Simpsons Comics Thread

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

"I think the artists should be allowed to be creative and not forced to rigidly conform to the models. otherwise it's just promo art stapled together"

Yeah, maybe your right. I just remember being annoyed at first how the art is so different from the 1st series.

Can't you just quote people?

[Dark Homer]

I doubt they're looking for creativity.

They're an entertainment company, creativity is their product! Do you realize what an insult that is?

They just don't want to hire real artists who can make The Simpsons look like The Simpsons.

This is an inane non-sequitur...

It's not just promo art stapled together. It still has a story attached.

Do you think I was speaking literally?

You might as well say that The Simpsons television show should go off-model and just let anyone draw the characters. Would you really go along with that? Probably not, since the art of The Simpsons is what makes the show, or at least half of it.

This is going a bit off-topic but have you seen how stiff and lifeless the show is now? Letting the animators go off-model once in a while would greatly improve things. Think about classic scenes like Homer's heart attack, or when goes crazy in "The Shinning" - I would absolutely love to see more "off-model" moments like those.

Let's get this this back to Radioactive Man, which is what I was primarily addressing. Yes, it's a spin-off of The Simpsons, but that doesn't mean the artwork should be bound to the "rules" for drawing The Simpsons. It should be allowed to become its own thing. Here's a page from #100 drawn by Hilary Barta:



I assume you would call this off-model because none of the characters could be dropped into The Simpsons show without some serious design modification. Look at the shadows, the folds in the mayor's suit, the various hair styles, the facial expressions, the comic book-y cityscape... Barta has created a style that effortlessly combines the look of a 1960s-era comic that's still consistent with Simpsonian anatomy. I think it looks great (you're free to disagree of course) and it helps differentiate Radioactive Man as an separate entity.

One of great things about Volume 2 is how each issue has a unique look... there's the Archie-ish style of #136 (drawn by Archie-model-originator Dan DeCarlo himself, clearly an amateur), there's the pulpy look of #4 (1953), the Howard Chaykin-esque style of #575 (1984). Again, these are all "off-model" - but that's because the central premise of Radioactive Man actually necessitates changing the model to adapt to the time period. The fun of Radioactive Man comes from seeing how the narrative adapts to these eras, and seeing the look of that world being altered to suit the style of comics at the time visually enhances and reinforces the satire, making the work stronger as a whole.

The look of Volume 1 is a lot more consistent issue to issue. That's not to say there aren't any changes - there's a lot more shadows in the grimdark 1980-era Watchmen/Dark Knight/Infinite Crisis parody, for example - but they're a lot less noticeable than the changes in Volume 2. It's more "on-model," which actually does a disservice to the premise and makes the issues weaker. It doesn't reinforce the satire, it strains believability (in 1994, Superman wasn't being drawn the same way he looked in 1938), and it's generally less fun to look at.

So, again, I think the artwork of Volume 2 blows Volume 1 out of the water, and praising faithfulness to a consistent model in a series premised on change is pretty silly

[yodazone]

The latest Simpsons Spectacular #15 has a smoother glossier cover than the other Bongo issues from the passed 6 months.

Couldn't find the new Bart issue that came out with it this week...it was sold out at 2 shops here.

[yodazone]

Still no word on what other Bongo exclusives might being given out at next week's Comicon.

Last year there was:

- Simpsons Best Superhero Stories Ever TPB - 1000 made
- Funnies Poster, T-Shirt, Button
- Futurama - 4 Black Light Posters

This year:

- Olympics Themed Simpsons Exclusive

Predictions:

- Radioactive Man Hardcover (maybe signed & numbered with certificates?)



