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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May 13, 13 | 503 – Money Man vs. Zurida |
Mar 8, 11 | Pg. 6 “Area is Secure” |
Mar 25, 13 | 491 – Proof |
Nov 4, 06 | 32 – Bingo Night Begins |
Apr 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 9 “Press Conference” |
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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Jun 15, 12 | Pg. 1 “Through the Portal” |
Nov 3, 06 | 31- Spittin’ Oatmeal |
Jun 16, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 18 “KAPOW!” |
Aug 8, 14 | Pg. 6 “Back From the Dead” |
Mar 23, 12 | Pg. 5 “Where Are The Unicef Upstarts?” |
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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Jan 6, 09 | Guest Strip by T.L. Collins of “Bullfinch!” |
Sep 23, 08 | 165 – Not a Villain? |
Mar 19, 18 | 772 – Showdown at the New California Coast |
Aug 5, 15 | 665 – All Out of Coffee and Goats |
Jan 19, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 2 “Homewreckers” |
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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Dec 4, 13 | 554 – Not In a Way That Matters |
Dec 9, 06 | 58 – Jerry’s Single Chest Hair |
Nov 18, 06 | 46 – The Winner of Bingo Night…? |
Mar 11, 20 | 838 – The Situation |
Jul 6, 11 | 331 – Paradise |
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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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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Feb 1, 11 | Pg. 1 “Who You Callin’ Cow?” |
Nov 6, 19 | 810 – Meanwhile, In Las Vegas |
Oct 27, 14 | 631 – Two Decisions |
Aug 17, 12 | Pg. 2 “Youthfulenergysupersurplus!” |
Apr 14, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 9 “Press Conference” |
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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Sep 16, 11 | Pg. 2 “The Fallen Rabbit” |
Jan 15, 09 | 192 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 9 “Supposed to Be Me” |
Jul 1, 13 | 517 – The Man in the Iron Cage |
Dec 9, 10 | 288 – Fill Me In |
Nov 8, 17 | 745 – The Song of Rocket’s Loyalty |
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 18, 10 | 248 – The Difference Between Justice and Revenge |
Jan 4, 17 | 723 – Ascendant |
Dec 11, 08 | 187 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 4 “New Clothes” |
May 6, 13 | 501 – New Age Nitwit |
May 26, 15 | What You’ve Been Waiting to Know… |
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Jan 21, 13 | 473 – Monkey Rain |
Mar 11, 07 | 110 – Spanking |
Jul 6, 11 | 331 – Paradise |
Oct 2, 08 | 168 – Tangerine Gets His Mad On |
Mar 7, 12 | 393 – Impasse |
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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Jul 29, 15 | 662 – Lazy Villainy |
Aug 16, 22 | 915 – Return to Valhalla |
Aug 3, 15 | 664 – Too Old to Drive |
Apr 21, 09 | SF Origins: The Society of Heroes, Pg. 10 “The Lodge of Doom” |
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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Mar 5, 18 | 768 – Boy-Haired Crone |
Apr 9, 09 | 203 – Shame, Shame |
Nov 2, 16 | 710 – Crimson Oils |
Mar 17, 07 | 116 – Still Hot |
Nov 17, 20 | 856 – Grab That Rabbit! |
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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Jan 28, 10 | 241 – He’s Gone |
Sep 14, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 3 “She Dead” |
Feb 17, 11 | 296 – Even Her |
Nov 21, 11 | 364 – Comrade |
Aug 3, 15 | 664 – Too Old to Drive |
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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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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Jan 28, 21 | 869 – A Wonderful Side Effect |
Apr 5, 07 | 135 – The Tale of How Captain Spectacular Met Dr. Klein, Conclusion |
Jul 9, 18 | Pg. 6 “Date or Fight?” |
Jan 14, 13 | 471 – Mmm… Spaghetti… |
Mar 13, 11 | 299 – Why The Hospital |
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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Nov 5, 14 | 634 – Twin Plots |
Jan 15, 09 | 192 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 9 “Supposed to Be Me” |
Apr 2, 09 | 202 – He Started Stuttering |
Nov 12, 06 | 40 – Jumpin’ Jujubees! |
