Saturday, August 19, 2006

The White Stripes

"Jazzy And The Pussycats" will be the second episode of the new season, set to air September 17th.
"After Bart's arm is mangled by a tiger that Lisa rescued from the local pound, Bart organizes a benefit concert to raise money for an operation to repair his drumming arm."
As previously mentioned, the episode will guest star The White Stripes.

Friday, August 11, 2006

The 18th Season Premiere

"The Mook, The Chef, The Wife and His Homer," featuring Metallica (above), is scheduled to air on Sept. 10.

Synopsis: After Lisa befriends Michael, the son of Fat Tony (Joe Mantegna, reprising his role as Springfield's infamous mob boss), Fat Tony invites the Simpsons over for dinner as a sign of gratitude. Shockingly, Fat Tony is shot by a rival family moments after Michael admits he would rather be a chef than take over the family business. Fat Tony's main thugs, Dante and Dante Jr. (guest voices Joe Pantoliano and Michael Imperioli), want Michael to be the new kingpin, but when he declines, Homer steps up and leads the family on a major mob spree.

Sounds like Homer might finally be living up to those Scarface and Sopranos parody T-shirts:

But... Dante and Dante Jr. are Fat Tony's main thugs now? What happened to Louie and Legs? (Something violent, no doubt).

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Bongo Comics: October 2006

SIMPSONS COMICS #123

by Boothby and Ortiz

Someone's out to kill Bart Simpson, but Sideshow Bob is nowhere to be seen... ­­unless of course you tune into to his new prison reality show. Who can Bart turn to when it seems like everyone is out to get him? And will Sideshow Bob ever learn to speak Cantonese? It's a comic classic to kill for this October!

SIMPSONS CLASSICS #10

The city of Springfield becomes ground zero for newly-appointed Fitness Ambassador Rainier Wolfcastle's Battle of the Bulge. But with an entire town on a diet, inspired by the presidential promise of a community water park, only one very fat man stands in the way...Homer Simpson! Then witness the miracle of Springfield, when the statue of Jebediah Springfield starts crying real tears and true believers from all over begin a pilgrimage to the holy site. But does one spiky-haired prankster have a hand (or a hose) in Springfield's newest attraction? (Collects Simpsons Comics #18-19)

BART SIMPSON #32

by McCann, Trainor and Lloyd

Bart loses control with his new Krusty Clone at Home Kit; Maggie battles Mr. Burns for a mysterious and cursed artifact; and Ralph gets mistaken for a prized pig at the Springfield county fair.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Season Eight: Regular Packaging

Simpsons Bust-Ups: Treehouse of Horror 2006

Simpsons Bust-Ups: Treehouse of Horror 2006 includes:

Killer Krusty Doll, Werewolf Bart, Homer as Death, and Dracula Hibbert and Grampa Gorilla.

Available in October from Gentle Giant. (Click image above to enlarge).

Bongo Comics for August

SIMPSONS COMICS #121

Ian Boothby and Phil Ortiz

Does anybody really know what time it is? Not if you ask anyone in Springfield. Homer takes his beef with Daylight Savings Time to Mayor Quimby. The mayor promptly rescinds the order but accidentally creates a loophole that allows everyone in town to set their own random time schedule. Be it Eastern, Central or Pacific Standard Time, chaos ensues.

BART SIMPSON COMICS #31

DiGerolamo, Dorkin and Lloyd

Bart wins a shopping spree at Krusty's Land of Misfit Toys, but it doesn't take long before all his friends and family members are asking him to score them some free toys. Then Maggie and Moe take a trip to Wall E. Weasel's, stumble into a plot of international intrigue, and come face-to-face with another crime-solving duo -- Gerald, the one-eyebrowed baby and Titania.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

The Complete Eighth Season

Due out August 15, 2006. Click here for a list of episodes and extras.

Friday, May 05, 2006

HOMERSAPIEN

Above is the promo card for the upcoming "Monkey Suit" episode of the The Simpsons. Click the image for a larger version. You can read the episode synopsis here.

Season 17 Finale

"Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play" - May 21, 2006
In the 17th season finale, Mandy Moore and Stacy Keach guest-voice. After a passionate kiss between Marge and Homer airs on the Isotope Jumbotron, struggling second baseman Buck Mitchell turns to the couple for marital advice. The Simpsons are able to get Buck and his sexy singing wife, Fiona (guest-voice Moore), on track, and the Isotopes' season turns for the better. Things seem to be coming up aces for the Simpsons until Buck catches Homer giving Fiona a post-show neck massage, which results in both couples separating.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Bernie Wrightson Autograph

I got to meet my favorite horror artist at the Dallas Comic Con on Saturday... the master, Bernie Wrightson. He signed my copy of Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #11, which contains "Squish Thing," the story he did with Swamp Thing co-creator Len Wein.

