I had written myself into a bit of a corner. I had Spy Gal come to Valhalla, but she didn’t really need to be there. Somehow, I had to make her stay. Enter the Orderly (later named Gene) and the Power Dampener. Visually, Spy Gal would never be the same after this strip and I [...]
This is one of my absolute favorites. I think it’s one of the funniest last panels I’ve ever come up with. So, of course, only about half the people who read it actually get it. This one gets knocked down by a lot of people for not standing too well on its own. I suppose [...]
This first strip in chapter 2 is all about setting up the game and introducing Dr. Klein, an obviously important figure at Valhalla. When I started the SuperFogeys, I always had it in the back of my mind that I would need to create a “man-in-charge” at some point. Dr. Klein, with his german name [...]
I love Spy Gal. It’s probably the adolescent schoolboy in me, but I have a lot of fun teasing her and putting her in some horrible situations. It’s always fun to see what she’ll do. Gene is the stand-in for my fifteen-year-old self. And, in case you can’t make it out, the book Spy Gal [...]
I hate the first panel of this one. CS and Spy Gal just don’t look right and I don’t know what I was thinking. The entire point of this strip was to establish that Spy Gal is attracted to Dr. Klein. I don’t do anything more with it for the whole of Chapter 2, but [...]
I love Gene. He’s such a jerk and yet, I think, you feel sorry for him. I don’t really know why. Maybe it’s just me. I broke my rule of having Spy Gal being tough enough to defend herself because I couldn’t pass up the joke. I hope no one minded.
Visually, this strip is meant to be a direct reference to Episode 55. I’ll make it clear right here: Yes, The Third Man is the person the Healer was talking to. The Third Man’s connection to Gene was a surprise to me. I had planned for the Third Man to be involved with the shenanigans [...]
Something I’m starting to return to that I haven’t really done since Chapter 1 is repeated panels, something I swore off of (for the most part) for Chapter 2. The difference now is that it’s not a crutch. I truly feel that this strip (and the next one, for that matter) was best served by [...]
The first panel shows a depth of field we haven’t really seen in SF thus far. My goal was to do a drawing that would also work well as a group shot and, possibly, a wallpaper. Plans are in the works for just such a thing. Obviously, this is a huge change of pace for [...]
What a nightmare this strip was. Sometimes moving the plot along is a joy. Anytime I do it I already know what the point of the strip is, I just have to figure out what the joke is. Except…for this one…I had no joke. I had a set-up, but no payoff. Still, I started drawing, [...]
Gene’s closing line in panel one was originally something like “Give her your utmost respect.” I quickly discovered at the lettering stage that I didn’t have enough room for that. Thank goodness. I love that he just shouts “Respect!” Kinda’ thing that makes me laugh. Spy Gal threatening violence on a little girl makes me [...]
Just keeping the Third Man alive here. Also, it was important to me that Dictator Tot get her animal crackers.
And now we see the real plan. Get the Captain on the computer to see his ex-wife. In the end, it’s kind of weak. There should have been something extra on the plan, or a bigger reaction from the Captain. It bears fruit, sure, but I think the Captain’s reaction could have been stronger and [...]
That last panel of Star Maiden is something I’m really pleased with. I wanted a really fluid figure and I often have a hard time drawing women. I surprised myself here. For some reason, readers really latched onto the phrase “Spill it, Gramps!” I have no idea why. I didn’t think it was particularly funny. [...]
Remind me never to do a triple-sized again. In fact, this burned me out so much that not a single double or triple-sized strip appeared in all of Chapter 4. I had been waiting a long time to do this one. I knew from before the beginning of Chapter 2 that the Third Man and [...]
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 [...]
Here’s the cover to the first printed edition of the SuperFogeys, collecting both chapters 1 and 2.
Commentary Visually, I really love this one. After what I felt was kind of a visually bankrupt previous strip, I really wanted to do something different with this one. With the action being outside of Valhalla and not featuring any of the Fogeys, the opportunity was certainly there. Dictator Tot’s exit was a long time [...]
