Title/Issue no.---Cover Price (US$)---Main story number of pages
ITCHY & SCRATCHY HOLIDAY HIJINKS SPECIAL
Itchy & Scratchy Holiday Hi-Jinx Special #1 $1.95 28pp
"It's A Wonderful Knife: An I&S Holiday Fun Spectacular"
a) Matt Groening: Stocking Stuffer / Jason Grode: Story / Bill
Morrison: Layouts / Stephanie Gladden: Pencils / Tim Bavington:
Inks
b) None
c) None
d) The usual mayhem, with a lot of festive (surgical) spirit
added to it...
e) The first post-Vances issue, and a change in direction: the comic
is much more like the I&S clips on TV, i.e. not much plot, no
dialogue at all, maximum carnage instead of a behind-the-scenes
stories.
KRUSTY COMICS
Krusty Comics #1 $2.25 20pp
"The Rise And Fall Of Krustyland, Pt I"
Back-up story: Krusty & Mr. Teeny in "Double Date" 7pp
a) A Matt Groening Extravaganza / Script: Jamie Angell / Layouts:
Cary Schramm & Mili Smythe / Pencils: Phil Ortiz, Shaun Cashman
/ Finished Art: Cary Shramm & Mili Smythe / Colors: Nathan Kane,
Cary Shramm / Lettering: Doug Whaley
Back-up: Assistant to Mr Teeny: Matt Groening / Script: Jamie
Angell / Layouts: Cary Shramm / Pencils: Luis Escobar / Finished
Art: Tim Bavington / Color: Doug Whaley
b) none
c) Inside back cover: The Incredibly Stimulating Life Of Sideshow
Mel - Part One: On The Town
d) "In a misguided attempt to win his father's love, Krusty the
Clown builds the Krustyland Amusement Park. In order to do
this, he swindles the Junior Campers out of their land, double-
crosses Fat Tony out of his money, contaminates the park with
nuclear waste, packs the place with wild black-market monkeys,
betrays Bart, violates every known safety regulation, and ticks
off a supernatural wind..."
In "Double Date", Teeny's mischief during just such an outing
leads to Itchy & Scratchy-like slapstick mayhem...
e) A not particularly succesful attempt at translating the
shonkiness of Krustabulous marketing to the printed page: the
comic basically is annoying to look at, although on purpose -
"NOT a bootleg! Intentionally drawn to look off-model!" Pity
the story drags on as well, though. 60-odd pages over three
issues simply can't be sustained by the premise, although there
are some nice touches, such as Hutz's contract and the map of
Krustyland. The back-up story is much better, and the Sideshow
Mel pages are brilliant!
Krusty Comics #2 $2.25 20pp
"The Rise And Fall Of Krustyland, Pt II"
Back-up story: Krusty The Clown Presents "Krusty's Channeling Tips -
Finding A Decent Meal In Your Past Life" 8pp
a) Matt Groening: Chimp Wrangler / Jamie Angell: Writing / Cary
Shramm: Layouts, Pencils / Nathan Kane: Colors
Back-up: Mystic Channel Changer: Matt Groening / Script: Jamie
Angell / Layouts: Cary Shramm / Pencils: Luis Escobar / Inks:
Tim Bavington / Color: Nathan Kane
b) none
c) Inside back cover: The Incredibly Stimulating Life Of Sideshow
Mel - Part Two: On The Spot
d) All hell breaks loose at the much-anticipated opening of the
park, when the wind curse appears together with Fat Tony's
henchmen and Bart dressed as a pork chop...
The channeling story combines the usual slapstick and pork pushing
with some nice pseudo-historicism...
e) See above
Krusty Comics #3 $2.25 28pp
"The Rise And Fall Of Krustyland, Pt III"
a) Matt Groening: Lonely Goatherd / Story: Jamie Angell / Layouts:
Cary Schramm / Pencils: Phil Ortiz / Art Assist: Shaun Cashman
/ Letters: Mike Sakamoto / Colors: Nathan Kane
b) none
c) Inside back cover: The Incredibly Stimulating Life Of Sideshow
Mel - Part Three: On The Lamb (sic)
d) Total chaos ensues as Krustyland goes to pieces, but the Rabbi
saves day...
e) See above; this time there isn't even a back-up.
