Bart Simpson #3 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Gail Simone has had a storied career, 'beginning as a fan critic and analyst on the treatment of women in comics, cooking the term Women in Refrigerators' and 'fridging' in response to the horrific death of Kyle Rayner's girlfriend in Green Lantern #54. In October, 1999, Simone had a regular weekly column called 'You'll All Be Sorry' appearing in Comic Book Resources. It offered a range of satirical pieces that mocked recent releases to parodies of fan fiction.

In her quarter of a century in writing scripts for the comic book industry, Simone crafted the adventures of Deadpool, Superman, Batgirl and even the comic book excavations of Tomb Raider, Laura Croft. In 2007, Simone took over the reigns of DC's flagship female character Wonder Woman, embarking in the longest tenure of Princess Diana by a female writer. Then in 2010, she took over as the head writer for the Birds of Prey. 

Gail Simone has inspired and empowered countless female fans and next generations of women writers and artists with her female heavy stories that entertain fans of all genders. But to me, my favorite works of Gail Simone are her earliest and perhaps most overlooked pieces. I'm talking about the Simpsons spinoff title, Bongo Comics' Bart Simpson. 

Her first professional comic book credit is Simpsons Comics #50 (August, 2000). Beginning in 2001, Simone wrote many stories that started America's bad boy, Bart Simpson while featuring the entire populace of Springfield, USA. Simone's writing style on the series was very much like that of former Simpsons staff writer and producer Conan O'Brien. You get the feeling that Simone has a brilliant sense of humor and is a fan of the product that she crafted stories about. Conan O'Brien wrote one of the show's all-time best episodes, The Music Man parody, 'Marge Vs. The Mono-Rail.' to that effect, I believe Gail Simone while at Bongo Comics penned 8 and 16-page Simpsons story that were consistently on par with that groundbreaking 1993 episode.

Bart Simpson #3 marked Gail Simone's debut on the sister series. Simone doesn't just write the space themed opener. She writes the scripts for the entire issue; taking on triple-duty.

The main story 'Terror on Trioculon' is a parody of the 1960's cult classic TV series, Lost in Space. Filling out the roster for the crew is the entire Simpsons clan as the Space Family Robinson, Milhouse as the robot, Moe taking the role of Lisa's pet space monkey, and Mr. Burns as the utterly useless Professor Smith! 

Homer flies through an asteroid belt, crash landing the ship on a planet of 3-eyed mutants. Any two-eyed person is considered a freak and enslaved to eventually take part in a series of gladiator games against the gigantic Jim-Bo! While Bart fights for his family and their freedom, Lisa searches desperately for the needed fuel source to rocket away from the chaos! All the while, Professor Burns whines and moans about his lot in life and Robot Milhouse chickens out in typical Lost in Space fashion.

In the first backup story, Lisa is the star as she wins VIP concert tickets to see 2 different boy bands on the same day! Unable to decide which group's show to attend, the two acts engage in a literal 'Battle of the Boy Bands' for Lisa's attention. Then in the third and final tale' Sky High Bart!', Bart visits the lab of Professor Frink. Donning a pair of experimental platform shoes, the lad towers over his friends and enemies. However, when the shoes malfunction, Bart shoots high unto the heavens; finding himself in the pathway of a massive jumbo jet!

The main story reflects Gail Simone's knack for writing those fan fiction parodies on the CBR website. The writer peppers the Lisa story with elements of the eldest Simpson daughter's trademark feminism. But when both boy bands prove to be more style than substance, Lisa winds up picking the group that has the best looking member with 'washboard abs'. It's a decision that feels like Lisa is just a typical girl at heart, but deep down I think Lisa has just basically given up trying to take the high road among a bunch of troglodytes with her seemingly shallow selection. As for the story involving Professor Frink, it feels like Gail Simone was given carte blanche on being able to place Bart in one of the wildest scenarios ever and she took the assignment with relish! Can anybody tell me why FOX has never given her the chance to write an episode of the long running animated series?!

John Costanza penciled and inked the opener. Mike Rote contributed art to the Dan DeCarlo layouts of both secondary tales. This issue was one of DeCarlo's last credits before his death in December, 2001

Completing this review completes Task #35 (Work by Gail Simone, Grant Morrison or Brian K. Vaughn) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: Bart Simpson's Pal Milhouse #1

The second of 18 total Simpsons One-Shot Wonders. I knew that there was a Milhouse comic book. I just didn't know that it was part of a rudimentary series of specials devoted to some of Springfield's otherwise minor residents. Professor Frink, Police Chief Wiggum and Jimbo are among those who I've learned were given the singular starring role treatment beginning in 2012. I just don't think Lisa nor Bartman, who starred in 3 of these one-shots, deserved the honors as both of them had series runs at one time or another during Bongo Comics' impressive 25 year run. 

