View Full Version : Are Simpsons Comics Going The Way Of The Scully-Era?
I think that the last few years worth of Simpsons Comics has closely resembled the Mike Scully era of the TV show. The stories have become wacky, the jokes aren't very good, and sometimes there is filler material that is not needed (please don't get me started on the artwork).
come on people answer!!
Ok then i'll start it off...in issue #111 we see marge go back to school, and bart and lisa tutoring maggie. the scene where bart tells magge how the universe began and how the dinosaurs died out were...well...strange and then when marge has a 'microwave ray gun' was weird and so was the scene where the kids get covered in acid, bart and maggie are superheroes while lisa is a star nosed mole and it turns out that bart was still tutoring maggie...well where does the tutoring start again in that segment? we see Marge trying to stop being so 'smart' by watching tv and drinking beer, when the truck comes and pours the acid everywhere...yes well, thats only one of the wackiest issues i can think of atm
garret
03-12-2006, 01:20 AM
:shifty:
yeh but seriously two years ago we got some great stories...but now... i don't know whats happened these last few seasons, i mean years
ok il giv u a comparison AND an example then...
SIMPSONS #58 "Mayor Me A Little" (2001): Mayor Quimby forces to make Sunday Blue Laws for Springfield. Homer doesn't want to lose his beer, so he runs for Mayor. Lisa also backs Homer up, because it means he can save duck pond that Quimby was to turn into a carpark. Fat Tony becomes Homer's campaign manager, but he gets Homer to ruin the duck pond because it was actually his carpark plan. Lisa ends up hating Homer over what happened. Homer fires Fat Tony when he finds out what happened, and makes Lisa his new manager. The election is a tie, but Homer hands it to Quimby if he repeals the blue laws and saves the duck pond.
Classic issue, later retold as "See Homer Run" in Season 17.
Now look at this "load of tripe":
"Uncle Burn$" (2005): Smithers is badly injured and can't go on a treasure hunt with Mr Burns. Instead Burns takes Homer and Bart, Lisa & Maggie. While they go on the hunt the encounter these stupid things:
Burns tries to kill Bart just because he dropped a penny,
Frink invests a bat-holding machine which i dinosaur materializes out of,
A giant squid attacks the five treasure hunters, and ends up eating itself until it no longer existed (without even a PLAUSIBLE explanation to how it happened)
Mr. Burns attempting to swim through his gold,
the "three snakes" part with Maggie and the talking starfish,
and lets not forget the stupid fact that somehow Bart, Lisa, Maggie and Homer start floating just because they ate something with helium in it. What an attrocity!
Dances In Underwear
03-12-2006, 01:34 AM
Going? Going?!
I'd say they became Skully-esque around 85-ish. No proof to back that up, but it was a fair while ago.
yeh actually i rekn when ian boothby became a regular writer so i say #70 (actually my first ish) was wen i see them as going bad bcoz ive read em all now...the only good ones between ish #70 and #115 is #78, #82, #85, #87, #97, #100, #103, #109 and #115, so basically out of 45 issues theres only been 9 really good ones.
Nameless
03-12-2006, 01:50 AM
the UK simpsons comics have been going downhill for ages.
all the dumb issues are by ian boothby...no offense mr boothby if you read this but the "three tales per issue" thing that is also done on the simpsons tv show is getting old...like 'greek to me' in ish #70, 'bard boiled' in issue #76, 'lisa simpson's book club' in issue #81, and 'dr nick @ night' in ish #105...and lets not forget #80 with the people of springfield saying how they got fired, thats basically the same thing but without a title for each segment. Anyway here's a little thing i came up with from one of your simpsons issues.
yes this is an edit! thank you mr boothby for pointing that out (see below!!), i didnt really think about the older issues because im not actually that familiar with them...btw i actually do like ish #105 and #80 just a couple of the others dont tickle my fancy...109 is one of my faves as is 111 (although i say that is a little bit wacky its still very funny i guess thats what the simpsons are about)...
Homer's dream has finally come true...
http://thesimpsonssector.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/0lbshomer.jpg.w180h307.jpg
Ian Boothby
03-12-2006, 03:35 AM
No offence taken. Different strokes for different folks. Please don't let my being here stifle you talking about the books.
