There are essentially two ways to do a comic strip (as I see it): with or without a continuing story. The intro of Spy Gal is when I realized that I just wasn’t capable of doing one-off jokes. I ALWAYS have a story to tell. Spy Gal was originally supposed to be a character named [...]
Posts Tagged ‘spy gal’
For Spy Gal’s intro, I wanted to push the boundaries of good taste a little. Is it right to make light of the dementia that all-too-often takes over the minds of older people? …Depends on how you do it. Turns out Spy Gal was faking, but it’s a theme I plan on revisting. Why Turnip? [...]
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Nov 5, 09 | 232 – It’s Insane Here |
Nov 17, 20 | 856 – Grab That Rabbit! |
Aug 6, 09 | 219 – Bubbles of Light 5 |
May 1, 08 | 101 – WebSpace Page: Captain Spectacular |
Jul 30, 09 | 218 – Good Friends |
It still pains me to look at the art in a lot of these early strips. Where the crud are the frickin’ wheelchairs? The only answer I have is that I was lazy and was trying to draw as little as possible. I really saw the strips as more of an exercise in pacing and [...]
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Nov 26, 12 | 461 – He Escaped |
Oct 23, 13 | SuperFogeys Q and A: 4 of 4 |
Oct 31, 11 | 359 – Warmed Up |
Jan 2, 17 | 722 – Help or Mourn? |
Feb 11, 10 | 243 – A Deal is a Deal |
his is the second of the additions I made to the original 10 black and white strips I did to kick off the SuperFogeys. Originally, episode 8 went into what is now episode 10 without this minor stopover to make explicit what was once subtle. She’s Spy Gal. Spy Gal is a spy. Duh. It [...]
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Jul 23, 12 | 429 – Shenanigans |
Oct 21, 11 | Pg. 4 “Zombie Madness” |
Jun 19, 15 | 645 – Say the Name Correctly, Idiot |
Nov 21, 11 | 364 – Comrade |
May 6, 11 | Pg. 4 “Contrast” |
This is one of my favorites. I think it really brings home the idea that these guys are old. We don’t know how Mr. Crook died, but he was in a nursing home and that’s what people tend to do there so we don’t even wonder what the cause was. Maybe that’s a story I’ll [...]
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May 27, 11 | Pg. 7 “In the Future” |
Sep 21, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 4 “The Best Day Ever, Ever” |
Oct 3, 06 | 11 – The Power Dampener |
Jan 29, 09 | 193 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 10 “Escape” |
Sep 26, 06 | 5 – The Urine of What!? |
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 [...]
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May 15, 13 | 504 – A Striking Mustache |
Jul 9, 18 | Pg. 6 “Date or Fight?” |
Aug 10, 20 | 843 – What About the Crawfish? |
Aug 27, 14 | 621 – Jerry’s Powers |
Feb 3, 14 | 568 – Old Biddy |
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 [...]
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Nov 27, 13 | 552 – Is Jerry Really Such a Bad Guy? |
Mar 26, 07 | 125 – Jerry’s Down |
Oct 9, 08 | 170 – There Will Be Blood |
Dec 23, 11 | Pg. 6 “Battle in the Skies” |
Jun 19, 08 | 140 – The Kindness of His Heart |
Time between the creation of SuperFogeys 12 and 13: 2 months. This is the first strip that really sets the tone for what the SuperFogeys would be. The art is finally coming into its own, resulting in a strip that I’m really proud of. I love the subtle pacing of the camera zoom. It’s a [...]
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Dec 21, 11 | 373 – SWAT! |
Apr 23, 09 | 205 – Here is What I Propose |
Apr 16, 09 | 204 – Florida Beckons |
Jul 30, 18 | Pg. 9 “Who is Talking?” |
Apr 9, 09 | 203 – Shame, Shame |
This is one of those strips I really, really struggled with. I knew the last thing I wanted was for Dr. Rocket to successfully take advantage of Spy Gal. I mean, this just isn’t that kind of strip. The simplest solution would have been to have Jerry or Captain Spectacular bust through the wall and [...]