I found this book at this year's 301 Endless Yard Sale. One of my former students and her friends were doing a sale and I found a couple of Simpsons comics that I didn't have for only a buck apiece. I chose to read Milhouse first because of the interesting cover. I remember someone from the show being chased by that airplane a la Cary Grant in North by Northwest and I thought the image of Milhouse as Conan the Barbarian was pretty rad. Unfortunately, the concept of the book doesn't quite seem to match the way Milhouse acts on the TV show.

The general idea behind the 2 main stories is that poor, awkward, nerdy Milhouse is so desperate for friendship that his best friend is his over active imagination. I've been watching The Simpsons ever since their days as filler on The Tracey Ullman Show and while Milhouse is definitely a dweeb, I've never noticed that he got lost inside his own head. Daydream retreats by Homer? Absolutely! By Milhouse? Not so much. Okay, never...

The second story at least seemed a bit more plausible. Milhouse gets thrown into his locker by Nelson. Trapped, Milhouse imagines that the locker has a secret entrance to a gigantic secret headquarters where he's international super spy 00! 

The three back up stories were more on par with canon Milhouse. Bart learns it's his best friend's birthday and arranges to bribe everyone at Springfield Elementary into making it Van Houten's best one yet. But soft-hearted Bart doesn't last for long as he then sets up Milhouse to prank Mrs. Krabappel and eventually rats him out without conscience. Lastly, Milhouse teaches you how to make the best prank phone call ever without getting in trouble for it with Bart acting out all the steps by ringing up Moe's tavern. 

Finally, one-shots editor, Louis Lane talks about the Springfield specials he has in store. A book about Homer when he was a kid was on tap next at the time. The first special starred Ralph Wiggum and the letters page saw Milhouse answering in his school mate's stead. It was funny. Though I clearly didn't understand that inside joke about someone's made up name. I googled it and I still don't get it. Also as a bonus, there's a 'hot rod' type sticker of Milhouse that looks like it was made by Ed ' Big Daddy' Ross, that after 13 years has lost its adhesive quality and yet remains inside the comic as if by magic.

With the news about our bombing of Iranian nuclear sites last night, I felt like I needed something light to read. I got that last night. A couple of laughs as well as a chance to think about something else other than complete and utter nuclear annihilation. It just seemed more like a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode instead of a regular season broadcast.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Simpsons: Homer For the Holidays

Enjoy the holidays with America's favorite family... in comic book form!

While most would incorporate the Simpsons with Halloween because of their annual Treehouse of Horror episodes, Christmas is synonymous with Bart, Lisa, Marge, Maggie & Homer. That's because their first full-length episode ever was a festive tale titled 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.' Technically, that was really The Simpsons Christmas Special and not the first episode. Yet, both Fox and fans have determined that the holiday special was the pilot and thus considered the premier of The Simpsons animated sitcom. The rest is 35 years plus of television history.

This was one of my last Christmas and holiday themed reads for 2023. If I had realized how much Hanukkah material was in this book, I would have started on this one a few weeks earlier. Of course! Krusty the Clown is Jewish! How could I forget how much of an icon to the Festival of Lights Krusty is. I didn't say he was a positive icon. But so many episodes of The Simpsons involve Krusty's ancestry and faith as a Jew, that it's natural here to have several stories and segments devoted to the celebration of those 8 crazy nights. 

Homer for the Holidays is not the definitive collection of Simpsons holiday comics. This collection was published in 2010. Bongo Comics would continue releasing Simpsons comics for another 8 years. That's not including titles devoted to individual Simpsons characters such as Bart and Lisa. I know off the bat that a Treehouse of Horror story in which Lisa dreams that her live Christmas tree enslaves the people of Springfield wasn't included in this book. And while a couple of New Year's themed adventures are here, there aren't any Thanksgiving stories and Bongo produced at least 1 Turkey Day set issue.

In the past 2 years, Harper Collins, operating under the defunct Bongo imprint, have been releasing omnibuses devoted to all of the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror annuals. I'm hoping that after Volume 3 releases next autumn that maybe an omnibus of November-February holiday tales might be forthcoming. It would save me a lot of time and money and I'd buy it, even though I've already collected and read a sizable chunk of Christmas and Hanukkah Simpsons comics. 

Just something to put out there to the publishing team behind those massive Halloween collections.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Big Brilliant Book of Bart Simpson

When I've had a particularly hard time, I turn to comics that make me laugh. The various books based on the characters of the all-time great animated sitcoms, The Simpsons, are a good bet for some lighthearted comfort. Well, this past week was particularly hard and thankfully, I had a collection of Bart Simpson books on hand to alleviate some sadness and pain.