I don't think things have gotten wackier since the comic started though. In issue #1 Homer is turned into a giant. Shortly after Bart was shrunk down. Later Smithers was cloned.
Things have been pretty wacky from the get go.
hey actually thats rite just wait i gotta edit my post lol btw mr boothby if you have issue #113 (you wrote it i think "little orphan bart") u mite recognise part of my name from the junk mail letter...yeh that was my letter :P thanks mr boothby for pointing that out i dont read the earlier issues much (mostly because theyr sealed and in a safe place) but yes like homer being big, bart being shrunk and smithers being cloned, theres also mr burns being attacked by vicious turkeys, the uncle burn$ story (sorry i called it an attrocity for some reason i get in moods and hate things sometimes and love em the next sorry), umm there was also the mention of issue #111 about the last segment and the tutoring bits i liked the one about the big bang i think because its bart being his usual bratty self and the dinosaur one is quite good i like how no one can see it and then it squashes them all of a sudden. i guess the bit that i didnt really think was good was the part where otto crashes the truck it wasnt bad it just seemed a little rushed but i understand how you only have a limited amount of pages to do a story :) i just thought of another one, ned flanders being an alien clone, the space/time continuum story...thanks for pointing these out and sorry about all the negative comments! i still love your simpsons work
it's a comic book, it's allowed to be wacky.
No. Heck, no.
DotheBartman
03-12-2006, 04:10 AM
I've only read these comics very, very rarely, but I get the impression that these things have always been much wackier than the show. I remember when I was young they published one of the stories in "Disney Adventures" and it was about Lisa discovering a race of mutants under the school. I also picked up the first book collection with the first four issues at a garage sale and as Mr. Boothby said there's some crazy shit in that.
To be honest, my thinking is that a lot of people here probably just grew out of the comics. I've never really cared for them personally, but at the same I've always just gotten the impression that they're made largely for children. Maybe those of you on the Bongo staff who are reading this feel differently, but I always got that feeling based on the (relatively, anyway) lack of real adult content and a lot of the stories, and the fact that Groening once said something about how he wanted to put out really smart stuff for kids. And I think that's what these are. The problem for some people might just be that they started reading as a child and then grew out of them, and whereas the show (as a more adult production) held up for them, the comics didn't.
I remember when I was young they published one of the stories in "Disney Adventures" and it was about Lisa discovering a race of mutants under the school.
Maybe those of you on the Bongo staff who are reading this feel differently, but I always got that feeling based on the (relatively, anyway) lack of real adult content and a lot of the stories, and the fact that Groening once said something about how he wanted to put out really smart stuff for kids. And I think that's what these are.
The story that you're referring to is "Lisa Simpson, Storeroom Raider" originally from Simpsons Comics #49, where Lisa discovers mutated substitute teachers are living under the school and that they have been teaching hamsters. That story was by Mr. Boothby himself.
The Simpsons Comics are actually quite mature in some of their issues, but they may be a bit 'wacky' but they are not plain 'childish'. That's why Matt created Bart Simpson Comics, which is aimed at the younger Simpsons Comics readers. An example of how Simpsons Comics is really aimed for older viewers is in one of the recent issues (#115), where Ned Flanders sees a sign that says something about "Shag Carpetting" and he says something along the lines of "Do they have to use sex to sell everything nowdays?" And then Simpsons Comics #100 where (I don't know about in the US, but in Australia it is a mild form of swearing but amusing nonetheless) when Homer says "Holy CRAP! That's ME!". In the UK edition it was changed to "Holy Crud!".
Matt B.
03-12-2006, 08:08 AM
No thats what I like from the comics. They always seem to be wackier
Stratman
03-12-2006, 08:16 AM
No offence taken. Different strokes for different folks. Please don't let my being here stifle you talking about the books.
I don't think things have gotten wackier since the comic started though. In issue #1 Homer is turned into a giant. Shortly after Bart was shrunk down. Later Smithers was cloned.
Things have been pretty wacky from the get go.
