Adventures of Superchum

Superchum Comic for Sale! Get Your Copy Today

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 04:06:22 GMT

Greetings devout and stalwart Chum Fans ! Are you ready to truly Walk the Paths of Chumliness ? Well now you can fill in any holes in your back issue collectin, or deck yourself out in Official Superchum merchandise! Welcome to the Superchum Store.

The Adventures of Superchum - Remix Edition (23rd Anniversary)

This classic tale from Superchum's past has been r e-mixed and revised especially for you in the over-sized, action-packed, 23rd Anniversary collected edition!

This is it the place to start! Get the full back story on Superchum, Friend, Girlfriend, Baron Bad Guy and the Anti-Chum! This 4 8-page collector's item classic will fill you in on all the adventure you missed. Anyone joining the Superchum fan club and walking their way to Chumliness needs this treasure tome of Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders!

Author: Steve Myers

Format: Standard Comic, Full Color
Page Count: 48

The Adventures of Superchum - Manga Edition

This is it Chum fans, the one you've been clamoring for! Read the entire "oft told" origin of Superchum in one sitting. This thin, and very affordable, volume contains the super secret details of where Superchum comes from and how the Mighty Befrienders got their start.

You do not want to miss any of the pulse pounding positivity or fierce friendship action. Follow the adventures of Superchum, world’s friendliest superhero. He forms his own team, the Mighty Befrienders, and embarks on the paths of Chumliness!

Author: Steve Myers

Format: Manga Type Comic, Full Color
Page Count: 16

Spacejacked - The Saga Begins

After returning from their latest mission for some much-needed shore leave, the crew of the Sagan is given an emergency to investigate. Vacation cut short, the brave crew must find out why ships are disappearing in a hostile and contested territory of space!

Follow the fantastic sci-fi adventures of Captain Deeps and his crew as the Intergalactic Vessel Sagan charts new and unexplored galaxies.

Author: Steve Myers

Format: Manga Type Comic, Full Color
Page Count: 16

Superchum February 2022 Comic

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 02:02:05 GMT

What is the Power of Friendship?

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:54:09 GMT

The Paths of Chumliness can Unlock the Power to Make New Friends

So What is the Power of Friendship?

It often starts with something like this: "Let's be friends!"

And then maybe a high five or a firm handshake.

There begins the journey into friendship, or as the Mighty Befrienders like to say, "The first step onto the Paths of Chumliness!"

Friendship is at the core of this comic strip. Superchum bills himself as the World's Friendliest Superhero. And he definitely lives up to the super part. He has all of the powers of other heroes in comic book pop culture, like Marvel/DC staples Superman or the Sentry or Hyperion . He has that alpha hero archetype flowing through him:

He can fly
He is invulnerable
He is super strong, etc.

But none of that is really the focus of Superchum as a super hero webcomic.

When people come to read superhero comics online they expect those characteristics. The Adventures of Superchum comic takes those tropes and infuses them with a twist based on positive values and modern society.

In fact, Superchum stands out from the crowd because friendship comic strips are extremely rare. As a funny webcomic that heralds and celebrates the true power of friends, Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders are some of the most unique "heroes" in all of comics.

What makes Superchum and his story unique is his greatest power: Friendship. And that's a power that all of us on this planet can wield in real life.

Friendship is one of the oldest parts of our culture and our humanity. Friendship is a very powerful meaningful relationship. It is a social relationship that has no physical ties but binds people together into a strong emotional bond.

A lot of friendly people form bonds with their closest friends early in life, be it in high school, grade school, or pre-school. This underscores one of the most important core facts about friendship: The people you surround yourself with have a powerful impact on your life.

The power of friendship is that real friends stick around. And that's why The Adventures of Superchum has become the largest comic strip on the web featuring such a positive message.

Sometimes friendships don't start with such an obvious statement or gesture.

Sometimes there's no mention of the word friendship, just the subtle beginning of a relationship socially between two people that grows and grows. Friendship knows no boundaries and exists across gender, race, and creed. With the variable so wide open, however, there are two things present in all friendships - two things that friendships across the globe have in common:

there is a sense of security
and there is a sense of belonging

Those two characteristics are what friendship gives each part of the relationship.

That is the Power of Friendship!

That's one of the main themes you encounter when you read comics featuring the Mighty Befrienders, whether its free comic book day special issues, regular monthly floppies, or digital comic book downloads.

Science backs this up with data. In 2008, a study was done to measure the rewards of friendship . The study asked participants to make a guess as to how steep a hill was as they stood in front of it. Some of the participants had a friend with them. Others were alone. The study found that those who had a friend at their side said the hill seemed less steep.

Superchum's comic strips about friendship are the visualization of that scientifically proven effect: The power of friendship makes mountains easier to climb!

Pure, Simple, Friendship

When you feel down, a friend can comfort you. The warm presence of that friendship can break through the darkness, and give you that sense of security or the feeling of belonging.

This power can be shown in person, on the phone or even over the internet, but very often friendship can help an individual feel better.

Friendship, especially when practiced by Befrienders on the Paths of Chumliness , is freely given. It never demands anything in return. Friends don't feel the need for payback.

This infuses the Power of Friendship with positivity and staves off any corruption or toxicity. True Friendship thrives because each side practices giving it freely. So there's never any need to make demands.

Happiness doubles and sorrow is cut in half in the company of true friends. It is this Power of Friendship that the Mighty Befrienders bring to the world, through the Paths of Chumliness.

Pure, simple, unassuming friendship.

Who is a True Friend?

A friend can be gained from a wide variety of sources. You can be close friends with a relative or close family member like a cousin or a brother or a parent. But it can also be a neighbor, a classmate, a roommate, or a co-worker. You could have a group of good friends or a single person as a friend.

But why stop at people? Pets can be friends. Dogs, cats, hamsters, parrots can all provide a person with care and support. Friendship truly knows no boundaries.

Really it's all about who you click with and how you support each other. You mainly just need to feel comfortable in the presence of the people you call your friends. That feeling, at its simplest and most basic core is the spark of friendship. And it can overcome so many things for you and your friends.

We all tend to fear loneliness. And because of that dread, we can sometimes do things that are not in our best interest or even harmful, just for companionship to alleviate the loneliness. This can lead you down a dark path, where you can fall in with the wrong company, succumb to bad influences, and fall prey to people who are trying to take advantage of you or harm you.

The dark parts of social relationships constantly seek to undermine the benevolence of regular friendship. In today's virtual landscape where relationships happen at the speed of tweets, feelings are being turned into commodities.

People are living trapped in a cage of likes, dislikes, and blockchains. True friendship is having its meaning transformed, hypocrisy is on the rise, and happiness is waning. Now, more than ever, the Paths of Chumliness and the Power of Friendship are needed in our lives.

Stay the Paths of Chumliness, 'Chum Fans

The Paths of Chumliness create powerful bonds between people giving them genuine happiness and honest feelings.

No likes or upvotes can substitute for strong relationships forged by real friendship. And as Superchum learned in his free comics day issue the Untold Origin , it is a true friendship that the world seeks!

If you want to learn more about the Power of Friendship and the Paths of Chumliness, read the digital comics Adventures of Superchum comic strip published regularly online for free. Or order the Adventures of Superchum Remix comic book from Indyplanet! This 48-page double-sized spectacular issue stands among the regular offerings from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Dark Horse comics that you find at any local comic shop or newsstand.

Walking the paths of Chumliness begins with one step. Treat others as you want to be treated. Be kind. Smile. And support your friends with the true power of your friendship.

NOTE: This article originally appeared in 2019 and has been updated with new information and republished on June 25, 2020.

Superchum's Favorite Superheroes: Raven from Teen Titans

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 15:12:36 GMT

Who's Your Favorite Teen Titan? For Superchum, it's Always Been Raven

The Adventures of Superchum is one of the top web comics , and is about Superchum the world's friendliest hero. As a superhero parody, the funny comic strip chronicles many wacky adventures involving its primary heroes Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders. The ingredients of what makes its funny comic ideas work as a superhero webcomic are all rooted in my history of growing up reading super hero comic books.

So to really understand the framework of what Superchum is built upon, and where all the superhero jokes and comic strip ideas originate, I thought it would be nice to take a look at who some of my favorite superheroes are. This is a a small series that will delve into the inspirations behind Superchum or the superhero comics that inspired me as an artist. And for the first installment I'm going to start with Raven from the Teen Titans .