This volume (#7) reprints issue #25-28 of Bart Simpson comics. Stories include Bart winning an all-expense paid trip to Krustyland California and as part of the trip, he gets to sit right next to Krusty! On a recent trip to Krusty Burger, Bart learns that he accidentally gave a winning game piece to Ralph; who promptly lost it somewhere in the restaurant. With time running out, Bart must fight illness and the embarrassment of asking sister Lisa for help or he'll miss out on a lifetime supply of video games! Then Bart and Milhouse take on the federal government who wants to cut down the very tree that holds up Bart's beloved tree house. 

There's a lot of sibling rivalry afoot in this book. Along with the Krusty Burger yarn, readers get to enjoy a parody of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Lisa and Bart competing for the job being offered by Groundskeeper Willy. Lisa plays detective once again to solve a couple of Nancy Drew-type mysteries. Milhouse joins Bart and Lisa on an out-of-control high air balloon ride. Of course just about all of these benefits Bart. But when Lisa appears in these stories, she's more of her season 1-4 self, a little bit more mischievous as opposed to vegetarian Lisa who becomes the moral compass of Springfield. I miss that Lisa and I think the writers of these comics missed that version as well.

With this being a Bart centered book, you don't get quite as much Marge or Homer. Maggie is virtually non-existent except for a short that the youngest Simpsons dreams up. But if you are a fan of Milhouse, Nelson and the other students at Springfield Elementary, you are in for a treat. If you absolutely cannot stand Milhouse, this probably is the collection of Simpson Comics for you.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Hit The Road!

The fantastic cover lets Simpsons fans know that there's a journey of great stories about to begin! 

• The Simpsons are chosen to be a Nielsen Family. Their unique viewing style results in marketers building a brand upon the Simpson name. Tired of being copied, America's favorite family goes through a number of metamorphoses. 
• The Simpsons win a trip to Scotland. Taking Groundskeeper Willie along, the family hopes to restore his honor amongst his overbearing parents and uber-successful older brother. 
•  Lisa tries to save the Aztec Theatre from destruction by organizing a film festival with a headlining film starring Abraham Simpson!

While these were fun stories, it was the shorter stories that were the best. Homer's attempt to show Lisa and her classmates the unseen side of America was a laugh out loud riot! And Comic Book Guy's look at other Bongo Comics titles that nobody wanted was a segment I wish never ended. 

I read Simpsons comic books because they're reads that consistently boost my spirits. They may not be classics like the works of Jack Kirby or Carmine Infantino; but they never fail. My anxiety has been out of control lately and I've needed lighthearted material to help calm some very frayed nerves. These collections have been a god send. 

To whomever sold off that big lot of trades to my favorite comic book store- Thank you! I got a great deal on them as well as lots of laughs. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

 

Big Bad Book of Bart Simpson

Over 115 pages of Simpsons Comics stories and shorts featuring the Bad Boy of Springfield, Bart Simpson. I've several of these collections and I just keep having a ton of fun when I read them. 

The fun starts with a parody of the classic Western TV show/1999 big screen Will Smith clunker Wild, Wild West. Then Bart and Milhouse skip school and have an epic day of fun! Later, it's time for the Springfield Elementary Science Fair. The grand prize is a gift card at the Android's Dungeon and so Bart really goes all out in order to win. Only his experiment might have unleashed mutated alligators throughout the city sewer system. Better call in the national guard...

In the most surprising of surprise returns, Bart and the family visit the local wild animal park to spend some quality time with Stampy. Stampy was the elephant Bart won when he won a call-in contest on the radio in season 5. Thanks to the elephant, Bart and Lisa are able to rescue their little sister, Maggie, from a family of hyenas. 

Lisa fits into a lot of these stories. On at least 2 occasions, Lisa solves mysteries in a style similar to Nancy Drew. In another story, Lisa plays to her mischievous side, telling Bart all sorts of lies about the book he's got to read for a book report. But in typical El Barto fashion, things turn out a-okay for the boy. 

There's a slew of other Springfield characters and there's over a dozen stories in this book. It's just impossible to cover them all without spending all day writing a review. If you love the Simpsons and you're in need of some fresh stories, check out this trade paper collection of Bart-centric tales from Bongo. Affordable collections are out there in used book stores. You just have to look!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics #85 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The Simpsons came about because of publishing rights. James L. Brooks was looking for a filler segment on his forthcoming Tracey Ullman Show on the newly developing network, Fox. Brooks had come across an issue of Matt Groening's Life In Hell and the producer wanted it to fill in segments of the sitcom whenever the writers had trouble ending a sketch. Groening realized that he would have to give up a slew of rights if Life In Hell went animated. So Groening developed a new series based on his family and friends from his childhood in Portland, Oregon.

