From Behind the Fading Light

SuperFogeys Superfan (and founder of the SuperFogeys Facebook Fan Club) Michael Johnston strikes again! This time, he examies the SuperFogeys in a broader context and does a great job connecting the themes of SF to my own life.  I’ll admit I didn’t think the connections were so abundant.

It’s a good read and I’m honored that Michael would think SF worthy of this kind of study.  Take it away, Michael! Let us know what kind of grade you got!

“What may have begun as a hobby and a means to practice a talent for Brock Heasley, has become a commentary on social tendencies and an alternative to the offensiveness found in a field of creativity that is beginning to have increasing effect on our world.  Heasley writes and draws a webcomic known as “The SuperFogeys” about retired heroes and villains “to save the world.  Has the world ended?  No?  Then it’s working.”  Beneath the witty comments and easy jokes however lies a statement about the importance of the family in society.  Additionally, Heasley attempts to give a cleaner strip for the enjoyment of his readers as opposed to the rising norm among webcomics.  Because of their lack of requirement for widespread success, authors of webcomics can ignore the usual limitations seen in the newspaper or other mediums, even to the extent of vulgarity and graphic violence.  Whereas, Heasley represses his characters lips and reduces actions that would be considered taboo.  While on the surface, the reader may not notice these things, an understanding of Heasley’s background as a family man and an honorable member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can help to explain some of his choices in his writing.

Webcomics as a means of artistic expression is not a new idea; some can be found spanning back into the mid 1980’s.  The lack of internet regulation however has turned webcomics into a way for express themselves without the restrictions seen by newspaper comics, even to the point of crudity and graphic brutality.  It is not all bad of course; webcomics also allow the artist to go beyond the normal form for a strip.  No longer limited to three or four frames, always of the same size, webcomic creators can shape their canvas to fit their purpose, and change that shape whenever they please.  The biggest benefit to webcomics is their variableness.  The artist is never locked into a decision.  However, this freedom is also related to the drawback of this sector of the comic world.  Many webcomics take advantage of the free reign they find in internet publication.  They publish comics full of vulgar expressions, violence, blood, mature topics, lewd ideas, and taboo behavior.  There are of course audiences for these types of publications, but they are also available to younger internet users.  Some webcomic authors however, like Heasley, seem to give an alternative for the growing trend among their peers.  Heasley’s comic was at one point featured on a website whose purpose was to provide web content suitable for the whole family to enjoy together.  This speaks volumes about the strip’s content.  While many webcomic artists seek to please their small constituent of fans, Heasley says he merely attempts to create a strip that he would enjoy reading on the subject.  As this is his aim, his background has a great deal to do with his strip’s content.

Heasley censors his characters lips and eliminates the need for many of the mature ideas found in other comics, while still remaining appealing to a wide audience.  One of the Heasley’s characters, Swifty, is a disgruntled old man.  Once faster than anything, Swifty is now forced to slow things down with the aid of a walker.  This change of pace causes him to be irritable and confrontational.  While Swifty has a dirty mouth, at one point being slapped by another character for his “un-heroic” behavior, no word is ever seen to escape his lips.  Heasley carefully replaces Swifty’s outbursts with the standard of random characters.  An early example of this was in strip number 25, with Swifty’s infamous, “Pee on me, you #%@$ pig!”  While adults will fill in their own interpretation of the meaning, younger readers can still enjoy the humor in the strip, in context of course.

