? |
Oct 30, 17 | 742 – Catching Up on WWE |
Mar 19, 18 | 772 – Showdown at the New California Coast |
Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
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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Apr 25, 11 | 310 – Doctor. |
May 2, 11 | 312 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 1: The Real Cause of Dr. Rocket’s Suffering |
Oct 9, 19 | 802 – Nothing More Important Than Loyalty |
Jun 17, 13 | 513 – Devil’s Bargain |
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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Dec 3, 09 | 236 – You Have to Be Careful Who You Let Into Your Life |
Mar 19, 18 | 772 – Showdown at the New California Coast |
Jan 9, 13 | 470 – Soviet Sam Strikes Again |
May 27, 13 | 507 – Telling Off Skunk Head |
Jul 4, 14 | Pg. 1 “One Month Later” |
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 4, 08 | 160 – Best Friends Forever? |
Oct 21, 06 | 27 – Spy Gal’s Explanation |
Aug 5, 15 | 665 – All Out of Coffee and Goats |
May 20, 08 | SF Collection #4 Cover |
Jan 20, 07 | 77 – Headed for a Time-Out |
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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Jul 4, 12 | 426 – Daddy’s Little Girl |
Oct 15, 20 | 847 – Macho Verve and Vigor |
Nov 28, 12 | 462 – Favoritism |
Nov 20, 13 | 550 – Everything in its Right Place |
Oct 9, 17 | 736 – This Blighted World |
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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Nov 3, 09 | SF Origins: Spy Gal vs. Star Maiden, Pg. 1 “The Mrs. and the Ex” |
May 6, 10 | 255 – Parental Duty |
Oct 7, 11 | Chapter 12, “Jackpot!” Recap by Steve VanDyken |
Nov 6, 06 | 34 – Introducing the Healer! |
Aug 10, 16 | 689 – Zurida, the Mother |
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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Jan 15, 07 | 70 – Gene and Dictator Tot Reunite |
Jan 18, 17 | 727 – Parlor Tricks |
Oct 10, 12 | 448 – Thinking Like a Hero |
Sep 21, 16 | 10th Anniversary BONUS STRIP 2! |
Dec 10, 06 | 59 – Will Captain Spectacular Stay or Will He Go? |
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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Nov 7, 16 | 711- Fallen Son |
Sep 16, 15 | 683 – What Makes Peace Worthless |
Feb 19, 18 | 764 – Meanwhile, Inside Dr. Rocket’s Bedchamber |
Dec 8, 06 | 57 – Captain Spectacular Forgot His Pants |
Sep 28, 11 | Chapter 5, “The Redemption of Dr. Rocket” Recap by Geoff Munn |
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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Dec 25, 08 | Merry Christmas From The SuperFogeys (2008) |
Mar 5, 09 | 198 – Not Lookin’ Too Good Yourself |
May 21, 09 | 209 – Coming to Jesus |
Feb 16, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 6 “The Bottle and the Women” |
Oct 15, 20 | 847 – Macho Verve and Vigor |
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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Sep 22, 09 | SF Origins: Herman’s Story, Pg. 4 “I Am Dr. Rocket” |
May 9, 12 | 410 – Attack of the Space Monkeys |
Oct 22, 06 | 28 – The Tragedy of Jerry |
Aug 24, 12 | Pg. 3 “Crybabies” |
Apr 6, 12 | Pg. 7 “Death or Peanut Butter Cookies?” |
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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May 26, 15 | What You’ve Been Waiting to Know… |
Oct 16, 08 | 172 – The Superhero Code |
Apr 2, 12 | 400 – Dark Maiden |
Jun 18, 12 | 421 – Space Monkey Report |
Oct 2, 06 | 10 – Why Spy Gal Came to Valhalla |
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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Jul 19, 22 | 907 – Where is Sam? |
May 5, 12 | Pg. 11 “Fly Away” |
Oct 4, 17 | 735 – The MSNBC-FOX News Coalition |
Jul 25, 12 | 430 – Meanwhile, At The Great Hall of the Society of Heroes… |
Apr 13, 12 | Pg. 8 “Enter: The Thrice Evil” |
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. [...]