Aug 22, 14 | Pg. 8 “The Captor Revealed” |
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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Apr 5, 07 | 135 – The Tale of How Captain Spectacular Met Dr. Klein, Conclusion |
Jan 30, 07 | 90 – Introducing Star Maiden! |
Jan 2, 12 | 374 – A Spy Gal Shaped Hole |
Jan 21, 13 | 473 – Monkey Rain |
Dec 21, 16 | 721 – Requiem for Money Man |
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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Dec 21, 16 | 721 – Requiem for Money Man |
Mar 11, 07 | 110 – Spanking |
Sep 21, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 4 “The Best Day Ever, Ever” |
Sep 15, 14 | The Principle of Order |
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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Oct 22, 14 | 530 – The Long Arm of the Universe |
Dec 29, 09 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, Part One |
Mar 15, 07 | 114 – Enter: Star Maiden |
May 11, 11 | 315 – Dr. Rocket’s Space Journey, Pt. 4: The Pilatian Power Crystal |
Oct 21, 06 | 27 – Spy Gal’s Explanation |
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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Dec 19, 12 | 468 – Jerry’s Savior |
Jun 4, 18 | Pg. 1 “My Name is Gordon Jones” |
Jan 22, 14 | 565 – Suckface |
Oct 13, 20 | 846 – Oh, He Dead |
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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Feb 22, 12 | 389 – The Invisible Pain |
Jun 25, 18 | Pg. 4 “The Greatest Woman Who Ever Lived” |
Sep 2, 08 | 159 – Strange Dreams and Wedding Plans |
Sep 7, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 2 “Cats at the Back” |
Jun 11, 09 | 211 – Shrinking Your Carbon Footprint |
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 25, 08 | Merry Christmas From The SuperFogeys (2008) |
Mar 11, 07 | 110 – Spanking |
Mar 11, 20 | 838 – The Situation |
May 15, 13 | 504 – A Striking Mustache |
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 20, 11 | 335 – Diagonally |
Apr 4, 11 | 304 – Catchy and Mysterious |
Dec 31, 09 | Guest Strip by Scott Gallatin of “Madscott” – The Sequel! |
Oct 5, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 6 “The Lips That Should Not Be Touched” |
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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Nov 13, 17 | 746 – The New Maid |
Oct 26, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal, Pg. 9 “What Is Strength?” |
Aug 3, 12 | Pg. 6 “Inevitably Betrayed” |
Sep 5, 14 | Pg. 9 – Like Other Men |
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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Jun 1, 12 | Pg. 4 “The O’Hara Family Tragedy” |
Jul 29, 08 | 149 – Santa Rocket |
Nov 11, 11 | Pg. 7 “Nipped” |
Jul 19, 22 | 907 – Where is Sam? |
Nov 23, 06 | 50 – And the Actual Winner of Bingo Night is… |
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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May 20, 11 | Pg. 6 “Invisible” |
Oct 10, 12 | 448 – Thinking Like a Hero |
Sep 12, 12 | 444 – A New Mission |
Feb 3, 11 | 294 – Funny Ya Should Mention That |
Mar 3, 11 | 298 – Vile Villainous Vole |
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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May 10, 08 | 79 – WebSpace Page: Bingo Knight and The Duchess of Keno |
May 30, 12 | 416 – Alcohol is His Kryptonite |
Apr 25, 18 | 781 – Everyone in the War Room! |
Jan 4, 17 | 723 – Ascendant |
Oct 24, 16 | 707 – Demise |
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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Jun 11, 12 | 419 – Adrenalin |
Jun 19, 13 | 514 – The Handover |
Jul 18, 14 | Pg. 3 “Naughty Girl” |
Sep 16, 08 | 163 – Dr. Klein’s Got Some Splainin’ to Do |
Mar 11, 21 | 881 – Minutes Away |
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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Sep 28, 12 | GUEST STRIP by Crystal Murphy, Summer Fun Pt. 4 |
Jul 22, 08 | 147 – Three Plus Seven |
Apr 7, 14 | 586 – The New Percy |
Mar 21, 07 | 120 – Swifty’s Losing? |
Oct 23, 13 | SuperFogeys Q and A: 4 of 4 |
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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Aug 6, 18 | Swifty Origin, Pg. 10 “The Heart” |
Oct 10, 11 | 353 – SHWABOOM!! |
Jan 1, 14 | Guest Strip by Crystal Murphy, 4! |