SIMPSONS COMICS
Simpsons Comics #7 $2.25 22pp
"The Greatest D'oh! On Earth"
Back-cover flip-over story: "McBain Comics":
"Dead To The Last Drop (Big Anti-Gun Issue)" 7pp
a) Matt Groening: Ringmaster / Andrew Gottlieb: Story / Phil Ortiz:
Pencils / Tim Bavington: Inks / Bill Morrison: Edits
Flip story: Matt Groening presents... / Written & directed by Bill
Morrison
b) None
c) None
d) The family, except for lazy Bart, head off to see the circus,
but Homer and Bart get closer to the three-ring-action than they
had imagined...
McBain (or rather Rainier Wolfcastle) gets into some trouble
due to the legitimate business men's love of guns, only surpassed
by his own...
e) A return to form after the slightly disappointing I&S special,
and reason to believe that post-Vance Bongo will continue to put
out great comics. Highlights in this issue include a mention of
Homer's hair care products, Bart failing to make like a Mark
Twain character, and a cameo by Nelson (a classic!). Hint: read
the flip-story last so that Krusty's reference is in context...
This issue also mentions alt.tv.simpsons, and even uses the OFF
acronym!
Simpsons Comics #8 $2.25 21pp
"I Shrink, Therefore I'm Small"
Back-cover flip-over story: "Edna, Queen Of The Congo":
"Jungle Bungle" 7pp
a) Matt Groening: Lab Assistant / Gary Glasberg: Story / Luis
Escobar: Pencils / Tim Bavington: Inks / Steve Vance:
Inspiration
Flip story: Matt Groening: Bushwhacker / Bill Morrison: Story,
Layouts, Inks / Luis Escobar: Pencils
b) None
c) None
d) To cure Burns's indigestion, an Amazing Voyage-style micro sub,
piloted by Homer, is sent into the digestive tract. Unfortunately,
Bart and Milhouse, on the hunt for Lisa's mouse, also get mixed up
in things...
In "Jungle Bungle", Edna conquers both the Bwana Seymour-led
expedition and Bart's cannibal tribe.
e) I'm sure the cover is a reference to something else apart from
The Incredible Shrinking Man, but I don't know what... Another
great issue crammed full of hilarious details (check the chart
reading "Silkwood" in the SNPP infirmary!).
Simpsons Comics #9 $2.25 21pp
"The Purple Prose Of Springfield"
Back-cover flip-story: "Barney Gumble #1":
Homer Simpson's Pathetic Pal in "Asleep At The Well" 7pp
a) Matt Groening: Stetistician / Andrew Gottlieb: Script / Luis
Escobar: Pencils / Tim Bavington: Inks
Flip-story: Matt Groening: Braumeister / Bill Morrison: Story /
Stephanie Gladden: Pencils / Tim Bavington: Inks
b) none
c) none
d) Bart doctors Lisa's diary, which gets published by Skinner and
is such a success that it sparks a rush of other "tell-all"
books by Springfieldianites, and it all ends in court...
In "Asleep At The Well", Barney snoozes through all sorts of weird
happenings and sight gags (each one exactly one page long) when
tanked up at Moe's...
e) An excellent issue after the disappointing Krusty mini-series:
this one is so well scripted it could form one of two sub-plots
in a TV episode. It even picks up TV series gags ("Yoink", "To
the Court House!" etc.) in a good way. That the story involves
Lisa and carries this off with aplomb bodes well for the
impending Lisa Comics series (sorry, the purple prose got the
better of me)...
The Barney story is funny in its own way without being too
clever, but hey: it's Barney (buuarp!)...
Simpsons Comics #10 $2.25 22pp
"Fan-Tasty Island"
Back-cover flip-story: "Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's Kwik-E-Comics #1":
"Apu's Incredible 96 Hour Shift" 7pp
a) Tour Guide: Matt Groening / Writing: Jeff Rosenthal / Layouts:
Luis Escobar / Pencils: Tim Bavington / Inks: Tim Bavington,
Bill Morrison, Robert Kramer & David Mowry / Color: Nathan Kane /
Lettering: Richard Starkings
Flip-story: Matt Groening: Night Manager / Bill Morrison: Script
/ Shaun Cashman: Art
b) none
c) none
d) In order to smuggle a valuable chemical into the country, Burns
sends the family on a free vacation on a tropical island, where
he cunningly supplies them with a treasure map; but things don't
quite proceed according to plan...
