Marc only just got his power back Saturday morning, but can you believe he found a way to finish this strip without it? True story! He was just two hours shy of being without power for a full week. That’s insane.
I suspect this a moment many of you have been looking forward to for a while. Do you think Spy Gal made the right move here?Ā I look forward to reading your thoughts!
I do think she made the right move here. Cap’s a little too selfish for her liking, and its amazing it took this long, really.
But the real question here is, what’s HE going to do about it.
Point. You’ll find out in the very next strip.
Yeah, what is HE going to do about it?
Anyway, Cap has seemed off to me ever since perhaps the end of Bubbles of Light chapter. It feels like not only has the focus shifted from the Cap to Jerry, but the Cap is somehow painted in a less likable light now as well. I really loved the Captain Spectacular character, but lately it just feels like he’s “not present” – partly due to his gambling addiction, true – but… Anyway, I posted about this before, so I’ll stop the repeat. Really interested in seeing what the Cap does about this! Hopefully it’ll be the wake up call he needs.
I wouldn’t necessarily take his “gambling addiction” as a given, but your point about Cap not being in character is one worth discussing, I think.
What’s he going to do about it? Hopefully nothing!
Cap’s brain was dulled so effectively by the aliens that gave him his powers that his modus operandi, even back when he was young, was wait expectantly to see how it would all turn out okay. He didn’t lift a finger to save his best friend, or even his own son
Jerry doesn’t deserve Spy Gal, but even he would be better for her than Cap.
A vote for Jerry? Didn’t see that coming. But your reasoning reminds me of some of the presidential elections we’ve had. Tough to get excited about the candidates.
To me, the more interesting question is what Spy Gal will do next. Because I think we are close to the point that the Swifties were discussing here: http://superfogeys.com/2011/03/23/301-hmph/
And here I thought everyone had forgotten about that…
You mean other people don’t re-read the entire archive once per day?
Haha. Not exactly, but since I’ve gotten Real Time Google Analytics, I have noticed that there’s a lot more archive trolling going on than I thought. That’s very cool.
I don’t think anyone is going to win in this, it’s one of those tragic things that happens and you think “someone has to have a happy ending here”; but I don’t think it’s going to happen this time.
This chapter will have a definitive ending, but a happy one? You’ll have to wait and see. But I think you’re right… hard to imagine how this all might end well.
Well, that’s that. I don’t see how they can get back together again, even if it does turn out CS was somehow being controlled into being a bit of a tit.
I’m hoping he WAS hypnotised and that he’ll return to his senses.
Never mind that though – Is Star Maiden still alive??
Star Maiden… I forgot about her. We should check in soon. I’m sure she’s fine.
I think this is relevant! http://superfogeys.com/2009/04/07/sf-origins-the-society-of-heroes-pg-8-ticking-bomb/
I agree!
Naaaaaailed it!
Get the feeling that Jerry knew that Captain Spectacular had a spectacularly overpowering gambling addiction, and thus wove that into part of his plan in order to take him out of play and also possibly put a fatal crater in his relationship with Spy-gal? It’s so sinister….. And what’s more? It worked. Go Jerry!
Another vote for Jerry? Man, you guys are evil.
~shakes hand~ Have we met? š
Spy Gal made a good decision, I think. Well…maybe she could’ve said, “We’re going to talk this over in detail once this robot is taken care of.” She kind of just jumped to breaking off the engagement a little fast.
CS lost his son, and since then hasn’t been exactly himself. It wouldn’t hurt for Spy Gal to take that into consideration.
In any case, CS is being dumb right now.
You’re gonna eat those words if CS wins some cash!
When Dr. Klein went to find Cap and bring him to Valhalla, he was a shattered wreck, sitting in the dark, utterly without faith in himself in any fashion or manner whatsoever. It had little or nothing to do with the loss of his mobility, though being crippled was a symptom of it, the cause was deeper. Cap has never felt like a hero. Not really. He’s always felt like a betrayer, a fraud. He has a massive case — one might say a heroic case — of imposter syndrome, a real condition where someone does not feel they have truly earned or deserve what they have achieved or who and what they are. He feels that he got what Dr. Rocket should have received, just because they swapped the medal — his best friend in the world was shortchanged because of a mistake. He feels his great power isn’t deserved, that Dr. Rocket was the one who should have had it, and he is an imposter. Perhaps he should have had what Dr. Rocket had instead, but he didn’t get it. He got the wrong piece of cake.
The Healer fixed his back, but he never felt he deserved that, either — he didn’t even yell “Bingo!” when he won the game over and over. He didn’t even notice that he’d won. While he could walk again, what had kept him sitting in the dark, pantsless, eyes empty, drinking, hadn’t been touched. It still hasn’t. He doesn’t feel like a hero. He never really did. The guys from 3rd World convinced him to be one, and the Money Man convinced him to join a team, but he never really felt he had earned it. So while he’d punch a hole in a wall, because he was strong, he’d let others solve the PROBLEMS, because, in his mind, they were the REAL heroes. He was just a circus strongman with an undeserved title who kept disappointing the people he cared about.