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Mar 4, 07 | 107 – Bubbles of Light 1 |
Dec 29, 11 | Guest Strip by Marjorie Rishel! |
Dec 4, 13 | 554 – Not In a Way That Matters |
Mar 18, 13 | 489 – Change in Plan |
Oct 12, 11 | 354 – Snap Out of It! |
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Jan 28, 07 | 88 – Who Smells Like Fish? |
Apr 2, 07 | 132 – Shake! Shake! Shake! |
Aug 5, 15 | 665 – All Out of Coffee and Goats |
Aug 16, 10 | 271 – Is Spy Gal Not a Good Woman? |
Dec 8, 20 | 860 – Idiot Martha |
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, this was a step in the right artistic direction for the SuperFogeys. The changing camera views were necesitated by the storyline and made for a much stronger reading experience. There’s a little easter egg in this one with the picture of the girl on the wall in [...]
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Mar 4, 07 | 107 – Bubbles of Light 1 |
Nov 3, 06 | 31- Spittin’ Oatmeal |
Aug 10, 11 | 341 – Stop |
Jun 3, 11 | Pg. 8 “Future Imperfect” |
Nov 2, 06 | 30 – B-I-N-G-O |
I love this strip. I think this is the one where you get the best sense of the relationship between Captain Spectacular and Jerry. The first panel alone–I think if the entire strip were just that panel, I’d be happy. I don’t think anyone else laughs at that first panel (That’s not where the joke [...]
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Dec 12, 12 | 466 – Tunnel Vision |
Nov 7, 16 | 711- Fallen Son |
Jun 27, 11 | 328 – Pairing Off |
Dec 29, 09 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, Part One |
Nov 30, 11 | 367 – The Division Sword |
Me: Hey, I’ve got a great idea. Me: What’s that? Me: You know how we could get a lot of strips done quickly? Me: How? Me: We could just cut/paste all the best bits from previous strips and add only minor alterations! Me: Genius. Future Me: I beg to differ.
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Nov 9, 16 | 712 – Ah-ah-ah |
Nov 8, 06 | 36 – Valhalla Stinks! |
Oct 30, 13 | 544 – Whose Mess Is It, Anyway? |
Mar 7, 18 | 769 – Weeping Wandering Fat Children |
My lazy self strikes again. As for the story here, this strip was important to me because I had a very real fear at the time that it was going to be perceived that I had a hatred towards women. Dumb, right? I mean, Dr. Rocket is a character, he doesn’t speak for me, but [...]
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Jul 29, 15 | 662 – Lazy Villainy |
Jul 23, 12 | 429 – Shenanigans |
Apr 28, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 11 “Huzzah!” |
Dec 16, 09 | SF Origins: Harvey the Science Rabbit, Pt. 1, Pg. 3 “The New Dr. Rocket” |
Nov 25, 08 | 182 – Someone Steps Forward (Bubbles of Light 3) |
I do believe this strip marks the first close-up I’d ever done in the Superfogeys. I began looking for ways to change the camera around and push the framing into the storytelling more. It was just one panel, but it was a start.
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Sep 2, 15 | 677 – His Greatest Creation |
Aug 19, 13 | 527 – A Concerned Husband |
Apr 18, 11 | 308 – Time Displaced/Erased/No Taste |
Mar 17, 07 | 116 – Still Hot |
Jul 15, 08 | 145 – Wrinkly Butt |
Double-sized strips are always fun, but I’m not sure this is the best use of it. The flashback certainly was fun to do. The idea here should be clear: Jerry is Captain Spectacular’s sidekick. This is all set-up and revelation. You should be getting the idea by now that Chapter 1 is really Jerry’s story.