I once owned the issue where Bart was shrunk down. I remember it being quite good.
Reverend Lovejoy
03-12-2006, 10:54 AM
yeh but seriously two years ago we got some great stories...but now... i don't know whats happened these last few seasons, i mean years
ok il giv u a comparison AND an example then...
SIMPSONS #58 "Mayor Me A Little" (2001): Mayor Quimby forces to make Sunday Blue Laws for Springfield. Homer doesn't want to lose his beer, so he runs for Mayor. Lisa also backs Homer up, because it means he can save duck pond that Quimby was to turn into a carpark. Fat Tony becomes Homer's campaign manager, but he gets Homer to ruin the duck pond because it was actually his carpark plan. Lisa ends up hating Homer over what happened. Homer fires Fat Tony when he finds out what happened, and makes Lisa his new manager. The election is a tie, but Homer hands it to Quimby if he repeals the blue laws and saves the duck pond.
Classic issue, later retold as "See Homer Run" in Season 17.
Now look at this "load of tripe":
"Uncle Burn$" (2005): Smithers is badly injured and can't go on a treasure hunt with Mr Burns. Instead Burns takes Homer and Bart, Lisa & Maggie. While they go on the hunt the encounter these stupid things:
Burns tries to kill Bart just because he dropped a penny,
Frink invests a bat-holding machine which i dinosaur materializes out of,
A giant squid attacks the five treasure hunters, and ends up eating itself until it no longer existed (without even a PLAUSIBLE explanation to how it happened)
Mr. Burns attempting to swim through his gold,
the "three snakes" part with Maggie and the talking starfish,
and lets not forget the stupid fact that somehow Bart, Lisa, Maggie and Homer start floating just because they ate something with helium in it. What an attrocity!
I have to agree with you there, especially since the 'classic' you mentioned is one of my favourite issues. I've had a lot of problems with the comics recently, for reasons that are obvious to anyone who's heard of me. I'm considering writing a letter.
Ian Boothby
03-12-2006, 09:40 PM
Please do write a letter, the folks at Bongo are very open to reader's feedback.
But post what you think as well.
The Uncle Burn$ issue you mention was a parody of Carl Barks Uncle $crooge comics. So some of the elements like being lighter than air, swimming through gold and a lucky coin were taken directly from old Barks stories.
Please do write a letter, the folks at Bongo are very open to reader's feedback.
But post what you think as well.
The Uncle Burn$ issue you mention was a parody of Carl Barks Uncle $crooge comics. So some of the elements like being lighter than air, swimming through gold and a lucky coin were taken directly from old Barks stories.
hey now that you mention it i remember seeing someone ask that in junk mail in issue #104 (i think...) someone asked if it was a tribute to $crooge comics and also i thinm if a panel in ish #36 was an inspiration as well.
i have written a letter -- junk mail simpsons #113
david195
03-13-2006, 03:27 AM
I agree that the comics are having more wackier stories now but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. As long as the stories are still interesting and there's funny jokes and good artwork then I'm happy and I think as long as the issues maintain these qualities then they're still good - wacky or ordinary. I'm not really sure which kind of issues I prefer though between the wackier ones and the more down-to-earth ones. Thinking about it I probably like some of the wackier ones more - I like all the multiple story issues because as with the episodes it gives the writers and artists a chance to be really creative and it's always interesting and funny seeing the characters in different places, times and worlds even. One of my favourite of these issues is #79 which has the story 'Homer for the Holidays' in which Grampa tells a series of Christmas stories (after becoming confused by the Simpsons' Christmas decorations which have been left out until July). The stories range from Bart the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Marge the Snow-Mom and they're all funny, entertaining and wonderfully illustrated. I also really liked #111 - it had its wacky moments but it was funny and had an interesting story. So in conclusion I think the issues are as good as ever and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Boothby and everyone at Bongo Comics for all the comics they've done and to tell them to keep up the good work.
ivan, the junk mail page only appears in the australian version. and if i'm wrong then i'm sure a different version of the junk mail page appears in the american version. so the majority of people here cant and have not read your letter.
actually i have the american and aus version of both simpsons #109 and #110 and both versions have the same letters: the australian publishers only change or alter the pictures or add another letter. all the letters stay the same from the US version, and plus #113 isnt out in aus for another month and a half
see, you may have the latest simpsons news but you dont have th latest simpsons brains
Itchy
03-13-2006, 05:32 AM
I also think the recent stories weren't so good. They didn't suck but they weren't great either. And to make it worse, the new issues has more adverts than usual and Junk Mail has vanished. I'm not sure if I will bother to buy any future issues.