During the first season of The Tracey Ullman Show, The Simpsons alternated places with another animated short called Dr. N!Godatu about an optimistic therapist who recalled zany episodes with her patients. The Simpsons debuted in the third episode of The Tracey Ullman Show. It became an immediate success. By the second season, Dr. N!Godatu was gone and it was The Simpsons all the way. Soon, watchers of the sketch series were putting the live action segments on mute, only to hit sound while things got animated. 

A spin-off of a Simpsons holiday special materialized in December of 1989. Animator David Silverman helped to refine the rough Matt Groening art style into something more sleek and fluid. 'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire' was an immediate success and an instant Christmas classic. The following month, Fox took a gamble with a 13-episode mid-season replacement run of animated episodes. 

The past 20 years had not been very kind to live-action animated series in prime time. But Fox was consistently running fifth place out of a 4 major network ratings war and needed a hit. Needless to say, the gamble paid off. Jump ahead to 2023 and The Simpsons are now in their 34th season. The cartoon series shows no signs of stopping. In January, the longest running animated series in TV history was renewed for an impressive 35th and 36th season!

In 1993, Matt Groening went back into comic book publishing. Bongo Comics, named after one of Groening's rabbit characters from Life In Hell, published mostly titles based on The Simpsons. However, Bongo also published a handful of non-Simpsons properties including a 12-issue sketch series based on the art of Sergio Aragones and an adaptation of Nickelodeon's Spongebob Squarepants. In 1995, Groening created Zongo Comics, an imprint devoted to adult oriented series. Zongo only released a pair of minis before going defunct about a year later. Oddly enough, neither Bongo nor Zongo released a Life In Hell comic book.

The last Simpsons comic book was published in 2018. Issue #245 was the jumbo-sized swan song. Over the course of the series 25 year run, a number of talents worked on Simpsons Comics. Bill Morrison, Phil Ortiz, Ian Boothby, Gale Simone, Michael Allred, Kyle Baker, Aragones, even glam rocker Alice Cooper contributed to a wide number of stories that starred America's favorite family. 

Just like the TV series, the comic book version of the Simpsons skewered every aspect of modern day life, pop culture and social norms. In this issue, the Simpson family is selected to be a Neilsen Family. When their viewing habits are reviewed, analysts discover that the Simpsons reflect the exact center of the populace. Soon, everything the Simpsons like, including favorite foods, clothes and even their hairstyles are what the citizens of Springfield are sporting! So, Homer, Marge and the kids decide to switch things up!

In the backup story, Comic Book Guy looks at a series of rejected Bongo Comics titled 'Crap Nobody Wanted...'

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #28 (Humor Story) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Big Beastly Book of Bart Simpson

Once again, I had a time of feeling blue and I needed a pick-me-up. Enter this collection of Simpsons Comics starring everyone's favorite bad boy, Bart Simpson!

Just because these stories star Bart, that doesn't mean that the rest of the Simpson clan are absent. But it does mean that a majority of these adventures do occur at Springfield Elementary and his main foil is Principal Skinner. Barred from the new football team, Bart one-ups Skinner by joining the cheerleading squad... and surprise, surprise- Bart does really well!

Another great story involving sports has Bart and Lisa's little league team suddenly without a coach. So they turn to Professor Frink to lead them and they do really well thanks to the scientist's array of inventions and gadgets. Going all the way to the championship against the West Springfield lineup led by Frink's arch-enemy Doctor Colossus! With the title and personal pride on the line, the Springfield Championship game becomes an arms race between Frink and Colossus. 

There are so many other stories I could talk about. Sticking to the rule of 3, I'll focus lastly on the field trip to the Capital City Historical Museum. Faced with the prospect of being blackballed by the curator should a single student of Springfield Elementary step out of line, Skinner is sweating bullets; especially when Bart and Nelson get handcuffed together in the olde timey jail exhibit. With the head of the museum on their tail, Bart and Nelson are fugitives of exhibition hall justice! Of course, you know Seymour Skinner is going to get blacklisted!

Lots of fun. I so very miss Bongo Comics. Their Simpsons books were so very good. They entertained. They made me laugh. They brought up my spirits. If you love the Simpsons, don't miss out on the adventures of Bart Simpson! That overlooked spin-off is just as good as the regular Simpson books and a must for anyone wanting to collect the whole run of the Springfield Family of comics.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Omnious Omnibus, Vol.1: Scary Tales & Scarier Tentacles

The premise behind the Ominous Omnibuses is to collect all 23 volumes of Treehouse of Horror annuals that were issued from the now defunct Bongo Comics. This is to occur with the publication of 3 slipcased hardcover editions. Though whether this will happen in just a few months or annually until 2024, I just don't know. 