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Feb 3, 12 | Pg. 4 “Exile” |
Jun 8, 11 | 323 – What is a Villain? |
Jan 2, 13 | Guest Strip by Brock Heasley (???) |
Mar 12, 07 | 111 – Forgive Dr. Rocket |
Nov 27, 08 | 183 – Eloquence |
This is the episode that almost never was. My original plan was to go from strip 26 to the last strip of Chapter 1–what is now strip 28. However, I realized fairly late in the game that I hadn’t really done anything to set up WHY CS and Spy Gal would get back together. I [...]
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Dec 2, 10 | 287 – GAH! |
Sep 22, 06 | 1 – Introducing Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket! |
Mar 10, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 4 “Arrival in New York” |
Jul 4, 14 | Pg. 1 “One Month Later” |
Mar 25, 13 | 491 – Proof |
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 [...]
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Apr 30, 12 | 407 – Spy Days Are Over |
Sep 12, 12 | 444 – A New Mission |
Nov 9, 06 | 37 – Is Dr. Klein a Sexy Beast? |
Jan 2, 07 | 61 – Dictator Tot in Hel |
May 28, 12 | 415 – Someone REALLY Hates Space Monkeys |
Some people thought Dr. Klein’s look in the third panel coupled with his German name mean that Dr. Klein is evil. I won’t comment on the prejudices of my readership, but I will say that I did not have that in mind when I drew it. I was just experimenting with what I could do [...]
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Jul 30, 18 | Pg. 9 “Who is Talking?” |
Apr 5, 07 | 135 – The Tale of How Captain Spectacular Met Dr. Klein, Conclusion |
Jul 29, 15 | 662 – Lazy Villainy |
Nov 11, 13 | 547 – Lashing Out |
Aug 31, 16 | 695 – The Mighty Money Man |
Ugh. This is my failed experiment. Like Strip 25, I had two ideas for a strip and tried to make them into one. As drawn, panel 3 preceded panel 2, but at the last minute I got the idea to integrate them more. It didn’t work. Not helping matters is the last panel. For the [...]
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Nov 13, 19 | 812 – Spy Gal Dual Wields |
Jan 28, 07 | 88 – Who Smells Like Fish? |
Feb 6, 12 | 384 – Taking It Well |
Sep 16, 08 | 163 – Dr. Klein’s Got Some Splainin’ to Do |
The SuperFogeys are so stiff and immobile, it was fun to cut loose a little on a character like the Healer. I made it double-sized because I wanted the figures to breathe a little and see what I could do with a character who is real expressive. There’s some good lines in this one (Dr. [...]
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Nov 11, 13 | 547 – Lashing Out |
Mar 19, 09 | 200 – Where is He!? |
Apr 30, 12 | 407 – Spy Days Are Over |
Jan 16, 12 | 378 – Things Fall Apart |
Jan 30, 07 | 90 – Introducing Star Maiden! |
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 [...]
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Dec 3, 09 | 236 – You Have to Be Careful Who You Let Into Your Life |
Apr 4, 07 | 134 – Driving Everybody Off |
Mar 2, 20 | 835 – Because of the Struggle |
Aug 22, 16 | 692 – See! You Are Needed! |
Jerry was late to the party because I needed to remind the audience of his feelings for Spy Gal. I’m sure there was a better way to do that. Not a favorite of mine.
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Jul 30, 18 | Pg. 9 “Who is Talking?” |
Mar 28, 07 | 127 – Entralean Slime Pellet |
Oct 1, 06 | 9 – How to Turn Dr. Rocket On |
Jul 9, 18 | Pg. 6 “Date or Fight?” |
I had been looking for an excuse to do a single-panel strip for a long time and this conclusion of the Healer’s interviews with all the SuperFogeys was a good excuse for it. Originally, the dialogue on this one was vastly different. It was a back and forth between the Healer and the Captain; none [...]