Raven is a character from DC Comics. Raven is a superhero. She's a member of the group the Teen Titans. She first appeared (along with the rest of the "New Teen Titans") in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26, circa 1980. She was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez .

She's a magic user, and is the daughter of the demon Trigon and a woman from Gotham City named Arella.

Raven's powers include:

Darkness/Shadows Control: Raven has the power to create and control the element of pure darkness and shadows and bend it to her will; often using it in conjunction with her telekinesis.
Soul-Self/Astral Projection: The basis of almost all of Raven's powers are derived from her soul-self. She is able to project her own spirit from her body into a ghostly form, using it to interact with the physical world, affect others mentally, and to traverse through time-space.
Advanced Telekinesis: Raven can merge a small part of her soul-self into objects in order to take control of them, with the object essentially becoming an extension of her soul-self.
Telekinetic Constructs: With her soul-self able to be molded into any shape, Raven often creates simple domes or walls that act as barriers against attack. She can project solid bolts to be used as projectiles, or a steady stream of solid force.
Telekinetic Force-Fields: She can erect unusually strong shields of sheer telekinetic and dark energy around herself and others for protection.
Telekinetic Teleportation: In conjunction with her telekinesis, Raven's soul-self is able to envelop her (along with a max of four other people) and travel to other dimensions, primarily Azarath. She can use this technique to travel vast distances on Earth or to teleport by momentarily displacing herself and then re-appearing in another location.
Empathy: The psionic ability to sense the emotions of others, allowing her to gain insight into their thoughts and intentions, and even experience their own feelings. This also enables her to sense the mental state of others, as she has stated that she would know if someone's mind had been tampered with.
Levitation: Raven can levitate off the ground and hover, without visible projection of her dark energy as is shown when she utilizes telekinesis. Her power is also sufficient to enable her to counter the gravitational pull of other planets.

That's all well and good but why is she one of Superchum's favorite superheroes? What about Raven inspires Chumliness ?

I've long been a fan of the Teen Titans. George Perez is one of my favorite artists and while it may not show in my particular style of art, he has been an artist that has inspired me since I was young. I've tried to draw like him in the past. And I voraciously collect the comics and art he puts out.So over the years I've read a ton of Teen Titans. I also have a penchant for magic users. I love Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate and Doctor Occult and the Scarlet Witch. But among them all Raven was always different.

What makes her so cool, and why she's had an impact on The Adventures of Superchum is the source of her angst. Her troubled heritage creates so much drama that stories that revolve around her have always had an added level of gravitas. Whether it was Trigon coming to destroy the world, or Raven struggling to control the darkness inside her, the tale always had an edge. But in the middle of all that was Raven herself, standing strong and being loyal to her friends, the Titans. She's very much the core of what I always want the Befrienders to be: Even in darkness, friendship can shine.

Also, when making funny comic strips with tons of superhero jokes, Raven has always been a beacon of humor. In the cartoons, voiced by Tara Strong , Raven has a sharp edged wit that I have always found funny and entertaining.

Raven brings the funny! And that has always been a primary piece of what I aspire to do with my own work. So it came as no surprise to me that over the years, Raven keeps popping up as my most often requested sketch when I go to shows, events, and conventions.

DC Comics Has New Raven YA Book

Update: Raven is now also the subject of a brand new YA graphic novel published by DC Comics. The book can be found here , at DC Comics' official site. The book, written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Picolo is a fun re-invention of Raven's standard characterization. It's been updated for today's readers but still maintains all of the elements that makes Raven a fan favorite.

Raven Sketches at Shows

Since I began going to shows as an artist in artist's alley, I've offered my services as a sketch artist. Usually not more than a few bucks will get you an 8.5" x 11" black and white inked drawing of whatever you request (within reason). And one of the most interesting trends throughout the years has been Raven. She is the most commonly requested subject in my sketches. Below you will see one of the sketches I was asked to do last year:

It's always fun to be asked to draw Raven. As a character design she's very interesting. She has the cloak, and the darksoul, as well as her magic abilities. There's so many ways you can take those elements and construct them into a dynamic image. Also as a Teen Titan, she's young and you can play up that vulnerability of youth to create even more dramatic energy in a sketch. Here are some more examples of sketches I've done of Raven:

Recently I took one of my favorite sketches of Raven and transformed it into a print, which I bring with me to shows and conventions now. That way if someone wants a more polished piece of Raven, they can get it. Below is a before and after of the initial image of the print:

To make the piece I took the pencil sketch above, and transformed it into a larger pen and ink drawing on paper. After that I scanned it into my computer and colored it in Adobe Photoshop. And this is what the final print looks like:

This piece was very fun to draw and has ended up being one of my most popular items at shows. I like it because I feel I captured both the energy of Raven's power as well as the vibrance of her youth. It really melds the Teen Titans Go! aspect of Raven with the more traditional DC Comics aspects of her character. I also added the logo and other print items of the recent Raven limited series around it to make it look like an "alternate" cover just for fun.

What is the Meaning of Friendship?

Sat, 15 Feb 2020 13:45:23 GMT

Learn how Science, Philosophy and Literature Quantify the Power of Friendship

Friendship is so many things to so many people. Friendship is magic . Friendship is powerful. Friendship can heal. And friendship has been a core aspect of human culture since before recorded history.

The power of friendship is undeniable. Friends can help us cope with the biggest challenges we face, motivate us to our highest achievements, and help us celebrate life to its fullest. Friendships come in many forms, cross all kinds of natural and man made barriers, and can get sparked between the most unlikely of participants.

Science, philosophy and literature have all delved into the power of friendship. The Adventures of Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders is a comic strip that for the past 24 years has championed the power of friendship directly in its pages.

The Paths of Chumliness are a manifestation of the titular character Superchum sharing his most powerful ability - super friendliness or as he calls it, Chumliness - with the world. Teaching people, one step at a time, how to harness the most powerful aspects of true friendship.

The Power of Friendship is such that it can sustain, nourish and support us.

The Science of Friendship's Power

There has been a ton of research done over the years that confirms how friendship enriches and empowers humans.

Carlin Flora, a writer and editor for Psychology Today, put out the article Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are. In that piece Flora noted that one of the major benefits is that friendships can help people "shed pounds, sleep better, stop smoking and even survive a major illness."

Expanding on the positive effects of friendship, an ongoing study of 1,500 seniors by the Flinders University Centre for Ageing Studies in Australia found that over a two decade period those seniors with a large network of friends outlived seniors with the fewest friends by 22 percent.

And the University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center reported that people with five or more close friends were 50 percent more likely to describe themselves as "very happy" than respondents with fewer friends.

According to Claire Yang , a sociologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, friendship can have an effect on a person's health and life expetancy that is equivalent to quitting smoking. A 2010 study found that the effect of social ties on life span is twice as strong as exercising regularly. These studies, which examined 148 prior studies on social links and mortality comprising more than 300,000 participants, found that health and friendships are linked through the body's processing of stress, Yang revealed.

The Mayo Clinic says it very simply : Good friends are good for your health.

Friends can:

Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
Increase your sense of belonging and purpose
Help you cope with traumas
Boost your happiness and reduce your stress
Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits

Friends also play a significant role in promoting your overall health. Adults with strong social support have a reduced risk of many significant health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). Studies have even found that older adults with a rich social life are likely to live longer than their peers with fewer connections.

The Philosophy of Friendship's Power

Scientific research and studies and papers all demonstrate the measurable effect of the power of friendship. Close friends can give us confidence, bolster our sense of self, improve our well being, and increase our lifespan.

But the power of friendship works best when harnessed by good friends. And that's where we need to go deeper.

What Makes a Good Friend?

This is another one of the ongoing themes of The Adventures of Superchum . The Paths of Chumliness require people to be true friends. And finding out what that is, goes back in time to our very beginnings.

The people that you surround yourself with have a massive impact on your behavior and your lifestyle. Your friends and family members shape your life. And this has been true forever. So the framework of the Paths of Chumliness have their origins in ancient history.

There's much of it influenced by religious thought and creed. Morality is one of the core aspects of being a superhero. So you find a lot of aspects of The Golden Rule in Superchum, which aligns with varying degrees of Christianity, Judaism, and Taoism.

But then there's friendship. And for that the Paths of Chumliness layered in some good old fashioned classical Greek philosophy from the man himself, Aristotle!