In Apu's retelling to Jamshed of his incredible shift we finally get
to see all the events leading up to the famous hummingbird
incident as mentioned by Apu to James Woods...
e) The main story is o.k. but not nothing to write home about (pun
intended), but the Apu story is a classic - about time he got his
own series! I think I see a pattern emerging: whenever the story
is by Bill Morrison, it's great - see the next issue below...
Simpsons #11 $2.25 27pp
"Fallen Flanders"
Back-cover flip-over story: "Homer On The Range #1":
"The Kwik-E And The Dead!" 6pp
a) Doppelganger: Matt Groening / Story: Bill Morrison / Script: Gary
Glasberg / Pencils: Stephanie Gladden / Inks: Tim Bavington /
Lettering: Mike Sakamoto / Color: Nathan Kane
Flip-story: Man With No Name: Matt Groening / Story: W.E. Holliday /
Pencils: Luis Escobar / Inks: Tim Harkins & Tim Bavington /
Lettering: Mike Sakamoto / Color: Nathan Kane
b) none
c) none
d) Flanders gets lost in the woods at a family camping trip, and
returns curiously changed - into an evil-doer! It's up to Bart
Mulder and Lisa Scully to uncover the real story...
In the flip-story, an old crank (Grampa) tells a yarn of the Old
West.
e) A monthly release schedule of the Simpsons Comics line starts with
this issue (apparently). The X-Files parody in this issue is
great, and appearances by some old favourites from among the
minor Simpsons characters add to a classic example of what's so
good about the Simpsons comics. Morrison rules!
Simpsons Comics #12 $2.25 21pp
"Survival Of The Fattest"
Back-cover flip-story: "White-Knuckled War Stories #1":
"Spare The Rod, Spoil The Grunt" 6pp
a) Climate Controller: Matt Groening / Script: Rob Hammersley & Todd
J. Greenwald / Pencils: Eric Moxcey / Inks: Tim Bavington /
Lettering: Mike Sakamoto / Color: Electric Crayon
Flip story: Military Advisor: Matt Groening / Script: Scott M.
Gimple / Pencils: Luis Escobar / Inks: David Mowry / Letterings:
Mike Sakamoto / Color: Electric Crayon
b) none
c) none
d) By cheating on their aptitude test, the family gets selected to be
locked in the Biodome self-contained multi-environment sphere.
Unfortunately, the one other family selected are the Flanders...
In the flip-story, Skinner reminisces on his iron rule and enforcing
of personal grooming in 'Nam.
e) Some nice surrealist daydreaming by Homer almost saves a generally
somewhat flat story.
LISA COMICS
Lisa Comics #1 $2.25 30pp
"Lisa's Adventures In Wordland"
a) Matt Groening as "The White Rabbit" / Mary Trainor: Writing /
Mili Smythe: Layouts / Stephanie Gladden, Bill Morrison, Chris
Clements: Pencils / Mike Sakamoto, Doug Whaley: Lettering /
Nathan Kane: Colors
b) none
c) none
d) Going out to post a well-written letter, Lisa is led by mailman
Flanders into a magical kingdom full of puns, language-games and
riddles. Curiouser and curiouser!
e) This one is a classic! It's brimming with literary and literal
allusions and puns, and comes complete with footnotes. It's crammed
full of puzzles, and if this ever gets reprinted as a real book on
stiff cardboard, it's going to be a terrific gift for small kids -
to look at either before or after they've read "Alice".
BARTMAN
Bartman #4 $2.25 26pp
"Bartman" (at least I think that's what it's called, the only thing
looking even remotely like a title is a few newspaper bits simply
spelling out the word "Bartman" on the first page - a reference?)
a) Matt Groening: Commissioner / Gary Glasberg: Writer / Bill
Morrison: Story / Chris Clements: Pencils / Luis Escobar: Layouts
/ Tim Bavington: Inks / Nathan Kane: Color / Starkings: Lettering
b) none
c) none
d) The purple crusader is the victim of a frenzied media attack and
decides to hang up the cape for good. Is the mysterious Canker
behind the fiendish plot to discredit Bartman, and what can loyal
sidekick Houseboy do about it?
e) I'm sure that this is a big parody of when Batman had his spine
broken and installed a care-taker crime-fighter or something
similar a while ago, but I don't know enough details.
