Supernormal Step

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Fiona: "You're the first person to say it that way... back where I belong, I mean. Everyone else says home."
Hall: "Well, it's not the same thing, is it? Only you can know what is home for you."

Supernormal Step is a completed Alternate Universe fantasy webcomic by Michael Lee Lunsford that ran from 2009 to 2018, updating Mondays and Thursdays. Central to the comic are two universes: our normal 'Verse and the Supernormal 'Verse. Fiona, a blue-haired but otherwise normal girl from our regular 'Verse, is accidentally pulled to the Supernormal 'Verse by two men: Jerkass Jim, who is cursed to transform into a stuffed bunny whenever he does something malicious, and Charmer Van, who is following/helping Jim ostensibly for shits and giggles, but really out of a sense of responsibility.

The comic follows Fiona's efforts to return to where she belongs as well as the effects of Fiona's arrival on the Supernormal 'Verse. Although at first the 'Verse appears quirky and strange, tensions boil between de facto president Cavan Henderson, whose heavy hand is felt through the omnipresence of Henderson Security, and The Nameless, a mysterious anti-Henderson organization with eyes everywhere. Both sides feel that Fiona is vital to their respective causes, but Fiona isn't interested in the problems of a universe she doesn't fully understand. And with the machinations of other strange villains in the Supernormal 'Verse, including the bizarre Mr. Kite, it seems that getting back to the normal 'Verse will be difficult at best.

Fortunately, she has the teachings of her Crazy Prepared dad, her developing combat skills, and a plethora of potential allies, including Hall, an affable Henderson Field Marshal muddling through a troubling journey of his own. With some help, Fiona may yet find her way back to where she belongs - or find her way home.

Now has a Character Page.


Tropes used in Supernormal Step include:

Mr. Kite: Whatever. Nothing else left to burn, I'm bored, let's get out of here.

Jules: Come along then. You can be my apprentice... or squire... or... whatever.
Van: What does a squire do, Jules?
Jules: I don't know; he squires. We'll look it up in the dictionary later.

    • Also, Eva.

Eva: Hall is off investigating stuff on his own again and being generally nonconformist. Me go do with the sneaky sneaky follow time yes?

Jim: Awesome! I'm gonna see what colors he turns!

    • And later on:

Jim: Time to punch the hell out of something!

    • Eva, too, and Hall to a lesser degree. Most of their scars are from each other.

Eva: Backsies!

Eva: And me without my potato peeler.

  • Continuity Reboot: Supernormal is a reboot of Lunsford's older comic "Stuffed Jim," which can be found here. It's interesting to compare the two. Some interesting changes: Dave Gold, a minor character in Supernormal, filled Van's role in "Stuffed," and Hall and Eva were subordinates of Mr. Kite.
  • Conveniently an Orphan: Van was orphaned, but this revelation only prefaces his flashback to meeting Jules.
  • Cool and Unusual Punishment: Jim's curse. Who would think of turning someone into a stuffed bunny when they act like a jerk? Someone cool, that's who.
  • Cool Bike: Fiona procures a hoverbike when she ditches Van and Jim.
  • Crazy Prepared: Fiona's father had a large set of rules and procedures which he taught to his daughter to prepare her for any situation. They have been very helpful, but only in a general way--no one really expects to be pulled into a fantasy world, after all.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Fiona's spar with Van is over in less than a minute.
    • Jim makes fighting hordes of ghouls and vampires look easy.
  • Curtains Match the Window: Many of the characters, including Fiona if you count her natural hair color.
  • Cute Little Fangs: May.
  • Cute Monster Girl: Again, May.
  • Cuteness Overload: Jim's bunny form induces one here.
  • Dead Serious: Oh, shi---
  • Deadpan Snarker: Akela.

Akela: I'd say in your dreams, but I'd rather you just die.

Eva: *with the pipe protruding from her chest* Uncalled for.

Random Henderson: Was that English?

    • And later:

Dave: Wh-what did she just say?
Jim: Were they even words?

Fiona: Fill me in later when you can control your accent!

Daisy: *flinging her hands in the air* Ah! Massive downer! We need to fix this ASAP!

    • Eva as well.

Eva: *flinging her hands in the air* Book!

Van: *about his sneaking out* Where did you think the piercings and tattoos came from?
Jules: I... thought you might have done them yourself? I'm less impressed now.

Some guy. He's got some motive. Nobody really knows what that is.

Fiona: I just remembered I left coffee... going... coffee pot... oven thing... on...

Jim: *on helping Fiona after generally ruining her life* Fine! Once again, let's detour from my original problem!

  • Killed Off for Real: Nosirrah, Johnny.
  • Kryptonite-Proof Suit: Vampires can wear full-body suits to go out during the daytime.
  • La Résistance: The Nameless.
    • The group Jim was part of in the normal universe that Fiona's dad founded.
  • Last-Name Basis: Cavan insists that Hall and Eva call him "Mr. Henderson", even though they seem to be related (same last name).
  • Lean and Mean: Mr. Kite.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Averted.
  • Loads and Loads of Characters: Oh. My. God.
    • And the thing is? They're all distinct, and they all come back. Every character matters in some way and reappears in some capacity later in the storyline.
  • Loners Are Freaks: Dave isn't what one would call sociable.
  • Love Triangle: There appears to be a type three with Akela and Hall having an interest in Fiona.
  • MacGuffin: Supernormal Steps, the highly coveted book Van and Jim used to pull Fiona to the Supernormal 'Verse. Currently, Henderson Security has the last remaining copy.
  • The Mad Hatter: Mr. Kite and Beatle seem aware that they're... a bit off.
  • Magic A Is Magic A: It's not clear how magic works in the Supernormal universe. It's confidence-based - according to Cecilia, anyone who 100% believes they can do it can use simple magic - and it generates an electromagnetic field but it's never explained where it comes from.

Van: You don't get how magic works? It- It's magic!

Hall: It's called being nice to the citizens; you should try it.

Lunsford: Think more unreasonable, like he came back from the store and told her they were out of strawberry.

Beatle: Trust me when I say plans B through 19 were completely insane.

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