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Sluggy Freelance Story Lines and Events

In case you're wondering, "what's Sluggy Freelance?", it's a web-only comic strip created by Pete Abrams. The official web site and home of the comics is http://www.sluggy.com/. I'm not sure I could describe it very well; it's kind of strange, but in a good way. :) The main characters include a freelance web designer (Torg), a weapons/robot/gadget inventor (Riff), a cute talking rabbit that carries a switchblade and a bad attitude (Bun-bun), a befriended alien (Aylee), an everyday college girl who gets caught up in the wacky adventures of the rest (Zoe), and another woman who gets possessed by a demon (Gwynn). Holidays bring some of the most memorable stories that sometimes continue from one year to the next. Bun-bun's in a few including becoming the Easter bunny and an ongoing battle with Santa Claus and every Halloween a demon from the Dimension of Pain is sent to get Torg. I should point out that this comic strip is also basically a serial -- if you just jump in right now and try to follow the current story line, it's highly likely that you'll just be confused and/or lost. The stories get wacky enough if you know what's going on. :) It's probably best if you just visit the web page and check out the New Viewer's Guide or just go back to Day 1 and start reading. BTW, the official fan site pages are at the Sluggite Zone. You'll be able to find lots of good stuff there.

This page is just meant to point you to the beginnings of each story line and note some major events. I may add some more details later, but I only just recently finished reading the entire archive and didn't make very detailed notes on the first run through. I may add more here if I go back and read them all again later. Besides being separated by chapter, the story lines are also grouped by book because you can buy books of the earlier strips. Check out the Sluggy Freelance Store for information and lots of other merchandise.

Sluggy Freelance Story Lines

BOOK 1: Is It Not Nifty?

Chapter 1 -- Is It Not Nifty? Chapter 2 -- The Sci-Fi Adventure Chapter 3 -- Holiday Seasons Chapter 4 -- The Slug Files

BOOK 2: Worship the Comic

Chapter 5 -- Valerie Chapter 6 -- Torg Goes to Hell Chapter 7 -- Summer Vacation Chapter 8 -- Vampires

BOOK 3: When Holidays Attack

Chapter 9 -- Return of the Holiday Seasons Chapter 10 -- K'Z'K Chapter 11 -- Mecha Easter Bunny Chapter 12 -- The Time Machine

BOOK 4: Game Called on Account of Naked Chick

Chapter 13 -- Loose Ends Chapter 14 -- The Storm Breaker Saga Chapter 15 -- The Isle of Dr. Steve Chapter 16 -- 2000

BOOK 5: Yippy Skippy, The Evil!

Chapter 17 -- Kiki's Virus Chapter 18 -- Love Potion Chapter 19 -- K I T T E N

BOOK 6: The Bug, the Witch, and the Robot

Chapter 20 -- On The Run Chapter 21 -- The Hunt Chapter 22 -- The Bug, The Witch, and The Robot

BOOK 7: A Very Big Bang! (soon to be released)

Chapter 23 -- Spring in the Air Chapter 24 -- GOFOTRON Champion of the Cosmos Chapter 25 -- Changes

Comics Not Yet In Books

Chapter 26 -- Brie Meighsaton House Chapter 27 -- Fire and Rain Chapter 28 -- That Amazing Chapter Chapter 29 -- Books Chapter 30 -- Dangerous Days Ahead Chapter 31 -- Torg Potter and the Sorcerer's Nuts Chapter 32 -- Scary Chapter Chapter 33 -- A Seed of Knowledge Chapter 34 -- Kesandru's Well Chapter 35 -- Magic Flap Chapter 36 -- Torg Potter and the Chamber Pot of Secretions Chapter 37 -- Holiday Wars: Halloween Chapter 38 -- Holiday Wars: Thanksgiving Chapter 39 -- Holiday Wars: Christmas Chapter 40 -- Boys' Night Out Chapter 41 -- Freelance Bums Chapter 42 -- That Which Redeems

Sluggy Freelance Events

I got the idea for this from Piecemeal's events page which went up to 11/20/98. I slightly modified that list of earlier events and added in the later ones. This may not super-comprehensive, but it should cover most of the stuff and it is relatively up to date. Actually, the older stuff may be better since I was reading tons of comics in a row then. Reading them one at a time now makes it a little harder to tell when some notable event occurs. Someday I may have to reread them and try to fill things in some more.