Along with the material found in the Halloween annuals, these collections are supposed to house horror themed material from other Simpsons related holiday titles and some never before published material. But right now from a collector's standpoint, all I've got is a massive headache.

Let's do a little comic book math. There's 23 total ToH books in existence and I don't own any of them. These comics aren't very easy to find and when I do stumble across them, they're selling for an average of $15 per book. So $15x23=$345. If all 3 omnibuses retail for the $40 MSRP of this issue, I should only have to pay $120 plus tax. Overall, going this route seems the most economical, even if I have to wait a couple more years. Yet, because of how this book was edited, I can't mark anything off of my wish list yet.

Instead of collecting the comics whole, publisher Harry N. Abrams decided to cut all the books into pieces and catalogue the stories based on genre type! There are stories about aliens Kang and Kodos, frights about alternate realities and legends of things that go bump in the dark. Plus, there's a whole lot of shorts, parody ads and vignettes about life in Springfield that I've read in many a Simpsons regular series comic book.

While I am unhappy with how these stories have been collected, I have been thrilled with many of the surprises in this book. There's Simpsons yarns written by Star Wars' Mark Hamill, The Goldberg's Patton Oswalt and Doug TenNapel (Cardboard). I had thought that celebs didn't appear in Simpsons comics, but we get visits by Alice Cooper, Lemmy Kilmister and the living embodiment of Ned Flanders, Pat Boone! in a trio of stories written by the stars themselves.

My favorite story in this collection was an EC Comics tribute that featured inks by Al Willamson (Weird Science, Weird Fantasy) and pencils by John Severin (Two-Fisted Tales)! I never thought I'd ever see the Simpsons rendered by a pair of EC legends! But I did and it was fantastic. The story might have been a bit disjointed. But it was a visual dream come true!

Over 400 pages of Simpsons frights. A great way to start off my Halloween 2022 reads. I just wish this book could have been in order like an actual omnibus and not a mix-matched catalogue of titles organized by genre. I really wanted to get a few volumes off my wish list and right now, I now have 2 future editions of omnibuses added to it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Simpsons Holiday Humdinger

Did you ever have a book that for one reason or another, you didn't read it because you thought you had already read it. Yet, it turns out that nope, you really hadn't?! Well, that's me and The Simpsons Holiday Humdinger.

Because of it's tabloid-size, I kept this book in another part of my collection where I keep books that I've read before. Recently, I've gone on a Simpsons Comics re-reading kick and as I am now into my holiday reads, I figured the time was right to re-read this book. Only, I haven't read this before. 

The Simpsons Holiday Humdinger is over 250 pages of the residents of Springfield celebrating the holidays. Which holidays you ask? Seemingly, all of them! We've got Grandpa getting confused and celebrating Christmas in July. Bart converts to Judaism in order to cash in on the 8 nights of presents found in Hanukkah. Doctor Hibbert explains the special meanings behind the 7 days of Kwanzaa. And then we've got lots of Christmas time fun what with Comic Book Guy marking up the prices of the ultra-hot Itchy & Scratchy interactive toys and Lisa & Bart crafting a new holiday special to replace the Happy Little Elves.

I've read the Bart Hanukkah story somewhere before. Either as part of one of Winter Wingdings annuals or maybe a reprint in the monthly series that ran for an impressive 250 issues. I'm thinking that this collection (along with Homer For The Holidays, which I know for sure that I have never read) are treasuries of old Simpsons comics. But there's also a lot of short 1-4 page gags that I'm really not sure about. The art for those look newer and there's never any sort of credits of the writing/drawing team like on the full-length stories. 

The Treehouse of Horror treasuries seem to be in this similar vein. They've got reprints along with all-new material. So I may need to get all of the Wingdings even if I do ever manage to get Homer For The Holidays. I guess I'm not really complaining. I don't ever seem to get upset if I buy reprints when it comes to my holiday books. 

Sadly, the holiday fun with Bart, Lisa and the rest was over too soon. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics #51

Day 2 of my Thanksgiving comic reads takes us to Springfield with a Turkey Day to remember.

Lisa is planning her annual protest of the holiday. Bart is going to skip dinner to get in line for a new video game. And Marge is in a tizzy because Homer ate the entire turkey and guests are due to arrive in just a couple of hours! Oh, and did I mention that Mr. Burns is being held hostage by a trio of gobblers?

This was a great issue that deserves to be animated. It was so funny and so perfect! 

Simpsons Comics also have small back up features that focus on the residents of Springfield. For this issue, Cletus the Slacked-Jawed Yokel is the star. In a parody of the Dan Ackroyd/Eddie Murphy vehicle Trading Spaces, a pair of college trustees make a bet that college isn't for anyone. Or is it? With Cletus as the test subject, higher learning with never be the same again!