Ultimate Pop Culture Repository

This weekend I went to the Dallas Comic Con, and brought along my 1992 San Diego Comic Con book bag to stuff with swag. On the way to the con, my friend Vic mentioned that our sons, who are watching The Simpsons season by season as they are released on DVD, will already know the story of every major movie released in the last few decades before they ever see them, because they've all been parodied on the show. I pulled out my book bag when we arrived, spurring the following conversation:
Ryan: Who's that?
Me: That's Lobo.
Ryan: Lobo? You mean Sherriff Lobo?
Me (after a lot of laughter): No, not Sherriff Lobo. Wait a minute, how do you know who Sherriff Lobo is?
Ryan: The Simpsons.
So there you have it. The Simpsons is indeed the ultimate pop culture repository. Want to know what was going on in the collective unconscious at any point in the last twenty years? Just watch that season of The Simpsons. It's in there.

Side note: It warms my heart to know that DC's Lobo, one of the lamest comics characters of all time, has sunken deeper into obscurity than Sherriff Lobo, who's been off prime time television a lot longer than Lobo's been off the new comics rack.


Monday, May 01, 2006

Last 3 Episodes of Season 17

Synopses courtesy of Comics Continuum:
"Regarding Margie" on May 7

After a spring-cleaning frenzy and inhaling too many fumes, Marge suffers from retrograde amnesia. In an effort to bring back her memory, Homer takes Marge around town to re-familiarize her with her surroundings. She still has no recollection of who Homer is and puts herself back on the singles market. Will Marge ever remember her beloved Homey?

"The Monkey Suit" on May 14

Larry Hagman and Melanie Griffith guest-voice. After visiting an evolution exhibit narrated by guest voice Griffith, Flanders pushes Mayor Quimby to appoint Reverend Lovejoy as a "Morality Czar" in charge of spreading the theory of creationism. Darwin's theories are quickly outlawed, and Lisa finds herself as the only supporter of the scientific theory. After holding secret evolution classes, Lisa is arrested and retains Southern lawyer Wallace Brady (guest-voice Hagman) to help defend her beliefs in front of a judge. While Flanders is on the stand in court, Homer's antics cause him to crack under pressure and he calls Homer an ape, which leads the judge to believe Homer resembles the missing link ­ putting a monkey wrench in the prosecutors' case.

"Homer and Marge Turn a Couple Play" on May 21

In the 17th season finale, Mandy Moore and Stacy Keach guest-voice. After a passionate kiss between Marge and Homer airs on the Isotope Jumbotron, struggling second baseman Buck Mitchell turns to the couple for marital advice. The Simpsons are able to get Buck and his sexy singing wife, Fiona (guest-voice Moore), on track, and the Isotopes' season turns for the better. Things seem to be coming up aces for the Simpsons until Buck catches Homer giving Fiona a post-show neck massage, which results in both couples separating.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

The Onion AV Club Interviews Matt Groening

Bongo Comics for July 2006

The new Diamond Previews hit comic shops today, so here we go:
Simpsons Comics #120

by Bates & Delaney

It begins with the pursuit of a home run ball and ends with the downfall of America's greatest pastime. One man will rock the very institution of Baseball down to its foundation in pursuit of the American dream... and lots and lots of money.

Simpsons Classics #9

Patty & Selma lose their jobs at the DMV, and the Simpsons end up with two more cigarette-smoking mouths to feed. Things begin to look up for Marge's twin sisters when they take new jobs as flight attendants, but the skies above Springfield will never be safe again. Then, don't touch that dial! Bart & Lisa turn a local cable access station into a big broadcasting concern. Check you local listings to see if they have the maverick manner to outmaneuver Murdoch. Collects Simpsons Comics #16 & 17.

Futurama Comics #26

by Boothby & Kazaleh

After a freak accident with Professor Farnsworth's Time Rifle, Leela is blown to past, present, and future bits, dividing her into her toddler, teen, and elderly selves. Any way you look at it, there's a whole lot of Leela going on.