Until recently, the strip had also steered away from a great deal of violence.  This may seem odd as the characters were once superheroes and villains, but the idea of the strip is that they left all that behind to relax.  Recent developments in the plot however, have shaken the once peaceful Valhalla.  Beginning with the shooting of one character as the result of an evil plot (though he later recovered), the violence level of the strip has increased further with the introduction of Tangerine, an anti-hero known for his brutality in ending the lives of evildoers.  No one could have anticipated the controversial move Heasley made in strip number 175, as Tangerine crushes the head of Dr. Rocket, once an enemy but now seemingly reformed.  Heasley’s move to such a grizzly death for Dr. Rocket has resulted in the loss of some readers.  One former reader stated that the death was “too gruesome for strip’s tone” (Kinoshita).  This uprising of sorts against the change in pace of the strip really shows what SuperFogeys has become.  While Heasley himself admits that he did not intend to, he has created an alternative to the social norm developing in webcomics.  Not all readers want a comic like “Ctrl-Alt-Del” with random sequences of ninjas attacking the characters for no apparent reason and removing their limbs, or even “xkcd,” shipping cougars instead of office chairs from eBay sales to make the world weirder.  SuperFogeys provides an exciting plot, with intrigue and scheming, maintains the humor expected of a comic, yet it relies on good art and writing rather than quick solutions.
In addition to the role it finds as an alternative in the webcomic world, SuperFogeys seems to act as a commentary on the social status of the family.  As a family man and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, well known for their focus on the family, Heasley understands the importance of raising a strong family with good values taught in the home.  Robert D. Hales, an official in the church wrote in a 1999 article in one church magazine, “In 1995 the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles issued a proclamation to the world, declaring that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.  …  Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children’” (Hales).  This type of focus on family is clearly an influence in Heasley’s work.  Dictator Tot for instance, a young villain involved in the plot that resulted in Jerry’s shooting, was modeled after Heasley’s daughter, Elora.  The actions of Captain Spectacular throughout the plot thus far are also an interesting satire on social norms.  The Captain has been married 6 times, each one resulting in failure.  Obvious to the reader, the heroic Captain is flawed, yet fails to realize it.  Heasley says that he “think[s] one of the most effective ways to demonstrate the value of something to is to show what happens when you throw it away” (Heasley).  This is clear in Captain Spectacular’s most recent actions.  As stands idle and watches the events of Dr. Rocket’s death unfold, the reader cannot help but think of the flaws that exist within all of us that we are blind to, yet that cause us so many problems as we interact with those around us.
In addition to telling his readers that everyone is flawed, easing the pressure of society, Heasley seems to stress the importance on compromise in the family environment.  In Valhalla, heroes and villains reside together.  Once enemies in the utmost meaning of the word, they must learn to live with each other peacefully.  In the same way, family members resolve conflicts to keep their togetherness.  While Dr. Rocket spent the better part of his life as a villain, trying to conquer the world with his evil plots like the 1986 New York Bunny Infestation, in the end, he was a true friend to those around him, even saving Jerry’s life by performing a complicated surgery after he is shot by Dictator Tot.  Every family has members with problems, or that do not always reflect well on the family as a whole, yet in a strong family, the other members would still do anything for them.

Heasley is a graphic designer by trade, possessing a degree in graphics design from California State University Fresno.  While graphics are not only his profession but also his passion, Heasley focused first on providing for his family, before starting the SuperFogeys in 2006.  Even with the success of a webcomic that has run for over 2 years, and in 2007 was picked up by Th3rd World Studios, Heasley can be quoted as saying that “his greatest accomplishment remains convincing his gorgeous wife Erin to marry him” (Heasley).  As Heasley merely strives to create a strip that he would enjoy reading, he provides a clean alternative, and perhaps unexpectedly displays his own view on the importance of family to society.  These characteristics of “The SuperFogeys” are a direct result of his background.

Works Cited
Hales, Robert D.  “Strengthening Families: Our Sacred Duty.”  Ensign.  May 1999: 32.
Heasley, Brock.  The SuperFogeys.  20 November 2008.  20 November 2008 <http://www.th3rdworld.com/web-comic/The-SuperFogeys>.
Heasley, Brock.  “Rhetorical Analysis.”  E-mail to David M. Johnston.  13 November 2008.
Kinoshita, Scott.  “Good old English Papers…need your help.”  E-mail to David M. Johnston.  14 November 2008.
McCloud, Scott.  Reinventing Comics.  New York: Paradox Press, 2000.”

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