Kind of a weird way to start a chapter. You could argue that this really belongs in Chapter 3 (as it’s mostly old business), but I knew Dr. Klein was going to be disappearing for the bulk of the chapter and wanted to make sure he got in there in some way so that things [...]
After the reveal of the last chapter that Dr. Klein is the Third Man, everything he says is just a little more sinister. This is my playing with that a bit. Artistically, this strip is bunk. Nothing looks right and that third panel is atrocious.
Hands down, this is my most favorite Dictator Tot strip. I think I really scored with her dialog here, none of which I can take credit for. This is very, very similar to conversations I’ve had with my daughter Elora. It was fun to break the 4 panel structure a bit as well, even though [...]
Another ugly, ugly strip. An important one though. This is one of those that I think people read and then didn’t ask the right questions about. Jerry’s tears are a leftover plot thread from Chapter 3. The last time anyone talked about him it was in Episode 88 when Captain Spectacular mentioned that Jerry had [...]
Slapsticky? Yes, definitely. But I still love it. Shoot, I love it because it’s slapsticky. Obviously, I’m riffing on the Nintendo Wii here, notorious for it’s flying game remotes. I got a Wii in December of 2006. Love that thing and with all the reports of the sytem being used in nursing homes across the [...]
As bad as the art was in the firs few strips of this chapter, I think it got that much better once the Wii stuff came in. Spy Gal’s jumping pose was something I was nervous about doing (I’m not good with the action), but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. All of [...]
Some readers thought Jerry was out-of-character here. In my mind, Jerry is basically a decent guy, but even decent guys can be pushed too far. If it’s Swifty talking, then you can be sure that Jerry is being pushed too far. I labored and labored over the wording of Dr. Rocket’s apology. It had to [...]
I had a TON of fun with this episode. Webcomics can, at times, be a bit of a grind. That schedule, even at just twice a week, can be killer. A visually interesting episode like this where I get to play with depth of field and extreme reactions is just a blast. I had only [...]
Eh. I can take or leave this one. I think there’s some neat character animation going on in those first panels, but it’s not drawn very well. This is one of the first strips I wrote for this chapter, and one of the least successful. When I first wrote it, it seemed to encapsulate what [...]
And now you see the entire impetus for the Wii storyline. I knew I wanted Star Maiden to be so deranged that she actually sees the Fogeys as their younger selves. With that in mind, I thought her interpretation of “air boxing” would be hilarious. Turned out to be more dramatic, but what are you [...]
Visually, this is a very exciting strip for me. Even the lame “Kirby Dot” I used for the energy effect on Star Maiden’s blast look pretty decent. This is the strip where I began to realize just how much fun writing Star Maiden was going to be. I mean, here I have a character that [...]
This is another callback to Spy Gal’s initial appearance in Chapter 1 where the Fogeys discussed her “hotness.” Again, Star Maiden’s reference to bunnies is not so random as it first appears. A quick read of episodes 44 and 45 of Chapter 2 should give enough of a clue to what she might be talking [...]
Some pretty loaded dialog here, and one of my favorite CS/Jerry conversations at that. I like the talky stuff. Action is fun and I understand the need for it, but I always see the core of the SuperFogeys being the interplay between the characters. That’s where the meat is. Love the promise of the last [...]
I did it. I did a strip with no males in it. In one sense, I really like writing women. It’s different and it’s fun to get outside of myself like that. On the other hand…I”m no woman. There’s a lot going on here. Star Maiden is obviously not on the same page as Spy [...]
Some readers misunderstood this strip to mean that Spy Gal is upset at Star Maiden again. Not my intention at all, something I hope becomes clear in the next strip. Swifty’s line at the end came from trial and error. All of his dialog in the last panel went through many iterations. I think the [...]
The rare one-paneler! Very rarely do I have an idea for a strip that lends itself to this. The challenge is the layout. Getting all those characters into one frame isn’t easy for me, but well worth it, I think.
My mother hates the language in the SuperFogeys. This bleeped out stuff isn’t for her. Can’t imagine what she’d say if I didn’t censor. Personally, I can’t stand foul language. I think I’ve said the “F” word twice in my life. Once out of anger and another time by accident. Both times, it ruined my [...]
A transitional strip. I hate these. Usually, I’m able to cover it up better with a joke, but not so much here.
