Postlude

And that's it!  The end of Chapter 4.  Come back on Thursday and I'll have Hrölf's Walter's File up.  In it you'll find out just how he's still alive and kicking, and get a glimpse into his ultimate transformation into a washed-up superhero.

Now, if you'll indulge me for a few minutes, I haven't had a good rant in a while.  And this could be the last one, so I'm going to make it count.

My friends, I have reached a crossroad.  The road on the left leads to Chapter 5 of Super U., onto Chapter 6 and so on.  The other road dead ends my ambition to create comics.

I've been struggling with this for a long time.  I love drawing comics.  But my life is in a strange place; a place where things have the potential to look very, very different in the near future, and I need to ask myself if it's worth it to pursue my aspirations of having a successful comic.  I never expected, or even wanted, to get rich or famous from this.  In fact, I'm positive that I would continue indefinitely if Super U. had even a small,  loyal audience who never gave me a dime.  I have managed to retain a few readers, and even pick up some new ones, and for that I am extremely grateful.  But let's face it, despite my efforts this comic hasn't even gotten off the ground.  It's lost in a sea of comics, many of them superior, and I don't appear to have what it takes to enable it to float to the surface.

I've grown up believing that being mildly intelligent and reasonably talented would take me places.  Instead, I now find myself getting older, in financial straits and unqualified for absolutely everything.  What's more, I find myself surrounded by a world I don't understand, where money alone makes it turn.  Where art and storytelling come second to marketing.  Where you will never make it as an artist unless you've mastered digital art, social networking and are adept at coding.

But most of all, I have a family that depends on me, and I can't continue to ask them to support this dream of mine.  I know they would without question, and that means more to me than anything, but that doesn't make it fair.  I need to take a hard look at myself and discover what it is I am capable of, so that I can give to them as equally as they do for me.  I have been a burden on them for far too long.

In other words, it may be time to put away the pencils.

I have a strange opportunity arising.  I'll reserve all the details, but it will likely involve farming.  It will involve being as separated from the modern world as realistically as I can manage, and you know what?  I think I want that.

I don't know if that life will have room for comics.  Maybe there'll be an opportunity to keep pursuing this, not for the sake of success, but just for the love of it.  Maybe the comic will take on a new form.  Maybe it'll be drawn with a muddy stick on sheep skin; I don't really know.  I can't pretend to have an answer to that yet.  All I ask is that you check back, from time to time, and see if I posted anything new.  Sign up to get e-mail updates.  Maybe I'll surprise you.  It's equally as plausible I'll only be able to deny my desire to make comics for so long.

In the meantime, I'll see this bit through to the end.  I'll be compiling the next book (Chapters 3 and 4), if only so I can have a copy of it myself, and maybe I'll put together some new merch for good measure.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, and if after Thursday I don't communicate with you again, I wish you all the best that life has to bring.  If I do communicate with you after Thursday, I still wish that.

-Matt

War Games - Finale

Never underestimate insane cartoons.  Or moderately sociopathic immortal time-traversing klepto siblings.

And that's it!  One more strip to go to wrap things up, then the (probably) last Walters File!  

I'm going to be out of town for a couple days, and I'm anticipating that the final strip will be a little late getting posted.  I'll do my best to have it ready for your viewing pleasure at some point on Tuesday.

Plans this weekend involve a further progression toward my quiet exodus from society.  Here's hoping things pan out.

War Games - Part 17

This Thursday: the conclusion of the War Games story arc!  I hope you've enjoyed this change of pace these last several weeks.  I have to admit that I'm pretty happy with the the way this chapter has turned out, and I can't wait to see Chapters 3 and 4 in the next book.

Only two more strips until the end of Chapter 4!

War Games - Part 16

Due to time constraints, you won't be seeing what happens between this strip and the next, but

it involves a musical montage where Aiden Mickey Mouse-walks back down the hall, flag tucked under his arm, smiling broadly as he passes the still-stuck and infuriated Raine, while the song croons "everything's going my way."

There's only three more strips until the end of Chapter 4!  So that's two next week, and one on Tuesday the week after that.  Then, the following Thursday, I'll post the (probably) last Walters File!  Of whom, you ask?  Actually, that's a surprise!

Remember I'm going on hiatus after Chapter 4 to focus on creating the next book and some new merch (and so I can stop totally neglecting my kid for two days a week while she's on summer break).

So if you need to stay updated as to when the comic resumes and other stuff, you can subscribe by e-mail with the tab below, or follow me on Google+ or Twitter @Super_Uwebcomic.