More than 2,000 years ago Aristotle dropped his Nichomachean Ethics , and in that volume Big A talks about some specifics of the state of being friends and the philosophy of friendship.

Aristotle wrote that there are three types of friendship:

Friendship based on utlity - This is where one or more people involved in the relationship gain something as a result of the friendship. Someone becomes your friend because they think you can help them or vice versa.
Friendship based on pleasure - This is where people become your friend because of pleasant experiences that you share in common. Think of this as people you hang out with or party with to have a good time.
Friendship based on virtue - This is where people become friends because they share the same values. Think of this as becoming friends with someone because you admire them or respect them or share the same goals as they do in life.

This is a good background for understanding the Paths of Chumliness and the Power of Friendship.

Each one of these three kinds of friendship can be powerful and positive, creating a healthy relationship between friends that improves life for all involved. But they can also be corrupted and turned into negative and toxic relationships.

Aristotle pointed out that "Great friendships can only be felt toward a few people." He suggested these friendships provide a sense of satisfaction and contentment, and that it is rare to connect with others on a deep level. That is what the Paths of Chumliness are all about. Leading people toward that level of friendship.

Aristotle's schema for the foundation of friendship is both prescient and practical. You can look at your life right now and ask yourself which categories do your relationships fall into among Aristotle's three types of friendships?

You can categorize them and identify which ones are at a deeper level, as well as which ones can be taken to a deeper level.

That's an important step on the Paths of Chumliness, and comes up time and time again in the pages of Superchum comics during the adventures the Mighty Befrienders share. Both super heroes and the rest of us spinning on this globe are equal when analyzing the core of our relationships.

The Narrative of Friendship's Power in Literature

The trope of the "Power of Friendship" is a major theme across all media - including television, literature, film, and as Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders demonstrates, comics .

In fact, it's such an oft used theme that it has its own entry on TV Tropes . That cements its usefulness within the goals of the Superchum comic. It's a theme that the archetypal superhero can and has explored many times in the past.

As a foundational plot device, the Power of Friendship shows up as an aspect of conflict between the hero and the villain. Villains often mock the idea of relying on others. They typically claim the emotional support that a true friend provides makes a person weak and ineffectual. They ascribe to a philosophy that fear or intimidation gets results.

The plot then turns when the hero shows the villain that the hero's friends do stand up for the hero. That the power of friendship is real and strong. Being alone makes the villain weak. This plays out quite often in Superchum.

But can also be seen in many other examples - including Batman when his extended Batman Family come into play, Superman when he relies on human friends to help him overcome struggles, and Star Wars quite literally when Luke Skywalker confronts Emperor Palpatine .

These plots reveal the Power of Friendship through specific Friendship Moments . Generally, according to TV Tropes, a friendship moment is "a moment of pure love and empathy displayed by one friend to another that goes beyond the call of duty or against the character."

You see these quite often in The Adventures of Superchum when Chum himself extends his hand for a shake. But they are also played up when his sidekicks, Friend and Girlfriend , demonstrate the same empathy. You'll see them in other popular media as well, including My Little Pony Friendship is Magic which has countless friendship moments from Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville.

The Power of Friendship's plot movement typically turns on a specific kind of friendship moment, however, that TV Tropes calls A Friend in Need .

This is a profound test of character, where someone is in trouble and in need of help. The character must then make a choice and the help often comes at a cost. When friends friendly intentions get them in trouble, the conflict can move the plot forward. This is seen in Superchum from time to time, like when Girlfriend succumbed to her unfriendly anger to help Friend break free of the XYZ Clan's psionic prison during the Comic Book Shop hostage situation. Other examples in popular culture include Luke Skywalker walking into a trap in Bespin City set by Darth Vader to save Han and Leia, or Mr. Spock manually shutting off the reactor to save Kirk, Bones and the Enterprise in Wrath of Khan .

The next bit that TV Tropes has to say about the Power of Friendship is actually the most often used example of conflict in The Adventures of Superchum. It's the harrowing obstacle that any Befriender who walks the Paths of Chumliness often faces. Heroes who use the Power of Friendship invariably attract villains and antagonists that try to prove the power doesn't work. These villains typically do not have any friends themselves and thus they do not believe in the Power of Friendship. You can see that play out time and time again in the pages of Superchum. Whether it's Mike the One True Cosmic Friend, Baron Bad Guy, or even the Anti-Chum himself, none of them take Superchum at his word. And every single time the Power of Friendship comes into play because of this challenge. But you also see this play out in other stories. A common theme in Superman is that he's an alien or other and isn't to be trusted. That no one would have his pure motives. But time and time again he proves to the people of Metropolis that villains like Lex Luthor , General Zod and Darkseid are wrong. His power of friendship for all of humanity overcomes and Metropolis is safe.

The last bit that TV Tropes talks about in terms of The Power of Friendship that relates very specifically to The Adventures of Superchum is the "combined energy attack."

This is most clearly played out in pop culture by the Care Bears with their Care-Bear Stare . But you can find it in a host of other examples, from anime like Sailor Moon with its Sailor Planet Attack , to western cartoons like Captain Planet.

This is also found in more subtle references, like the credo in Lost : "Live together, die alone." Or the Avengers battlecry , "Avengers Assemble!"

In Superchum this is the core reason for why Superchum is on his mission to befriend the world. He wants to expand the circle of friendship to its most powerful apex. That's why the Befrienders walk the Paths of Chumliness. And that's why they overcome their problems and defeat the villains more easily when they work together.

The Power of Friendship is Undeniable

So there you have it. Friendship is a super power. Batman has his Batmobile and his relentless training. Superman can fly and juggle planets. Thor has his hammer . Your friendly neighborhood Spider-man has his wall crawling and his spidery agility. Aquaman can talk to fish . But among all of those titanic superheroes in the world of comics, Superchum stands alone as having the Power of Friendship amplified to super heroic levels.

And this is a mighty power indeed. We've seen that the Power of Friendship:

is scientifically proven to improve humanity
is philosophically linked to the core of our culture
is a key literary trope present throughout literature and mass entertainment

The Adventures of Superchum has a lot more going on with it than what appears on the surface. It always has. Embrace the Power of Friendship. And Walk the Paths of Chumliness!

How to Make Good Friends With People

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 17:25:00 GMT

A Guide to Walking the Paths of Chumliness

We all need friendship in our lives. But meeting new people can be hard and scary.

The Adventures of Superchum comic strip espouses the idea of the Paths of Chumliness, a set of steps and guidelines that the heroes follow in their quest to befriend the entire world.

The paths they follow help the heroes expand their social circle to a massive group of friends, harness the kind of friends that are paragons of true friendship. Spending time with these kinds of friends often leads to good times and positive mental health.

So how does one go about making great friends like this? Whether you're making friends as an adult, or are younger ... whether you're making friends on social media or IRL ... the Paths of Chumliness are your guide. So follow these steps with each new potential friend and see if you can beat Superchum at his own game!

Three Necessary Ingredients to Chumliness

According to The Paths of Chumliness strong and powerful friendships are developed when three specific things occur:

Satisfaction. We feel satisfied in a relationship like friendship when the interactions have more positivity than negativity.
Safety. We feel safe in a relationship like a friendship when we commit to consistent time with each other.
Visibility. We feel seen in a freiendship when we practice revealing ourselves and expressing vulnerability.

These things seem simple but they are difficult to do. That's why The Mighty Befrienders have developed this recipe for making friends! Here’s the Befrienders formula for creating meaningful connections:

Positivity + Consistency + Vulnerability = Chumliness!

Two Steps to Chumliness

It typically takes people between 6 to 8 interactions with a new person before they really start feeling like friends. The sooner new friends they schedule interactions, the sooner that friendship blossoms. So Superchum advises all new Befrienders walking the Paths of Chumliness to adhere to these two steps:

Be open to making new friends.
Make the first move

Repeat these steps as needed!

The Five to One Ratio For Super Friendships

This is the secret ingredient to powerful friendship through the Paths of Chumliness ! It's just a simple ratio. To keep a friendship going, the relationship needs to have a lopsided positivity-to-negativity ratio. Through years of superheroing and chumliness, the Befrienders have found that the ratio of positivity to negativity needs to be at least five-to-one.

That means sharing five times more fun and feel-good moments than stress and toxic moments - that can range from disappointments and frustrations to jealousies.

By definition, to be a good friend and also to keep a good friend requires that both parties bring this lopsided ratio of positivity to the relationship.