970825 Torg and Riff introduced, Riff tries to summon the devil online
970831 Bun-bun introduced
970909 Riff tries to replace Bun-bun with Teddy Weddy
970914 Bun-bun and Teddy Weddy face off
970915 Riff tries to summon demons again
970922 Bikini-suicide-frisbee match
970923 Zoe introduced
970929 Riff invents dimensional flux agitator (opens random alternate realities)
971001 Torg and Riff beamed to home of Borg-like collective
971004 Torg and Riff beamed aboard confederation starship (Star Trek parody)
971014 Aylee introduced, her first appearance on starship
971025 Torg, Riff, and Aylee escape back to planet Earth
971028 Sluggy crew prepares for Sam Sein's Halloween party
971029 Sam Sein introduced (actually not *seen* until next day, 971030)
971101 Torg goes to jail (thanks to Bun-bun)
971103 Sam tries to get a date with Zoe
971107 Animal Services picks up Bun-bun for cosmetics animal testing
971109 Dr. Schlock introduced
971112 Bun-bun returns to Torg's house after freeing other test animals
971116 Dr. Lorna introduced, Zoe gets a job working for her
971123 Find out that Dr. Lorna is Riff's mom
971125 Sam Sein's Thanksgiving party
971201 Weekend in the woods turns into zombie attack
971210 Zombies were Bun-bun's plan, military wants zombies as soldiers
971215 Kiki's introduction, Sam adopts her
971219 Torg goes Christmas Shopping
971221 Santa introduced
971224 Bun-bun versus Santa Claus (set up on 22nd)
971228 New Years Eve party, Gwynn is introduced
971231 Zoe gets drunk, kisses Torg
980103 Sam sets Torg up on an internet blind date
980105 Torg's blind date with Megababe549
980111 Aylee's first appearance on Earth
980116 Aylee becomes Torg's secretary
980119 Start of Bun-bun versus Aylee
980128 Start of ski weekend in Vermont
980203 Bun-bun's affair with Cinny-bun
980208 Sluggy Freelance versus Dilbert
980209 Dr. Lorna's seminar
980214 The Sluggy gang goes skiing
980216 Robotic Riff attends Dr. Lorna's dinner
980222 Torg and Riff paint Zoe's apartment
980226 Torg teaches Aylee to drive
980301 The Slug Files (X-Files parody)
980308 Crystal introduced
980323 Torg and Riff search for Sam Sein
980329 Tibute to Sam, Valerie introduced as Sam's wife
980401 Torg and Valerie?
980405 Kiki moves in with Riff
980409 Riff finishes his robot and Bun-bun steals it
980415 Bun-bun (and Kiki) use robot to attack Army
980420 More about Torg and Valerie
980427 Torg gets zapped to the Dimension of Pain by Riff's invention(s)
980503 Story of how the Dimension of Pain came to be
980509 Riff and Zoe rescue the wrong Torg (Portuguese), real Torg elsewhere
980517 Torg returns to his dimension, but now there are two Torgs
980525 Riff's amazing auto translator
980528 Portuguese Torg returns to his home dimension
980601 Zoe fails college
980604 Aylee's female human-like form (phase 2 of her transformation)
980613 Zoe's professor meets Dr. Lorna
980616 Aylee goes into hibernation
980618 The Sluggy crew visits the beach
980622 Bun-bun harasses the Amish
980628 The beach, at last! Welcome to Nags Head, NC
980630 Jaya Cobbler introduced (minor character)
980701 Riff and Torg decide to do some crabbing
980707 Bun-bun, Kiki, and Jaya Cobbler become pirates
980712 "Gratuitous Bikini-Shot Sunday"
980713 The Sluggy crew go fishing
980717 Bun-bun and the pirates get caught in a storm
980719 Jaya and Kiki rescued by Torg and Riff
980722 Torg and Riff meet the women of Baywatch
980725 Bun-bun lost at sea
980727 "Stick-figure week!"
980803 Bun-bun stranded on an island with Gilligan
980805 Torg snaps, "self-inflicted lobotomy", becomes Torgo of the Jungle
980809 Aylee escapes from her cocoon in her new form
980814 Aylee punctures Torg's lung and sends him to the hospital
980817 Bun-bun rescued
980819 Zoe and Valerie have a "cat fight"
