Marc knocked me out with the art in this one. A lot of it is in the coloring, particularly that last panel. I see every step of the art, from roughs to pencils to inks and finally to colors. There was nothing in any of the stages that prepared me for how awesome the background in that last panel turned out. Wow.
Those of you who listened to my TGT interview know that I promised action. Well, here you go! Full on fight scene. I don’t know that it’s going to top Spy Gal vs. Zurida, but it’s a fun way to kick off a chapter, I think.
Missed the past couple of weeks? Then you don’t know everything’s changed! This is SuperFogeys: One Year Later, and it all started right here.
I have to admit, when I read this page I had to go back and read about Spygal’s origins. A lot of modern-day superheroes swear not to kill, so to see her blasting away with real guns (these ain’t boxing glove arrows) was a bit of a surprise!
I always thought that the “No kill”-rule, while most of the time the morally right thing to do, was just a device to keep the baddies from dying and thereby maintaining a portfolio of villains and rivals. Of course, coming up with a decent supervillain every issues can be tough too.
Anyway, that is the main reason why I think the two big mainstream continuities are the weakest incarnation of the genre.
That being said, I am thrilled to see what will be happening here. Or what has happened, for that matter. I hope Tangerine made it out the space station.
To add a bit of further interest to this discussion: if you got back to near the end of Chapter 5, Spy Gal cites the “no killing” rule and calls Tangerine out on it.
http://superfogeys.com/2008/10/16/172-the-superhero-code/
They could do that as a practiced move. Sam preends to protect Spy Gal and then she uses him as a springboard to surprie the villains.
Like their version of the Fastball Special!
Some things just don’t change even as you get older. š
Too true. I’m trying to imagine Spy Gal not ready for a fight and it’s just not happening.
Discovered your comic last week, and read it from start to it’s current issue over the weekend. Love it! The writing is interesting, clever, and funny. I enjoy the development of the characters, from the Heros with very human failings, to the Villains whose actions, in some cases, seemed to have some justification. The artwork evolution from #1 to #566 has been fun to experience, too!
Just wish I would have dug deeper into Top Web Comics sooner! (#431 indeed! Pfft :p) Can’t wait to see what’s coming next.
Welcome, Ravenwald! You’ve been busy. So glad you dig the comic.
Our placement on Top Webcomics has always chapped my hide, but it is what it is, I guess. With more people like yourself joining the party, we can only move up. Hope you enjoy what’s next.
Now, be honest, did you see the revelation with Jerry in Chapter 9 coming?
Heh, as long as we’re being honest, I began reading the comic starting at the end of chapter 17 and going backward three or four pages before being sucked into it enough to want to learn more about the characters from the beginning. I’m confident it would have surprised me if I hadn’t though š
Maybe a TWC button by the FB/Twitter likes? If that’s not feasible, I’ll just keep voting it up from the TWC menu and see where it goes.
Should have expected that. I try to keep in mind that the latest strip is someone’s first. So glad it captured your attention in the middle of a continuity-heavy plot.
I do need to get a TWC button on here. That’s a solid idea.
Brilliant panel three, it would be a good choice to turn into an SF poster! Ah, dear Soviet Sam shows chivalry – if unnecessary, because that’s Spy Gal you’re talking to – isn’t dead. For some reason, and I’m not quite sure why, I”m starting to wonder if Sam has a little crush on Spy Gal. Also, Gabe mentioned the “no kill” rule. In the event that the bad guys actually win and subjugate the entire earth, I personally would prefer if the heroes rethought that particular rule and became a little more morally flexible. Especially in the case of Suckface. If my memory serves correct wasn’t his major crime destroying Beta Earth? If someone previously destroyed an entire planet (and by extension all life on it) and a bullet would actually stop them, I’d say it’s the safest course of action and fire away.
I fully agree. There is keeping a “morale high ground”, there is “giving people a chance to change” or plainly “avoiding bad PR”, but than there is also just tacking to big a damn risk.
I look at Captain America. In the current comics continuity (and, for all I know, the 1940’s comics as well), Cap killed during WWII. He hasn’t since waking up in the present. Not what he does. I think the idea is that wartime brings with it a slightly different, if no less honorable, set of rules.
I just thought of something abuot the story so far. When I startet to read SF, I checked out the character page to get some info on what the comic is about. Nedless to say, Jerries section was quite the spoiler. Maybe you chould change that a bit when you wish for people to get into the story at this point. Or possibly set up an about page, so people dont go to the vital info so fast.
That’s a good point, Cyrian. That really ought to be changed, but unfortunately (as you can tell by the lack of updates to that page), I am not able to make any changes to that section of the site right now without breaking it.
Wow! Marc is totally awesome! Foreshortened bullets and breaking the frame! I love it!
Agreed! That shot of Spy Gal is just amazing.
I agree. The impression of Spy Gal jumping off the page is brilliant. I also appreciate the detail of her right handgun in it’s recoil position, with the bullet racing towards us, while her left handgun is still pointed at it’s target, bullet just clearing the barrel.
Good eye! I think the guns at different stages of firing is what makes it.
Totally agree with the power of branding for the indidivual sales professional. Who doesn’t want to be known as the guy or gal who can deliver? In every organization, there is usually that one person who commands the attention of the senior management group. Why? Experience, skill and leveraging your personal brand . After building your brand, you need to manage it.
Thanks for the honest reivew, Nina! I have this one on my bookshelf, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I am sorry you were disappointed. It irritates me too when characters are so stereotypical and the plot is filled with cliches. I may wait to read this one!