Bartman #5 $2.25 27pp
"Part Two: Sisters Are Doin It For Themselves"
a) Matt Groening: Mastermind / Bill Morrison: Story / Gary Glasberg:
Script / Luis Escobar: Layouts / Jim Massara: Pencils / Tim
Bavington: Inks / Starkings: Lettering / Nathan Kane: Color
b) none
c) none
d) With Bartman out of commission and Canker still on the loose, a
new team of superheroes steps in: Lisa The Conjurer and The
Great Maggeena.
e) The Lisa and Maggie characters actually made an appearance quite
some time ago, on the second series of the Skybox trading cards -
there was a subset "Tales of The Bartverse" featuring them.
Bartman #6 $2.25 27pp
"Part Three: The Great Purple Hope"
a) Matt Groening: Remote Controller / Bill Morrison: Story / Gary
Glasberg: Script / Luis Escobar: Layouts / Tim Bavington, Chris
Clements, Luis Escobar: Pencils / Tim Bavington: Inks / Starkings:
Lettering / Nathan Kane: Color
b) none
c) none
d) Bartman returns to help Lisa The Conjurer and The Great Maggeena,
and to finally unmask Canker. But he needs some support in this
endeavour and thus we witness "The Origin Of Bart Dog, The Canine
Crusader!"
e) This brings to an end an enjoyable three-parter that would probably
have been twice as funny had I actually understood all the references
to the Batman stories. But even when read as "just" a Bart(man)
comic, it is very good because of the mystery plot and involvement
of many minor and major characters.
RADIOACTIVE MAN
Radioactive Man 80pg. Colossal #1 "Summer 1968" $4.95
"Featuring 5 Atomic Tales!":
"To Betroth A Foe" 12pp
"Originally presented in Radioactive Man #72, Jan. 1961"
"Radioactive Man, Teen Idol" 13pp
"Originally presented in Radioactive Man #84, January 1962"
"The 1,001 Faces Of Radioactive Ape" 14pp
"Originally presented in Radioactive Man #37, July 1957"
"Gloria Grand, Radioactive Girl" 14pp
"Originally presented in Radioactive Man's Girlfriend,
Gloria Grand #10, August 1959"
"The Radioactive Man Of 1995" 12pp
"Originally presented in Radioactive Man #22, Aug. 1955"
plus
"Inside The Containment Dome" 2pp
"The Origin Of Glowy" 1p
"How To Draw Radioactive Man" 2pp
a) Matt Groening, Man Of Tomorrow Presents...
(credits correspond to order of stories above)
Story: Bill Morrison / Pencils: Christian Roman / Inks: Tim
Harkins / Lettering Starkings / Colors: Nathan Kane
Story: Bill Morrison / Pencils: Stephanie Gladden / Inks: John
Adam / Lettering: Starkings / Colors: Nathan Kane
Story & Pencils: Scott Shaw / Inks: Phil Ortiz / Colors: Nathan
Kane / Letering: Bill Morrison & Mike Sakamoto
Story: Kaye Morrison / Art: Bill Morrison / Lettering: Bill
Morrison & Mike Sakamoto / Colors: Nathan Kane
Story: Bill Morrison / Pencils: Sharon Bridgeman / Inks: Abel
Laxamana / Lettering: Starkings
Script & Art: Bill Morrison / Colors & Lettering: Chris Schendel
Script: Terry Delegeane & Scott Gimple / Art: Phil Ortiz / Colors
& Lettering: Peter Alexander
Script & Art: David Silverman / Colors & Lettering: Peter
Alexander
b) none
c) A fake ad for "Uncle" Krusty Prizes you'll get (or not...) for
selling Krusty Brand Flower Seeds; a fake ad for Krusty's Secret
Muscle-Bulking "Tools"; the fake ad for Krustyland that already
appeared in RM #3; and one for a "Huge Cardboard City Of The
Future" playset. Also has little ads at the bottom of several
pages, which are in keeping with the period theme and very funny.
d) "Wedding bells are ringing for Radioactive Man as he walks to the
altar with his arch enemy, Lava Girl! Guest-starring the Superior
Squad!"
"The Irradiated Crusader will stop at nothing to put an end to
Larceny Lass's latest crime spree, even if it means becoming a
groovy rock'n'roll star!"
"Radioactive Man spends his vacation in Simian City, but he has
his hands full as Radioactive Ape undergoes a series of bizarre
transformations!"