Feb 17, 14 | 572 – The New War Room |
May 20, 13 | 505 – Dark Disease |
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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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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Jul 1, 11 | Pg. 12 “Comic Book Clothing Physics” |
Aug 6, 18 | Swifty Origin, Pg. 10 “The Heart” |
Sep 28, 16 | 702 – He’s Got Gloves |
Jul 11, 14 | Pg. 2 “The Devil in the Dark” |
Nov 5, 14 | 634 – Twin Plots |
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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Jul 21, 14 | 611 – Escape |
Dec 1, 06 | 51 – Can Hair Eat? |
Jul 29, 08 | 149 – Santa Rocket |
Jul 13, 11 | 333 – A Word with Her Fiancee |
Jan 26, 07 | 84 – You Don’t Mess with Dr. Klein |
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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Aug 3, 11 | 339 – Love |
Mar 11, 10 | 247 – Not a Busload of Strangers |
Apr 8, 11 | Cover |
Mar 29, 07 | 128 – Only Two People in the World… |
Mar 4, 10 | 246 – Righteous Kill |
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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May 26, 22 | 892 – Ejection |
Jun 29, 11 | 329 – Ear Twist |
Feb 23, 10 | SF Origins: The Six Wives of Captain Spectacular, Pg. 8 “The Return of Zurida” |
Jul 29, 13 | 521 – Spy Gal Awakened |
Mar 2, 20 | 835 – Because of the Struggle |
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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Aug 10, 12 | Pg. 1 “Baby Hands” |
May 2, 18 | 783 – FINALLY! |
Jan 2, 12 | 374 – A Spy Gal Shaped Hole |
Aug 10, 11 | 341 – Stop |
Nov 26, 12 | 461 – He Escaped |
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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Jan 28, 07 | 88 – Who Smells Like Fish? |
Aug 22, 16 | 692 – See! You Are Needed! |
Jul 29, 10 | 267 – Without Pants, Nothing is Possible |
Aug 27, 10 | SF Origins: Operation: Valhalla, No. 4 “Talking Turnips” |
Jan 22, 14 | 565 – Suckface |
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 1, 10 | Guest Strip by Chris Watkins of “Odori Park!” |
Feb 15, 12 | 387 – A Hot Shower |
Dec 7, 16 | 717 – The Fury of Soviet Sam |
Sep 6, 22 | 921 – Obedience is Key |
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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Sep 16, 08 | 163 – Dr. Klein’s Got Some Splainin’ to Do |
Nov 6, 08 | 177 – Lay Some More On Me |
Jan 2, 13 | Guest Strip by Brock Heasley (???) |
Feb 27, 12 | 390 – Bubbles of Light 7 |
Aug 18, 10 | 272 – GET OUT! |
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Nov 27, 08 | 183 – Eloquence |
Sep 4, 08 | 160 – Best Friends Forever? |
Sep 24, 12 | GUEST STRIP by Gwen Patton! |
Jan 8, 18 | 752 – Like Jerry |
Jan 15, 07 | 70 – Gene and Dictator Tot Reunite |
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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Mar 11, 20 | 838 – The Situation |
Sep 10, 12 | 443 – “Open to Ideas” |
Aug 20, 18 | Swifty Origin, Pg. 12 “Party Hard” |
Oct 24, 11 | 357 – Now Leaving Medieval Midway |
Dec 2, 11 | Pg. 3 “Enter The Space Pig” |
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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Feb 5, 09 | 194 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 11 “Helpful Suggestions” |
Dec 8, 14 | The SuperFogeys 2015 Teaser and Special Announcements |
Jul 29, 13 | 521 – Spy Gal Awakened |
Jan 19, 21 | 866 – Who Wants to Be Safe? |
Apr 11, 12 | 402 – Lost Signal |
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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Nov 26, 14 | 640 – Jerry Must Come Back |
Jan 31, 07 | 91 – WebSpace Page: Star Maiden |
May 23, 11 | 318 – The Plans of Dr. Klein, Pt. 1 “Getting Rid of Captain Spectacular” |
Jan 26, 07 | 84 – You Don’t Mess with Dr. Klein |
Mar 6, 07 | 108 – Spy Gal Will Protect Jerry |
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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Apr 1, 11 | Pg. 9 “Always” |
Feb 19, 18 | 764 – Meanwhile, Inside Dr. Rocket’s Bedchamber |
Jul 4, 14 | Pg. 1 “One Month Later” |
May 25, 08 | SF Collection # 5 Cover (Unused) |
Oct 21, 13 | SuperFogeys Q and A: 3 of 4 |
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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Nov 12, 20 | 855 – Making Thrice Evil Sad |