Another thing I would like to comment on is why I&S comics were stopped after only four issues? They have Bart's favorite comic book; Radioactive man comics is stilll going, so why can't his favorite cartoon show have their own issues as well?
Please do write a letter, the folks at Bongo are very open to reader's feedback.
But Junk Mail has been removed, or are you gonna bring it back again?
Gibbles
03-13-2006, 08:58 AM
Not at all, if anything they have gotten less wacky since issue one.
If I remember correctly back in the Skully years the comics did try to emulate the wackiness that Skully was generating on the show (like the kite and the robot one, and the Leprecons in the bible story's), but aside from that and the first 10 or so issues, its all been pretty down to earth stuff.
Hell, over the last couple of years there have been plenty of gems that are worthy of being an episode, such as the mobile phone one and Flanders and the video games. And thats off the top of my head.
Another thing I would like to comment on is why I&S comics were stopped after only four issues? They have Bart's favorite comic book; Radioactive man comics is stilll going, so why can't his favorite cartoon show have their own issues as well?
There is an intervie on "i think" simpsons collectors where bill morrison says that itchy and scratchy comics were cancelled because Bongo had to deal with fans who wanted to see more gore, while trying to please parents and the comics code authority by not having it, and that it was hard to make a full lngth issue just featuring those characters. i hope this helps.
Rowdy
03-13-2006, 03:21 PM
The first fifty or so issues were readable and somewhat fun. Then, they just started having ones that mirrored recent episodes and had pathetic attempts at humor. I purchased the trade paperbacks collections up to about sixty issues worth, then I used a torrent to read the next forty or so, which were mostly rubbish. Haven't read the comics in over a year now and don't really care either.
Itchy
03-13-2006, 11:17 PM
There is an intervie on "i think" simpsons collectors where bill morrison says that itchy and scratchy comics were cancelled because Bongo had to deal with fans who wanted to see more gore, while trying to please parents and the comics code authority by not having it, and that it was hard to make a full lngth issue just featuring those characters. i hope this helps.
Well, they could just post a warning on the cover saying; "Contains extreme violence and gore and should not be viewed by young children" or something like that.
Well, they could just post a warning on the cover saying; "Contains extreme violence and gore and should not be viewed by young children" or something like that.
it would be good if itchy and scratchy came back--thats y i like when theyr in simpsons comics
TerrorK
03-22-2006, 02:24 PM
Yeah, Simpsons Comics took a massive drop in quality somewhere around the 60's and 70's, IMHO. So I stopped buying them in the mid-80's issues after getting sick of crap-after-crap and just stuck to the vastly superior Futurama Comics instead. They ranged in quality from the start somewhat, but the good issues became far fewer as time went on.
They did get wackier too, to a point. Most of the older issues that had a wacky style to them like The Amazing Colossal Homer came off as good parodies of other comics or somewhat like THoH stories. The later issues that suffer from wackiness problems tend to try and act like normal Simpsons episode style stories one minute, then suddenly become wacky the next. Homer growing and Lisa shrinking are a bit different, because that's what the whole point of the story is about. But when the story is trying to act, for the most part, fairly normal, then has these wacky tangents, it comes across as rather weak and forced. One of the early horrid examples of this is the issue when Bart made a giant moth kite and everybody was scared of it. Characters are often also put in situations that just don't suit them at all too (Marge being a judge, Krusty being a doctor, etc...)
The jokes have also just become less and less funny, the characterisation can often be iffy too. Especially when one-time characters from the show are brought back who really only work once properly, or are horribly used (Nigel from Homer's Barbershop Quartet being SLH's agent, for example).