Futurama Volume 3: Time Bender TPB

by Boothby, Lloyd, & Delaney

The four-part trilogy returns in an all-new trade paperback collection. Fry, Leela, Bender, and Professor Farnsworth's clone/ward Cubert take an intergalactic trip, and when they return to Earth, they find the planet uninhabited. First, our merry band of messengers must fight off alien invaders bent on claiming the planet as their own. Then they must go in search of their missing colleagues as well as billions of citizens from Planet Earth. And before long the intrepid crew quite literally goes to Hell and back again. Will the world ever get back to normal, or is everyone totally boned?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

The Dumbest Audience Ever Polled

Sunday night I watched the new episode of The Simpsons, "The Wettest Stories Ever Told," twice. The first time with my 11-year-old son, the second with a group of thirtysomething friends. Both times, everyone involved laughed their asses off, because this episode is hilarious. The '70s references in the Poseidon Adventure parody alone make the whole thing worthwhile. (And the commercial for the remake, Poseidon, was icing on the cake).

Afterwards, out of perverse curiousity, I checked one of the message boards run by Simpsons "fans" to read their reactions, and naturally they were almost universally panning it as one of the worst episodes ever. Here is an actual quote from one of the posts:
Not a lot of people are familiar with the Mayflower, the Mutiny on the Bounty or the Poseiden Adventure, so it's hard for people to relate or understand the plot. The previous historical trilogies picked much more well known stories.
Wow. Just... wow. Assuming this had been posted by a nine-year-old, who might deserve to be cut some slack, I checked the person's profile. He (or she) is 20. I'm starting to understand the bandwagon that claims that The Simpsons hasn't been funny for years. The show hasn't jumped the shark, the audience has. At least the vocal internet one.

They don't seem to be able to grasp the idea that if they are some combination of too clueless, young, uneducated or unhip to get the humor in a Simpsons episode, they aren't the target audience. And that, my friends, is comedy gold.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Isn't It Ironic?


Ironic Punishment 2
Originally uploaded by roadkillbuddha.

My Ironic Punishment Deluxe Boxed Set arrived at Paper Heroes today in the new comics shipment. This is especially cool considering that the local Suncoast and Toys 'R' Overpriced stores don't have them yet, and comic shops tend to be the last places to receive this kind of action figure. Ironically, however, Diamond Comic Distributors still managed to screw me by not shipping us our copies of Simpsons Comics #117.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

"Girls Just Want to Have Sums"

(Click promo card to enlarge)
The April 30, 2006 episode of The Simpsons:
Springfield is in an uproar after Principal Skinner makes a sexist comment at the end of an Itchy and Scratchy musical. Principal Skinner is replaced by Melanie Upfoot, a women's educational expert, who decides to divide the school in two: one for boys, and one for girls. Studious Lisa soon becomes frustrated when she isn't learning anything from girls' school.

When the Principal refuses to allow her to take math at the boys' school, Lisa decides to dress up as a boy. While Bart teaches her the ropes of boyhood, Lisa wins the math award at the Student Achievement Awards and learns what it's really like to be a part of the boys' club.

Frances McDormand guest-stars as Principal Melanie Upfoot.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Tonight's Episode of "The Simpsons"

"Homer Simpson: This Is Your Wife," the highly-anticipated episode written by, and starring, Ricky Gervais, airs tonight. Above is the second promo card for this episode released by Fox. The first one is here. Word on the net is that the live-action opening sequence will also appear at the beginning of tonight's episode.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Bongo Comics for June 2006

Simpsons Super Spectacular #3

by Beland, Boothby, Delaney, & Lash

Three superior superheroic stories in one ish! Meet Gastritus, the swallower of whole galaxies and a lot of pork rinds. Then, Stretch Dude, Clobber Girl, and Battle Baby find themselves on the wrong side of the law when the local league of Women Voters outlaws superheroes. And finally, some of Radioactive Man's female friends from the Superior Squad grab the spotlight in a stirring adventure.

Simpsons Comics #119

by Boothby and Costanza

Having deprived the citizens of Springfield of electricity one too many times, and discovering his popularity at an all-time low, Mr. Burns decides to win back the public with a weekly television show giving one lucky person a chance to become his protege'. Who will become... "The Flunky"? Toady trumps tyrant this June! Includes a hum-diddly-dinger of a door hanger featuring friendly neighborino Ned Flanders.

Bart Simpson Comics #30

by Digerolamo, Lloyd, Ortiz, and Peyer

Bart gets bent out of shape when all of his friends get caught up in a reading frenzy over the newest kid's fantasy novel, and he literally sets out to destroy literacy. Then, a school field trip goes awry when Bart, Milhouse, and Martin end up on a runaway train. Also, picture if you will, Bart as the newest action star!