One last thing, during the hiatus, it'll be a really good time for you guys to send commissions my way.  If anyone's interested, I can set up a payment box right here on the site.

War Games - Part 15

While I highly amused myself drawing Aiden getting beat down for a while, all good things must come to an end and, surprisingly, Aiden won kind of!

Sure, in theory Raine could just use her energy power to blast the wall away and get her foot free, but this is Raine we're talking about here, and she almost never relies on her powers unless she absolutely has to.  Why?  Well, that's a complicated answer, and one'd like to tackle in the future.

Did El Pequeño get to the flag? Is Aiden's apparent sister Time Lass the last thing that stands between Aiden and victory?  "War Games" continues on Thursday!

Thanks for reading!

War Games - Part 14

It feels good to know I can still draw stuff like this.  I may have finally worked through the damage caricaturing did to my art style.

Thanks for your patience, and I hope you're enjoying watching our protagonist getting thoroughly beaten to a pulp!  Next week I should be posting these as normal, at least for a bit (at the end of the month I've got a thing coming up; I'll keep you posted).

War Games - Part 13

And here it is!  Sorry about the tardiness.  I'm super-happy with the way it turned out, though.  I wanted some dynamic combat shots, but because I'm rusty as hell in that area, I dipped into my collection of Udon Street Fighter comics for some inspiration.  The story in those is as limp as one might expect from a comic based off of a fighting video game, but the art is top-notch, and the combat... oh, the combat...

Aaaand because I'm a day behind on things, I'm not expecting to get all of Thursday's drawn in one go.  It's likely I'll be working on it some tomorrow and finishing it on Thursday, so I'll be posting it later than usual again.

Tune in Thursday night to get a glimpse into Raine's somewhat twisted mind, and very likely more of Aiden getting his ass kicked!

War Games - Part 12

While I did manage to get this one done in time, I realize it is going to be even more difficult than I initially imagined to work on the comic while my kid's on summer break.  It's not her fault; no, she was an absolute trooper yesterday while I totally neglected her.  It's my own guilt, and my responsibility to her as a parent to not let her occupy herself with the television for hours on end while daddy stares at the computer screen.  I'm going to make it up to her today.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to continue the comic after this chapter ends, but I am sure, now, that once it wraps up in a few weeks, I'll be taking a hiatus at least until summer break is over.

During that time, as I mentioned before, I'll be compiling the next book, and possibly putting together some new merch.

Next week: Aiden vs. Raine!

War Games - Part 11

I wanted to talk about this one (and some other things) at length, but I was up way too late working on this last night and I've got way too much going on today to spend time blogging.

Truth be told, my deadlines are going to get a little hairy after today.  My daughter graduated from kindergarten today, which means that it's now summer break, which means my quiet days of working on the comic in peace are gone for a while.  Still, I'll endeavor to get this chapter wrapped up before I take a break, I just want to warn you that I may be posting a strip very late in the day sometimes, or at the worst, a day late.

War Games - Part 3

If you're new to Super U., you may be wondering why suddenly I'm using photos as background instead of drawing it out.  You may be thinking I'm lazy.  In fact, you'd be right, but moreover, I use photos as background during the "Dangerous Room" sequences, when the students are participating in holographic simulations in Combat Education class.

Teams have been chosen.  Roles are being assigned.  On Thursday, you'll get a glimpse of Team Frost and Team Ex doing the same... and then the fur is gonna fly.

War Games - Part 2

Aiden hasn't been an outright lech in a while, so I thought it was about time he got back to that.  Still, it's good to see him back to his old self again.  Or, at least, the self he most recently created for himself.

I was up until the wee hours of the morning the other night mapping out the rest of the chapter, which in turn caused me to get incredibly tired last night and have to finish the strip this morning, so sorry it's a little tardy.  But thankfully I did, because as it turns out I'm going to need every available strip to finish this story arc.   I hope you're in for lots of action and excitement instead of the usual (which I guess could be classified as wannabe superheroes behaving badly).

War Games - Part 1

War Games, part one of... a lot!  I've been chomping at the bit to start this scene.  

Team Justice is arguably the strongest, and has an extra team member due to, um, unforeseen adjustments.  As a result, the other Combat Education teams are eager to take them down a peg.

Team Dick-Punch, well... they are not the strongest, especially since they lost Raine.

Mr. Walters' loathing for SuperDude is well-known... is he taking it out on SuperDude's daughter?