The art has horribly nosedived in quality from about the same time too, often characters being given horribly exaggerated expressions, often drawn off-model to the point where they look more like a fan artists rendition of the characters in comic form rather than an offical product of the show. It's not that the artists can't draw, it's more like the stuff they're producing exhibits too many of their own quirks... as if it's a Simpsons parody that should be in MAD Magazine or something, rather than official material.
I'd also like to add that while Futurama Comics doesn't generally suffer the same fate art wise, there is one exception: John Delaney. All issues he is credited with have off-model character art that suffers from the same problems.
It's a shame actually, because Simpsons Comics started off as a good series on average really. Hell, many of the early issues would be better as episodes than the current real episodes are! They Fixed Homer's Brain in fact will always be a masterpiece, and far better than HOMR ever was on every level.
TerrorK what issue is They Fixed Homer's Brain and could you give a bried description. I'm extremely interested in it now that you have pointed out how gooid it is.
TerrorK
03-22-2006, 04:04 PM
TerrorK what issue is They Fixed Homer's Brain and could you give a bried description. I'm extremely interested in it now that you have pointed out how gooid it is.
It's issue #27, and is basically the same plot as the episode HOMR (both of which are parodying Flowers for Algernon) but is actually decent, funny and genuinely emotional. For one thing, Homer's intelligence is increased via a pill Frink has developed that increases brain activity, rather than saying he was dumb from a crayon in his brain. Homer takes the pill, which will last (I think) a week, and then will wear off. After that time Homer can decide whether he wants an operation to make the effects permanent or not.
The jokes are also funnier, his intelligence is far more realistic and consistent (i.e. he doesn't just magically know more things, he actually learns better due to a better attention span, etc) and the emotional aspect regarding him and Lisa is handled with far more depth, heart and reality. It also even explores how despite his growing closer to Lisa, he begins to alienate himself somewhat from Marge and Bart. The ending (which I won't spoil) is also handled very well, coming across as genuine rather than the rather lazily written and forced ending of HOMR.
To sum it all up, They Fixed Homer's Brain is HOMR done first, and done right.
I'd also like to add that while Futurama Comics doesn't generally suffer the same fate art wise, there is one exception: John Delaney. All issues he is credited with have off-model character art that suffers from the same problems.
i agree with you there. i dont really like his artwork and thats why i didnt enjoy the time bender trilogy.
TerrorK what issue is They Fixed Homer's Brain and could you give a bried description. I'm extremely interested in it now that you have pointed out how gooid it is.
also, Klia, this is the cover of that issue:
http://www.planetbongocomics.com/Simpsons_Comics_27/IMAG007.JPG
i doubt if you'll be able to find it in back issues, after all its already from a decade ago, but you might be lucky. if not, look out in comic book stores or just normal bookstores for this:
http://www.planetbongocomics.com/Trade_Paperback_7/IMAG010.JPG
you should be able to find that book -- They Fixed Homer's Brain is in it. I got it about six months ago in the original version thats about eight years old.
moonwalker69
03-25-2006, 06:16 AM
Comics are meant to be wacky, aren't they.....?
I've noticed that they have declined in quality a bit, but the comics in general are still doing alright.
no, comics are not meant to be wacky. futurama comics aren't, bart simpson comics aren't, simpsons super spectacular aren't, it just seems to be simpsons comics that are wacky to me
Thanks both of you for giving me a brief (not a bried) description of the comic and the cover for it. I'll look for it next time I stumble upon the Simpsons comics.
well they can sort of be wacky, like mr boothby said on the first page of this thread, but sometimes its nice to have a little story where things arent *too* out there
and also simpsons super spectacular...i wouldnt actually call them wacky because they have to be the way they are with bartman, pieman and all that
i hate how bongo have decided to sell out to bigger companies by publishing their ads in bongo comic books -- for example simpsons #115 was fine, that at least had SOME ads for new bongo books along with some from random companies (and they were just chucked on random pages through the stories anyway), but in super spectacular #2 there were no ads for other bongo books at all -- the only thing that had anything remotely to do with bongo in the whole publication was the logo on the front of the book, and then they put lame ads inside it for stupid breakfast cereals and kids shows (how insulting to fox who have made the simpsons available to us for almost two decades -- the ads for the shows arent evern on fox!)...bongo is very disappointing. thats why i cant wait for the australian versions of the books so i dont have to put up with them...