A really enjoyable issue. The only flaw about it was that it was over too soon!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Barn Burner

Thanks to a trip to a funky Wilmington, NC used books shop, I found a couple of treasuries devoted to Matt Groening's comedic genius. I reviewed the Futurama find a few days back. Now, I wanna talk about America's favorite dysfunctional family- The Simpsons!

Five issues from the late great Bongo Comics series are reprinted in this volume. Stories include Bart running afoul of Jimbo and his cronies after getting ratted out to Chief Wiggum, Homer winning the services of Smithers in a poker game with Mr. Burns, and then Homer running for mayor after Mayor Quimby bans beer on Sundays. There's also a clever entry in the long-standing Burns vs. Lisa storyline when the nuclear mogul attempts to turn protected woodlands into an exclusive golf course. 

And then there's the 5th story...

In that tale, Homer sees dollar signs when he creates a boy band made up of Bart, Ralph, Nelson, Rod Flanders and cool guy Roy. Hmmm... This sounds an awful lot like an episode of The Simpsons. And it is!

If you are a longtime fan of the show, you might remember the episode in which Bart, Ralph, Nelson and Milhouse were recruited to form a boy band. Their big hit 'Yvan Eth Noij' turned out to be a ploy by the US Navy to up recruitment rates. While this print story doesn't follow the plot of that episode- and no NSYNC doesn't make a cameo either, its awfully similar to that classic episode. 

So which came first?

 It turns out that the episode beat the comic story by about 2-4 months. I'm not 100% sure as comic books often are released 2 months prior to the cover date as a sort of sales trick with retailers. The Bongo story was released June, 2001. But I am not sure if now defunct Bongo Comics released it's books out of date or not. 

You might want to say that the Bongo story was a rip-off of the cartoon. But in this case, with how close the release dates are to each other, I really don't know. Maybe writer Eric Rogers learned that such an episode was in the works from Fox and so he took inspiration. But based on my knowledge of comic book production history- this whole event could very well be a coincidence!

I loved this collection. As with any grouping of Simpsons comics, the fun was over way too soon. It was a fast read and I was completely to blame as I just can put these fun times reads down. But it was so worth it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Futurama: The Time Bender Trilogy (Vol. 4)

A bargain bin issue of The Simpsons is rather hard to find. At the used books stores, I can occasionally strike gold with a collection of funnies from Bongo Comics. But finding anything from Simpsons sister series, Futurama, is just about as rare as a thing as stumbling upon a gold nugget!

In this collection of 4 stories- in yes, what is called 'The Time Bender Trilogy', Fry, Leela, and Bender are tasked with finding Dr. Farnsworth's son Cubert a boarding school. Of course, it's an intergalactic boarding school! No earth bound fluff for Dr. Farnsworth's genius clone! 

After several school tours, The Planet Express team find the perfect school for Cubert; a real institute of higher learning of which the youth absolutely hates. Tricked into attending school with Cubert, Fry and friends try to adjust to life as high school students. Bender becomes a nerd. Fry, a jock. And Leela finds the popularity denied her as a mutant orphan; mostly because she owns the delivery ship.

Leela's newfound fame results in a round of playing hooky with some other popular students. In an attempt to rectify their truancy, Leela is peer pressured into going back in time by making a slingshot around a star. But as this is a very dangerous maneuver, Leela accidentally triggers a supernova resulting in the school needing to be evacuated- literally!

Safely back on planet Earth, the delivery team finds the world completely abandoned. Well, except for that pesky alien couple from Omicron Persei 8 who've claimed Terra as their new fixer-upper home. Thus begins a zany romp to regain the planet for the human race and then trek through time to rescue the time trapped populace of the year 3000!

This was a fun story. I've been reading the complete run of Marvel Comic Presents. I've enjoyed it. But for the most part, its grim and gritty. Truly a product of late 80s, early 90s superhero comics. So, I've felt like I need a laugh or two. Thankfully, on a recent, but very brief vacation, I found a couple of volumes of Bongo Comics classics (1 Simpsons, 1 Futurama). It's been a welcome reprieve.

I loved Futurama. I wish it was back on TV in a reboot- and I hate reboots!!! Full of sly one-liners and funny Easter eggs, this volume was enjoyable. A few of the jokes were dated. But this was like finding a few new never-before-seen episodes of Futurama. Too bad it ended too soon, as I've zero clue when I'll find another vein of Matt Groening comic book gold!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Bongo Comics Free-For-All (FCBD 2017)

Being in lock-down, I've had a chance to go through my massive pile of stuff I need to catalog and file into my collection. That includes almost the entire offering of comics from 2017's Free Comic Book Day. 