980823 Bun-bun returns home
980825 Sluggy Freelance 1 year old today!
980828 Recap before beginning of Vampire Series
980908 Sam kills Kiki?
980912 Lysinda introduced
980913 Sam's story as paraphrased by Riff
980920 Riff, Bun-bun, Kiki, and Aylee go to rescue Torg and Zoe from vampires
981001 Beginning of the attack on the vampires' castle
981008 Sam killed
981015 Zoe kisses Riff in thanks for the rescue
981018 Interview with the Sampire
981019 "Cheap Tricks to Keep You Coming Back" Week
981026 Dimension of Pain revisited plus another Halloween party
981110 Zoe's date with Riff
981030 Reakk goes after Torg
981115 Keg Party of Five
981117 Kimmy Sue Hasenpfeffer introduced
981120 Torg has high school flashback
981122 HS Riff creates carnivorous smurf
981203 Riff and Torg plan trip to Sahara in Tunisia
981218 Gwynn makes voodoo doll of Riff
981220 "A Sluggy Mummy Christmas", Christmas trapped in the pyramid
981222 Bun-bun is visited by ghosts of Christmas (as in Christmas Carol)
981227 Lara Kroft-Macaroni-and-Cheese helps rescue Torg and Riff
981231 Torg and Riff return home
990103 Berk introduced as Gwynn's new boyfriend
990107 Torg broke, snaps, and becomes Torgo of the Jungle again
990113 Gwynn starts practicing black magic
990124 Aylee fights Berk and gets frozen in time
990130 Torg figures out Berk is from the future
990131 Gwynn gets possessed by a demon, K'Z'K (the demon) introduced
990207 Story behind Berk's trip
990213 Zoe convinces Bun-bun to help them defeat the demon
990218 Demon calls forth Deadels to help
990221 Demon heads to New York City followed by the crew
990227 Torg and Riff enter Empire State Building to face the demon
990306 Bun-bun sold the time-frozen Aylee as a giant pokemon statue on eBay
990307 Dr. Lorna fires Zoe
990310 Zoe has midterms, Torg and Riff steal her textbooks
990318 Bitsy Bunny called to save Easter
990321 Santa created Mecha Easter Bunny, begins fight against Bun-bun
990330 Bun-bun dresses up Torg, Riff, and Zoe as rabbits to avoid MEB
990402 MEB goes into @#$-IT mode, "kill them all!"
990404 Bun-bun defeats Mecha Easter Bunny
990406 Riff builds time machine
990411 Bun-bun killed by Santa's trap?
990412 "Temporal Vacation Week"
990419 A week of poster-like single panel comics
990426 Life at Zoe's college, Fay's introduction (Zoe's classmate)
990428 Dex introduced as one of Zoe's classmates
990507 Zoe joins Torg on a time travel trip in Riff's time machine
990510 Muffin the Vampire Baker, Part 1 (Buffy parody), vampire Sam helps
990517 Phantom Menace: Special Report
990518 Muffin the Vampire Baker, Part 2
990523 "Bat Sam" (Batman parody), includes Emerald Lasagna
990524 Phantom Menace: Special Report
990525 Muffin the Vampire Baker, Part 3
990529 Phantom Menace: Special Report
990531 Current status of main characters
990602 Riff tries to fix the time blaster
990604 Art Belal introduced
990609 Riff goes to rescue Aylee from Art Belal
990611 Bun-bun survived explosion, a family has him, calls him Mr. Fuzbutt
990616 Riff meets Dr. X (Dr. Schlock)
990623 Santa orbiting Earth
990701 Bun-bun becomes the Easter bunny, fires all other rabbits
990704 The Storm Breaker Saga I -- The Warlord
990711 The Storm Breaker Saga II -- The Gypsy
990718 The Storm Breaker Saga III -- The Book
990725 The Storm Breaker Saga IV -- The War
990801 The Storm Breaker Saga V -- The Quest
990808 The Storm Breaker Saga VI -- The Voweless
990815 The Storm Breaker Saga VII -- Last Call
990822 The Storm Breaker Saga -- The End
990825 Sluggy Freelance turns 2 years old
990830 Sluggy Freelance Retrospective: 1997-1999, classic scenes, etc.
990906 "Stick Figure '... but is it more than what it seems' Week"
990913 Torg, Bun-bun, and Kiki go on a late summer vacation road trip
