Welcome to Chapter 16 – Invasion, Pt. 3: Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun. This promises to be a big, bold chapter taking us right through SF 500. You just know that one’s going to be HUGE. I can say no more right now. Newer SuperFans may be unfamiliar with Soviet Sam’s story. He’ll be telling [...]
Archive for ‘Chapter 16 – Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun’
One of the unique things about Soviet Sam is that before he became part of the main cast, he received an extensive introduction in SuperFogeys Origins. Most of you are familiar with his story from there, but my initial concern in introducing him to the Valhalla story was that there was just too much to [...]
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Oct 10, 12 | 448 – Thinking Like a Hero |
Jan 27, 14 | 566 – Guns Blazin’ |
Aug 6, 14 | 616 – One of Zurida’s |
Nov 26, 14 | 640 – Jerry Must Come Back |
May 8, 13 | 502 – The Presidio Thumb |
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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Feb 18, 13 | 481 – Awfully Suspicious |
Sep 22, 09 | SF Origins: Herman’s Story, Pg. 4 “I Am Dr. Rocket” |
Aug 31, 16 | 695 – The Mighty Money Man |
Mar 11, 10 | 247 – Not a Busload of Strangers |
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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Oct 9, 19 | 802 – Nothing More Important Than Loyalty |
Nov 15, 17 | 747 – The Popped Grape |
Feb 5, 07 | 95 – Flying Away |
Nov 24, 20 | 858 – She Brewed Beer Yesterday |
Oct 1, 06 | 9 – How to Turn Dr. Rocket On |
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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Last week was good stuff. It’s good to be reminded now and then that SuperFogeys has one of the most engaged and smart readerships out there who are always thinking–not just about the latest twists and turns, but about character. I the variety of opinions on the issue of what makes a character likable or [...]
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May 14, 08 | SF Collection #1 Cover |
Nov 9, 06 | 37 – Is Dr. Klein a Sexy Beast? |
Dec 21, 16 | 721 – Requiem for Money Man |
Jun 16, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 18 “KAPOW!” |
Mar 23, 21 | 884 – No Good at This |
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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Sep 2, 11 | Pg. 7 – “Silent Heart” |
Jan 13, 12 | Pg. 1 “Listen Now Children…” |
Jul 29, 13 | 521 – Spy Gal Awakened |
Apr 18, 11 | 308 – Time Displaced/Erased/No Taste |
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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Dec 14, 10 | SF Origins: The Thrice Evil, Pg. 2 “No One Should Die Among Strangers” |
Mar 26, 12 | 398 – Rookie Hero Move |
May 28, 14 | 599 – Bubbles of Light Sideways |
Jul 16, 09 | 216 – Cami |
Jul 30, 09 | 218 – Good Friends |
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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Nov 10, 06 | 38 – The Good Ol’ Days |
Sep 21, 11 | Five Years of The SuperFogeys |
Jan 28, 21 | 869 – A Wonderful Side Effect |
Oct 9, 19 | 802 – Nothing More Important Than Loyalty |
Mar 12, 14 | 579 – The Romantic Smell of Blood and Suffering |
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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Jun 3, 10 | 259 – What Happened to Star Maiden, Pt. 1 “Homesick” |
Feb 4, 13 | 477 – The Most Annoying Kid in the World |
Apr 3, 07 | 133 – Beginning the Tale of How Captain Spectacular Met Dr. Klein |
Dec 3, 14 | 642 – A Star Falls |
Sep 22, 14 | 625 – The Edict of Chaos |
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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Oct 2, 17 | 734 – Lovely and Darling |
Jan 27, 20 | 827 – Lay Her Down |
Apr 7, 14 | 586 – The New Percy |
Mar 24, 14 | 582 – The Discomfort of Dark Maiden |
Feb 2, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 4 “Zurida, Mistress of Worlds” |
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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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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Mar 1, 11 | Pg. 5 “Couture Fashion” |
Oct 16, 13 | SuperFogeys Q and A: 2 of 4 |
May 21, 14 | 597 – Him Who? |
Jun 15, 11 | 325 – At Captain Spectacular’s Door |
Aug 6, 09 | 219 – Bubbles of Light 5 |
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 12, 16 | 698 – Good Thing or Bad Thing? |
Nov 6, 08 | 177 – Lay Some More On Me |
Nov 12, 09 | 233 – She Was Undercover |
Nov 14, 11 | 362 – Robots Don’t Sleep |
Nov 22, 17 | 749 – Caught in the Act |
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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Mar 9, 20 | 837 – So? |
Dec 23, 09 | SF Origins: Harvey the Science Rabbit, Pt. 1, Pg. 5 “ |
May 19, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 14 “Save Him, Dirtlicker” |
Nov 15, 17 | 747 – The Popped Grape |
Feb 3, 20 | 829 – Too. Far. |
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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Oct 22, 20 | 849 – Break a Hip |
Mar 18, 13 | 489 – Change in Plan |
Nov 5, 12 | 455 – You’re Not My Father! |
May 15, 13 | 504 – A Striking Mustache |
Oct 4, 17 | 735 – The MSNBC-FOX News Coalition |
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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Apr 18, 11 | 308 – Time Displaced/Erased/No Taste |
Apr 29, 10 | 254 – Why Kill An Innocent? |
Nov 25, 08 | 182 – Someone Steps Forward (Bubbles of Light 3) |
Jun 29, 12 | Pg. 3 “Sounds Like Monsters” |
Jul 22, 15 | 659 – Wasting Time |
I derive an unexpected amount of satisfaction from this interaction between Dr. Rocket and Captain Spectacular. Even more than the hug last week, I just love that they’re so simpatico here. Maybe this is born of my secret desire for Superman and Lex Luthor to knock back a couple of root beers and work their [...]
