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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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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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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Jul 9, 08 | Guest Strip by Rufus Edge of “comicdeoxyribonucleicacid!” |
Oct 22, 20 | 849 – Break a Hip |
Nov 15, 06 | 43 – The Healer Approaches the Captain |
Sep 16, 11 | Pg. 2 “The Fallen Rabbit” |
Jul 29, 08 | 149 – Santa Rocket |
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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Mar 19, 12 | 396 – Give Tom a Chance |
Nov 18, 13 | 549 – Zurida’s Visitors |
Mar 16, 12 | Pg. 4 “An Unexpected Cellmate” |
Aug 11, 14 | Marc Lapierre and The SuperFogeys |
Jan 15, 14 | 563 – Wreckage |
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 6, 06 | 55 – A Mysterious Figure in the Wings |
Nov 30, 11 | 367 – The Division Sword |
Oct 4, 11 | Chapter 9, “Head Games” Recap by Eric Merritt |
Jul 14, 22 | 906 – He Looks Different |
Dec 5, 12 | 464 – Cuffed |
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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Apr 21, 14 | 588 – In the Dark, Where He Thinks He Belongs |
Aug 27, 14 | 621 – Jerry’s Powers |
Mar 31, 07 | 130 – When Pigs Fly |
Jul 31, 15 | 663 – Pandora’s Box |
Jan 12, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 1 “Sweet Samantha” |
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 11, 09 | SF Origins: Tangerine, Pg. 3 “New Parts” |
Apr 13, 11 | 307 – T-Magus |
May 23, 11 | 318 – The Plans of Dr. Klein, Pt. 1 “Getting Rid of Captain Spectacular” |
Aug 17, 11 | 343 – Speak No More of This |
Jul 9, 18 | Pg. 6 “Date or Fight?” |
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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May 6, 13 | 501 – New Age Nitwit |
Nov 15, 06 | 43 – The Healer Approaches the Captain |
Jul 29, 08 | 149 – Santa Rocket |
May 17, 08 | SF Collection #3 Cover |
Mar 13, 11 | 299 – Why The Hospital |
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 22, 16 | 692 – See! You Are Needed! |
Nov 18, 13 | 549 – Zurida’s Visitors |
Mar 12, 14 | 579 – The Romantic Smell of Blood and Suffering |
Apr 4, 18 | 777 – The Howl |
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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Jul 3, 15 | 651 – Duplicity |
Feb 4, 13 | 477 – The Most Annoying Kid in the World |
Jul 1, 15 | 650 – GAH! Feelings! |
Dec 11, 13 | 556 – Sisters Rule, Pilatius Drools |
Oct 16, 17 | 738 – Old Lady McGoth |
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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Jan 13, 20 | 823 – Beating The Enemy Back |
Nov 8, 17 | 745 – The Song of Rocket’s Loyalty |
Nov 19, 12 | 459 – A Family Thing |
Aug 22, 16 | 692 – See! You Are Needed! |
Oct 22, 14 | 530 – The Long Arm of the Universe |
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 14, 08 | 171 – Hello, Karma |
Apr 23, 12 | 405 – Comparing Death Counts |
Oct 17, 18 | HUGE NEWS! SuperFogeys Volume One—Inaction Heroes now on Kickstarter! |
Mar 14, 12 | 395 – The Stink of Captivity |
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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Nov 19, 20 | 857 – Knocked Off the Perch |
Mar 31, 07 | 130 – When Pigs Fly |
Jan 21, 13 | 473 – Monkey Rain |
Nov 28, 16 | 714 – Pathetic Counterpart |
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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Aug 15, 11 | 342 – The Wrong Man |
Dec 14, 16 | 719 – It’s Easy When You Know How |
Aug 7, 08 | 152 – Best Man |
Oct 5, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 6 “The Lips That Should Not Be Touched” |
Sep 15, 14 | The Principle of Order |