Here's one of the scheduled Bongo Panels so far from the Comicon site:

http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci12_prog_thu.php

Thursday, July 12

11:00-12:00 Bongo Comics/United Plankton Sneak Peek— Bongo Comics and United Plankton Pictures offer a tantalizing preview of upcoming projects featuring The Simpsons, Futurama, SpongeBob SquarePants, and a few other surprises. Bongo's creative director Nathan Kane, managing editor Terry Delegeane, and art director Jason Ho are joined by intern/fan favorite Louis Lane and Simpsons/Futurama-ologist Bill Morrison for a fun and informative free-for-all. Find out what's in the future for Futurama Comics, what to surmise about Simpsons Comics, and what's next for Bongo in the print world and beyond. Also, Chris Duffy, managing editor of United Plankton Pictures, will dish up some Krabby Patty-infused morsels of what's to come in SpongeBob Comics. Room 9

[Claude Kane III]

I wonder if there'll be any extra surprises like with the Futurama/Simpsons Crossover hardback a couple years ago.

Just out of curiosity, what was in the Crossover book for extras?

[Bug Boy]

If you look at the new pictures on Bongo's facebook you can see there is a comic called "Simpsons Go For The Gold" most likely a comic con exclusive

[Charlie]

^ Been discussed a little over the last few pages It's being released widely in Australia, there's an ad in the latest Simpsons issue here that shows it includes a few little bonuses like a fake London map. Can't wait to see what else is inside.

Just out of curiosity, what was in the Crossover book for extras?

It included a bonus reprint of Simpsons Comics #1, inserted into a sleeve in the back cover, scans of the original pencils and art, and had a crossover gallery with a dozen or so drawings/comics/parodies by guest artists.

[Claude Kane III]

It included a bonus reprint of Simpsons Comics #1, inserted into a sleeve in the back cover, scans of the original pencils and art, and had a crossover gallery with a dozen or so drawings/comics/parodies by guest artists.

Wow, so pretty cool for extras then. Here's hoping we get something even half that cool in the Radioactive Repository.

[yodazone]

^ Been discussed a little over the last few pages It's being released widely in Australia, there's an ad in the latest Simpsons issue here that shows it includes a few little bonuses like a fake London map. Can't wait to see what else is inside.



It included a bonus reprint of Simpsons Comics #1, inserted into a sleeve in the back cover, scans of the original pencils and art, and had a crossover gallery with a dozen or so drawings/comics/parodies by guest artists.

The gallery pinups were great in that book.

2-page crowd scene jam by Aragones:



Stan Sakai's pinup:

[Bertholomew]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but (In the UK at least) Simpsons comics just reached it's 200th Issue!
Here's a pic of my first issue from 2003 as well as the 100th and 200th issues.


Unfortunately the story was not very unique; the 100th issue had excerpts from favorite back issues http://tscs.xtreemhost.com/simpsons-comics-100.html, but the 200th just had a regular-style story (it was pretty good that said).
I really hope the comics carry on as I have noticed that the circulation/sales has been in decline, judging by the stats which are sometimes published for advertisers.

[Charlie]

The UK comics are quite a while behind the US ones in regards to the stories. What happened was in the US several different series were published (Simpsons, Bartman, Krusty, Treehouse of Horror etc). In the UK, they were all combined and released under the Simpsons Comics title, which somehow boosted the issue count above the US counterpart (I think there were a couple months here and there where 2 issues were released in the UK). I just looked it up on the Titan Magazines website, and the story in UK #200 is taken from US #177, which was released almost a year and a half ago in the States. I'm guessing when the official US comics get to #200, something special will be released.

--

Comic-Con exclusives are up on the Bongo Blog!

http://www.bongocomics.com/blog/07/0...ives-sdcc-2012

Um... Coldplay comics? Really?

[Solid Snake]

(I think there were a couple months here and there where 2 issues were released in the UK).

Yeah. In the UK, they release 13 a year rather than 12.

And I see that they're still attaching worthless pieces of crap to the comics as gifts. And seriously? Did Titan really make the issues bigger..?

I'm still glad that I stopped buying the UK editions. :P

[Charlie]

Yeah. In the UK, they release 13 a year rather than 12.