Superchum and The Mighty Befrienders have put together this handy dandy Info-graphic for you to keep and follow along in your quest to walk the Paths of Chumliness!

Superchum October 2019 Comic

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 03:11:33 GMT

Introducing: Doctor Digital, The SEO Superhero!

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 16:25:27 GMT

"With Great Traffic Comes Great Searchability!"

Look, up on the web, it's a bot, it's a link, it's ... Doctor Digital! The world's foremost expert on superheroic SEO, is here to provide the plus ultra power of SEO knowledge to the world, saving the day like all tried and true heroes who take up the mantle. With great traffic, comes great searchability and Doctor Digital is here to provide that uncanny boost! So without further ado, "It's Optimizing Time!"

The Making of Doctor Digital, World's First SEO Superhero

Yes, that is exactly what you think it is. A superhero comic strip about Structured Data, where I make Google's RankBrain a character.

At this point you're either completely hyped up that the world of SEO and Superhero comics have collided into what you now see before you, or you're confused. So let me take a moment to explain.

My name is Steve Myers, and I'm the creative force behind The Adventures of Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders . I've been a comic artist and cartoonist my entire life. But my career path has taken me into a whole other world of twists, turns, and adventures. I currently work as a Search Engine Optimization manager. And I've been working in the field for over a decade.

SEO is hard to explain sometimes. It's weird and technical. You get terms like Term Frequency versus Inverse Document Frequency. You get coding like CSS and JSON-LD. You work on page speed, and JavaScript. You constantly have to explain keywords, long-tail keywords, the difference between users and sessions in Google Analytics, or why your Search Console stats never match up to your Analytics stats.

It takes a superheroic effort to analyze, consult and practice SEO in today's internet. And I constantly found myself having to teach both my bosses and my clients about what it is I actually do. From basic concepts to complex code like the JSON-LD that is the framework of structured data (and why that's important for Rich Results).

Understanding Comics ... Understanding SEO

So one day while walking to the train station for my commute home from center city Philadelphia, I had a revelation. I constantly express myself through my comics. It's the way I see things, the way I process information and the way I feel most comfortable telling stories.

I was then reminded of two things:

First, a Marketing Lesson

One of the biggest aspects of marketing, especially in a crowded space like digital marketing, is having something unique that makes you stand out. The buzz word for that is differentiator. In SEO in particular, one of the biggest examples is Rand Fishkin and his Whiteboard Fridays . Those videos are amazing, and have helped me and countless other SEOs over the years learn concepts and engage with each other. And those videos are what made Moz and Rand stand out in the crowd. That content is unique and everyone from Matt Cutts to Danny Sullivan to me associates Whiteboard Fridays in SEO with Moz.

For me, the one thing that makes me different is my comic illustration. It's something I do that not a lot of SEOs do. And overall in my career it's kind of ironic. In the world of comics I don't stand out. I'm another artist in the crowd. But turn that around, and put out an SEO comic, and suddenly I'm one of the only ones in the world doing that.

Second, Scott McCloud and Understanding Comics

Beyond just having a comic strip though, I needed my idea to really be about something. And that's where inspiration struck next. I've always been a huge fan of Scott McCloud's book Understanding Comics . This graphic novel is an essential piece of reading for comic fans and comic pros. It teaches you in one of the most visual and engaging ways how comics work and gives you a deep appreciation for the art form.

But what always struck me as the most clever aspect of this book was its own construction. The text reads like a term paper or an essay. That is then taken and illustrated into a very easy to follow visual narrative. The book is constructed as the most perfect example of its own topic: Its a testament to sequential art.

And that's where the full idea of Doctor Digital came together. I want the work on this strip to be fun, visual, goofy storytelling — which is my personal style. But I also want it to be educational in the vein of Understanding Comics. To explain SEO and teach the things I'm constantly teaching my clients and co-workers about SEO, but through the lens of sequential art.

At that point, my creation becomes the unique differentiator I want it to be. The world's first and currently only SEO Superhero.

So who is Doctor Digital? And what can he do?

The concept for the character was relatively simple. I take an SEO professional and give him (since I'm basing this off of my own experience in the field I made the character a male to make it more authentic to myself) super powers related to SEO.

The design was easy. The "secret identity" is just an idealized cartoon version of myself. With a power button on the pocket of his lab coat. He pushes that button and "transforms" into Doctor Digital's Superhero Form.

The design for the form was inspired from three of my favorite characters to doodle over the years, as I figured that would make it easiest on me to draw.

Iron Man from Marvel Comics
Spider-man from Marvel Comics
Shadowman from Valiant Comics

The badge or symbol is heavily inspired by the Star Trek The Next Generation Comm Badge . And the color scheme is heavily influenced by the Ted Kord Blue Beetle .

But now that I had the look, what was he going to be able to do?

I'm pretty much winging it here. I want him to be able to move in between the SERP dimension and our reality. So he can physically interact with the concepts of SEO. The goal of the narrative is going to be to put him into situations where he has to deal with SEO related crises each time out.

These are going to read a bit like Understanding Comics, a bit like the old Hostess Fruit Pie ads , and a lot like talking to me about SEO.

I hope you enjoy the good Doctor and his amazingly weird adventures in the world of SEO!

Now that you know a bit about where Doctor Digital, SEO Superhero, comes from, I'd like to share the original article that spurred me to create the above comic strip in the first place. It was a blog post I wrote for a former employer. And in the middle of it I felt like doing the same old thing, and using stock art was just going to get the piece lost in the crowd. So I drew the first Doctor Digital adventure to go with it!

Rich Results and Structured Data:

The Future of Digital Marketing

Welcome intrepid readers and searchers of the arcane secrets of SEO wizardry! Doctor Digital is here to amaze, astound and astonish with a journey into the mysteries of yet another news article about quirks and qualities in Google search features! The 9-panels of full-color senses shattering SEO insight provided by the Doctor Digital comic strip delved deep into the super duper effects of structured data.

But what was Doctor Digital really experiencing?

Rich Results are the Next Generation of Structured Data

One of the fundamental principles behind what Doctor Digital and his sidekicks the Google Girls do is we ensure that the techniques and technology his team use in digital marketing campaigns are the best they can be.

We’re talking top level entities taking on the titans of AI themselves!

From deciphering JSON-LD to Enhancing Google My Business listings, Doctor Digital stays on top of it all. And this month he tackles Rich Cards .

Doctor Digital used his effusive eloquence to elucidate and pontificate not a moment too soon, true believers!

With the speed that the internet changes, keeping ahead of fast moving digital marketing trends takes dedication. It seems that once every year everything changes and what once drove your online presence to its peak is now dragging you down.

A great example of this is that just a few years ago not having a mobile-friendly website wasn’t a big deal. Today that would be considered the death knell for your internet marketing campaign. Google will reconsider how much weight it gives your site in their Google search results for not taking a mobile presence, mobile speed, and mobile search into account.

It is in this vein that Doctor Digital shifts focus to the world of structured data and its little brother rich results.

There's a New Tool in Town

Everyone who has been involved in a conversation about web marketing or SEO – from SERPS obsessive SEOs to Local Business Owners to Site Owners to Google Webmasters – has probably seen or heard something about Google’s new Rich Results Testing Tool .

Google announced the new tool in conjunction with its decision to group all of their terms, such as rich snippets and enhanced results under the umbrella of rich results.

Since its debut in 2018, there has been a deluge of information surrounding this new initiative by Google to bring the visual format of their SEO interpretation to the next level. Please join Doctor Digital as he delves into this new tool and the implications it will have for your business and online marketing presence.

Rich Results: What is Structured Data?

Like any good yarn worthy of spinning for eager listeners, we must start at the beginning. For those out there who are still in the prehistoric keywords can be stuffed onto a page era of SEO, here is a quick crash course in structured data markup.

This isn’t a technical white paper that focuses on machine language, markup languages, relational databases, business intelligence data structures, or relational database management systems. Doctor Digital is your SEO Super Hero and we’re here to focus on the keys to your online marketing, like customer behavior and easy to understand data management.

Structured data are snippets of metadata information that are encoded into a web page’s back end. But this far more intricate than just a basic meta description. These snippets of information, which can be created via JSON-LD, Microdata, or RDFa types, are designed to enable search engines like Google to better classify web pages for both desktop and mobile search results pages.