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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Nov 26, 12 | 461 – He Escaped |
May 8, 13 | 502 – The Presidio Thumb |
May 26, 15 | What You’ve Been Waiting to Know… |
Apr 24, 13 | 500 – What Should Not Be |
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 6, 20 | 821 – Frightening Frogs |
Jan 31, 25 | SuperFogeys 2025 Update |
Mar 26, 09 | 201 – The Orphan BBQ Will Have to Wait |
May 20, 08 | SF Collection #4 Cover |
Jul 14, 14 | 609 – Humbled |
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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Mar 18, 13 | 489 – Change in Plan |
Oct 2, 06 | 10 – Why Spy Gal Came to Valhalla |
Oct 21, 19 | 805 – Across the Mountaintop |
Mar 16, 07 | 115 – Star Maiden Flattens Dr. Rocket |
Mar 26, 07 | 125 – Jerry’s Down |
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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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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Apr 13, 12 | Pg. 8 “Enter: The Thrice Evil” |
Oct 19, 12 | Pg. 9 “Let’s Go!” |
Nov 11, 10 | 284 – Pairing Off |
Mar 26, 14 | 583 – The Captain is Not as Alone as He Thinks |
Jul 15, 08 | 145 – Wrinkly Butt |
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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Jan 29, 09 | 193 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 10 “Escape” |
Feb 7, 07 | 97 – The Return |
Nov 26, 12 | 461 – He Escaped |
Dec 10, 12 | 465 – Lip Lick |
Feb 2, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 4 “Zurida, Mistress of Worlds” |
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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Oct 7, 08 | 169 – Faker! |
Apr 7, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 8 “Ticking Bomb” |
Oct 22, 06 | 28 – The Tragedy of Jerry |
May 30, 12 | 416 – Alcohol is His Kryptonite |
Feb 21, 18 | 765 – The Spark Between Them |
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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Jun 22, 12 | Pg. 2 “Doppelgangers” |
Jul 16, 14 | 610 – Do the most you can do. |
Feb 18, 10 | 244 – Locked Away |
Mar 3, 11 | 298 – Vile Villainous Vole |
Jul 4, 11 | 330 – Swim City |
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 7, 06 | 56 – Dr. Rocket Will Have His Revenge |
Nov 7, 11 | 360 – Decision |
Nov 14, 06 | 42 – Dr. Rocket Needs a Special Kind of Healing |
Dec 26, 11 | Guest Strip by Will Boyer! |
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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Jul 6, 12 | Pg. 4 “The Very, Very Long Battle” |
Dec 10, 20 | 861 – tink tink tink |
Jun 19, 08 | 140 – The Kindness of His Heart |
Jul 21, 14 | 611 – Escape |
May 9, 12 | 410 – Attack of the Space Monkeys |
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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Feb 19, 18 | 764 – Meanwhile, Inside Dr. Rocket’s Bedchamber |
Sep 18, 15 | 684 – Better Than Dyin’ |
Dec 2, 06 | 52 – What Captain Spectacular Wants |
Dec 30, 08 | Guest Strip by Chris Blanchard of “Renaissance Guy!” |
Oct 1, 06 | 9 – How to Turn Dr. Rocket On |
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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Feb 29, 12 | 391 – Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun… |
Jan 29, 07 | 89 – WebSpace Page: Dr. Rocket |
Jul 30, 18 | Pg. 9 “Who is Talking?” |
Jul 8, 08 | Guest Strip by Brian Anderson of “Dog Eat Doug!” |
Aug 10, 12 | Pg. 1 “Baby Hands” |
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 14, 16 | 699 – How Captain Spectacular Takes Care of Business |
Jan 13, 07 | 68 – Jerry’s Computer Troubles |
Aug 5, 15 | 665 – All Out of Coffee and Goats |
Mar 17, 14 | 580 – The Pleasure of Conquering |
Sep 27, 11 | Chapter 4, “Dictator Tot’s Revenge” Recap by Jeremy Bentley |
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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Nov 19, 14 | 638 – The Man Who Sold the World |