990919 The Carefully Arranged Sticks Project (Blair Witch Project parody)
990922 Oasis introduced, start of The Isle of Dr. Steve
991018 Gwynn dates Torg to make Riff jealous
991026 Percy the cloned wooly mammoth introduced
991027 The crew throws a Halloween party
991029 Pokeybun first appearance
991031 Angela introduced as Dex's girlfriend, Valerie's ghost appears
991105 Valerie's ghost = Squeekybobo
991111 Torg and Riff give Kiki lots of candy to see what happens
991115 Torg and others concerned about Aylee eating people
991120 Aylee attends Cannibals Anonymous meeting (with Percy)
991128 Bun-bun beats up Percy, Torg and Riff have to escape from cannibals
991206 "It's Sluggy Freelance Answers Your E-mail Vacation Week!"
991212 "The Official Sluggy Freelance Stick-Figure Trading Cards"
991213 Start of A.J. and the Crudosaur
991214 A.J. introduced
991220 Start of Millenium-ush Thingy 2000
991224 Double sized Christmas special, Peanuts parody
991225 Bun-bun versus Mrs. Claus
991227 Torg, Riff, and Zoe spend New Year's Eve in Times Square
000102 Torg, Riff, Zoe, Gwynn others in comas, start of Kiki's Virus
000110 Pete is Dying week
000117 Sam recovers the crew from the hospital
000123 Kiki in The Quatrix (Matrix parody)
000206 Bun-bun gets outsmarted by Sam
000214 Epilogues, recap current status of characters
000221 More from the Dimension of Pain with Squeekybobo ball
000228 How to free your kingdom from a dragon
000306 The Love Potion: Part 1, Kenny introduced as Gwynn's online friend
000326 Photo of Pete Abrams' new daughter
000327 Sluggy crew disappears, strips use characters from other comics
000417 The Love Potion: Part 2
000420 Torg and Zoe go out on a date
000423 Oasis returns
000427 Oasis drives off with Torg
000430 Gwynn casts a spell on Torg
000503 Riff goes to rescue Torg from Oasis
000520 Invitation to Torg and Oasis' (forced) wedding (and 1000th comic)
000521 Gwynn finds Torg and Riff
000527 Gwynn kills Oasis
000529 Riff plans to exorcise demon from Gwynn
000530 Riff kisses Gwynn
000605 Aylee's new transformation
000622 PETA Castaways (Survivor TV show parody)
000626 Bun-Bun's Theatre of Horrors (aka KITTEN)
000629 Sluggy Freelance presents KITTEN
000701 Torg, Zoe, and her college friends' retreat to horror town
000702 College pals introduced: Max, Smit, Cindy, Angela, "Flaky", Reggie
000815 Sluggy crew on the run from Bun-bun in the Caribbean
000825 Sluggy Freelance turns 3 years old
000826 Bun-bun gets help from the "Black Op Elves"
000903 Dr. Crabtree and Dr. Schlock enter the picture
000920 On the Run: Finale
001009 Pete gets lazy week(s)
001019 Lord Horribus from the Dimension of Pain gets the demon spear Calmadar
001022 Lord Horribus sends Psyk to get Torg
001023 Steve Uozin the demon hunter introduced (hired by Torg)
001025 Kiki dresses up as Kikimon to trick-or-treat with Pokeybun
001026 Sasha introduced (generic superhero costume)
001101 Pokeybun and Kikimon transmogify into Pickapocket and Muggermon
001105 Find out Sasha is Riff's girlfriend
001107 Torg teaches Kiki about The Issues (election day special)
001113 The crew's consciences show up
001120 "Caption This! Contest" (prob. had no dialogue until winners picked)
001127 Rescue Mission to the North Pole
001203 Includes Caption This! Contest winner
001209 Dr. Scabmoreaueau introduced, head of Santa's genetics dept.
001214 Mutated Rudolph
001217 Christmas is saved?
001224 Bun-bun offers Santa a truce
001225 Torg give Zoe a necklace that turns her into a camel
001230 Bun-bun gets drunk and kisses Sasha
001231 Santa Species Thingy Epilogue
010106 Sasha finds info about the necklace
010107 Crew figures out how to turn Zoe back to a human
010114 Sluggy Freelance vs. Humanity on Nifty News 50