One of the things I look forward to the most each FCBD is The Simpsons comic book. With Bongo Comics now defunct, we don't have new Simpsons stuff coming out. So this was a great little present to myself during a very stressful time. 

Once again we get a number of hilarious stories starring Bart, Lisa, Homer and the citizens of Springfield. And once again, the offerings are a thousand times more funnier that what FOX is putting on every Sunday at 8pm EST.

In the main story, Bart injures his back and must use a special backpack- one on wheels. It supposed to be the stuff of elementary school mockery. But of course, El Barto twists things to his advantage. 

Next up, Homer and Bart awake for a late night snack only to wind up facing a possible intruder. 

Lastly, Rod and Todd get separated from Flanders and go on an epic journey through the streets of the fair city. I don't know why, but those two namby-pambies always make me laugh and this was a great capper to another classic freebie from one of my favorite shuttered publishers.

Once again, the only thing Futurama is a back cover gag. I can't understand why Bongo never put stories on the Delivery Express crew in the FCBD books. You would think that they'd want to advertise them. Maybe we now know why Bongo went out of business.

Man, I miss these...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Bart Simpson, Vol. 9: Class Clown

Trying times call for distractions. There's just about no better distraction to me than a comic book. But some comics still hit a little too close to home. Thankfully, that's not been the case with Bongo Comics' various titles based on beloved Simpsons characters. 

In this collection of stories from the Bart Simpsons line, the spiky-haired dude gets into a bunch of hairy situations. My favorites included the resurrection of Truck-a-saurus, a hilarious tree house caper involving Milhouse, Ralph and an ancient text and the various stories devoted to that masked protector of Springfield, Bartman! The Professor Frink short was charming and that story in which Mrs Krabappel is forced to move in with the Simpsons was funny too. Unfortunately, I can't recall any other stories. 

I seem to think that there was a Comic Book Guy adventure and one or two stories devoted to Itchy and Scratchy. But I can't remember. 

Sadly, I didn't find myself laughing out loud that much. I don't think it's because I hated this book. I'm more afraid that the whole Coronavius thing has permeated everyday life so much, that my Ha-Ha distraction ended up being more Hoo-Hum.

Worth Consuming! but I really can't recall if I truly loved this whole book or not...

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Royale

When I am feeling bogged down by the weight of the world, I turn to humor. Harley Quinn. The Tick. Deadpool. Their insanity helps make my life more sane. And then there's The Simpsons. Sometimes you need the bizarre philosophies of Homer and Bart to help make sense of things. 

This is an unusual collection of Simpsons Comics. It's not a reprint of full issues. Instead, it's a mix of never-before-reprinted tales and all-new comic book material. In this volume we've got a Lisa story of Wonderland proportions, Krusty takes an entourage to Hollywood, and Radioactive Man learns just what happens when you flush the toilet in a state of the art porta-potty.

Sprinkled throughout this edition are a number of essays by Simpsons creator Matt Groening. His advice to those wanting to be cartoonists should be required reading for all first year art students. His reflections on his early life shows the origins of many of the icons of Springfield. But his dictionary of favorite slang words was 4 pages of wasted space. So was his 2-pager about his first bully. I would have rather had more advice or inside scoops on the history of the TV show. If anything, I now want to read some of Groening's first comic strip, Life in Hell. 

Considering that that series started in 1977, my birth year and FAVORITE year, how did I miss this!!!

I wasn't huge on the Lisa story which was surprising since I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland. Like I said, some of the essays were lame. So was that Sideshow Mel multi-parter! Plus, not being a direct reprint of the comics themselves and the very unusual pacing of all those verbose interludes made for an odd pacing. 

Yes, this took away a lot of stress from a world full of coronavirus and done to death primaries. But it just wasn't my favorite of Simpsons books either.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Shake-Up

It's another collection of Simpsons Comics pick-me-ups starring not just everyone's favorite dysfunctional family but the insane residents of Springfield too! 

In this volume:

• Homer becomes a defense attorney who actually wins cases due to his unconventional style of lawyering. But does he have what it takes to bust Bart from a seemingly unbeatable arson charge?
• Mr. Burns frames Homer for selling nuclear materials to enemy agents. While it looks like Homer is going to be doing hard time, he learns that things aren't as bad as they look; even with Sideshow Bob as a jail mate!
• Then the whole Simpsons clan find themselves as the stars of Krusty's new off-Broadway show: Simpsons: The Musical!
• Learn what vacation life is like for Snowball II and Santa's Little Helper when the Simpsons head off on a month-long road trip.
• Lastly, in my favorite story of the bunch, Dr. Nick faces a medical review board and must defend himself as the only doctor in town willing to do the medical work no other self-respecting physician will touch!