Mar 24, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 6 “Beaten to the Punch” |
Aug 20, 18 | Swifty Origin, Pg. 12 “Party Hard” |
Aug 20, 14 | 619 – The Repentant |
Apr 22, 11 | Pg. 2 “The Boy Who Lived” |
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 25, 11 | 310 – Doctor. |
Oct 17, 11 | 355 – Bubbles of Light 6 |
Dec 9, 06 | 58 – Jerry’s Single Chest Hair |
Dec 29, 08 | Guest Strip by Scott Gallatin of “Madscott!” |
Feb 8, 11 | Pg. 2 “New Designer in Town” |
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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Dec 10, 09 | 237 – A Surprise Visitor |
Mar 4, 13 | 485 – To The Stars |
Mar 21, 07 | 120 – Swifty’s Losing? |
Nov 17, 20 | 856 – Grab That Rabbit! |
Sep 27, 12 | GUEST STRIP by Crystal Murphy, Summer Fun Pt. 3 |
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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Jan 21, 07 | 81 – Jerry Denied! |
Dec 4, 13 | 554 – Not In a Way That Matters |
Aug 29, 10 | SF Origins: Operation: Valhalla, No. 6 “Spy Gal Arrives” |
Oct 1, 15 | Chapter 21 Teaser! |
Aug 19, 10 | 273 – All Is Revealed |
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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Dec 9, 10 | 288 – Fill Me In |
Oct 25, 17 | 741 – Scumbag Jerry |
May 3, 08 | 86 – WebSpace Page: Jerry |
Oct 10, 11 | 353 – SHWABOOM!! |
Jul 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 22 “The Society of Heroes” |
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 26, 06 | 5 – The Urine of What!? |
Nov 12, 13 | 548 – Of Course He’s Working with the Aliens |
Nov 30, 11 | 367 – The Division Sword |
Jun 10, 11 | Pg. 9 “College Years” |
Nov 11, 06 | 39 – Jerry Arrives Late |
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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Jul 30, 09 | 218 – Good Friends |
Aug 5, 15 | 665 – All Out of Coffee and Goats |
Aug 8, 12 | 434 – Marching Orders |
Oct 9, 08 | 170 – There Will Be Blood |
May 29, 13 | 508 – Slightly More Conclusive Evidence |
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 |
Feb 14, 18 | 763 – Serious Issues |
Nov 19, 12 | 459 – A Family Thing |
Mar 24, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 6 “Beaten to the Punch” |
Apr 8, 11 | Cover |
…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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Jan 15, 14 | 563 – Wreckage |
Jun 28, 22 | 901 – Vanished |
Jan 18, 12 | 379 – A True Hero |
May 7, 14 | 593 – When Did Swifty Die? |
Jul 15, 11 | Pg. 14 “Why Wouldn’t She?” |
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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Nov 11, 08 | 178 – Death, M.D. |
Aug 18, 22 | 916 – Restoration |
Mar 12, 12 | 394 – The Bottom Drops Out |
Oct 8, 12 | 447 – Enemy Target Identified |
Jun 30, 14 | 605 – Underground Brawl |
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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Jul 14, 22 | 906 – He Looks Different |
Jul 4, 14 | Pg. 1 “One Month Later” |
Oct 15, 06 | 22 – Dr. Rocket is Sorry? |
Aug 10, 12 | Pg. 1 “Baby Hands” |
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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Jul 3, 15 | 651 – Duplicity |
Mar 31, 14 | 584 – Once He Was Mighty |
Oct 12, 11 | 354 – Snap Out of It! |
May 12, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 13 “What Are You Doing Here!?” |
Dec 4, 13 | 554 – Not In a Way That Matters |
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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Aug 22, 14 | Pg. 8 “The Captor Revealed” |
Oct 17, 06 | 24 – Too Little Too Late |
Dec 8, 14 | The SuperFogeys 2015 Teaser and Special Announcements |
Jan 9, 12 | 376 – Beaten But Not Broken |
Mar 31, 12 | Pg. 6 “Find the Sharp Metal Instrument” |