Simpsons Super Spectacular #4

Bongo Comics released Simpsons Super Spectacular #4 last week. Edited by the inimitable Bill Morrison, the new issue contains three stories:

Bartman in "Shadow Apocalypse of the Sciencester!"
Tom Peyer: Script
Ty Templeton: Pencils
Mike Rote: Inks
Nathan Hamill: Colors
Karen Bates: Letters
"Bartman meets his newest and perhaps least effective nemesis, the sinister genius known as The Sciencester! (Yeah, that's the best we could come up with)."

Bartman vs. Screamapillar in "Scream a Little Scream..."
Nathan Hamill & Jason Ho: Script
Jason Ho: Pencils
Mike Rote: Inks
Nathan Hamill: Colors
Karen Bates: Letters

"The Day Radioactive Man Quit!"
Batton Lash: Script & Pencils
George Broderick: Inks
Art Villanueva: Colors
Karen Bates: Letters
"Radioactive Man becomes aware of the fallout from his nuclear powers and decides to give up super-heroing forever!"

Batton Lash posted this message about his Radioactive Man story in the Supernatural Law blog:

Radioactive Man a la Shelly

Batton here: I've been writing the exploits of Bart Simpson's favorite comic book hero, Radioactive Man, for some time now, and many talented artists have illustrated my scripts. The current issue of Simpsons Super Spectacular (No.4, published by Bongo Comics), however, has the rare Radioactive Man story written and drawn by yours truly. It's a pastiche of a late 50's Batman story, done in the manner of "Bob Kane" (but really Bill Finger and Shelly Moldoff!). The story was inked by George Broderick, Jr (doing his best Charles Paris!). it was fun to do and I hope you will have fun reading it. Headlining the issue are a couple of new Bartman stories, brought to you by Tom Peyer, Ty Templeton, Mike Rote, Nathan Hamill and Jason Ho. So what are you waiting for? Simpsons Super Spectacular No.4 should be available at your local comics store now!

Check out the Super Simpsons Handbook for 3 new entries: The Sciencester, Kid Queasy, and the Cane Gang!

Simpsons Super Spectacular #2

by Boothby, Delaney, Lash, and Brereton

Superheroic Barts of many worlds (Bartman, Stretch Dude, and Cupcake Kid) are summoned into yet another world by an unlikely ally to battle side-by-side against the tyrannical ruler of the planet, Bart Simpson (!) in “The Extraordinary League of Barts!” And on the flip side, Radioactive Man and the “marvels” of Zenith City are viewed through the camera lens of a prickly photographer in “Bongos,” an all-comic, all-painted tale by Batton Lash and Don Brereton. Super Simpsons! Super special! Super Spectacular this December!

The Final Fate of Radioactive Man?

Another article at The Pulse explains the tragic story behind the genesis of Bongo's new Simpsons Super Spectacular series:

Bongo's Creative Director Bill Morrison said he thinks the Radioactive Man series didn't succeed because his appearances on the TV show were too infrequent. "I think the mainstream Simpsons fans just didn't pick up his book like they do the other Simpsons Comics," Morrison said. "Batton Lash has been doing such a terrific job with Radioactive Man and I was reluctant to see him get cancelled. So, I figured out a way to keep him in print by pairing him with the super-incarnations of more recognizable Simpsons characters. Radioactive Man and Bartman will be the mainstays, but look for appearances by Pie Man, Duff Man, Bumblebee Man and even Señior Ding Dong!"

Of course, I don't think the Eisner Award-winning Radioactive Man comic was ever really aimed at the mainstream Simpsons fans. With its perfect satire of the entire history and spectrum of the superhero genre, it deserved a much larger following among comic geeks. Those with a sense of humor, at least.

At the moment, the Super Spectacular is scheduled to be released twice a year. Coming up in issue 2:

Ian Boothby is writing a story for the second issue called "The League of Extraordinary Barts," where various Barts from different dimensions come together to battle an evil Bart who uses Professor Frink's devices in a plot to take over the world. "It's just a good, smack-em-in-the-mouth, silly super-hero story," Boothby said. "It's a lot of fun."

Simpsons Super Spectacular #1

Simpsons Super Spectacular #1 hit comic shops this week (Woo-hoo!). It's got a flip cover... Side "A" (with Radioactive Man, Bartman, and Pieman on the cover) has 2 stories: "Holy Cow! Has Pieman Turned Evil?" by Ty Templeton, and "The Crimespree on Springfield 2" by Chuck Dixon and Ty Templeton. Side "B" (with the Radioactive Man comic on the cover) has 3 RM stories by Batton Lash: "Let's See It Again! The Origin of Radioactive Man", "The Little Boy With the Big Dream" and "Radioactive Man and Roargo."

It's no coincidence that I'm kicking off this blog with the info above. Last summer I started working on a website about superheroes in the Simpsons universe, before getting sidetracked for about a year. When I saw the Super Spectacular listed in Diamond Previews, it was the motivation I needed to get back to work on it.

I finally uploaded version 1.0 tonight. As a lifelong comics geek and a fan of "The Simpsons" since the Tracey Ullman Show days, I suppose it's the website I was destined to create. It took longer than I thought, and there are sections that will have to be added in future updates, but considering I managed to launch it in between the release of the Super Spectacular and tonight's season premiere ("Bonfire of the Manatees"), I consider that mission accomplished.

So if you're a fan of Radioactive Man & Fallout Boy, Bartman, Stretch Dude & Clobber Girl, or the Ingestible Bulk, check it out... they're all there, and then some. And check back here for updates and more superheroic Simpsons pictures to come.