010115 Pete goes on vacation, sub strips by Bruno the Bandit cartoonist
010122 Intermission
010129 The Bug, the Witch, and the Robot 1
010204 Torg Dream Fighters
010210 Robot Mark-5
010212 A Moment's Interlude with Shirt-Guy Tom
010213 Sasha offers to set up Torg with Zoe
010217 Oasis is still waiting at Le Snootier
010224 Kusari intriduced; Oasis is being hunted by Kusari and crew
010228 Nifty News 50 special report
010305 The Bug, the Witch, and the Robot 2
010306 Gwynn (as K'Z'K) returns to destroy the Sluggy crew
010314 Gwynn turned around ("The Scream" type single panel)
010318 Gwynn frees herself from K'Z'K
010322 Jane Doe story line
010325 TV commercial type strip
010326 Oasis survived
010407 Gwynn meets Sasha
010408 Survivor Night at the bar
010409 Bun-bun has the Book of E-ville
010415 The Bad Dream Preceding Easter
010416 Spring Break
010423 Sluggy Freelibs
010430 Spring Cleaning
010502 Fluffy introduced
010504 Torg becomes Torgo of the Jungle again
010506 "Torgo of the Fluffies, King of the Clutter"
010513 The Isle of the Ployees, a Riff Story
010525 Aylee starts a web design business
010529 Aylee fires Torg
010610 Riff preps the Dimensional Flux Agitator
010612 Great Big News Segment
010617 Gofotron introduced (Voltron type character)
010618 Lodoze, bounty hunter introduced
010620 Boa-Yvette, bounty hunter introduced
010701 Grittania 3 destroyed (planet the guys were fluxed to)
010702 Lord Grater introduced (Darth Vader type)
010705 Zorgon Gola introduced
010707 King Lohvo Proan, General Benedict, Princess Princess introduced
010708 Princess Princess transforms into Secret Angel Princess Princess
010709 Torg and Riff drafted into Zorgon army; Zorgon Poetry Weekly
010715 Long Gofotron / Zorgon army fight scene
010717 Secret Angel Princess Princess missing
010721 Secret Angel Princess-Princess publicly revealed as Princess Princess
010725 Louise the temp joins the Gofotron crew
010728 General Benedict transformed to Kegs Benedict by Zorgon Gola
010825 Sluggy Freelance turns 4 years old
010826 Punyverse big bangs and ricochets repeatedly, real cause shown
010828 Aylee bought the apartment complex, kicks out everyone
010830 Zoe moves back home
010831 Min introduced (Zoe's younger sister)
010902 Kit introduced, Zoe's new college roommate
010903 Dr. Clem Scasino introduced
010918 Torg and Riff rent a new house
010919 Bert agrees to room with Torg and Riff
010921 Angela returns to room with Torg, Riff, and Bert
010929 Operation Hidden Herald begins for Torg to meet Aylee in person
011005 Help Bun-bun work his way through the air vents (impossible maze)
011007 Aylee has a new form
011008 Pin-up Week (Zoe, Scholck, Riff, Shirt-guy Tom, 4 women, Zoe, Gwynn)
011015 Halloween party begins
011113 The crew starts exploring their haunted house
011116 Bun-bun leaves for the Caribbean
011122 Thanksgiving message from 1997
011127 Angela possessed by Beth's ghost
011202 Torg possessed by Henry's ghost
011204 Bert possessed by Brie's ghost
011213 Crew frees Beth's skeleton
011216 Angela goes back to a mental institution
011217 Strategically important recap day (the last year on Sluggy Freelance)
011218 Bun-bun gets attacked by Santa's crew
011219 Black Ops Bun-bun in Snowfinger (with two Goldfinger song parodies)
011220 The Christmas Council meets
011224 Bun-bun tries to kill Santa (alternate punchline comic available)
011231 Happy New Year 2002 (Zoe punching Sasha)
020101 Torg's e-mail to Zoe with photos including Bun-bun drunk
020102 Zoe's e-mail to Torg and Riff with her family Christmas picture
020103 Riff's e-mail to Zoe and Torg
020104 Gwynn's e-mail to Zoe (highly censored "by management")
020105 Zoe's e-mail to Riff and Torg
020107 Legomics week
020113 Vacation Week Zone ending (Twilight Zone style)