And I see that they're still attaching worthless pieces of crap to the comics as gifts. And seriously? Did Titan really make the issues bigger..?

I'm still glad that I stopped buying the UK editions. :P

I guess no one falls for the "BIGGER ISSUE!!! MORE PAGES!!!" gimmick anymore, now they're trying "BIGGER ISSUE!!! BIGGER DIMENSIONS!!!"

[Solid Snake]

Something like that.

Also, Bongo goes digital: http://www.bongocomics.com/blog/07/1...s-goes-digital

[Zim999]

Something like that.

Also, Bongo goes digital: http://www.bongocomics.com/blog/07/1...s-goes-digital

I hope they add all the comics they made to that app.
Comic series not added yet are:
Itchy and Scratchy
The Crossovers
Futurama
Simpsons Winter Wingding
Krusty Comics
Comic Book Guy
And the Rare Comics and Stories which started it all.

Did I miss any?

[Solid Snake]

And the Rare Comics and Stories which started it all.

That's actually a lot more common than you might think.

[Zim999]

That's actually a lot more common than you might think.

OK.
Here's a full list of the comics that have to be added to the app, not counting Treehouse of Horrors.

Bart Simpson: 2 out of 73
Bartman: 2 out of 6
Comic Book Guy: 0 out of 5
Crossovers: 0 out of 4

Futurama: 0 out of 62
Itchy and Scratchy: 0 out of 3
Krusty Comics: 0 out of 3
Lisa Comics: 1 out of 1
Radioactive Man: 2 out of 16
Simpsons Comics and Stories: 0 out of 1
Simpsons Comics: 9 out of 192, counting #100
Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: 2 out of 2
Simpsons Summer Shindig: 1 out of 6
Simpsons Super Spectacular: 2 out of 15
Simpsons Winter Wingding: 0 out of 6

Done: 21
Left: 378

Total: 399 as of now.

That also count the newest ones as well.
With massive luck they will add more then 2 a week.

[yodazone]

They need to add "Funnies" 1-7 too. I would buy digital of that whole run easy.

Also:

Jimbo
Fleener
Heroes Anonymous
Roswell
Hopster's Tracks
History of Bongo Comics (for the fun of it since it's so rare)
"Life in Hell" would be great too.

I guess they have to clean up the old pages before they load them to digital for the older comics. If they are scanning them off of the old books/trades.

[Dark Homer]

and to think just two years ago they didn't even have a website

[Flexo]

Eh, there's better ways to get comics on my phone. Especially seeing as I use android.

[Charlie]

I notice they refer to Bill Morrison as Bongo's "head of digital development". I'm guessing this is probably his 'exciting new project' alluded to when he stepped down as creative director?

[Mother Teresa Jr]

Now, maybe Bongo can make some real money. Why anyone would hold out for going digital for years is beyond me. Comic book shops are becoming scarce.

[speedmaster]

I notice they refer to Bill Morrison as Bongo's "head of digital development". I'm guessing this is probably his 'exciting new project' alluded to when he stepped down as creative director?

Who's the new creative director?

[speedmaster]

Bongo is really strapped for cash. I doubt they're looking for creativity. They just don't want to hire real artists who can make The Simpsons look like The Simpsons.

It's not just promo art stapled together. It still has a story attached. You might as well say that The Simpsons television show should go off-model and just let anyone draw the characters. Would you really go along with that? Probably not, since the art of The Simpsons is what makes the show, or at least half of it. I want the show that I love transferred to the printed page. I can look at crap fan art on deviantart.

If I wanted another look, I'd go read another comic -- which I actually do, but still. It's ironic that Bongo put out a complete hardback guide on how to draw the characters properly, and then they publish this mess every month.

The Treehouse of Horror books are just awful as well. I love how Bongo passes it off as 'we're letting someone (seemingly) famous draw the art and write the stories!' lol Wow, so exciting.... How dumb do they think we are?