The best way to think about it is to imagine that your web page is an object that you are trying to describe to someone who has no frame of reference. For instance, if you were to explain to a blind person what a bicycle is you would start with the basic structure. Explaining that it consisted of wheels, handlebars, and a seat would be things that would help give a better context to establish that frame.

The same thing is true of a website and each page’s content. Structuring your data to give the object of your website specific types of clearly defined characteristics that potential customers may be looking for. A great example that has been used by many is a web page that contains a recipe. By giving that web page structured data that defines that recipes ingredients allow for that page to return not only for the recipe name but a new search result format that showcases its ingredients or cooking time.

The best place to learn more about structured data and schema markup is schema.org . Their homepage gives you the full rundown on what structured data is. They provide excellent examples of semantic web data sources and then provide large volumes of structured data examples to teach you how to code them.

Rich Results: What is a Rich Card?

Now that we’ve gone over the basics of what structured data is, let’s turn our attention to what Google calls rich cards.

These all began as rich snippets that showed authorship and star ratings next to books that got reviewed on Google. Users reacted favorably to these previews of their content on Google search pages and now new rich cards have exploded in variety, including accelerated mobile pages that display news articles differently in search, recipes that showcase recipe cards on search, and even job openings being displayed in their own area of Google search results.

A rich card is just another way of customizing your Google search result to further stand out from the pack. When you type a search into Google and the first page of results are returned you will most likely notice that there is a result pinned directly to the top of the page that is enclosed into a raised box.

This feature allows your result to stand out regardless of the platform your clients choose to search from. If you are viewing this on your laptop or desktop computer it will probably resemble a 3×5 index card. When viewed on a mobile device, the rich cards appear as stylized tiles, especially when the results are an amp page.

In addition to giving a more appealing visual to your results in the search window, structuring your data with a rich card in mind will also allow you to target your potential client base with greater precision. Using structured data as the backbone, rich cards will allow you to market directly to customers in the search results window. Embedded images and star ratings will make your website outshine the rest without the stigma that has become attached to pay-per-click advertisements.

Rich Results: What is the Testing Tool?

The success of Rich Snippets has sent ripples through the digital marketing industry. Hopefully, our discussion thus far has gotten you interested in diving into the cutting edge world of rich results for your Internet presence. Now that we’ve gotten your feet wet with an introduction to the hows and whys of rich results we turn our attention to the newly released Rich Results Testing Tool.

Google has long been steeped in search analytics, and data report driven marketing tactics. From Google new Search Console to Google AdWords Keyword reports, Google has committed to real-time performance monitoring across its channels. Testing and providing developer documentation for the structured markup of Google Rich Cards was no different, and Google created its new testing tool.

This is not to be confused with the tried and true Structured Data Testing Tool – one of Doctor Digital’s favorite tools in the whole wide universe of SEO.

Nay, the purpose of this new tool is different. The Rich Results Testing tool exists to allow companies like yours an easy and intuitive way to determine if their website is optimized with Rich Results in mind.

This new tool is the next step in the evolution of Google’s search engine algorithm. It functions as a sidekick to the structured data testing tool. It’s Robin to the SDTT’s Batman.

So while the structured data testing tool is useful mostly for determining issues with code samples of the website, the rich results testing tool is to be used for a quick assessment of whether your website supports rich results in the first place. The information that this provides will enable you to make increasingly accurate decisions on where your marketing dollars are best focused.

The interface came out of closed beta in a limited format, and only supported testing for recipes, jobs, moves, and online courses. But it was paramount in connecting the dots throughout Google’s other channels as it worked in conjunction with Google Search Console and its Search Console Rich Cards Report.

Rich Results: What are the Next Steps?

Like Google, Doctor Digital is constantly searching and exploring. He looks to “boldly go where no one has gone before” with his online heroics and SEO Superhero Adventures. The good Doctor is eager to discover what’s next.

Too many things change in this industry too quickly for Doctor Digital to stay in one place.

You’ll note that our entire exploration of Google Rich Snippets and Rich Cards was focused on search engine results from Google. This is because they are the leader in search as well as the types of rich snippets and featured snippets that are displayed on search engine results pages.

However, all major search engines are involved and following Google’s lead, including Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex.

Have any questions? Then contact Doctor Digital on his social media spaces like Facebook or Twitter. Ask him anything, be it how to code a span itemprop, what script type do we recommend for your structured data, is unstructured data harmful, what’s the best WordPress plugin for schemas, or do you even think structured data is a ranking factor that can affect clickthrough rate and SERP features?

Doctor Digital is ready to heed the call! Be here next time as Doctor Digital delves into Google Algorithm Changes !

You'll meet new antagonists like the Source Code Supreme and the Superior Spider-Bot!
You'll discover that the good Doctor has a team of assistants all dedicated to helping him!
You'll see more spine tingling SEO action!

Superchum September Comic

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 01:43:48 GMT

Find out the Superchum's decision regarding Howdyu's offer in this new installment of one the top funny superhero comic strips published on the web.

Adventures of Superchum Mid-July Comic

Sat, 13 Jul 2019 10:53:37 GMT

Thrill to the latest adventure in the superhero parody Superchum, one of the most hilarious webcomics published in the world today.

Adventures of Superchum July Comic

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 10:57:07 GMT

This superhero parody is one of the top funny superhero comic strips published live on the internet today.

New Superchum Comic Strip is Up!

Sat, 22 Jun 2019 15:30:31 GMT

The latest installment of the Superchum webcomic, June 2019.

Superchum Archive Strip #5

Fri, 24 May 2019 16:50:06 GMT

The latest installment of the Superchum Archive

This is the fifth installment of Superchum from 1995. This archive lets Chum Fans new and old see how the characters developed over the years from their raw and rugged debut as a college newspaper strip to the slick and polished panels found today in one of the leading funny webcomics on the entire world wide web. Today Superchum stands alone as an award-winning funny superhero webcomic , attracting fans worldwise who want to read comics online for free. But in the beginning, the amiable avenger was something totally different.

Superchum Archive Strip #4

Thu, 23 May 2019 02:59:48 GMT

The latest installment of the Superchum Archive

This is the fourth installment of Superchum from 1995, introducing the Mighty Befrienders. This archive is a once in a lifetime chance for Chum Fans new and old to see how the character developed over the years from a college newspaper strip to one of the leading funny webcomics being published online today. Superchum currently stands apart in the marketplace as a funny superhero webcomic attracting fans who want to read comics online for free . But in the beginning, it was something totally different.

Superchum's First Free Comic Book Day

Sun, 21 Apr 2019 21:41:33 GMT

Superchum and Oddity Prodigy Productions to Appear at Captain Blue Hen in Newark, DE

I have a very special announcement to make: This year, on the first Saturday of the month, May 4, 2019, Superchum will be a part of Free Comic Book Day! That's right, FCBD - the annual event recognized by comic book shops across the country - will for the first time ever feature a Superchum comic. Also part of the all-ages special Free Comic Book Day flip book will be a Spacejacked adventure.

The members of Oddity Prodigy Productions will be at our local comic shop Captain Blue Hen in downtown Newark, DE, to mark this prestigious event. Mixed in with the FCBD offerings from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Boom Studios, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse Comics, and many of the other free comic books announced by Diamond Comic Distributors as being available on freecomicbookday.com, will be our very own Superchum - The World's Friendliest Superhero! Taking space on the shelves next to popular comics like the Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, the Avengers, Stranger Things, Black Hammer, and Captain Marvel will be the bastion of brotherhood himself in a bold new comic detailing for the first time on this any other parallel earth the Untold Origin of the Amiable Avenger!

Typically, Superchum comics online can found here at this website. Reading comics posted at www.superchum.com you want to take notice of the vibrant golden age feel that the strip evokes. This golden age aura will be found in the first issue, as well, which can be bought at IndyPlanet - with a Comixology-like digital comic available there as well. The stories in these superhero comics follow the adventures of a Justice League-like team called the Mighty Befrienders, as they encounter a veritable trove of bad guys. Instead of fighting them with fists, these young protectors offer their hands in friendship. As far as superhero webcomics go, there is nothing quite like the Adventures of Superchum.

But also in this FCBD flipbook is the aforementioned Spacejacked, a high-flying and action-packed sci-fi adventure comic. Combining many of the popular elements of Firefly, Star Wars and Star Trek, Spacejacked tells a story about an intergalactic confederation and its struggles against an evil star-spanning empire. This throwback retro-sci-fi series has the bold and bright color palette of something like the old Star Blazers cartoon while mixing in action and plots fans of today's big science fiction series like The Expanse would appreciate.