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Apr 22, 10 | 253 – Destiny Screwed Over |
Jul 29, 15 | 662 – Lazy Villainy |
Jan 5, 10 | Guest Strip by Joe Cook of “Shattered Myth!” |
Jul 2, 09 | 214 – Father and Sons |
Aug 10, 12 | Pg. 1 “Baby Hands” |
I absolutely love this strip. This is a case of art elevating the script. On paper, this one didn’t seem like it would be much. If anything, I felt like I was trying to do too much. However…I think it works. Bingo Knight was a character name given to me by a reader of my [...]
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Sep 2, 08 | 159 – Strange Dreams and Wedding Plans |
Sep 22, 06 | 1 – Introducing Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket! |
Aug 15, 11 | 342 – The Wrong Man |
Apr 9, 09 | 203 – Shame, Shame |
Aug 19, 10 | 273 – All Is Revealed |
Bingo Knight’s design came from the idea that he is essentially a super accountant. I mean, a super hero who settles Bingo scores? How could he be anything BUT an accountant? Once I knew that, all I had to do was put a dorky guy in a Knight costume and the idea sold itself.
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Mar 20, 13 | 490 – Two Thirds of a Secret Revealed |
Feb 22, 11 | Pg. 4 “Ruined Her Show” |
Feb 22, 12 | 389 – The Invisible Pain |
Aug 10, 11 | 341 – Stop |
Jun 23, 22 | 900 – Protected |
I don’t know how much this strip actually adds to the plot, but it makes me laugh and sometimes that’s enough. A genuinely well-drawn Spy Gal in this strip, I think. She’s a tough one to draw just right and I always have a hard time with her hair.
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Mar 15, 07 | 114 – Enter: Star Maiden |
Oct 24, 16 | 707 – Demise |
Feb 1, 12 | 383 – Jackpot. |
May 18, 12 | Pg. 2 “Not Ready or Able” |
Dec 5, 06 | 54 – Gene Gets What’s Coming to Him |
I tried and tried to not make this one a double-sized. I had just done one and I didn’t want to take the time to do another one, but there just wasn’t any other way to make it work. Too many characters all interacting with each other. It has been said that this is one [...]
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Apr 20, 12 | Pg. 9 “The Unicef Upstarts” |
Sep 30, 06 | 8 – Hands Off Spy Gal! |
Apr 25, 11 | 310 – Doctor. |
Nov 4, 19 | 809 – The Jerry Cradle |
Nov 27, 13 | 552 – Is Jerry Really Such a Bad Guy? |
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.
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Nov 12, 20 | 855 – Making Thrice Evil Sad |
Nov 29, 17 | 751 – Who Do You Think Paid for All This? |
Mar 4, 20 | 836 – Keep Away |
Aug 4, 09 | SF Origins: Tangerine, Pg. 2 “Master Masticate and the Concubine Cannibals” |
Aug 10, 12 | Pg. 1 “Baby Hands” |
This is an important call back to the end of Chapter 1. I had to keep Jerry’s unrequited love alive somehow and it seems particularly harsh that it’s now Spy Gal herself who is diminishing him. Jerry’s just fun to mess with.
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Nov 12, 09 | 233 – She Was Undercover |
Apr 28, 14 | 590 – Will He Fight? |
Nov 2, 06 | 30 – B-I-N-G-O |
Apr 3, 13 | 494 – Hugging in the Throne Room |
Aug 28, 13 | 530 – Jerry’s Greatest Hits |
Finally we’re back to the Fogeys. It was a conscious decision on my part to not have the Fogeys enter the stage for so many strips—six, to be exact. I wanted to try something new. Re-energize myself. I found I really missed them and the strip seems to come alive when they’re “on screen.” I [...]