He said that stuff about being the greatest superhero who ever lived with irony. He doesn’t believe it, down deep inside. He got his powers by cheating his best friend, and has always felt like a fraud…and now, he finally gets to stop, legitimately, because he’s retired. That’s why he went to Valhalla. It was a chance to stop.
Of course, the usual caveats apply, I might be totally wrong and full of beans, he may just be an insensitive jerk with the brains of a ribeye sandwich who doesn’t understand what it means to be a hero, in which case, ignore the above entirely, Oh, and I don’t make predictions on this comic anymore. (wink)
Wow, what a fantastic analysis. This should be required reading for all SuperFogeys fans. I don’t want to out-and-out endorse this and prevent other interpretations in the process, but it’s hard to poke holes into this. Gwen, if you’re at all interested in turning these thoughts into a short essay, it would make a great guest blog.
Wow….. I think I’m in love with your brain lady. Like…. wow. We should have brain-children. š
You know who I feel bad for here? Spy Gal.
‘Cause here’s the thing. We’ve all had crushes on/fallen in love with someone who just wasn’t good for us. We build that person up to be something they are not, and when the realization hits that this person is not who we think they are (or who we want them to be), the devastation is terrible.
I think Spy Gal did the right thing. If she doesn’t understand the Captain, or if she expects him to be something other than he’s not, then they shouldn’t be together. I mean, she’s had years and years to pine away after him, remembering only the hero she thought he was. Maybe she never really got to know the man. Maybe she never really got to see or understand him. I think she’s finally realizing that she doesn’t really know the Captain as well as she thought.
But then again, maybe she’s just ticked, and trying to manipulate the Cap into action.
Karen, this is good stuff. And you’re right… who hasn’t fallen for someone who was bad, bad, bad for us? I know I have. Setting that person aside–and the idealized view we have of them–is one of the hardest things a person can do.
1. Jerry knew EXACTLY what he was doing taking them to Vegas.
2. Cap, to parphrase Metroman from Megamind, superheros never really retire. As long as you have your powers it’s a lifetime gig. You can become inactive but to have the power to save and not save (to play a slot machine of all things) is irresponsible at best.
3. Spy Gal, good move. Captain Spectacular isn’t a solid husband choice. That’s a no-brainer.
1. I think so too.
2. Maybe. What does everyone else think? Is it okay for superheroes to retire? If we can retire, why not them?
3. Oh, I don’t know. Cap strikes me as the kind of guy who would bring home flowers on Valentine’s Day. And sweets. And a stuffed bear with a heart.
2. Sure, until the next retconn.
Retcon? For shame! I do my best to not retcon. I don’t think I’ve done too much of it yet. It’s impossible to plan EVERYTHING ahead of time (even histories), but I do my best.
Well most of the jobs we take are jobs that when we leave either a) don’t have life saving implications behind it b) if they do there is a strong enough supply of fresh blood to keep the job functioning c) or when we retire we’d be unable to perform our job to a satisfactory ability.
As far as I can tell, the Cap’s ability to superhero may be a little weaker, but it’s not because of a loss of power as it is a lack of willing.