Information About the Event

Free Comic Book Day 2019 at Captain Blue Hen Comics

May 4, 2019

10:00 AM To 3:00 PM

280 East Main Street, Newark, DE, 19711

Free Comic Book Day is a national event but Captain Blue Hen Comics has made it a beloved local happening for Newark, Delaware!

Free Comic Book Day 2019 is Saturday, May 4 . Two thousand comic shops around the world will open their doors for the biggest annual celebration of comic books. Captain Blue Hen works together with other Market East Plaza shops to make FCBD into a larger family-friendly Main Street event.

This is Captain Blue Hen's 19th Free Comic Book Day. Every year they have 1500 or more comic fans and enthusiasts attending. Their plucky neighbors in Market East, Delaware Hair Co. and the Newark Arts Alliance, help make this an event special to Main Street and Newark. It is a good thing CBH has such chumly neighbors because Free Comic Book Day takes over the whole shopping center for an outdoor fair-like party.

May 4th is also Star Wars Day!

Each visitor gets a free comic book. There will be comic artists sketching, costumed character appearances (Star Wars with the 501st Legion First State Garrison, superheroes), mini art classes, door prizes, games, outdoor activities, and more. Admission is free and there are opportunities to get extra free comics while helping out the community. Show that you support of local libraries by presenting a library card for an extra free comic. Donate a canned good for the Newark Welfare Committee to get an extra comic If you come in costume, you earn another free comic. More information about the free comics and the event can be found at www.freecomicbookday.com and www.captainbluehen.com .

If you have questions about the event please feel free to call 302-737-3434 or email at mail@captainbluehen.com

Superchum Mid-December Comic

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 22:07:37 GMT

Superchum becomes the first hero to ever step onto the Paths of Chumliness!

Superchum December Comic

Sun, 16 Dec 2018 21:55:05 GMT

Superchum faces his first dilemma as a brand new superhero.

Superchum Mid-November Comic

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 21:36:20 GMT

Superchum discovers the Friendly Factor, the very heart of his superpowers.

Superchum November Comic

Sun, 11 Nov 2018 21:30:31 GMT

The third page in the ongoing Superchum superhero webcomic.

Sunday Comics with Superchum

Sun, 11 Nov 2018 17:49:11 GMT

Superchum is back as a regular monthly comic strip!

A lot of crazy new things have been happening in the life of Superchum, world's friendliest super hero!

There's the legacy of the character, as found in both the 23rd Anniversary Double Sized comic book for sale , and the t-shirt design .

But there's also the future of Superchum!

Sunday Comics in Lower Merion

Superchum has returned to his roots, as a regular monthly comic strip! That's right 'Chum fans, you can get your fix of brand new Superchum adventures once again. The bastion of brotherhood is running every month in TAPinto The Mainline's Sunday Comics Feature . The strip that runs today features Superchum exploring the extent of his superpowers:

The Adventure Began in October

The first intallment of the new monthly comic strip began in October.

Superchum Mid-October Comic

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 20:20:42 GMT

The second installment of the new Superchum comic strip.

Superchum October Comic

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 20:16:50 GMT

Superchum comic strip returns to publication

Meeet Leon: Protector of the Playground

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 22:33:19 GMT

This book by Jamar Nicholas is a great read and Leon truly walks the paths of Chumliness!

Last year I went to the Baltimore Comic Con and caught up with an old friend, Jamar Nicholas . He was there with his amazing new graphic novel, Leon: Protector of the Playground . I'm going back this year and Jamar will once again be in attendance.

Just a side note: I try to go to the Baltimore Comic Con as often as possible. It's my favorite con.

It's close by.
It's still a comic con unlike San Diego and all of the various Wizard Worlds.
It's kid-friendly, so there's usually a lot of fun things going for fans of all ages and genres.
It comes at a great time of year, right between Philadelphia stuff and New York stuff.

Who is Leon?

Real quick rundown, Leon is a super hero with a pedigree. His mom is one of the best heroes in town. And Leon has a lot to live up to in his role as his school's protector of the playground.

In this debut graphic novel you meet Leon, his friends, his enemies. And you learn so much about his character and what it means to be a hero.

Leon really clicked with me as a reader. I could see him and Superchum being buds, because as you read through this story you'll see Leon demonstrate many of the same qualities a Befriender would. At the core Leon has the foundation of what all heroes need: Doing the right thing. But he also makes some mistakes and learns and grows. That's where the book really hits me as an older reader. Jamar is willing to have his characters learn from their mistakes and walk that journey that heroes need to walk. The backup piece on Broccoli Rob is also very powerful when you see how the villain becomes a villain.

As a fan of comic art, I want to take a moment to appreciate the things Jamar brings to the page. I'm a huge Jack Kirby fan. And one of the things I love most about Kirby's art over the years is the way even the objects in the environment are dynamic. Everything has a feel of energy, and of being larger than life.

You see that here in Leon. Jamar captures so much of what I like about old school Marvel and DC comics in this book.

I recommend Leon: Protector of the Playground for anyone who wants a fun read, anyone who likes energetic and vibrant comic art, or for anyone who wants to really understand what it means to be a hero.

Who is Jamar?

I mentioned at the top of this that Jamar is an old friend. I first met him in the late 1990s, at the Small Press Expo. We bonded pretty quickly because he had been doing Detective Boogaloo comic strips and I was at the time doing Superchum comic strips. We had this connection because we both were doing comic book type stories in newspaper strip formats.

He then came to my friend's local shop to showcase his Jamar Chronicles comic book. He invited me to join a Yahoo! Group called the Indy Cred All-Stars, which was full of artists in the same boat: A strong desire to be a professional illustrator, and a need for kinship and community.

I don't think I've ever really mentioned this publicly, but the time I was involved in the I-Cred crew, I was living and working in Hong Kong, China. It was pretty lonely out there. So that group really helped keep me going, both with my art and with my life.

Jamar has gone on to do so many more things, including illustrating the amazing book Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence .

This is the best part about giving Jamar a shout out on my blog. His artwork speaks for itself! Go to his site, or look him up on Amazon. And check out his work. Then go to Baltimore this weekend, stop by his table and say hi. I'm glad I met him at a con more than 20 years ago, I think you'll be just as happy to meet him this weekend!

Superchum's Rookie Card?

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 03:32:14 GMT

New 'Chum Merch Heralds Big News in the Life of Superchum

Greetings 'Chum Fans! It's been a long time since I used that phrase on the regular. But a ton of new things have been happening.

First up, gaze in awe and excitement at the Superchum Rookie Card:

I just got these printed up at Ka-Blam Printing . This is a fun piece of nostalgia for me. It's design is based on the classic 1984 Topps set - which consistently gets mentioned as one of the better designed baseball card sets of all-time. I have a lot of good memories wrapped up in that set and baseball cards of that time period in general. So since Superchum is a part of my history, I wanted to cement that connection with a fun little item that gives a nod to my own childhood.

But What's that Trading Card Really All About?

If you'll remember, I mentioned I was working on a new Superchum project . The first new work in a decade. Things have begun to steamroll since.

The trading card here is a special giveaway that will be added for people who order the first new Superchum comic printed since 2008! It's called the Re-Mix comic and it celebrates the 23rd Anniversary of Superchum. It's 48-pages, and collects most of the Superchum work of the aughts. It also previews my other comic, Spacejacked . It will cost $5.99. It's at the printer's right now. I plan to debut it and start taking orders for it in the middle of October, just in time for the Christmas rush!

But Wait, There's More!

This comic and trading card are just the beginning. I am making progress on the aforementioned children's book. The manuscript is written and being edited. The layout and sketches are being made. It's all about making friends online and the dangers people face with trolls and bots. With how terrible social media can make people feel, Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders are here to turn the tables on that and bring positive chumliness to the world!

The biggest change here is the art style. I'm really embracing the cartoon elements of my craft. And drawing Superchum for a much wider audience including the young readers. It's been a fun, and very freeing experience. I'm really excited about the direction being taken.

