I’ve talked a little bit about Jerry’s “underlying psychology” in the comments to recent strips. Any three dimensional character should really have an underlying psychology to their actions, i.e. motivations that even they themselves may not be aware of. It’s called depth and it can be really tough to create. Every writer tries to instill that kind of depth in every character they write, but telling stories is like juggling multiple balls at once and it’s no surprise that often one or two get dropped.
My hope is that the ball hasn’t been dropped with Jerry since he’s so central to the story of the SuperFogeys and the themes that all wrapped up in it. Time was, he wasn’t seen as very complicated at all–some even accused him of being one dimensional. It’s one of the reasons I’m really excited about this chapter. Spy Gal, to me, is a character with a lot of depth, but I don’t think that depth has been shown successfully. Not in any kind of way that satisfies me. My expectation is that this chapter will turn that around.
Thanks to you, SuperFogeys made it to Round 3 of the TGT Tournament! The competition only gets stiffer from here on out, so if you’ve got just one second to cast a vote our way, we’d greatly appreciate it. Right now, we’re neck-and-neck with The Specialists. Can we turn the tide? You can vote once a day!
wow! I am still amazed about Spygal’s the composure. Watching Jerry entering in a berserk mode (I can hear him saying JERRY SMASH!) is cool and all, but I am really looking forward the breaking point of Spygal
I’m not saying where this is going… but I will say that Spy Gal is going to deal with this mess in her own particular way. This chapter devotes a good chunk of time to this confrontation.
And now for the Jerry you’ve all been waiting for…
I knew it. I knew you had a dark heart, Tyler.
Ten bucks to anyone who can tell me which of Spy Gal’s accusations is false.
ooh, ooh, is it the last one? When can I get my tenbux?
I wanna see how this shakes out.
The big question for me: is Spy Gal deliberately throwing out that last on as a known negative in order to rattle Jerry and make it obvious when he is and isn’t lying, or has she dropped that bomb because she genuinely believes it to be true?
Actually John, Spy Gal doesnt know Tom is alive… as far as she knows, the third man killed tom
She ought to know: he was in Tangerine’s cell block with Percy and Zurida when Spy Gal and company burst in on them. She may not have had much time to reflect upon the fact, but she does know that Tom is alive, even if he is Zurida’s prisoner.
Yeah, it’s not looking good for Jerry here. š
Still, I’m surprised with how calm Spygirl’s taking this.
Now I’m curious to see what happens next with the true Jerry out.
Only awesome things, Marcus. Only awesome things.
It’s very easy to lie about things that one has always and is used to lie about everybody else. The lies that we don’t need to face everyday with some other people are the ones that make us snap.
And I think that Jerry is very afraid of killing anybody yet many of his plans could have killed oh so many people. We know one who died. Maybe Jerry ain’t pressing the button but he gives others the chance to press that button. Remember Herman! All part of the plan, Jerry.
Jerry is anyway very, very anti-killing, his reactions to Tangerine and Sam prove that. Yet there’s not that same kind of relationship between him and Doctor Rocket, it’s kinda warmer in my eyes. And Jerry wants to see Spy Gal as a person that is as innocent as he thinks he is. Is Jerry trying to better man than he really is via others?
So yeah, Jerry is deep character. Complex and full of personal conflicts that make him obsessed, I guess, to find that peace and have control that he needs.
And checking out Jerry’s origin again. And wondering about the Th3rd World Comics Group, now where are they now, hm hmm?
Great thoughts, Si Civa! So great that I don’t want to add a thing.
As for the Th3rd World Comics Group… that’s something I’ve thought a lot about. I’m sure I’ll get back to them at some point. They were pretty integral to Jerry’s origin.
Touched a nerve with that last accusation.
Indeed.
Hmmm, usually after someone tells you no three times, you can usually get a yes out of them. guess Jerry never heard of those sales pitches. Love his grin (doubt, forced, man how am i ever gonna get out of this!) I am no artist, but super kudos to Marc!!
Is that what salesmen do? That must be why they don’t like me very much. I don’t care how uncomfortable it gets or how much I may want something, a no from me is a NO.
I realised this is probably the first time we actually see Jerry’s pupils.
With the exception of the few times we’ve seen him without a mask on, you’re right.