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Oct 29, 12 | 453 – Buried Weapons |
Oct 21, 06 | 27 – Spy Gal’s Explanation |
Jan 18, 12 | 379 – A True Hero |
Mar 30, 07 | 129 – Captain Spectacular’s Plea |
Jan 29, 07 | 89 – WebSpace Page: Dr. Rocket |
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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Oct 26, 12 | Pg. 10 “The End?” |
Jul 22, 08 | 147 – Three Plus Seven |
Jun 30, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 20 “He Was a Noncombatant!” |
Jun 29, 12 | Pg. 3 “Sounds Like Monsters” |
Aug 22, 12 | 438 – Don’t Insult the ‘Do |
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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Jan 30, 07 | 90 – Introducing Star Maiden! |
Jan 22, 18 | 756 – Professional Shill |
Apr 24, 13 | 500 – What Should Not Be |
Dec 18, 08 | 189 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 6 “The Medallion” |
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 4, 19 | 797 – Squishiness in the War Room |
Jul 21, 14 | 611 – Escape |
Sep 27, 11 | Chapter 4, “Dictator Tot’s Revenge” Recap by Jeremy Bentley |
Oct 17, 06 | 24 – Too Little Too Late |
Jul 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 22 “The Society of Heroes” |
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 23, 19 | 806 – Space Pigs in the Forest |
Apr 8, 11 | Cover |
Nov 19, 12 | 459 – A Family Thing |
Jun 13, 12 | 420 – The Leslie Knope |
Oct 17, 06 | 24 – Too Little Too Late |
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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Dec 24, 09 | Guest Strip by Rufus Edge of “Comicdeoxyribonucleicacid!” No. 2! |
Mar 17, 11 | 300 – Stage Four |
Dec 28, 09 | Guest Strip by Don Oskowski of “Conduit Flux!” |
Aug 18, 14 | 618 – Thanks to Money Man |
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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Jan 29, 20 | 828 – Sorry About the Torture |
Sep 23, 06 | 2 – Introducing Jerry! |
Sep 25, 08 | 166 – Beer Don’t Judge |
Mar 10, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 4 “Arrival in New York” |
Oct 31, 11 | 359 – Warmed Up |
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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Oct 27, 20 | 850 – Grand Entrance |
Mar 16, 07 | 115 – Star Maiden Flattens Dr. Rocket |
Oct 21, 06 | 27 – Spy Gal’s Explanation |
Aug 3, 15 | 664 – Too Old to Drive |
Aug 1, 16 | 686 – Captain Spectacular’s Mighty Punch |
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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Dec 18, 08 | 189 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 6 “The Medallion” |
Jun 18, 12 | 421 – Space Monkey Report |
Nov 2, 11 | The 2nd SuperFogeys Free Comic Book Day Page |
Apr 15, 13 | 497 – Michelle |
Jan 20, 07 | 77 – Headed for a Time-Out |
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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Nov 4, 19 | 809 – The Jerry Cradle |
Aug 26, 08 | 157 – The Third Man’s Message |
Dec 3, 09 | 236 – You Have to Be Careful Who You Let Into Your Life |
Sep 4, 19 | 797 – Squishiness in the War Room |
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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Dec 23, 08 | 190 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 7 “Test Subjects” |
Jul 9, 14 | 608 – Gumdrops and Rainbows |
Aug 26, 08 | 157 – The Third Man’s Message |
Jul 30, 18 | Pg. 9 “Who is Talking?” |
Sep 11, 19 | 799 – Redemption is Possible |
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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May 6, 10 | 255 – Parental Duty |
Oct 15, 06 | 22 – Dr. Rocket is Sorry? |
Apr 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 9 “Press Conference” |
Oct 21, 11 | Pg. 4 “Zombie Madness” |