Aug 1, 16 | 686 – Captain Spectacular’s Mighty Punch |
Aug 28, 10 | SF Origins: Operation: Valhalla, No. 5 “A Spot of Drool” |
Dec 23, 10 | 290 – Too Much Sun |
Nov 4, 11 | Pg. 6 “A Zombie Rabbit” |
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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Aug 11, 09 | SF Origins: Tangerine, Pg. 3 “New Parts” |
Jul 13, 15 | 655 – He’s In |
Dec 4, 13 | 554 – Not In a Way That Matters |
Aug 13, 14 | 617 – 4 Seconds Earlier |
Sep 23, 16 | Guest Strip by Alethea Lim (Alecat)! |
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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Jul 17, 08 | 146 – Cad and a Layabout |
Mar 26, 07 | 125 – Jerry’s Down |
Jan 22, 14 | 565 – Suckface |
Jan 2, 12 | 374 – A Spy Gal Shaped Hole |
Aug 18, 10 | 272 – GET OUT! |
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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Feb 11, 21 | 873 – Against the Wall |
Dec 24, 09 | Guest Strip by Rufus Edge of “Comicdeoxyribonucleicacid!” No. 2! |
Apr 28, 14 | 590 – Will He Fight? |
Apr 27, 12 | Pg. 10 “Mother and Child Reunion” |
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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Oct 24, 11 | 357 – Now Leaving Medieval Midway |
Sep 1, 22 | 920 – …The More They Stay the Same |
Feb 26, 14 | 575 – Undermined |
Jul 25, 14 | Pg. 4 “Daddy’s Little Girl Packs a Punch” |
Oct 12, 12 | Pg. 8 “Gross Fetuses” |
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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Jan 6, 11 | Guest Strip by Marjorie Rishel |
Aug 24, 12 | Pg. 3 “Crybabies” |
Aug 20, 14 | 619 – The Repentant |
Jan 18, 12 | 379 – A True Hero |
Oct 28, 13 | 543 – The Ignored Little Boy |
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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Oct 29, 12 | 453 – Buried Weapons |
Mar 7, 12 | 393 – Impasse |
Dec 3, 06 | 53 – The Healing |
Jan 6, 14 | 560 – Lifeless |
Jan 16, 13 | 472 – The Stink of the Space Monkeys |
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Oct 15, 06 | 22 – Dr. Rocket is Sorry? |
Sep 28, 16 | 702 – He’s Got Gloves |
Mar 10, 14 | 578 – A Different Kind of Torture |
May 7, 12 | 409 – Walkin’ Blues |
Dec 9, 08 | 186 – The Origin of Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket, Pt. 3 “Going Up” |
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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May 5, 14 | 592 – Bubbles of Light 9 |
Sep 2, 11 | Pg. 7 – “Silent Heart” |
Mar 1, 11 | Pg. 5 “Couture Fashion” |
Jul 9, 12 | 427 – I Bet He Wishes He Was a Lizard |
Jan 28, 07 | 88 – Who Smells Like Fish? |
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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Sep 26, 06 | 5 – The Urine of What!? |
Sep 26, 12 | GUEST STRIP by Crystal Murphy, Summer Fun Pt. 2! |
Nov 17, 09 | SF Origins: Spy Gal vs. Star Maiden, Pg. 3 “The Last Punch” |
Jun 19, 13 | 514 – The Handover |
Jun 22, 11 | 327 – The Buddy System |
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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Jul 1, 11 | Pg. 12 “Comic Book Clothing Physics” |
Nov 18, 19 | 813 – Villains Landing |
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May 18, 10 | SF Origins: Star Maiden, Pg. 6 “Earth” |
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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Mar 24, 07 | 123 – The Box is Opened |
Aug 3, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal’s Secret Mission, Pg. 3 “Hitting Bottom” |
May 18, 10 | SF Origins: Star Maiden, Pg. 6 “Earth” |
Mar 27, 07 | 126 – Who the @#$% is the Third Man? |
Sep 7, 12 | Pg. 5 “Who Squished?” |
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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Feb 22, 11 | Pg. 4 “Ruined Her Show” |
Jul 20, 10 | SF Origins: Spy Gal’s Secret Mission, Pg. 1 “Entry” |
Mar 25, 07 | 124 – Shooting |
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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Oct 22, 14 | 530 – The Long Arm of the Universe |
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 8, 09 | 228 – The Star Maiden Strip Show |
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Mar 7, 12 | 393 – Impasse |
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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