Cap'n Spectacular and Dr. Rocket
Where do super folk go when it's time to get out of the game? To Valhalla, home for the super-tired.And there you will find the new old other adventures of The Super Fogeys.
While the idea of retired super-heroes and villains isn't exactly new, the way it's handled in The SuperFogeys
is different: it has a well thought-out, long-running plot that goes far beyond the fare of bedpan, enema and old jokes. It also has a surprising number of touching and chilling moments, as well as going back to visit the origins of the cast when they were younger.
Tropes used:
- Action Girl: Spy Gal. She's also had time as a Dark Action Girl in the past, but did a Heel–Face Turn. She's also the Only Sane Man, ironic considering her cover was initially feigning senility.
- Anti-Hero: Tangerine. Ain't nothing Tangerine won't do if he thinks it needs to 'cause he is a '90s Anti-Hero whose costume consists of a wife beater a jeans. In fact he is so hard core he started being a Nominal Hero in the 1960s before it was popular or involved pouches! He is the best at what he does, and what he does is apparently whatever the heck he feels like 'cause he is just that Badass. He hold a grudge like no other and he got his super hero name from crushing villain's head like over ripe fruit before tearing them limb from limb. And if he wasn't kewl enough already guess who gave turned him into a cyborg killing machine? John FREAKING Kennedy as a 'Opps I'm sorry' for a peace corps disaster of which Tangerine was the only survivor. Though the unstopable killer part is probably not what Kennedy had intended Tangerine to do with his life afterwards. Also Tangerine likes beer.
- Ascended Fanboy: The Third Man/Dr. Klein in a case of Create Your Own Villain.
- The Atoner: Several. Herman, who succeeds in a Bitter Sweet Ending. Soviet Sam, and he's probably only been forgiven by Captain Spectacular. Spy Gal also qualifies,
Word of God stating that the core of her present-day character is due to regret of how she spent her early youth. - Butt-Monkey: Jerry, at first.
- Card-Carrying Villain: All the bad guys (except one or two) played for laughs.
- Captain Ersatz: Captain Spectacular, Swifty, Star Maiden and Tangerine immediately come to mind, although neither their back-stories nor their old age experiences match Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman or Wolverine. But there's a definite flavour of them in the Fogeys... although Star Maiden is more Supergirl at times.
- The Chessmaster: The Third Man. Seems to have a particular soft spot for Jerry and Spy Gal for some reason...
- Cloud Cuckoolander: The Human Aliens Star Maiden, now — but not when younger. She has Dark and Troubled Past involving two kinds of Parental Abandonment, but she got better once she hit Earth and was treated far better by its inhabitants. You don't get to see it for the most part... but every now and then, she might let a little thing slip during her Word Salad.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: Occurs to young Tangerine when he finds out his future self will abandon his anti-hero ways.
- Crimefighting with Cash: Money Man's "power", bribing a criminal with several million dollars and a beach house in Carmel. His epiphany came when, brooding on the social injustice in the city, a bat crashed through his window, and he thought that, being rich, he could pay to replace it.
- Deadpan Snarker: Swifty, oh-so-much, but recent strips also show he's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold and Failure Knight as well. Naturally, in his younger days he was a Handsome Lech due to being an expy of The Flash.
- Dumb Is Good: Percy, the son of Zurida and Captain Spectacular.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Herman gets told his life has already been Hell, so now he gets to go to Heaven.
- Easy Evangelism: Tangerine becomes a complete pacifist after spending weeks in a cell with nothing to read but holy books from nearly every religion in the world.
- Enfant Terrible: Parodied with Dictator Tot, who's trying to take over the world at age three. Moreso with her apparent-partner Violet-Violet, who's two.
- Expy: Captain Spectacular is obviously one for Superman. Would have been The Ace when younger if it weren't for a rather poor track record in his dealings with women, personal issues, failures, alcohol and ... well, maybe just appeared to be The Ace in his glory days...
- Money Man's origin is the same as Batman's... except that he fights crime with money, after having to replace a window a bat broke through.
- Failure Knight: In the past, Captain Spectacular was The Ace, but after a few tragedies becomes this. He avoids being a Broken Ace in the comic because his failures aren't exactly unknown.
- Flying Brick: Captain Spectacular.
- Friendly Enemy: Initially in the comic, the heroes and villains appear to be this. A later story arc has this with Captain Spectacular and Dr. Rocket Until you find out it wasn't Dr. Rocket. The real Dr. Rocket subverts this so far. Also subverted in that Thrice Evil is actually forced into being docile. Soviet Sam however plays it straight. If the Pink Shade hadn't been 1. reformed and 2. killed by Tangerine anyway, she would have qualified.
- Green-Skinned Space Babe: Zurida, Captain Spectacular's ex-wife. Rhonda is a blue-skinned ex-flame of Swifty's.
- Homage: Obviously.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Captain Spectacular and Jerry.
- Intangible Woman: Spy Gal's powers, though seldom used in favor of Good Old Fisticuffs.
- Kid Sidekick: In their origin stories, played straight. Currently, it's subverted and parodied as Jerry is an old man.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Soviet Sam did not take well to accidentally killing Money Man.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Captain Spectacular on several occasions, one of which was critical. Swifty on several occasions. Tangerine as well on several occasions, but unlike the previous examples he has no remorse.
- Obfuscating Disability: Jerry. Played for Laughs in one gag with Captain Spectacular, who is healed of his paralysis but prefers to keep the wheelchair so he doesn't have to wear pants.
- Old Superhero: Subverted as it's all the main characters.
- Orderlies are Creeps: Gene. Dr. Klein has to keep telling him not to abuse the patients.
- Power Limiter: Spy Gal gets slapped with one after her plan to infiltrate the retirement home turned out to be useless to prevent her escape.
- Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Swifty.
- Smug Super: Swifty, in his younger days.
- Spot the Imposter: Dr. Rocket is really the shapeshifter Herman, until after Herman is killed by Tangerine in a
Broken Base moment. - Stalker with a Crush: Jerry.
- Super Hero Origin: Everyone. Even people who were dead by the first comic.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Okay, who expected Jerry of all people to be the Big Bad?
- Urine Trouble: Space Pig Urine (S.P.U.) is an instant soporific. Swifty in particular keeps pestering the resident Space Pig to piss on him, since he's so bored and cranky he just wants to sleep all day.
- Webcomic Time: When you throw in origin stories every other update, it happens.
- Wham Episode: Several, and each and every time you will be given subtle hints as to when it's coming. The biggest one was revealed August 19th, 2010, and if you check the comic's archives you will find a long trail of hints leading up to it.
- Who's Laughing Now?: Jerry, oh-so-much.