That final story was a lot like my all-time favorite episode '23 Short Film About Springfield.' While I love Bart, Homer and Marge, I love it when the episodes focus more on the town folk. It just seems like more unusual and albeit riskier things can be done with those characters than with the Simpsons clan. Although, the creativity of that Attorney Homer story was brilliant! 

Simpsons Comics are always a great pick-me-up during times of great stress. I always seem to find a new collection when I need it most. And right now, as I wait to hear back from a highly desired job interview, I haven't needed a laugh this badly in a very long time. 

Thank you Matt Groening and the staff of Bongo Comics. You will be missed, but not forgotten or unappreciated!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars!

Simpsons Comics Supernova

Another fantastic collection of Simpsons Comics!

The first story is a parody of that classic 80s cartoon (and most recent reboot) DuckTales! Smithers is unable to go on Mr. Burns' annual treasure hunt. Thus, Homer and the kids are hired to help Burns navigate a slew of obstacles such as a giant squid and underwater bandits. 

Next up, Lisa seeks to find a name for herself while Marge is hired to be the next weather girl on the local news. 

Fans then experience a number of parodies as we sit in on the latest meeting of the Springfield Book Club. 

Lastly, Bart, Milhouse and Martin tour the town dump on the hunt for a fabled horde of collectible garbage. 

As I continue to say, Simpsons Comics manages to be what The Simpsons TV show hasn't been in quite a while- funny. Well, this most recent season has been humorous. Maybe it's because all of the talent who used to work at the new defunct Bongo Comics are writing for the show now.

This collection of Simpsons Comics reiterates a pressing need in the comic book industry- namely more Simpsons Comics. Bongo went out of business because of the high cost of shipping and printing. Since Disney now owns The Simpsons, either IDW or Dark Horse needs to take on the role as the main supplier of Springfield hi-jinx. Someone needs to take over the imprint or the last 90 issues or so will never be released in collected form!

Not all of this book was pure comedy gold. For one thing, the table of contents lists a story called 'The Duffman Cometh.' However, that story is nowhere to be found. I'm not sure if Bongo made a publishing error here or not. Could it be that "Duffman' the true name of 'Lisa's Book Club' which I assume was instead published in the previous story's lieu? Or is this proof that another publisher was needed to better navigate the exploits of America's favorite dysfunctional family?

Come on, House of Mouse! You do this! Bring back Simpsons Comics! Do it well and I'll forgive you for the last 2 Star Wars episodes!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Simpsons Comics Explosion #3

96 pages of Simpsons Comics for $9.99 is a bit pricey. Even more so as this has a 2016 cover price.

But as you may well know, I am a huge bargain hunter. The thrift store and the bargain bins are my closest collecting allies. So you know that I was going to jump on this when I found it for only a buck!

There's a handful of stories in this over-sized comic. From the Simpsons tackling a comic-con to a zombie-nado hitting Springfield to a team of super-smart monkeys setting up residence in Bart's tree house, this was a great read! 

My favorite story was called 'Who The Bartman?' It has several characters giving their own view of what they think the mysterious character of the Bartman truly is. It's a parody of a classic Batman story that I think was by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams. It was awesome!

I wasn't sure if this book was comprised of all-new material or not. That was until I read I recently read a old issue of Futurama Comics. The last page had an ad for an issue of the Simpsons in it. The ad had 2-3 panels which were exactly from this issue's last story involving Smithers getting struck by lightening. So, the Simpsons Comics Explosion books are comprised of reprints. Good to know!

When I am feeling low, Simpsons Comics are a huge pick-me-up and this one didn't disappoint. If you collect the regular Simpsons series, you probably have all these tales already. But if your collection is all pick-and-choose, then this is great addition. For the right price, of course!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Futurama #68

One of the most confusing issues Bongo has ever produced. Taking a bag from the film Memento, many of the scenes are shown in reverse order. 

The Planet Delivery team start the story all buck-naked and with no recollection as to how they got that way. Bender has been recording the event, so Farnsworth tries to piece together what's been happening. Thanks to a new invention of the professor's, the memory loss has been going on for nearly an hour. 

There's an analog clock in the background and it's helpful to a point. But Bender has a clock on his video feed and it keeps going up and down from 11:01-11:13. But it, unlike the background clock doesn't move in linear order. I tried and tried to figure out what was going on but I had to give up on figuring out the clock and just try to enjoy each passing period of time as separate skits that just happen to link together.

There were some laughs here. The art was just like it would on the TV show. I didn't remember how racy Futurama was. While the Simpsons comics are regarded as for all ages, this has got to be PG at least. Regardless of the age appropriateness, I think this type of story just didn't transfer well to a comic book. If this was done animated, it probably would have been a classic. Instead, it all got lost in the medium of comics

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.