@ The question raised on #2:
That depends. I agree that firemen, police officers, coast guard, marines, and so forth should retire at some point because, physically and sometimes mentally, they are no longer able to continue their work. A 78 year old man might not be as limber and physically able to save little Timmy and Lassie from the Old Man Finkle’s burning barn like a 28 year old might be able to. Even in his old age, Cap must have experienced some sort of aging process and weakening. For goodness sake, would a redwood tree falling on Superman’s legs EVER paralyze his legs? Which, honestly, was a surprise to me when I first read it originally long ago. It made me stop and consider the fact that Captain Spectacular isn’t as super powerful and super invulnerable as I imagine the Man of Steel to be. As a matter of fact, Captain Spectacular, in a completely different way, is anything but invulnerable! He has super powers, but inwardly he has defects of all kinds. But that’s a completely different topic. So, back to the retirement topic. However, people working in community service don’t necessarily rely on their spry young bodies to do some good, but on their minds (which hopefully stays sharp in their older age). And, by “community service,” I mean lots of different things, but which are not always or necessarily physically taxing. Being there for someone. Working with troubled teens; giving food and clothing to those not able to provide for themselves or their family; visiting the elderly; ministering to orphans at orphanages; etc. A good personal example would be this: when I was in Bible college – and much more of a young punk with an attitude than I am now, ha ha – a guy in his late twenties who gave me bad vibes came around trying to convince a few of us that if we joined him in some get-rich-quick-scheme seminar that we would be taught how to make so much money that we would be able to retire before we turned 30 (I’m still not 30, though that seems like ages ago). The “bad vibes” I was feeling coming from this guy and my lack of desire to be rich not helping, I was pretty blunt in my response. As a Christian, I couldn’t imagine retiring from what I was training for as a job back then, which was telling people about Jesus – missionary work. I always had imagined myself maybe settling down as a Sunday School teacher or something instead. I now see myself as being able to retire from a job, because I now see showing others the love of Christ as a way of life and not as a job. So, whether you are a superhero in someone’s life or are pointing them towards a Superhero, maybe one shouldn’t look at it as a job but as a way of life? In reality, if there were superheroes, they’d be like cops or the Coast Guard or Marines or etc. It’d be a job, sure, and they’d be thinking all day about getting home and relaxing. But for a very few, it’s more than that; it’s a calling. But whether your way of helping people and attempting to meet their needs is being a role model in their life, visiting them, giving food or clothing or shelter, listening to them, being a mentor or “father-figure,” pointing them toward a Savior, or whatever it is, these are things that one doesn’t necessarily lose the ability to do in their old age. A doctor or dentist (like mine) should retire when he is so old that he can’t keep his hands from shaking during surgery or a root canal (as I said, “like mine”), they SHOULD retire. But someone making a difference in someone’s life, which is far from a job but a calling in life AND a way that person shows love to others, especially when that calling does not rely on physical abilities, perhaps should never truly retire. Perhaps, for example, my old dentist (thank the Lord he’s retired now, lol; except his successor has raised prices…) should go on to teaching the younger, new generation of dentists? Or maybe write a text book about dentistry or a book of funny true stories from his dental career to add laughter and whimsy to the profession? I’m not saying that no one should ever truly retire. My old dentist doesn’t HAVE to teach or write a book. But what about a missionary or social worker or … some other highly underpaid or not-paid-at-all community service worker? So, think of it this way, which is my point:
If what you do is nothing more than a job or you are unable physically or mentally to continue, retire. But if what you do is a calling, a way you are reaching out and showing others love and making a difference in their lives and in the community, and you are not hindered by your old age to work out your calling, maybe one shouldn’t retire or truly ever retire. If one is somehow unable to continue their calling, they could even “switch up the game” and find a different way to make a difference. Captain Spectacular and some of the other superfogeys might be just a little old or even too physically or mentally unable to perform their original superhero duties, but nothing stops them from attending occasional charity fund raisers, writing their memoirs in hope to inspire the younger generation to action (I’m talking about you, Captain Spectacular II, lol), holding community barbecues at Valhalla, and all sorts of things to reach out and continue their super-heroics in a completely different way, while still giving them the peace and quiet of retirement they want and maybe even think they deserve. But maybe the problem with the Captain is not about retirement, but that he never truly saw himself being a superhero as a calling to protect and to serve others – but as a day job he could clock out of and go home from?
Note: Sorry for my longwindedness. I … get that way a lot, ha ha.
Good thoughts, Will. I can’t possibly respond to it all, but I wanted you to know I read it!
The question of whether or not retiring is a good thing is a theme that permeates SF. Been on my mind since the beginning.
I know she’s dealing with just the situation and seeing him in a different light, but she didn’t fall in love with him based on his ability to rescue people and save the day, so I think this is the wrong move on her part. If she’s calling off the engagement just because he wants to let others take care of matters that he’s had more than his fill with he should be able to. I know this will be a wake up for him that he has to stand up for things still; but she’s seen him shattered with Tom’s “death” and with all that has happened to them. She has a right to be mad at his stubborness, but I don’t feel she has a right to be this way towards him at all.
A counter argument! Well done, Todd. Does Spy Gal lack sympathy?
It’s not about sympathy or lack of sympathy. It’s just that Spy Gal is only attracted to men who can share missions with her. She probably still loves Cap and she might not even think he’s wrong to retire, but she’s realizing that she can’t make it work with someone who’s passive.
Good observations, Marj. Even at this late stage of life, Spy Gal doesn’t seem the retiring type.
I think Spy Gal has “a” right to be however she wants. Whether she is *correct* or not…that’s a totally different usage of the word “right”. I think she has a right to be as wrong as she wants to be, or as right. That said, I don’t think she’s behaving fairly to Cap, since she’s acting out of her own impulsiveness and not looking at his possible motivations at all. All she’s seeing is “he’s not lifting a finger,” and “he’s got to DO something, he’s a HERO!” From her point of view, both are accurate, and if she chooses to base her wish to marry him on whether or not he lifts fingers in situations where heroism seems called for, that’s her choice. But Cap hasn’t felt like a hero in a long, long time, and Lumbering Jack just sort of put the cherry on top for him, made him stop and look at himself real close for far too long. He didn’t like what he saw, and he doesn’t really think anyone else should, either.