The plot of this particular strip was pretty simple: Jerry and Dictator Tot play Wii Bowling. DT loses. DT pulls out a gun. Here’s the script, as originally written: 123 – 1: DT assuming the bowling stance. DT: Bowling is very simple. The remote is like the ball. You pull it back with the button… [...]
I’ve made no secret that I have a long, long term plan for the SuperFogeys. Pieces of a puzzle that I want to lay down and that will add up into something (I hope) special one day. This is one of those pieces. I won’t say I always knew it would be Jerry to get [...]
There’s a kid with a gun. The kid’s a villain though, so I’m asking you to go with it. There’s not much funny about gun violence. This isn’t the place to really get into it, but my life has certainly been affected by gun violence on more than one occasion. My feeling is that if [...]
I love this strip. You need that reaction to the name “Third Man” and the leap in logic Star Maiden makes here is a nice shout-out to one of my heroes, Orson Welles. Some day, I have to actually draw a Zombie Orson Welles. In that first panel, Dictator Tot is being removed from the room [...]
Did Swifty go too far? That’s what some readers thought. I admit that I had second thoughts about this one as well, but knowing what I know about Swifty and Jerry’s relationship, I think he is justified. True, I haven’t actually REVEALED why Swifty hates Jerry so much, but still… The second panel with Spy Gal’s [...]
Here’s a bit of a storytelling trick…by keeping Dr. Rocket out of the strip for several weeks (off camera–he was in the room the whole time), I make his appearance in the last panel just that much more surprising. That’s the hope anyway. It all seems terribly convenient, I agree. You’re supposed to be thinking [...]
Nothing funny here. Again. I’m pushing the readers’ limits, but all for a (hopefully) good purpose. Some people felt the Captain was out of character here. I disagree, of course, but I think I understand why they might think that. To me, the Captain sees Jerry as his “son.” He would do anything for him, [...]
How did I go this long without a “When Pigs Fly” joke? That first panel was a challenge for me. In case you haven’t already been able to tell, perspective isn’t my strong suit. Still, I’m pleased with how it turned out. I think it works for what it is. Again, Star Maiden is just [...]
This is the payoff for all the set-up I did at the beginning of the chapter with Spy Gal and Jerry. Wait, I take that back, you don’t really get the payoff for this until Chapter 5, but this is the beginning. Pants. Always good for a joke. Spy Gal growing suspicious of Dr. Klein [...]
Nurse Carter has a personality! I think I do an alright job of developing my characters, but Nurse Carter has always been the one that I’ve neglected. Here, finally, she says something that hints at something resembling a thought in her head. It’s the kind of character humor that can be difficult to do, but [...]
Drawing a sauced Captain Spectacular was so much fun that I have to find a way to do it again. I WILL find a way to do it again. Originally, this was going to be flashback to how CS met Jerry. I’ll still tell that story one day, but with Spy Gal’s suspicions raised, I [...]
Here’s one of the advantages of planning far, far ahead: I can drop tidbits in here and there because, to me, the stories already exist. Tom and the Mysterious Woman in the photograph are something for later (probably Chapter 7), but knowing about them already, I can use them to illustrate a point here. The [...]
Had a blast with the first panel. I love drawing Mr. Crook, design courtesy of Eskimo Dave creator Mike Hartigan. I wish he wasn’t dead. Check back to Episode 10 of Chapter 1 for a part of Mr. Crook’s story. Mustache on Captain Spectacular doesn’t look too bad. A little more insight on the Jerry/Swifty [...]
This was supposed to be a very normal operation with some choice quips from Dr. Rocket. That was the idea anyway. Then I remembered, “Oh yeah, this is the SuperFogeys.” As with most things involving Dr. Rocket, this crosses the line from weird into disturbing. I’m pretty much okay with that.
Wow. Just, wow. This strip is sooooo busy. I think there’s a certain charm to it, but hold crud, those panels are just loaded. Usually not a good idea. I have no idea why the Space Pig is singing “Last Kiss.” That was the song that seemed to fit and once I got the idea [...]
This is a mean, mean cliffhanger. I don’t know that it’s fair to end this chapte like this, but it really couldn’t end any other way. Thematically, the next chapter has to begin a few seconds after Dr. Rockets declaration of good news and bad news. I’m hoping it’ll make sense why I did it [...]