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Oct 19, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 8 “Back Home” |
Dec 28, 11 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy! |
Feb 16, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 6 “The Bottle and the Women” |
Sep 12, 12 | 444 – A New Mission |
Nov 2, 16 | 710 – Crimson Oils |
Visually, this is one of my absolute favorites. You can see I’m trying something new with the background. I first used the “faded background” technique in a guest strip I did for Wes Molebash’s strip “You’ll Have That” Once I did it there, I knew I needed to try it for SF. More copy/pasting [...]
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Aug 5, 13 | 523 – The Big Slam |
Oct 5, 11 | Chapter 10, “Bubbles of Light” Recap by Danny Burleson |
Nov 16, 11 | 363 – Liberated |
May 21, 09 | 209 – Coming to Jesus |
Oct 19, 12 | Pg. 9 “Let’s Go!” |
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 [...]
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Dec 23, 11 | Pg. 6 “Battle in the Skies” |
Jul 27, 15 | 661 – Jerry is the Portalmaker |
Nov 12, 20 | 855 – Making Thrice Evil Sad |
Dec 15, 20 | 862 – That’s It!? |
Nov 18, 11 | Pg. 1 “The Usher” |
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 [...]
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I don’t remember if this strip was done this way out of laziness or because I wanted to shake things up. Honestly, if I had to guess I’d say I was trying to shake things up. I think I was trying to create the feeling of overhearing the conversation before you really see who is [...]
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Jan 23, 13 | 474 – Overwhelmed |
Sep 28, 12 | GUEST STRIP by Crystal Murphy, Summer Fun Pt. 4 |
Jun 26, 08 | 142 – Back in Hel |
Nov 18, 06 | 46 – The Winner of Bingo Night…? |
May 21, 09 | 209 – Coming to Jesus |
Another “colorful” strip. Seriously, this is just ugly. I never pull off the silhouetted figures thing as well as someone like Mike Witmer over at Pinkerton. I try but…no. Still, Jerry getting rejected by Spy Gal…that’s always gold as far as I’m concerned.
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Mar 7, 18 | 769 – Weeping Wandering Fat Children |
Nov 7, 06 | 35 – Healer Q&A |
Oct 14, 10 | 280 – Twin Sisters |
Mar 12, 18 | 770 – Bumps in the Road |
Mar 1, 11 | Pg. 5 “Couture Fashion” |
I think my ink line is too thick in these middle Chapter 3 strips. Also, the camera is just a little too tight, a constant problem of mine overall. Knowing what I wanted to do with Dr. Klein by the end of this chapter, it was important to keep him present in the story. That’s [...]
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Jun 17, 08 | 139 – Jerry’s Fate Revealed |
Dec 19, 16 | 720 – Thank You for Making Me Angry |
Jan 7, 21 | 865 – Balance |
Jan 1, 10 | Guest Strip by Chris Watkins of “Odori Park!” |
Mar 19, 07 | 118 – Spy Gal vs. Star Maiden |
I love the panel with the close-up of the hands. From the drawing to the colors, it just works. Too bad the rest of the strip doesn’t. A lot readers asked me what those sparks near Spy Gal’s wrist were in the last panel. Then answer: My feeble attempt at visually depicting her arthritis. …I [...]
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Jan 13, 07 | 68 – Jerry’s Computer Troubles |
Dec 12, 16 | 718 – What is Deserved |
May 14, 09 | 208 – Grab the Tush |
Feb 9, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 5 “Michelle Masters” |
Swifty coming in at the end was kind of cheap. I didn’t have a real gag for this one, and he usually does in a pinch. It was an important Dr. Klein moment though.
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Apr 11, 11 | 306 – He Looks Like He’s Dying |
Feb 1, 11 | Pg. 1 “Who You Callin’ Cow?” |
Oct 5, 16 | 704 – Ankle Biters |
Jan 12, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 1 “Sweet Samantha” |
Nov 30, 16 | 715 – Master and Student |
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Aug 15, 14 | Pg. 7 “Kill ‘Em All” |
Aug 19, 13 | 527 – A Concerned Husband |
Dec 1, 06 | 51 – Can Hair Eat? |
Oct 31, 11 | 359 – Warmed Up |
Aug 3, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal’s Secret Mission, Pg. 3 “Hitting Bottom” |
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 [...]