For an industry that's on life support, I find it bizarre that they publish so many different Simpsons titles, even the main edition 12x a year. They haven't even looked into going digital. It took them 13 years to get their web site together. How do they make money?

Like I said, they don't have the $$$ to hire the best in the biz to handle the book anymore, and it shows. They're still trying to turn crap into cold. Getting amateurs to write and produce your product is not edgy, and it's certainly not art.

Rant over -- for now.

Obviously you know nothing about creative writers and artists. The people that worked on Treehouse of Horror are some of the best artist/writers on the planet and incidentally, THOH is highly regarded as a well written series and is Highly Collectible. THOH has been nominated and won various Eisner (Comic industry awards) awards over the years too
They obviously can't please everyone. Trying something new and ground breaking doesn't always go down well but calling Bongo dumb and accusing them of using amateurs shows a complete lack of understanding of what is involved in producing a comic book. You're entitled to not like the book but remember - art is subjective. I don't always like all of the art in all the Simpsons related books but I commend Bongo for having fun with their books and throwing out a few new ideas. The plots in the Simpsons books are often better than some of the TV shows in my opinion

[Charlie]

Who's the new creative director?

Nathan Kane. He took over at the start of the year. At the moment there's a lot of stories still crediting Bill as editor, I'd imagine because of the long time it takes to make the comics, but over the last few months Nathan's credit has been creeping onto more and more stories instead.

Obviously you know nothing about creative writers and artists. The people that worked on Treehouse of Horror are some of the best artist/writers on the planet and incidentally, THOH is highly regarded as a well written series and is Highly Collectible. THOH has been nominated and won various Eisner (Comic industry awards) awards over the years too
They obviously can't please everyone. Trying something new and ground breaking doesn't always go down well but calling Bongo dumb and accusing them of using amateurs shows a complete lack of understanding of what is involved in producing a comic book. You're entitled to not like the book but remember - art is subjective. I don't always like all of the art in all the Simpsons related books but I commend Bongo for having fun with their books and throwing out a few new ideas. The plots in the Simpsons books are often better than some of the TV shows in my opinion

Agreed 100%. I've complained before about off-model art, but it only bothers me when it's supposed to be in the natural Simpsons style (and often use John Costanza as an obvious example). There's quite a few THOH stories out there that I haven't enjoyed - for example I consider #12 to pretty much be a dud - but a lot of the time they're absolutely brilliant. #15 is an example that is often brought up here, and interestingly that had not only guest artists, but a guest editor too (if that's what led to it's hilarity and insanity, then I'm all for it; the most hilarious Simpsons comic book I have ever read). "Harvest of Fear" from last year's issue is a perfect example of how bringing in different artists can really affect the tone, as the 'pot holder' scene is totally horrifying - it literally really quite disturbed me - and I simply can't see the same effect occurring if it was drawn by Phil Ortiz or John Delaney.

[yodazone]

October solicits are out:

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stori...6/bongooct.htm

5 more issues till #200.

[speedmaster]

Nathan Kane. He took over at the start of the year. At the moment there's a lot of stories still crediting Bill as editor, I'd imagine because of the long time it takes to make the comics, but over the last few months Nathan's credit has been creeping onto more and more stories instead.

That's really interesting and thanks for pointing that out...

[speedmaster]

That's actually a lot more common than you might think.

No it's not rare but it's hard to find in good condition.... This one is rare though:

[Bug Boy]

I remember when I was really young I found a beat up "digest" copy of this issue in my aunt's house, don't know why she had it. I didn't really take good care of it, or any comics until I was around 10. I regretted this for years until I won another copy in very fine- near mint condition in an ebay auction. Good issue.

[Dark Homer]

I've moved discussion of the Radioactive Man collection to this thread... it's big enough news to warrant its own thread and I'm hoping more people will see it...