Anyway, I was reading an older thread a minute ago where people were saying what was wrong with the comics. I reckon (personally) that that's what this thread should be now...personally there aren't many issues that I hate but there are still a few things that bug me. I commented earlier that the issues seem more "wacky"...I was going through my old issues just a few days ago and realized the low point for the comics has already passed (for me anyway). I call the lowest point for them was around about issues #70-#85...strangely #70 was my first issue and I thought it was absolutely wonderful when I bought it...but now...mmm. #1-#18 were really average, #19-#23 were great, #24-#33 were quite bad (except #27), #34-#49 things picked up, and from #50-#69 they were great. The lowest points out of the fifteen of those issues are #70 (the Greek stories), #74 (Homer's brain explodes???), #81 (the three-story per issue thing worked well, but this isn't that good mainly because it has about ten stories instead), and #83 (Homer gets smarter thanks to an ant bite). #84 and #85 were alright, but #84 had a lot of problems with dialogue. Issue #86 picked up a bit (the surfing issue), but after "Hail to the Cat" (#87) there were a few clunkers until the one where businesses have to run 24/7. #98 was the best issue since #87 (because it had the return of Xt'tapalatakettle). #100 was great, except maybe if the clip show bit was cut shorter and we could have had a special feature or something (maybe something like a day in the life of Bongo, but actually have photos not a comic strip??). I found the next year or so afterwards was basically like the average Simpsons season now: a few really good ones (#103, #105, #107, #108, #109, #112) a few average ones (#102, #104, #110, #111), and a few clunkers (#101, #106). Also, a lot of the recent art has been off. I can't really comment on issues #113-#116 because I haven't read most of them yet. Sorry if I've dragged this on waaaay too long. I want other people to say what they think.
Itchy
04-09-2006, 08:48 AM
i hate how bongo have decided to sell out to bigger companies by publishing their ads in bongo comic books -- for example simpsons #115 was fine, that at least had SOME ads for new bongo books along with some from random companies (and they were just chucked on random pages through the stories anyway), but in super spectacular #2 there were no ads for other bongo books at all -- the only thing that had anything remotely to do with bongo in the whole publication was the logo on the front of the book, and then they put lame ads inside it for stupid breakfast cereals and kids shows (how insulting to fox who have made the simpsons available to us for almost two decades -- the ads for the shows arent evern on fox!)...bongo is very disappointing. thats why i cant wait for the australian versions of the books so i dont have to put up with them...
Yeah, I hate that as well. And still no Junk Mail! What the heck is Bongo thinking?
coltonwiggum
04-09-2006, 12:46 PM
:shifty:
I think that the last few years worth of Simpsons Comics has closely resembled the Mike Scully era of the TV show. The stories have become wacky, the jokes aren't very good, and sometimes there is filler material that is not needed
The comics have always been like that.
bluemoose
04-14-2006, 11:36 AM
I said yes. However, I've never really liked the comics, and have always found them to be like the Scully era.
ivan, the junk mail page only appears in the australian version. and if i'm wrong then i'm sure a different version of the junk mail page appears in the american version. so the majority of people here cant and have not read your letter.
Well I have the American version of #113 (the one with my letter) and the Aus #113 came out yesterday and I had a look through it at the newsagent today and yep it's in there still.
Gay4Moleman
04-26-2006, 09:51 PM
The comics should be zanier than the show, they don't have to adhere to all the canons established within the episodes. I haven't read one in a long time, but I remember them being quite hilarious for their over-the-top antics which seem to have no effect on the Simpsons on TV.