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May 17, 08 | SF Collection #3 Cover |
Feb 15, 12 | 387 – A Hot Shower |
Jun 15, 12 | Pg. 1 “Through the Portal” |
Mar 19, 09 | 200 – Where is He!? |
Nov 9, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 11 “One Life Ends…” |
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. [...]
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Oct 24, 12 | 452 – Book of Mormon Story |
Mar 20, 07 | 119 – #@$% Heroic |
Mar 3, 07 | 106 – What’s in the Box? |
Apr 10, 13 | 496 – The First Condition |
Oct 24, 16 | 707 – Demise |
93 – Beginning the Tale of How Captain Spectacular Met and Married Star Maiden
by Brock Heasley on February 2nd, 2007The genesis for this flashback came from Daniel Woodhouse, artist on “Thog Infinitron” and sometime artist of “Beaver and Steve.” I asked Dan to do a short backup story for the second SuperFogeys book and asked him what he wanted to draw. He said “Captain Spectacular fighting in the skies above a city. Maybe a [...]
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Mar 20, 13 | 490 – Two Thirds of a Secret Revealed |
Feb 6, 13 | 478 – What If Money Man Had Lived? |
Jul 11, 08 | Guest Strip by Sean Conchieri of “Pixel!” |
Aug 11, 22 | 914 – Time to Go |
Aug 25, 22 | 918 – Not Going in There |
I don’t know why Mr. Crook is in there. It doesn’t really add anything to the story to have him there. Great Dr. Rocket moment though. I had a lot of fun drawing that tongue and making it as yucky as possible.
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Sep 12, 11 | 350 – Great Things Ahead |
Oct 1, 12 | 445 – I Don’t Know What I’ve Been Told |
Feb 4, 21 | 871 – To Save a Dark World |
Jul 8, 10 | 264 – You Betcha |
Jan 2, 12 | 374 – A Spy Gal Shaped Hole |
The obvious signified of a flashback is to do the art in black and white. That gray shading I add in there is an effect I wish I had time to do on all the SuperFogeys strips. Plans are for that effect to be added to the strips for the trade collections. Once that happens, [...]
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Jan 15, 20 | 824 – Knives Out |
Dec 1, 14 | 641 – A Different World, A Different Thrice |
Mar 25, 11 | Pg. 8 “Get Her” |
Feb 20, 12 | 388 – Bay-buh |
Obviously, something big went down in that other dimension. For the whole story, check out the backup tale “Captain Spectacular and Star Maiden in the Inevitable Dimension” in the second SuperFogeys book. It’s drawn by Julio Molina-Muscara, artist on “Omega Chase.” I wanted a “no bad guy” break-up here. I think you get where everyone [...]
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Mar 18, 13 | 489 – Change in Plan |
Dec 8, 14 | The SuperFogeys 2015 Teaser and Special Announcements |
Nov 25, 08 | 182 – Someone Steps Forward (Bubbles of Light 3) |
Mar 7, 12 | 393 – Impasse |
Mar 10, 14 | 578 – A Different Kind of Torture |
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 [...]
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Nov 2, 06 | 30 – B-I-N-G-O |
Jul 20, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal’s Secret Mission, Pg. 1 “Entry” |
Feb 5, 14 | 569 – Don’t Call Him a Communist When You’ve Been One For a Year |
Dec 16, 10 | 289 – Not Yet |
Dec 9, 06 | 58 – Jerry’s Single Chest Hair |
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.
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Jan 21, 07 | 81 – Jerry Denied! |
Apr 27, 11 | 311 – The Glow of the Screen Shines Brightly |
Jan 1, 10 | Guest Strip by Chris Watkins of “Odori Park!” |
Sep 30, 10 | 278 – The Others |
Apr 22, 10 | 253 – Destiny Screwed Over |
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 [...]