That’s probably why he doesn’t stop the tea-drinking hairpile that calls himself “Captain Spectacular 2” from using his name in vain. He probably thinks that festering moron is a better hero than he ever was, even though CS2 makes that ribeye sandwich I alluded to earlier look like a super-genius that rescues orphans from burning buildings.
Great take on CS2 and why Cap doesn’t seem to bothered by him. Seriously, if you want to pull this all together, I’ll post it.
If you feel that strongly about it, Brock, I am honored as always to contribute to SuperFogeys any way I can. There’s a pile of stuff out there on Imposter Syndrome. I know how it feels, I’ve had problems with it myself.
I don’t want to add to your workload, but if it’s something that appeals to you, I think it would make for a worthy blog for sure.
Ok, working on it. Give me a day or so. I actually have time right this moment.
I think @Quarktime and @Si Civa have the correct analysis, although I disagree with Quarktime about SpyGal as she’s been more than fair to CS. Personally I’m surprised SpyGal didn’t dump him after he just let Tangerine punch her.
I turned my back on CS since the death of Herman and haven’t cared about him since. If it weren’t for Jerry’s big reveal I’d have nobody to get behind at all. Yes, I’m rooting for Jerry. He’s the most interesting character of the bunch and he’s truly the driving force behind Super Fogeys.
Agreed that Jerry is driving the story. I got some early criticism of Jerry as a one-dimensional sidekick type of character. Had to bite my tongue on that one. I don’t get that criticism anymore.
I didn’t throw support to anyone but as far as the plot points it looks like the universe is finally throwing Jerry a bone.
But (and I poised this on Twitter but for the reason of ya) if Spy Gal is looking for a man of action, why not Swifty? He’s literally going through time to try and fix things. That’s pretty active.
(*rest of ya)
Swifty and Spy Gal. What’s crazy is… I can totally see it. But why not Tangerine? There’s a guy who gets things DONE.
I don’t know. I think Swifty is too bitter and, yes, also selfish in many ways for SpyGal. However, if she could look past Cap’s character defects (thank God for women who look past their men’s character defects; I’m in a serious relationship with one), so there’s no reason to believe she can’t look past Swifty’s. As for the thought of SpyGal and Tangerine, that either sends shivers down my spine in disgust or completely boggles and confuses me, depending on if you mean pre-conversion Tangerine or post-conversion Tangerine. š Pre-Conversion, in your defense, could definitely get things DONE, ha ha. What I want to know is, except for it being an unimportant means to an end to carry the plot and explain away Spy Gal preventing the whole mess, why hasn’t Spy Gal or anyone else confronted Tangerine for punching her (why Cap hasn’t is a question long since asked by everyone, so I’m skipping it)? Heck, if not Spy Gal herself, I think Jerry in anyone of his personas, of ALL people, would be the one to confront Tangerine on this. Well, pre-conversion Tangerine, anyway. Now that it seems he’s “born again,” it’ll probably be hard to hold a grudge against that sweet, old ex-killer. Well, looks like I’ve gotten off-topic. I guess what I mean to say is, “Really? The guy who punched her in the face only a few several chapters earlier?” lol
A man works his entire life, risking health, happiness and even death. And when he, in his last decaying years finally gets a chance to sit down for a minute before his legs rot from under him, everyone expects him to keep working? Who is being selfish?!?!
I know many a retiree who would back up that sentiment all the way.
Ha ha, I agree with that too, despite my gigantically long comment earlier. It’s funny how that works, and I’ve thought of similar situations in the past. To retire from a calling helping people is selfish, but to expect that person to keep working in his old age is selfish too! Isn’t that weird? Nobody is wins! Both parties are somehow both right and wrong at the same exact time.
the pacing in this is incredible. Love the panel with the mother running through. You know it’s a wonderfully written and drawn comic when you can hear the soundtrack while reading it.
Maybe Spy gal was brash, but there’s a long history there. I still want to like Captain…. I can’t write him off just yet…
All credit to Marc for the woman with the baby. That was something he threw in there and it just sells the pacing in a way that is hard to explain but easy to see. I love working with a partner. Thanks, Dawn!
“and boom goes the dynamite”
great work to both of you. can wait to see the next one!!!
and Brock just a side note. might want to change the way the comments are displayed the black text on the dark blue can be hard to read. maybe change the text to a light gray. just a thought
Thanks, man. We’re working on it. Gonna be changing the background color soon. Let me know if it works for you.
[…] is an important one. It’s the first time Cap and Jerry have really had a chance to talk since Cap’s fiancee dumped him and then married his sidekick 22 strips later. There’s a few different ways to play a long […]