020114 Fire and Rain series starts
020115 Fire and Rain Part I -- A Thousand Oceans
020119 Fire and Rain Part II -- Lady Picture Show
020125 Fire and Rain Part III -- One of These Days
020202 Fire and Rain Part IV -- Someone to Die For
020210 Fire and Rain Part V -- Hurt; Kusari apparently dead now
020211 Oasis sent to mental hospital
020212 Song on radio turns Zoe into a camel
020215 Fire and Rain Part 0 -- Scribbles and Bits (a Shirt Guy Tom comic)
020219 Torg and Oasis get engaged
020224 Fire and Rain single panel finisher
020225 Start of The Great House War
020311 Pete's long vacation starts, Joe Sunday takes over this week
020318 Guest Artist Week (Jeff Darlington from General Protection Fault)
020325 Cornucopia Week
020401 Sluggite Cartoonist Week (strips from fans)
020408 Shadow Boxing
020414 Bun-bun reveals that the he's the new "Groundhog"
020503 Torg gets a letter from Zoe's parents
020505 Zoe's college graduation ceremony
020512 The crew returns home
020528 Riff reveals he's with Hereti-Corp
020601 Sasha is moving to Seattle
020609 Hereti-Corp plans to kill Riff and the gang
020721 The real Aylee is shown
020812 Oasis is alive again
020825 Sluggy Freelance turns 5 years old
020902 Torg Potter and the Sorcerer's Nuts begins (Harry Potter parody)
020930 Torg returns home (after one week at Hoggelryth)
021001 Aylee is eating anything and everything
021002 Zoe returns to live with the Slugy crew
021006 Planning for the annual Halloween party begins
021008 United Nations called in to see if Bert has moved out or not
021012 Lord Horribus (of Dimension of Pain) decides to bring back Torg himself
021018 Gywnn got Lord Horribus mesmerized
021019 Sam makes an appearance
021020 What happened to Riff, Torg, and Zoe at the Halloween party?
021021 Actual start of the Kittens II plot
021024 KITTEN II, Mittens Lost
021101 The Wispydale Side (single panel, Far Side style)
021102 The Wispydale Side (single panel, Far Side style)
021111 Unholy Concubine Connection
021209 Bert, Lucy, others dead in kitten attack
021214 KISS -- Kittens in Satan's Service (four cats in KISS make-up)
021219 The Naughty/Nice Plot Device Recap Week
021223 The Gift, a Holiday Cockle-Warming Extravaganza!
030106 Sluggy Freelance Alternate Reality Week
030113 Girls' Night Out
030115 Bun-bun tells Kiki and Aylee how to go "clubbing"
030118 Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain... (start of a Saturday only thing)
030119 Zoe gets accidentally turned into a camel by Gwynn
030204 And Now You Know! Special Edition
030206 Noah Zark's Master Plan
030224 Halloween, 2002 (recap)
030226 Bert's ghost appears
030315 Sluggy Freelance presents Fiends (Friends parody)
030428 Vacation week with a "scary mystery fill-in artist"
030516 My Time In Hell. Torg's Memoirs
030622 Guest Artist Week
030810 Sluggy Freelance Presents: The Cylon King (parody a of song in The Lion King)
030803 Riff's boss orders him to be transferred to their branch in Alaska
030817 Riff departs for Alaska
030825 Sluggy Freelance turns 6 years old; Revenge of Stick-Figure Week
030915 Torg Potter and the Chamber Pot of Secretions begins (Harry Potter parody)
031014 Bun-bun deals with telemarketers
031110 Partially Sluggy vacation week
031123 Bun-bun claims control of the Halloween holiday
031209 Bun-bun claims control of the Thanksgiving holiday
031213 Lord Horribus was a fallen angel and is now cured
031221 Bun-bun claims control of the Christmas holiday
031222 Vacation week -- Pete highlights some early work, Cery created in 1992
031224 Sluggy Freelance Presents Cery
040111 Bun-bun loses control of the holidays, all are restored
040518 The Bun-bun from an alternate dimension shows up

Background copied from The Sluggitte Zone Fan-Art main page