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Nov 16, 11 | 363 – Liberated |
Jun 17, 08 | 139 – Jerry’s Fate Revealed |
Jul 26, 22 | 909 – Get Outta Town |
Nov 6, 08 | 177 – Lay Some More On Me |
Sep 24, 06 | 3 – Escape From the Carpathian Bug People |
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 [...]
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Sep 14, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 3 “She Dead” |
Aug 19, 13 | 527 – A Concerned Husband |
Mar 18, 07 | 117 – Dementia |
Sep 16, 10 | 276 – “Sweetie” |
Nov 23, 06 | 50 – And the Actual Winner of Bingo Night is… |
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 [...]
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Apr 24, 13 | 500 – What Should Not Be |
Jan 17, 07 | 72 – Dictator Tot’s Marching Orders |
May 1, 08 | 101 – WebSpace Page: Captain Spectacular |
Apr 20, 12 | Pg. 9 “The Unicef Upstarts” |
Dec 21, 11 | 373 – SWAT! |
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May 2, 08 | 85 – WebSpace Page: Spy Gal |
Apr 27, 11 | 311 – The Glow of the Screen Shines Brightly |
Jul 22, 08 | 147 – Three Plus Seven |
Feb 15, 11 | Pg. 3 “For The Girls” |
Nov 16, 06 | 44 – Beginning the Tale of How Captain Spectacular was Paralyzed |
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 [...]
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Jul 14, 14 | 609 – Humbled |
Feb 17, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 7 “Two Years” |
Jan 6, 20 | 821 – Frightening Frogs |
Aug 20, 18 | Swifty Origin, Pg. 12 “Party Hard” |
Dec 12, 12 | 466 – Tunnel Vision |
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 [...]
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Aug 7, 08 | 152 – Best Man |
Aug 27, 10 | SF Origins: Operation: Valhalla, No. 4 “Talking Turnips” |
Feb 1, 07 | 92 – Not the Woman He Used to Know |
Jan 29, 09 | 193 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 10 “Escape” |
Dec 23, 10 | 290 – Too Much Sun |
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 [...]
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Apr 13, 12 | Pg. 8 “Enter: The Thrice Evil” |
Dec 28, 11 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy! |
Aug 6, 14 | 616 – One of Zurida’s |
Jan 4, 17 | 723 – Ascendant |
Apr 25, 18 | 781 – Everyone in the War Room! |
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 [...]
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Apr 7, 14 | 586 – The New Percy |
Mar 5, 12 | 392 – …Secrets, Secrets Hurt Someone |
Mar 2, 20 | 835 – Because of the Struggle |
Sep 10, 12 | 443 – “Open to Ideas” |
Jan 28, 21 | 869 – A Wonderful Side Effect |
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 [...]
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Nov 28, 16 | 714 – Pathetic Counterpart |
May 19, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 14 “Save Him, Dirtlicker” |
Jan 16, 07 | 71 – Is Gene Crying? |
Jun 24, 08 | 141 – Why, Little D? |
Aug 2, 22 | 911 – The Savior of the World |
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.
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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 [...]
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Oct 3, 12 | 446 – General Spy Gal |
Sep 9, 08 | 161 – Tangerine’s Arrival and Dr. Klein’s Return |
Feb 8, 11 | Pg. 2 “New Designer in Town” |
Nov 11, 06 | 39 – Jerry Arrives Late |
Oct 16, 08 | 172 – The Superhero Code |
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 [...]
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Dec 9, 19 | 817 – Master Masticate Stands with Fork Ready |
Apr 20, 12 | Pg. 9 “The Unicef Upstarts” |
Aug 31, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 1 “Bored” |
May 30, 12 | 416 – Alcohol is His Kryptonite |
Aug 10, 15 | 667 – The Importance of Good Hygiene |