"A freak accident causes Radioactive Man's girlfriend, Gloria
Grand, to develop super powers of her own!"
"An alien space ship takes Gloria Grand on a trip through time to
meet the Radioactive Man of the future!"
"Get a glimpse inside Radioactive Man's top-secret hideaway!"
"Revealed at last! The true story of the birth of Radioactive
Man's best friend!"
"David Silverman offers red hot tips on Radioactive rendering!"
e) Great fun and a welcome reminder of how good the six-issue run of
RM during the first year was. Lots of goofy sixties stuff and tons
of references (half of which I probably didn't even get). If the
Silverman lectures are as funny as his "drawing tips" here, I can
see why people are raving about them on alt.tv.simpsons...
[phew! finished typing in this mega-entry]
BART SIMPSON'S TREEHOUSE OF HORROR
Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #1 $2.95
Featuring three stories:
"Little Shop Of Homers" 15pp
"Call Me Homer" 14pp
"Bart People" 14pp
a) Matt "Mr.Spooky" Groening presents...
"Little Shop Of Homers": Story & Inks: Mike Allred / Breakdowns:
Luis Escobar / Pencils: Bill Morrison / Lettering: Mike Sakamoto
/ Colors: Laura Allred & Nathan Kane
"Call Me Homer": Story & Breakdowns: Jeff Smith / Pencils:
Stephanie Gladden / Inks: Bill Morrison / Lettering: Mike Sakamoto
/ Colors: Nathan Kane
"Bart People": Story: James Robinson / Layouts: Chris Roman /
Finished Art: Bill Morrison / Lettering: Mike Sakamoto / Colors:
Nathan Kane
b) none
c) An opening page giving credits for all three stories in the style
of the graveyard/tombstones opening scenes of the Treehouse
episodes on TV, complete with space alien (Kang or Kodos?); "Bart
Simpson - Master Of Disguise presents The Quick'n'Easy, Low Budget
Do-it-yourself Guide To Cool Costumes"
d) Parodies (with a twist) in the Halloween specials style, of
"Little Shop of Horrors" (with a Homer-like plant), "Moby Dick"
(with Grampa's narration), and "Cat People" (with Bart and Lisa as
the afflicted).
e) Great fun. The three writers are actually the people behind,
respectively, "Madman" (Alarming Mike Allred), "Bone" (Jaundiced
Jeff Smith) and "Starman" (Rotting James Robinson), comic books
about which I know nothing, I have to confess.
AND...
"Bart Simpson's Joke Book" (Free supplement to "Hero Illustrated" #19)
Contains the following one-page stories:
Bart And Homer In "Fact Or Affliction"
Principal Skinner And Bart In "The Best Detentions"
Milhouse And Bart In "Missing The Issues"
Ned Flanders And Homer In "Book Schmook"
Grampa And Bart In "The High Cost Of Giving"
Bart Simpson In "Con Job"
Itchy And Scratchy In "Bash To The Future"
Martin And Bart In "Moon Launch"
"Turning Comics Into Movies" With Troy McClure
Homer In "Have A Nice Day Dream"
plus two-page "Patty And Selma's Dating Do's & Dont's"
a) Writing: Barry Dutter, Andrew Osborne / Pencils: Shaun Cashman,
Chris Clements, Luis Escobar, Bill Ho, Jen Kamerman, David Windett
/ Inks: Tim Bavington, Shaun Cashman, Jen Kamerman, David Windett
/ Color: Nathan Kane / Letters: Mike Sakamoto
b) none
c) Contains a two-page article "Springfield Confidential" by "Hero
Illustrated" writer Don "Brick" Butler, which is part interview
with Bongo Managing Editor Jason Grode, part preview of new and
upcoming titles and issues in the Bongo line and the alternative
comics, arty "Zongo" line (starting with Gary Panter's "Jimbo")
d) Lots of one-page stories on the usual preoccupations: Comics, TV,
school, comics, TV, comics, and, er, comics...
e) I know this was a freebie, but still, the jokes are generally kinda
lame (some nice touches though: the Crumb references in the last
story, for instance). The worst aspect though is the lettering:
it's done by computer, and sometimes doesn't even fit into the
balloons properly - groan.
Achim Reinschmidt (carla@netspace.net.au) St Kilda Melbourne Australia