The worst thing about delusions(as well as addictions) is that one often creates a web of excuses for why they do or believe such things. The smarter and sneakier the person, the more convoluted the web of excuses. Most people who have such webs only have a single layer, but smarter ones have excuses to back up excuses and eventually it’ll get to a point that they believe the excuses and lies and they can’t tell the truth from the lies they’ve created.
Jerry is obviously smart, to a degree charismatic, and now for the first time that web is being tested. The questions asked will be: How intricate is his web of excuses, how quickly can he reinforce it and does he believe his own lies or deep down does he know that what he’s doing is wrong but is afraid to admit it?
What I think is most heartbreaking about a web of lies is how long you can go spinning them until you really do think it doesn’t matter, that time has somehow erased what you’ve done. That’s never true, and Jerry is finding that out in a big way.
Oh Wow, total mental break down coming up!
Can he really break down any further?
Yeah, probably.
Marc, Scary Jerry is sublime! He looks like a rabid dog! I think she touched a nerve with the murderer accusation. Herman’s blood is on his hands and it’s hard to imagine sending a giant robot rampaging through Las Vegas without someone getting hurt. Oh, and he is prepared to doom the human race to extinction for his obsession with Spy Gal. I’m also still wondering about his parents, which has been a source of much prior speculation. We haven’t gotten any of the details about that fire yet, such as how it started. I’ve wondered if Jerry is evil, crazy or both. I think after this strip and his recent behavior, I’m going with crazy. I don’t know if he always was, but like any person who isn’t a total sociopath, he knows what he’s done is wrong and tries to justify it to himself. As he does more terrible things, he lies to himself more and more because part of him still knows how horrible the things he’s done are. Before long he’s constructed an entire fantasy world in his head out of those lies and ends up living in it to ignore that tiny little voice nagging at him that he’s becoming a monster and to stop. If you aren’t crazy to begin with, once you start living in that fantasy world, you’ll be insane soon enough. As a comparison, fond of the character as I am, Dr Rocket is evil. The only regret we’ve seen him express is over the years spent as Captain Spectacular’s enemy instead of his friend. No “I’m so torn up about all those people I killed while I was busy being his arch nemesis.” No grand remorse for exterminating an alien species, eating orphans or kidnapping Ms Missile to raise as his daughter.
Always appreciate your insightful comments, Andrew. You draw a great distinction between Dr. Rocket and Jerry. We really are looking at two different kinds of evil when we examine those characters up close. But don’t forget… Dr. Rocket used to be a good guy.
Which raises a good question: Is Jerry ending something here, or just beginning it?
Anyone who calls Jerry “one-dimensional” has no clue on what the description means. People throw that term around mindlessly not knowing what it means because they’re too bloody ignorant to realize a good character is 3-dimensional, a weak character is 2-dimensional — flat — and a one-dimensional character is so abyssal that only the worst hacks in the world could create one.
Jerry has never been a flat character. He is driven by the desire to be a hero and to do good, and he honestly believes in doing good. However, he’s been so frustrated by a lack of recognition, a lack of acceptance, from having to hold back what he’s been capable of for so long that it’s twisted him terribly. That’s why he screams in defiance of being called a murderer — a villain — because it goes against everything he holds dear and against his self image, and because deep, deep down he knows he’s not a hero. He can’t handle the truth.
Reminds me of a certain point in Bioshock Infinite where a character murders another in a blind rage, but all that hate is really directed inwards.
So yeah — call Jerry ‘one-dimensional’ and you’re either extremely ignorant of the term or out-and-out so socially inept in terms of understanding characters that you should never attempt a critique involving characters again.
Nice breakdown of Jerry’s character, Scott. To be fair, the criticisms mostly came before Chapter 9, but even then I wondered if they were really all that valid. I try to be open to all ideas and criticisms, but that is one I ultimately decided just wasn’t quite right.
I’m admittedly not a 100% good person, but when I’m confronted about something I did, I crack like an egg and spill everything. I don’t know if that makes me spineless or just honest.
I say honest.
I love this comic so much. I can’t even begin to guess how this is going to play out, how is going to bite the big one next or go app *&$#. Thank you Brock and Marc.
Sam, you’re the best.
If that nerve that SpyGal just stomped is what I think it is, it pretty much ties the entire comic together for me.
I’ll be very interested to know what you mean by that once you see how this plays out.