I agree, they have been hilarious, but with the newer ones the jokes seem to fall flat and instead of having those classic issues (such as, in my opinion, ones like Homer and his boy band and even the Simpsons thanksgiving issue) they have ones that take up more time explaining what is going on when they could be using the space to put better jokes in (or putting in junk mail again)
Nameless
04-27-2006, 08:21 AM
the uk editions still have junk mail (a different version to the australian/us version).
there were wacky, unrealistic storylines with unfunny jokes since the first comic...the last really good one barring the THOH issues was the one where homer owned the duff brewery.
And even that was a while ago. (Pretty sure that was just #14 over here and the US). I think the reason you guys still have junk mail in the UK is because you guys havent got up to the stories that Australia and the US have. It's once you get to the one where you follow everyone's phone calls that junk mail might be cut (probably not -- the UK seems to have longer issues anyway)
Solid Snake
04-27-2006, 06:30 PM
I cant really say myself, they are and they arent. Some of the comics pretty funny, and can acutally be useful for a Simpsons fansite Webmaster like myself. Then there are others where you think, why did I just blow £2.60 on this piece of junk. It varies just like the episodes do.
Reverend Lovejoy
04-28-2006, 09:50 AM
I cant really say myself, they are and they arent. Some of the comics pretty funny, and can acutally be useful for a Simpsons fansite Webmaster like myself. Then there are others where you think, why did I just blow £2.60 on this piece of junk. It varies just like the episodes do.
Well said. There are good comics and bad ones. It's really a matter of opinion.
simplysimpsons
04-29-2006, 05:30 AM
The last two weren't great (US comics), which is a shame as I thought they'd been improving ever since #100. They should have Junk Mail back, too, as it feels like the comics are missing something without it. But overall, I'd say they're not going the 'Scully Era' route, unless future comics are all as bad as the last two.
'Bart Simpson' comics are still my real favourite, though. They only come out once every 2 months, which might explain why they're generally a lot better than the regular ones.
Nameless
04-29-2006, 06:51 AM
'Bart Simpson' comics are still my real favourite, though. They only come out once every 2 months, which might explain why they're generally a lot better than the regular ones.
i thought it was only 4 times a year (with spring, summer, autumn, winter editions).
Rich Uncle Skeleton
04-30-2006, 09:03 AM
Is there still only one story per issue? I remember seeing a few recent comics and they onely had one story in. I always loved the mini stories at the back - radioactive man, itchy & scratchy, and even random ones like mr sparkle were a nice change.
Reverend Lovejoy
04-30-2006, 09:12 AM
Is there still only one story per issue? I remember seeing a few recent comics and they onely had one story in. I always loved the mini stories at the back - radioactive man, itchy & scratchy, and even random ones like mr sparkle were a nice change.
That's one of the annoying things about these post-#100 issues - they only seem to have one story in. I preferred it when they had at least two stories.
Radiation Dude
05-09-2006, 06:09 AM
I've always assumed the Simpsons and Futurama comics were aimed at kids, and so I always lower my expectations a little when I read them. Kinda like you do with Mad Magazine. It's funny, but not hilarious like when you were 11.
The Simpsons comics should aspire to be like the Donald Duck comics of the fifties and sixties- kid's books, but still funny and enjoyable for adults.
I havent read too many Bongo books- the Free Comic Book Day issues, The Futurama/Simpsons Crossovers, a couple trades here and there- but what I have read, I've liked.
Kiyosuki
05-20-2006, 04:49 AM
For all that the comics are, one thing I think its stayed consistent with is that the comics I think portray the characters a lot better than the show currently does. Little things like funny lines, personality consistency, and situations I feel like are just a lot more like the way the characters should act.
Especially when it comes to Homer, Ralph, Bart, Nelson, CBG, and generally the more well known secondary characters really. A great example is this one story about a lot of the younger characters joining a boy band. It was done in New Kids on the Bleech ofcourse but I thought the comic's version of that premise was a lot better even though it was a shorter story. Rather than concentrate on the big conspiracy (as funny as I thought that was.), it concentrated more on the moral dillemna faced by the band members, the human element.
The comic still has a good amount of "realistic", canon series esque stories as well. Generally, I still think the comics are really the best new material to go to if you want to see Bart with his edge back, Homer be lovable, Ralph actually feel like a human boy again, and so on. But thats just me.
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