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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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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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Mar 30, 07 | 129 – Captain Spectacular’s Plea |
Aug 11, 14 | Marc Lapierre and The SuperFogeys |
Mar 17, 07 | 116 – Still Hot |
Feb 21, 18 | 765 – The Spark Between Them |
Oct 29, 09 | 231 – The Greatest Revenge Plot Never Imagined |
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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Oct 2, 06 | 10 – Why Spy Gal Came to Valhalla |
Nov 14, 12 | 458 – Quite An Entrance |
Dec 7, 12 | Valhalla Fight Poster – Spy Gal vs. Zurida! |
Nov 26, 12 | 461 – He Escaped |
Oct 1, 12 | 445 – I Don’t Know What I’ve Been Told |
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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Jul 27, 12 | Pg. 5 “Long Night of the Monsters” |
Apr 2, 12 | 400 – Dark Maiden |
Sep 28, 11 | Chapter 5, “The Redemption of Dr. Rocket” Recap by Geoff Munn |
Nov 4, 08 | 176 – An Evil #@$% |
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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Aug 26, 19 | 794 – 3,000 Miles Away |
Jan 14, 13 | 471 – Mmm… Spaghetti… |
Jun 2, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 16 “Eagle vs. Bear” |
Sep 9, 19 | 798 – A Dark Past, A Questionable Present |
May 21, 12 | 413 – The Sunway |
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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Oct 7, 13 | 541 – Husband |
Jan 30, 12 | 382 – A Better Question |
Dec 6, 06 | 55 – A Mysterious Figure in the Wings |
Feb 20, 12 | 388 – Bay-buh |
Feb 22, 12 | 389 – The Invisible Pain |
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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Sep 21, 11 | Five Years of The SuperFogeys |
Dec 14, 16 | 719 – It’s Easy When You Know How |
Jun 9, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 17 “Er-Hurm!” |
Jan 14, 13 | 471 – Mmm… Spaghetti… |
Feb 1, 12 | 383 – Jackpot. |
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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Apr 1, 13 | 493 – Dr. Rocket’s Game |
Mar 24, 07 | 123 – The Box is Opened |
Oct 2, 13 | 540 – Jerry is Committed |
Mar 7, 18 | 769 – Weeping Wandering Fat Children |
Aug 20, 12 | 437 – Ever Since The Shriveled Speedster Left |
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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Sep 29, 09 | SF Origins: Herman’s Story, Pg. 5 “Time to Move On” |
Oct 15, 20 | 847 – Macho Verve and Vigor |
Oct 19, 12 | Pg. 9 “Let’s Go!” |
Dec 7, 11 | 369 – Donut Power |
Jan 4, 10 | Guest Strip by Marc Lapierre of “Spooky Doofus!” |
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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Mar 13, 13 | 488 – A Pale Queen Commands Them |
Sep 16, 19 | 800 – Earth-Avenge |
Jun 4, 12 | 417 – Guess Who’s Back? |
May 4, 11 | 313 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 2: A Lovely Woman |
Jul 7, 22 | 904 – Moment for a Fallen Hero |
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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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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May 14, 08 | SF Collection #1 Cover |
Oct 13, 06 | 20 – Worse Than He Thought |
Sep 30, 06 | 8 – Hands Off Spy Gal! |
Sep 7, 12 | Pg. 5 “Who Squished?” |
Mar 5, 18 | 768 – Boy-Haired Crone |
…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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Jul 3, 08 | 144 – Jerry Wakes Up |
Oct 16, 13 | SuperFogeys Q and A: 2 of 4 |
Apr 22, 11 | Pg. 2 “The Boy Who Lived” |
Jul 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 22 “The Society of Heroes” |
Apr 8, 11 | Cover |
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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Aug 20, 18 | Swifty Origin, Pg. 12 “Party Hard” |
Aug 18, 22 | 916 – Restoration |
Jun 17, 08 | 139 – Jerry’s Fate Revealed |
Aug 31, 16 | 695 – The Mighty Money Man |
Aug 19, 10 | 273 – All Is Revealed |
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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May 26, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 15 “DUDE!” |
Sep 30, 10 | 278 – The Others |
Apr 21, 14 | 588 – In the Dark, Where He Thinks He Belongs |
Jan 5, 21 | 864 – Walking the Dark Side |
Sep 5, 16 | 696 – Account Closed |
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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Aug 10, 11 | 341 – Stop |
Apr 18, 18 | 779 – The Only Failure |
Jul 3, 08 | 144 – Jerry Wakes Up |
Oct 12, 11 | 354 – Snap Out of It! |
Jul 31, 15 | 663 – Pandora’s Box |
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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Jul 5, 22 | 903 – Big Dumb Floating Ape |
Sep 12, 11 | 350 – Great Things Ahead |
Sep 11, 13 | 534 – Tangerine’s Mission |
Feb 1, 12 | 383 – Jackpot. |
Nov 5, 14 | 634 – Twin Plots |