Jan 3, 14 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, 6! |
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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Jul 4, 12 | 426 – Daddy’s Little Girl |
Oct 6, 06 | 13 – How About a Kiss? |
Jun 11, 12 | 419 – Adrenalin |
Jul 25, 12 | 430 – Meanwhile, At The Great Hall of the Society of Heroes… |
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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Aug 24, 12 | Pg. 3 “Crybabies” |
Feb 2, 21 | 870 – Spy Gal’s Patience Runs Out |
Jul 7, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 21 “Sayonara, Sucker!” |
Nov 6, 17 | 744 – The USZ is Truly a Wondrous Place |
Mar 23, 07 | 122 – Who Will Jerry Fight? |
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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Dec 5, 11 | 368 – Darn That Dr. Klein |
May 7, 18 | 784 – What is Jerry Missing? |
Dec 30, 08 | Guest Strip by Chris Blanchard of “Renaissance Guy!” |
Jan 15, 18 | 754 – Not Strong Anymore |
Feb 1, 12 | 383 – Jackpot. |
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 12, 12 | 466 – Tunnel Vision |
Oct 2, 08 | 168 – Tangerine Gets His Mad On |
Aug 22, 12 | 438 – Don’t Insult the ‘Do |
Aug 22, 16 | 692 – See! You Are Needed! |
Jan 23, 17 | 728 – Oh, Brucie… |
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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Jul 11, 11 | 332 – Captain Spectacular’s Buds |
Feb 1, 12 | 383 – Jackpot. |
Aug 21, 15 | 672 – To The USZ! |
Jan 4, 17 | 723 – Ascendant |
Nov 3, 06 | 31- Spittin’ Oatmeal |
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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Oct 3, 12 | 446 – General Spy Gal |
Aug 20, 18 | Swifty Origin, Pg. 12 “Party Hard” |
May 8, 13 | 502 – The Presidio Thumb |
Jun 10, 11 | Pg. 9 “College Years” |
Dec 3, 20 | 859 – Snakes on a Swifty |
If there’s something you want that you’ll do just about ANYTHING to have it… then what would you do to keep it? I feel like the tide is always shifting on Jerry. Sometimes you guys love him, sometimes you hate him. I wonder if today’s strip will garner reactions just as divisive. Huge kudos to [...]
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Aug 21, 15 | 672 – To The USZ! |
Apr 16, 18 | 778 – Sam’s Guilt |
Oct 4, 11 | Chapter 9, “Head Games” Recap by Eric Merritt |
Dec 21, 16 | 721 – Requiem for Money Man |
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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Dec 24, 12 | Merry Christmas From The SuperFogeys! |
Oct 9, 08 | 170 – There Will Be Blood |
Jul 23, 14 | 612 – A Tale of Two Swifties. |
Oct 21, 10 | 281 – Expected |
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 12, 13 | 548 – Of Course He’s Working with the Aliens |
Aug 1, 12 | 432 – Tea Time, Interrupted |
Oct 10, 11 | 353 – SHWABOOM!! |
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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Sep 12, 14 | Pg. 10 – Breaking Free |
Mar 15, 07 | 114 – Enter: Star Maiden |
Oct 21, 13 | SuperFogeys Q and A: 3 of 4 |
Dec 18, 19 | 820 – Heart-Stopping Great Looks |
Mar 8, 11 | Pg. 6 “Area is Secure” |
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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Jun 14, 22 | 897 – Streaking Past |
Oct 30, 13 | 544 – Whose Mess Is It, Anyway? |
Feb 4, 21 | 871 – To Save a Dark World |
Feb 26, 09 | 197 – Requiem |
Apr 6, 12 | Pg. 7 “Death or Peanut Butter Cookies?” |
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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Dec 2, 10 | 287 – GAH! |
Oct 3, 11 | Chapter 8, “The Captain and the Spy” Recap by Nick Perkins |
Aug 17, 16 | 691 – That’s Enough |
Sep 29, 11 | Chapter 6, “Funeral for a Frenemy” Recap by Crystal Murphy |
Oct 7, 11 | Chapter 12, “Jackpot!” Recap by Steve VanDyken |