WARNING: Don’t freak out. Read this entire post. To the end. You’ll see.

MY LAST SUPERFOGEYS

A couple of months ago I decided to stop doing the SuperFogeys. It wasn’t an easy decision, believe me. Every part of me didn’t want to do it and I fought it like crazy. But, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake this idea that SuperFogeys was taking me away from…something.

I took the matter to the Lord. This is what I do when I have big decisions in life and I’ve learned, over time, how to obtain and recognize inspiration from a more divine source than myself.

(Stick with me here. We’ll be done with the religious mumbo jumbo in a minute.)

There’s something frankly ridiculous about praying to God to know whether or not you should  keep making old superhero comics. But that’s what I did. SF is important to me. It’s been a big part of my life the past five years. It’s not a huge moneymaker, but the work I do on it means a lot to me and, I know, to you.

But I had to know: should I keep doing it or not? I was finally ready for whatever the answer might be.

The answer came back loud and clear. Unmistakable. I needed to stop and there were other things I needed to do with my time. As of right now, I still don’t know what they are, but “stop” was the answer.

A couple of things made it easier to be open to the answer I received. One, I’ve become increasingly less and less enamored with the process of drawing. Now, a lot of you have been very complimentary of my art lately. And I agree—I’m doing my very best work right now.  But, weirdly, drawing has become such a chore. I struggle to get through it. I’m not having fun anymore.

The second thing was that SuperFogeys has been coming out only once-a-week (not counting SuperFogeys Origins) for over two years now and it’s very, VERY hard to grow a webcomic’s readership with that kind of update schedule. Don’t get me wrong, SF has tons of great, dedicated fans (like yourself), but it’s hard to grow it as a business when there’s so little content from week-to-week.

Take those two things together and it’s like I’ve just been digging a deeper and deeper hole for myself the past several months.

So what has kept me going until now? Two things: you guys and the story.

Seriously, you guys rock. Your comments and enthusiasm and critiques and donations have kept this wagon rolling for far longer than it might have otherwise.

And the story? Man, I love telling this story. The thought of cutting it off at the knees just as all this way awesome stuff was about to happen killed me. SF is built on the back of setups and payoffs. It’s designed to be like watching Back to the Future in bits at a time. Could I really just ditch it and risk the ire of the fans and leave all the various story threads unresolved?

Yes. Yes, I could. It was the right thing to do and, ultimately, that trumps everything else.

I told my wife, Erin. She thought I was crazy, but she understood where I was coming from. I wrote Mike DeVito and Jon Conkling, Th3rd World Co-Publishers. They didn’t like it either, but they understood as well.

Hasta la vista. Bon voyage.

Don’t cry, Violet. Keep reading.

(If you can’t see this image, click here!)

“But wait,” Mike DeVito said. “What if we got someone else to draw SF?”

“Huh.” Now that was a thought that hadn’t occurred to me. “You mean I still write it and everything and somebody else makes it pretty?”

“Yeah. Would that free up enough of your time to where you would feel comfortable allowing SF to continue?”

“Well, yeah. Yeah, it would. But I think it’s only worth it if the person is willing to do at least two strips a week. Otherwise, we’re right back where we started.”

“Yeah, I agree. Let’s find someone.”

“Okay,” I said. “Who?”

And that leads me to my next big announcement…

WELCOME TO THE SUPERFOGEYS, MARC LAPIERRE!

You know Marc from his strips Boxcar Astronaut and Spooky Doofus. He’s done a guest strip, and an SFO story. But you don’t really know what Marc can do. You will now. Starting next week.

Marc is one of the good guys. He’s one of those cartoonists that represent the community well with a dedicated work ethic, talent to spare, and a friendly and agreeable spirit. I’ve long admired the incredible work he does with his “lunchtime sketches.” (I hope he lets me post some of them here!) I could not ask for a better partner in this.

And that’s what Marc is. A partner. Marc is the new official artist of the SuperFogeys. Look up at the masthead. His name is right there. That’s as official as it gets.

“But wait,” I hear you saying. “I clicked on the links to Marc’s work and while I think he’s great, I’m not sure he’s the best fit for SuperFogeys. His style is cool and all, but it’s really different from what you do.”

Change is hard. I appreciate that. Marc appreciates that. But you haven’t seen what I’ve seen. As of right now, Marc is about 10 strips ahead. He’s finished off Chapter 10, Bubbles of Light, and he’s working now on Chapter 11, The Doctor and The Doctor.  Marc is a dedicated artist who is only growing with each and every strip. You’ve never seen work like this from him. He’s captured the spirit and the feel of the SuperFogeys–and a great deal of the look while still making it his own.

And he’s not satisfied. He wants each strip to be better than the last and to fit more seamlessly into the established world. And he’s doing it. He’s rocking it. I’m blown away and humbled by his dedication and talent.

I think you will be too.

Of course, I’m still the captain of this ship. I’m still writing all the strips and Origins, and I’ll be lettering them as well. These things don’t take up nearly as much of my time and I’m excited to do them.

I hope you’ll all give a warm welcome to Marc as a part of the SF family. I know change is always hard, but I think if you give him a chance Marc will surprise and delight you.

Above all, I thank Marc for keeping SF going. I don’t think he knows this, but I was ready to turn my back on it. I really was. And now, because of him…

THERE’S MORE SUPERFOGEYS COMING THAN EVER BEFORE! NEW SCHEDULE!

That’s right, folks! From now on, you’re getting TWICE the number of SF strips each week! And SuperFogeys Origins! Here’s how the new schedule shakes out:

MONDAY – SuperFogeys

WEDNESDAY – SuperFogeys

FRIDAY – SuperFogeys Origins

Thought the story was rolling out too slowly? Couldn’t stand the wait between updates? Well, I think your life just got a little easier.

“WAIT, DOES THIS MEAN YOU’RE NOT DRAWING THE SUPERFOGEYS ANYMORE…EVER?”

Not really. One of the first things Marc and I did to commemorate the transition from my art to his was to collaborate on a SuperFogeys 2011 Promo Poster. Marc did the penciling and coloring, I did the inks. That’s your first update on the new schedule. Look for it this coming Monday.

Other than that, we’ll see how I feel. I’m open to coming back for a short chapter at some point down the line, just for fun. And I’m sure I’ll do some promo stuff here and there. But the art of SF is no longer a going concern for me.

300 strips. I think I had a pretty good run.

SO, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

Give it to us straight. Are you down for this? Was my art really all that important to you or was it the story that kept you coming back? Are you excited to be getting twice the SuperFogeys in the future? Care to express a word of support for Marc? Are you skeptical? Sound off below!

NEXT WEEK:

On Monday, come back to see the 2011 promo piece with hints at the future of SF and your first look at Marc’s approach to drawing the characters!

Then, on Wednesday, SuperFogeys 301, Marc’s first strip, debuts! Time to check back in with the Swiftys!

Finally, on Friday, Spy Gal vs. C.O.W. continues and, seriously, I would not want to be Monica. Spy Gal is maaaaaad.

Countdown: 0

(Whew.)