By Various (Titan Books)
ISBN: 1-84023-058-4
The Simpsons seem unable to generate poor product no matter what medium they assault, so here’s another collection of strips which originally saw print in their own monthly comic – specifically issues #28-31, which were cobbled together by this creative crowd: Karen Bates, Tim Bavington, Jeanine Black, Chris Clements, Scott M. Gimple, Stephanie Gladden, Gary Glasberg, Tim Harkins, Carl Harmon, Nathan Kane, Jim Lincoln, Bill Morrison, Julius Preite, Phil Ortiz, Jeff Rosenthal, Steve Steere Jr., Mary Trainor, Dan Studney, Chris Ungar, Cindy and Steve Vance and Rob Walton as well the inevitable Matt Groening.
‘Krustonia’ is a piece of inspired madness as Krusty the Clown establishes his own country to avoid paying Income Tax, which is followed by the wordy but engaging ‘Flanders’ Big Score – A Ned Flanders Mystery’. Homer returns to the world of showbiz combat as a wrestler in ‘Let’s Get Ready to Bumble’ and young Maggie Simpson gets her own adventure in ‘Bringing Down Baby’.
Highlight of the book is the insanely dystopian warning to science when Mr, Burn’s simpering yes-man is cloned and cloned again in ‘Smitherses!’ Bart and Milhouse star in ‘Bore Us –the Movie – Gruel’ and we also get to see the floor-plans of Lisa’s Dream house, before a comic fanboy assault begins with ‘Radioactive Homer’, when the man of the house becomes a super-hero – of sorts – and the volume concludes with the Bongo Comics ‘Comic Conventions Survival Guide’. I regret that sad but true fact that every fan will find him/herself in at least one of the damning categories listed here.
Always funny, always great entertainment, and always a wonderful antidote to too much angst and pomposity.
© 1999, 2005 Bongo Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.