Walters undoubtedly got the memo that Aiden was to be given "special attention"... is this some twisted act of defiance in the face of his employers?

Yeah, it probably is.

Either way, Team Ex and Team Frost are about to show what they're truly capable of...

Breakin' Two

Poor Breakdown.  He takes a lot of crap, almost as much as Aiden.  But... I don't think he'll be taking it anymore after this.

He looks silly in that tiny desk, though.

The Super University, you may have figured out, is just a repurposed "X-Mansion," or, rather, a repurposed Raven Institute as suggested by Jason.  But I can't help to sometimes draw things the way I remember them from my highschool, like those desks, for example.  While they were fine for us, they'd be considerably less so for a large person like Breakdown.  

I haven't drawn Trash sitting at a desk yet.  It would be physically impossible.  He probably just sits on the crushed remnants of a desk in every class.

Repercussions

I'm totally happy with the way I ripped off Jack Kirby's "Kirby dots" in that first panel.  Also, Dean Clobber's nose in that third panel.  Man, what a great nose I drew.

Looks like Aiden's mom and SuperDude sent out that memo.  This can only spell mo' problems for our protagonist.  Really though, his troubles are only just beginning...

*cues foreboding music*

Break It Down

This situation is not going to end well.

Can you believe Chapter 4 is already halfway through?  I gotta sit down and script out the rest of it so I can make sure there's room for all the cool things I still want to do!  There's lots more in store for the rest of Chapter 4!™  

But first, Aiden just has to get through the rest of the school day!

Catching Up

If you like Super U., then please share it on your favorite social site by way of one of those many handy-dandy share buttons.  I don't know if any of you Pinterest... I don't really even get Pinterest... but that's also a thing you can do now.  I haven't advertised at all this year (to save money), and my viewership is way down, so I could really use the help!

But you needn't stop there!  Oh, no.  Leave some comments and tell me what you think.  What would you like to see more of?  Who are you favorite characters?

Have you checked out the Super U. Zazzle store?  Is there a sticker or a coffee mug or a shirt or something you'd like to see?  Let me know... I can most likely create it for you.

Want updates? You can subscribe via e-mail, RSS, or follow me on Twitter and Google+.

This is desperation, people.  I need eyeballs on this comic!

Apocrita Man

I've come to realize there's a certain freedom to be found in creating a webcomic that very few people read; I can get away with stuff like this.

I'm taking the week off next week.  My family and I are going up to the Smokeys (yay for tax returns!).  If I can't live as a recluse in the forests and mountains, I can at least pretend to be one for a while.

Thanks for reading, and please remember to share the comic with your unsuspecting friends on NetFace, Twooter, TheGoogle+, and most recently, Pinterest (whatever the hell that is).  I'd link to those, but there are buttons right below this post that will do just that.

Insectified

It felt weird drawing a classroom scene again.  It's actually been a long time!  As you may have guessed, today starts something I like to do every chapter, and that's take you through a typical (or not-so-typical) school day at Super U.  The students' first period of the day is Languages of the Known Cosmos with Alien Ghost.  It's probably hard to go through your day when you begin it by having languages both domestic and alien mentally injected into your cerebral cortex.

Alien Ghost, like the other faculty, is a former superhero.  But being not of this world, his human

interaction is generally lacking in subtlety.  Still, if you need to comprehend the language of the Krillian Fish-Beetles pronto, he's your man.

Eavesdropping

These will start being funny again.  I promise.  Of course, we still have to deal with the awkward relationship forming between Raine and Aiden, where she begins to have feelings for him at the same time he dies and forgets his feelings for her completely.  Surely there's comedy to be found in that.

But, I don't know, maybe you guys like the narrative stuff?  There was a lot to get through these last few weeks.  Next week, I'm going to go into something I like to do every chapter, and that's walk you through a typical day at Super U., class by class, as it were.

If narrative is your thing, go check out the Saturday Super Stories.  Jason just recently updated, and the new story happens to feature Mr. Walters, the Dark Avenger.

Lastly, I wanted to give you a quick heads up that I won't be posting anything the last week of this month.  I'm gonna go disappear for a while.

The Gift

It's been fun visualizing these characters in various regions and periods throughout history.  This is probably the last one, for a little while at least, as this little sidetrack into Aiden's past comes to a close.  I hope that I've divulged just enough information to fill in some blanks while still leaving some things open for interpretation.  There are a lot of stories I'd like to tell concerning the past of the Ravenswood family, but this is supposed to be a humorous superhero comic, so it's high time I get back to that.