And that excitement has paid off in the biggest way possible: A NEW REGULAR Superchum Comic Strip! Here's the test page I put together in my proposal:

This is going to run once a month in a new hyperlocal news website that I am a part of, TAPinto Lower Merion . This site is local news for one small and very friendly suburb of Philadelphia. My company has expanded from Center City to this area and I'm helping get this news site off the ground. We officially launch on October 8. My time in the area has already shown me that the towns of Lower Merion are like the idyllic "Suburbs" of Superchum lore. So Superchum and the Befrienders are going to move to Wynnewood, so to speak!

Recap of All The New Superchum Stuff

So here's a checklist of all the new Superchum things coming out:

Trading Card - comes free when you order the new Remix Comic.
The new Remix Comic - 48 page double sized spectacular collecting all of the Superchum adventures of the last decade.
Children's Book - Superchum tackles the world of Social Media and teaches us all how important chumliness is to the internet.
New Regular Superchum Comic Strip - Debuting in October, all-new, full color, Superchum content!

Superchum is back, in the burbs, where he belongs!

Superchum Archive Strip #3

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 02:37:34 GMT

The latest installment of the Superchum Archive

This archive allows die hard Chum Fans to chart =the character development of The Adventures of Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders over the years from its inception as a a college newspaper strip all the way up to its modern day dominance as one of the leading superhero webcomics.

In 2019, Superchum stands out from the crowd as a funny superhero webcomic . With a fast growing readership who all want to read comics online for free , Superchum is one of the best you can find online.

But in the beginning, it was only found on newsprint.

This is the third installment of Superchum from 1995, introducing both Gertrude Gershwin and The Anti-Chum:

Superchum Archive Strip #2

Sun, 02 Sep 2018 14:49:59 GMT

The next installment of the Superchum Archive

I'm not sure how regularly I'll be able to make these posts. But the goal is to get each old strip scanned, cleaned up a bit and posted.

This archive allows Chum Fans new and old to see how the character developed over the years from an esoteric college newspaper strip to one of the leading hilarious webcomics being published on the internet. Today Superchum stands as a top rated funny superhero webcomic attracting fans and stans who want to read comics online for free .

But back in the beginning, it was something totally different. It was a bizarre send-up of 1990s comic tropes rife with satire.

This is the second installment of Superchum from 1995, and as you can see it was still in its early development:

The Archive is Here! Read Superchum from the Beginning in 1995

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 15:21:37 GMT

Superchum comics first appeared in the mid 90s as part of the University of Delaware student newspaper, The Review.

This is a long time coming. I've decided to restore my old Superchum comics for posterity. I want this site to act as an archive of all of the old comic strips to help see how the character developed over the years from a college newspaper strip to one of the leading funny webcomics. Today Superchum stands as a funny superhero webcomic attracting fans who want to read comics online for free . But in the beginning, it was something totally different.

I've wanted to do this for a very long time. The problem is, the original art was lost in a move. That always presented problems for me, not because I didn't have copies of the strips, but because I wasn't sure the copies I had would reproduce well.

That's changed as technology has caught up with me. So now, going all the way back to 1995, when he first appeared in the University of Delaware student newspaper The Review , here is the debut strip, The Adventures of Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders!

Trusting the Process

Because I'm working from old newspaper clippings, I'm "remastering" these strips a bit. What that means is I'm taking the old clippings I made from when I was working on this comic, and scanning them in. From there I'm cleaning up the legibility. What that means is my old "handwritten" lettering is being replaced with some fonts. And the art is being adjusted in Photoshop to make it cleaner and easier to read on the web. For Chum Fans and UD Review history buffs, here's how my scan of the original clipping looks:

The First New Supechum Project this Decade

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 04:20:48 GMT

Work Begins on a Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders Children's Book About Making Friends on Social Media

"It's a dark time for the rebellion ..."

That's how Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back begins its opening crawl. And for the past few years I've felt the same way. It's a dark time for our entire society. There's so much negativity, hatred, rage, vitriol and arguing going on. Especially on social media; which is capturing more and more of our culture every single day.

I read a statistic about Facebook use last year that I ended up using in my day-job as a digital marketing manager for Continental Finance Company in Delaware. While this stat was exciting for me to use in my work, it's significance is also deeply disturbing: Almost 2/3 of the population of the United States uses Facebook daily.

Combine that with Twitter , YouTube, SnapChat, InstaGram and more, and essentially most of the United States is plugged into a social media platform.

But while these environments supposedly have an ideal where friendship, relationships, connections and all other sorts of positive effects are the goal, the reality of Social Media platforms is that they are a battleground. People are inundated with rants, trolls, bots, rage, hatred, and bullying.

At its best, social media is an entertainment device where people are bombarded with indifference and sarcasm turning their lives and opinions into punchlines. At its worst, social media is a black hole of despair where people are being manipulated on purpose to feel bad, engage in negativity and continue to engage in that negativity as it spirals.

That's pretty much the opposite of what Superchum stands for . And I have an idea that I hope will help.

I'd pretty much retired Superchum after my last attempt to sell it as a comic book property. Superchum was originally designed as satire, poking fun at the tropes of super hero comics and making light of American suburban life. But Superchum didn't make any money. And the last comic con I took it to, I was in artist's alley between two artists selling prints of scantily clad women or other companies' licensed properties (or both). I just wasn't reaching my audience. I wasn't sure I even had an audience.

So I retired the comic and moved on to other projects.

Now I'm back. With a Children's Book . Because it's very strange but I feel that everyone, children and adults alike, need to be educated on how to be nice to each other . The Paths of Chumliness are, this many years later, no longer a joke. They're serious.

The pure hope and kindness that Superchum was the harbinger for is actually needed in the world.

So I'm back at the drawing table. I have a loose outline of a plot formed. The basic premise is that Baron Bad Guy defeated the Befrienders. Because he learned his lesson. He stopped making destructive robot minions to attack them in the real world. Instead, he took his technological talents and unending malevolence online. And created bots. That infected Social Media, turning the world against the Befrienders and everything they stood for: Friendship, kindness, truth, and Chumliness .

The Befreinders are going to find that social media works against them and they have to take their mission online.

But more than just Baron Bad Guy and his army of bots await the Mighty Befrienders !

There's also an army of trolls.

For me this is a strange turn of events. I was happy with having moved on. I felt Superchum was always a clever concept but that it just never had a chance to find its market properly. And now here we are in 2018, and I'm looking at a world that has completely forgotten how to be friendly the moment people are staring at a phone screen or a computer keyboard.

The market may have come to Superchum, instead of Superchum going to the market.

5 Reasons You Should Learn the Paths of Chumliness

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 23:16:12 GMT

The Paths of Chumliness Spread Kindness and Friendship

In today's society we are constantly inundated with stories of violence, anger, and hatred. Kindness appears to be a missing personality trait.

Acts of kindness seldom make the trending social media feeds, because they don't generate drama or clicks. But kindness, friendliness and hope are out there.

It’s not always easy in our fast-paced, high-pressure lives to forgive the person who jumps in line ahead of us or to offer a helping hand to a friend. It's even rare these days, when we all have our heads pointed down looking at our smartphones, to simply smile at a stranger on the subway.

But kindness exists. We call it the Paths of Chumliness . You walk these paths to achieve a level of well-being that escalates the more you spread it around and the further you make it down the path.

There are at least 5 great reasons why it might be in our own best interests to slow down, walk the Paths of Chumliness and show a little kindness.

Those reasons are:

1- It creates hope, in yourself and others.

When we hear a story of positivity our first reaction is usually “Faith in humanity: restored.” Our cynicism hasn't won out completely. We do still share the good news from time to time when we see things like a family over-tipping their waitress or donating their Christmas presents to a homeless shelter. But we truly are inundated with negative stories on the news and on our Facebook feeds. Everything we see these days is soaked in anger and violence and negativity. So when we hear of such examples of positivity and kindness it helps remind us that not everyone out there is awful. These people are the ones who keep the rest of us going, even on our toughest days. This is hope. It restores the light that shines in ourselves and in others. Being a part of that hope builds kindness and restores hope for others. Walking the Paths of Chumliness creates hope.

2- It's uplifting and it feels good.

Doing something good, or kind is uplifting. A selfless act, no matter how big or how small, improves the life of the target of that act. Kind people aren't thinking of themselves when they are kind. They are rewarded by seeing joy in other people’s lives. The rush one gets from the act of friendship and positivity is powerful and stirs both the person being kind and the recipient of the kindness on down the Path of Chumliness .

