Fox/Bongo Press Release - October 6, 2004

Bongo Comics Group proudly announces its special guest star lineup for the 10th annual issue of Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror. Monsters of Rock, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, and Rob Zombie take you on a heavy metal, Halloween-inspired rock 'n' roll odyssey of head-banging, heart-pounding, tongue-wagging, dead-raising, nightmare-welcoming frights and frivolity. And it doesn't get any better than when extra special guest writer, Pat Boone himself, gets into a "metal mood" and tells a twisted tale of dastardly demons and righteous redemption. Aided and abetted by sidemen Bill Morrison, C. Scott Morse, Andrew Pepoy, Tone Rodriguez, Ty Templeton, Ken Wheaton, and Chris Yambar, the Monsters of Rock have created the Halloween Jam of the Century!

First, Alice Cooper's wicked sense of humor summons up a summer camp slasher story with a young Homer Simpson is caught squarely in the sights of a "Friday the 13th -style killer. When asked about his experience as a comic collaborator, Alice Cooper said, "Making a platinum #1 album, playing golf with the President, getting your star on Hollywood Blvd., writing for The Simpsons are all things you try to do in your life. Now, if they'd only do a PEZ dispenser of my head." Adds Cooper, "I've written for The Simpsons. Today I am a man."

Then, Gene Simmons' legendary animal magnetism on and offstage scales new heights in a story where a brief encounter between Marge Simpson and the leader of the KISS Army give birth to a new force of nature…Bart Simmons!

Drawing from his own ghoulish splatter film "House of 1000 Corpses," Rob Zombie inspires a strange saga as The Simpsons find themselves pursued by a demonic Krusty the Clown and seek refuge in the House of 1000 Donuts.

After seriously considering a career as a cartoonist (having drawn cartoons for his high school newspaper), Pat Boone opted instead for a decades long career as a singer, crooning many hits in the '50s and '60s, including "Love Letters in the Sand," "April Love," and "Ain't That a Shame." Mr. Boone's career has since spanned television, radio, and the silver screen. With his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, Pat Boone put his "Mr. Nice Guy" image away and released an album of heavy metal songs set to big band orchestrations in 1997 called "In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy." His sharp sense of humor did not go unnoticed by Bongo Comics when the "Monsters of Rock" Treehouse issue was concocted.

"I was surprised and delighted when I was invited to write a Simpson story. Like millions of others, I've tuned in many times to see what the animated family was up to, and had many a belly laugh out of it," says Mr. Boone. "As many celebrities were folded into the episodes, at least by voice and image, I wondered if my time would come." As for working on his story where Bart unleashes dark spiritual forces while at a bible camp, Pat says, "I've gotten with the various creative minds and come up with a truly frightening story for the Halloween issue, and I can hardly wait to see it take shape. My thanks to Homer and the gang!"

Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror is an annual comic book title in the tradition of the annual Halloween episode of "The Simpsons" television show, frequently the highest-rated episodes of the series. Every year Bongo Comics Group invites artists and writers from the graphic arts as well as celebrities from different fields of entertainment to write and draw horror and fantasy stories about The Simpsons. Previous guests have included: Sergio Aragones (MAD Magazine, Groo), Peter Bagge (HATE), Geof Darrow (Hardboiled, The Matrix), Paul Dini ("Batman: The Animated Series," "Lost"), Evan Dorkin ("Space Ghost: Coast to Coast"), Garth Ennis (Preacher, Hellblazer), Mark Hamill (Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series," Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), Peter Kuper (MAD Magazine, Topsy Turvy), Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), Jeff Smith (Bone), Doug TenNapel ("Earthworm Jim"), and Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother). Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror received the Eisner Award, the comic industry's highest honor, for Best Humor Publication in 2000, and was nominated for Best Short Story in 1999.

Bongo Comics Group, owned and operated by Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons" and "FUTURAMA," has been publishing comics and books for 11 years. Titles include: Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson, Simpsons Classics, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, Futurama Comics, Heroes Anonymous, and Roswell: Little Green Man. Bongo Comics Group has won four Eisner Awards, the comic industry's equivalent to the Oscar®, for Best Short Story, Best Title for a Younger Audience, and Best Humor Publication, and has been nominated for an additional 10 Eisner Awards.

About THE SIMPSONS

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie take traditional comedy and family life and turn them upside down in FOX's critically acclaimed series, THE SIMPSONS. Exploding into a cultural phenomenon in 1990, THE SIMPSONS remains one of the most visible and marketable properties both domestically and internationally. This Emmy Award®-winning series is now in the history books as the longest-running sitcom currently on television and the longest-running animated show in television history. THE SIMPSONS is also noted for its famous celebrity guest voices such as Michelle Pfeiffer, Mel Gibson, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito and musical guests Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Britney Spears and Aerosmith. THE SIMPSONS is currently in production on their 16th season.


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