Installment One
Rise of The Superest
Welcome to the first in a series of installments designed to help give you, the casual visitor to the museum of heroism that is The Superest, a little background and direction to enhance your experience. In this first installment, we'll briefly explore the creation of the site.
The year was 2006. Thinker and writer extraordinaire Andy Havens came across an article on a doodling game called "Doodle Association". He left a brief complimentary comment. But more importantly, he shared a link to his own doodling game, a fun little time-killer called My Team, Your Team. The rules were simple:
- Player One draws a character with a power.
- Player Two draws a character whose power cancels that power.
- Repeat.
He did not know it then, but this brief comment would grab the attention of the author of the Doodle Association article, a shamefully-inebriated illustrator named Kevin Cornell. Intrigued by the game, Cornell shared the link with fellow illustrator Matt Sutter, and the two promptly gave the game a try. It was confirmed — the game was indeed fun. So fun, in fact, that they decided to share their results on their respective websites. But once again, a seemingly innocuous comment on a website sparked something bigger, when it was suggested by a reader named Jared that the game "...could be big. It's very own website big!"
Cornell and Sutter agreed, and secretly set to work creating a website where they could play "My Team, Your Team" specifically. In October 2007, they finally launched their creation, and The Superest was off and running. The doodling game would continue apace for the next three years, with the final hero being posted on April 1, 2010. Many suspected the "end" to be some sort of April Fool's Day hoax. But alas, it was for real, and after nearly 400 heroes, the game came to an end.
But the site, and its twisted, turning story of illustrative conflict remains. The heroes of The Superest stand forever frozen on the cusp of victory, immortalized in pen and ink, pencil and paint; perpetually awaiting the discerning eye and hushed murmurs of an audience, to amuse, to inspire, to awe. For — in that moment — they live again, an undefeated champion. In short, they need a hero of their own, to bring them back to life.
Are you up for the challenge?