Kind people lift others up in multiple ways. Fits, they help people who have fallen on hard times, or have found themselves in bad situations. In a world in which so many of us tend to focus on money or some other usable prize, kind actions transcend. They have a profound impact on the life of someone in need. Kindness also lifts up everyone else through inspiration. Kind people show others who get inspired by the efforts of kindness. Kind actions reach much farther than the instant in which they are performed.

3- Your kindness is contagious and you create a community.

Being kind sets off a chain reaction. Here's a hypothetical: A boy helps a man pick up his papers after a gust of wind caused them to fly all over the sidewalk; later, the man stops and fixes a flat tire for a woman stranded on the side of the road; then finally, that woman later sees a homeless man begging for change and takes him a sandwich and cup of coffee. One initial act of kindness caused a ripple effect that spread beyond that moment. All it takes is one person to be the catalyst and set the ball in motion.

You do something nice and kind and you help create the opportunity for others to do the same. The kindness spreads. More and more people walk the same Paths of Chumliness . Eventually you've helped build an entire group that is working to spread kindness. You've built a community that is both stronger and kinder.

4- You become a role model.

It may not seem like this is the case in 2018, but kind people are still people we all look up to. The most obvious role models in our society may seem to be attached to fleeting and shallow attributes. The movie stars, sports heroes and successful rich people may get a lot of the headlines. And there are definitely times that even the kindest of people feel down. But when you dig deeper and ask people who their role models are, their list will always include more personal choices. And those choices tend to be people who follow the Paths of Chumliness in one way or another.

Kind people can seem like superheros, like Superchum himself, since their "smile never quits" no matter how tough their circumstances may be. These chums and heroes inspire us to be the best person we know we can be. And this impact that kind people have sways each person they touch with their kindness in a long lasting way.

5- You improve yourself along the way.

It's not usually the goal of kindness, but it's still one of the results. Walking the Paths of Chumliness improves your self-esteem, your mental health, and your physical health.

Practicing compassion with others develops naturally into a practice of compassion with ourselves. When we’re kind to others, we get the opportunity to exercise self-love and forgiveness.

Did you know that the gift of giving produces the same outcome for the brain as the gift of receiving?

Not only that, but you may notice that the joy you received was never dependent on a ‘thank you.’ When we’re thinking about, planning for, and being compassionate, without expectations, we become happier individuals. When we offer compassion to others, we are also offering them a safe space to be who they are. With the opportunity to hear another’s unvarnished story, our capacity for empathy develops. Not only does our empathy bring relief to the person in front of us, it also can make us feel more satisfied with our own life.

When we lead a compassionate life, we feel a greater connection to others. Acts of compassion and kindness are our ways to reconnect. They can help us, and those around us, feel a deeper sense of kinship and belonging. Engaging in acts of kindness produces endorphins—the brain’s natural painkiller — which reduces stress.

Superchum is Back! And Blogging!

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

It's official 'Chum Fans, I have a blog and I know how to use it.

It's been 10 years since I've updated anyone on the progress of The Mighty Befrienders, the Paths of Chumliness and the good work we are doing in the town of Suburbs.

10 years!

Well I'm back everyone! And I'm looking to re-connect with all my friends I've made in the past and all the new friends I am looking to make moving forward.

What happened you ask? The internet. We were not prepared for social media or Baron Bad Guy's dastardly master plan. Back in 2007 we were connecting with people in the neolithic era of social media through the once popular medium of MySpace . We were thriving. Making new connections every day and spreading the good word of Chumliness and friendship to all.

But we chose the wrong channel. MySpace died and was Facebook dominated. Alas, Facebook wasn't right for us. The platform seemed perfect. Built on connections with friends and the stated goal of making new friends was like a dream come true. Unfortunately we learned the hard way that Facebook was a facade. The true purpose of the platform was advertising and monetization. To maintain profits, Facebook had to do a lot of unfriendly things. They even got caught and apologized for some of their behavior.

What we saw happen was a collective and concerted effort to manipulate people into being unfriendly. Arguments, rants, raging, viciousness was running rampant on the internet. And Facebook was pouring gasoline on the fire.

I wasn't until years later, when the Cambridge Analytica kerfuffle happened that we realized the insidious connection: Baron Bad Guy.

You see 10 years ago, the Baron realized what he was up against when he opposed the Mighty Befrienders. His robots were all secular and physical and were constantly outmatched by our powers and our friendliness. The Baron, however, is a master of science and ingenuity, even if his goals are always evil and unfriendly. He took the core of his robots: Artificial Intelligence, Processing Power, Data Crunching, and Speed, and he put them to work in the virtual world. He built an army of bots that would feed his goal of unfriendliness and greed.

And he used the guise of Facebook and their platform to do it. He manipulated people directly on their social media channels and he harnessed Facebook for both profit and the spread of mean, cruel unfriendliness.

It's taken over the world.

And that's why we're back. The Mighty Befrienders have finally caught up to the Baron and his misdeeds. We have a plan of action. A bold new project, that will bring genuine friendliness and kindness back to social media. We will connect again with people. We will bring the warmth of a smile and a firm handshake to the millions of people suffering under the bots of Baron Bad Guy.

The Paths of Chumliness are now part of The Internet of Things !

Adventures of Superchum

Superchum Comic for Sale! Get Your Copy Today

The Adventures of Superchum - Remix Edition (23rd Anniversary)

The Adventures of Superchum - Manga Edition

Spacejacked - The Saga Begins

Superchum February 2022 Comic

What is the Power of Friendship?

The Paths of Chumliness can Unlock the Power to Make New Friends

So What is the Power of Friendship?

Pure, Simple, Friendship

Who is a True Friend?

Stay the Paths of Chumliness, 'Chum Fans

People Also Read

Superchum's Favorite Superheroes: Raven from Teen Titans

Who's Your Favorite Teen Titan? For Superchum, it's Always Been Raven

DC Comics Has New Raven YA Book

Raven Sketches at Shows

What is the Meaning of Friendship?

Learn how Science, Philosophy and Literature Quantify the Power of Friendship

The Science of Friendship's Power

The Philosophy of Friendship's Power

What Makes a Good Friend?

The Narrative of Friendship's Power in Literature

The Power of Friendship is Undeniable

People Also Read

How to Make Good Friends With People

A Guide to Walking the Paths of Chumliness

Three Necessary Ingredients to Chumliness

Two Steps to Chumliness

The Five to One Ratio For Super Friendships

People Also Read

Superchum October 2019 Comic

Introducing: Doctor Digital, The SEO Superhero!

"With Great Traffic Comes Great Searchability!"

The Making of Doctor Digital, World's First SEO Superhero

Understanding Comics ... Understanding SEO

So who is Doctor Digital? And what can he do?

Rich Results and Structured Data: The Future of Digital Marketing

Rich Results are the Next Generation of Structured Data

There's a New Tool in Town

Rich Results: What is Structured Data?

Rich Results: What is a Rich Card?

Rich Results: What is the Testing Tool?

Rich Results: What are the Next Steps?

Superchum September Comic

Adventures of Superchum Mid-July Comic

Adventures of Superchum July Comic

New Superchum Comic Strip is Up!

Superchum Archive Strip #5

The latest installment of the Superchum Archive

Superchum Archive Strip #4

The latest installment of the Superchum Archive

Superchum's First Free Comic Book Day

Superchum and Oddity Prodigy Productions to Appear at Captain Blue Hen in Newark, DE

Information About the Event

Superchum Mid-December Comic

Superchum December Comic

Superchum Mid-November Comic

Superchum November Comic

Sunday Comics with Superchum

Superchum is back as a regular monthly comic strip!

Sunday Comics in Lower Merion

The Adventure Began in October

Superchum Mid-October Comic

Superchum October Comic

Meeet Leon: Protector of the Playground

This book by Jamar Nicholas is a great read and Leon truly walks the paths of Chumliness!

Who is Leon?

Who is Jamar?

Superchum's Rookie Card?

New 'Chum Merch Heralds Big News in the Life of Superchum

But What's that Trading Card Really All About?

But Wait, There's More!

Recap of All The New Superchum Stuff

Superchum Archive Strip #3

The latest installment of the Superchum Archive

Superchum Archive Strip #2

The next installment of the Superchum Archive

The Archive is Here! Read Superchum from the Beginning in 1995

Superchum comics first appeared in the mid 90s as part of the University of Delaware student newspaper, The Review.

Rich Results and Structured Data:

The Future of Digital Marketing