RUFUS EDGE Holy Guest Strips, Captain! I was amazed to get 2 guest strips of high caliber this week, and now, suddenly, I’ve got two more! This latest one was actually submitted as Fan Art, but I think you can easily see why I tossed it into the regular rotation. I literally laughed out loud [...]
MOTHER OF AN EPISODE So little dialogue…so much drawing…and I don’t like any of it. I’ve gotten slammed in the past for being too critical of my work. Whenever I get into that mode, people usually do one of two things: either 1) defend my work against me and my wonderful insecurities or 2) tell [...]
THE NEWSARAMA INTERVIEW! I teased this weeks ago, but now it’s finally here! On the web, there is no bigger site for comic book news than Newsarama. Their coverage is about 75% DC and Marvel, with the other 25% mostly reserved for the big independent publishers like Image, Dark Horse and IDW. Only very rarely [...]
T.L. COLLINS INTERVIEWED ON THE VILLAINS CORNER WEBCOMIC CHAT! Found this while googling (why didn’t you tell me about it, TL!?). It’s a fantastic interview with TL and the guys over at Villains Corner about both Bullfinch and SuperFogeys Origins. TL goes in depth on the creation of Bullfinch and the painful process that it [...]
LET’S TRY SOMETHING NEW TOGETHER Normally, I offer little-to-no commentary on the strips and pages on the day they’re released. Last Thursday, I broke that rule a bit by linking to past Bubbles of Light episodes. I though it would be helpful and most of you seemed to enjoy that. You see, a small part [...]
WELCOME TO GUEST STRIPPIN’ XMAS! From December 28th until January 11th, SuperFans of the SuperFogeys with talent to spare have taken over this space and will be bringing you their unique takes on the characters you all know so well. Enjoy! JOE COOK SHOWS GENE WHAT’S WHAT! How great is the ending to this strip? [...]
WELCOME TO GUEST STRIPPIN’ XMAS! From December 28th until January 11th, SuperFans of the SuperFogeys with talent to spare have taken over this space and will be bringing you their unique takes on the characters you all know so well. Enjoy! CORY THOMAS BRINGS THE OLD! There’s something about Cory Thomas’ linework that just makes [...]
THE TROUBLE WITH SOVIET SAM PAGE 3 So…you may have noticed that this page is missing some colors and some elements of the panels seem out of whack. T.L. and I regret bringing the page to you this way, but we figured this was better than no page at all. The sad truth is that T.L. [...]
DR. ROCKET, THAT’S ONE TO GROW ON As you can all tell by now, this Soviet Sam story is serving multiple functions, the least of which (no, really, the LEAST) is to enlighten some SF moments past. This page in particular is important to me because, looking back, the Dr. Rocket circa Chapter 3 didn’t get [...]
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: T.L. COLLINS ENDS HIS RUN ON SUPERFOGEYS ORIGINS I knew this day was coming, but I was hoping to put it off as long as possible. T.L. was the artist that made SuperFogeys Origins possible. The first to say yes and the only one to take it on as a regular gig. Without [...]
THE ANNOTATED OPERATION: VALHALLA NO.2 If you’re just joining us, this is part two of the DIRECT SuperFogeys prequel, Operation: Valhalla. This is actually the first true appearance of the Third Man as this story came out in print before his online appearance in Chapter 3, “The Techno Shuffle.” We’ve also seen that this was not [...]
OPERATION: VALHALLA ENDS HERE! And now you see how it all began. This strip was tricky. It’s the only one that I can remember that has both Jerry and Dr. Klein in it at the same time. The artist, Mike Hartigan, had no clue about the link between them and, for some reason, removed the [...]
REMIND ME TO DO/NOT DO THAT AGAIN… Today’s strip is another example of a time when my reach has exceeded my grasp. As both writer and artist, I have the luxury of scripting things that I know I can draw. But, every once in a while, I bring the story to a point where I [...]
MR. CROOK CAN’T CATCH A BREAK! Oft-neglected but never forgotten, Mr. Crook is one of those characters that you hear more about than you actually see. As anyone who has read Chapter 1 knows, Mr. Crook died 2 weeks before Spy Gal came to Valhalla. But, until now, we’ve never known how he died. To get to [...]
MASSIVE SUPERFOGEYS VOL. 1 PRICE DROP FOR THE HOLIDAYS! Don’t have SuperFogeys Vol. 1 yet? Looking for a great gift idea? Just in time for the holidays, the price on SuperFogeys Vol. 1 Regular and Artist editions have been slashed by $5! Check out what a measly $14.99(+shipping) will get you: The first five chapters of the [...]
THANK YOU, MICHAEL ODOM! I love this little 3-pager. I know you guys kind of run hot and cold on the smaller, lighter stories, but I love them both because they provide a breather and because they’re always a chance for me to experiment a little. Whether it’s to try my hand at a twisted version [...]
MARJORIE RESHEL BREAKS IT ALL DOWN IN HILARIOUS FASHION! Only a true blue SuperFogeys fan could have crafted this. This is a knowing, detailed, mythology and character-rich guest strip that had me laughing out loud for quite a while. Marj is a semi-regular commenter in these parts, but she’s clearly ALWAYS paying attention. She’s a [...]
SUPERFOGEYS VOLUME ONE MINI-REVIEW–WITH PICTURES! I ran a contest earlier this year to help get the word out about Marc Lapierre joining me on SF as the new regular artist. There were two winners and one of them, Marjorie Rishel, has done a great writeup on her prize–her autographed copy of SF Vol. 1! It [...]
INDEPENDENCE DAY! To my American friends, happy 4th of July, everybody! I’m always so grateful to be living in this country and for the freedoms we have here. I probably take how fortunate and blessed I am for granted too often, so I’m grateful for days like this when I can think back to all [...]
No one was asking, but I wanted to know what Gene was up to. Now I wish I didn’t. See? Giant robots aren’t all bad. Why, if it hadn’t been there, just think of all the trouble Gene would have gotten into! Gasp! Gene is the mastermind! Reminder: The deadline for Guest Strippin’ Xmas 3 [...]
I love happy endings, don’t you? Wanna read this chapter from the start? Begin here. Tomorrow, Marc and I will be recording a podcast with the great Tom Racine of Tall Tale Radio. We’ll be discussing this chapter, what comes next for The SuperFogeys and more. Tom will be watching today’s comments closely and will [...]
Welcome to SuperFogeys Origins, Alex Deligiannis! I can’t tell you how excited I am about this one. Alex is a busy guy and that he found the time to work on this story is something I’m extremely grateful for. It’s a short one–concludes next week–but it’s well worth it. Plus, I finally got to fulfill [...]
Man, artist Alex Deligiannis nailed this page. Our launching point for this story was the Scott Pilgrim comics. If you’ve read them, you know how kind of insane they are. While I think you can see some traces of that original inspiration (like in the final panel), Alex really took this in his own direction [...]
Over the weekend, SuperFogeys Origins artist Alex Deligiannis posted an art process blog at his site for the gorgeous two page story he drew up for me, When Dictator Tot Met Gene. If you’re like me, you’re a junkie for this sort of thing. Here’s a preview: “…[Brock] sent me a script for a two-page story, [...]
Creating the bulletin board o’ evidence was a fun exercise in diving back into the history of the strip and thinking about the things Spy Gal would see as relevant. Pretty much the same thing the readers saw, as it turns out! I love the way Marc drew Jerry’s reaction in the third panel. That’s [...]
I try to go pretty easy on the artists I work with. I play to their strengths, I think about how tricky a page or a panel might be and make the next one a little easier to balance things out, etc. But if there’s one thing I ask to be just right every time [...]
