The following is a list of comic book series based on the animated TV show The Simpsons and published by Bongo Comics in the United States. The first comic strips based on The Simpsons appeared in 1991 in the magazine Simpsons Illustrated, which was a companion magazine to the show.[1] The comic strips were popular and a one-shot comic book entitled Simpsons Comics and Stories, containing three different stories, was released in 1993 for the fans.[2][3] The book was a success and due to this, the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, and his companions Bill Morrison, Mike Rote, Steve Vance and Cindy Vance created the publishing company Bongo Comics.[2] By the end of 1993, Bongo was publishing four titles: Simpsons Comics, Bartman, Radioactive Man and Itchy & Scratchy Comics.[2] Since then, many more titles have been published,[4][5] out of which Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, Simpsons Super Spectacular, Simpsons Summer Shindig,[6][7] and Simpsons Winter Wingding.[8][9]
Simpsons Comics and Bart Simpson comics are reprinted in the United Kingdom by the publishing company Titan Magazines, under the same titles. Various stories from other Bongo publications released in the United States, are also reprinted in the UK Simpsons Comics.[10] The same titles are published in Australia by Otter Press.[11] Issues of Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror and Bart Simpson have been collected and reprinted in trade paperbacks in the United States by HarperCollins.[12][13][14]
| Title | First issue | Last issue |
|---|---|---|
| Simpsons Comics and Stories | January 1993 | January 1993 |
| The Official History of Bongo Comics | 1993 | 1993 |
| Simpsons Comics | November 1993 | present |
| Bartman | December 1993 | July 1995 |
| Itchy & Scratchy Comics | December 1993 | November 1994 |
| Radioactive Man | January 1994 | 2004 |
| Bartman and Radioactive Man | 1994 | 1994 |
| Krusty Comics | January 1995 | March 1995 |
| Lisa Comics | April 1995 | April 1995 |
| Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror | September 1995 | present |
| Bart Simpson | 2000 | present |
| Simpsons Summer Special | December 2001 | December 2001 |
| Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis | August 2002 | January 2003 |
| Simpsons Super Spectacular | June 2006 | present |
| The Death of Comic Book Guy | July 2011 | present |
| The Simpsons Winter Wingding | November 2006 | present |
| The Simpsons Summer Shindig | June 2007 | present |
| Simpsons Treasure Trove | July 2007 | present |
Simpsons Comics is a monthly series based on the animated TV show The Simpsons. The first issue was published on November 29, 1993.[5][15] Since then over one hundred issues have been released, with the 100th issue mainly the comic book equivalent of a clip show.[16] It was originally published bi-monthly, but went monthly in the fall of 2000.[5]
Since March 1997, the comic has also had a monthly United Kingdom edition. This mainly reprints the strips from the U.S. edition, along with pages featuring UK readers' drawings (currently Springfield Multiplex for movie parodies, Springfield Cable Network for TV parodies, and Android's Dungeon for video game and comic book parodies) and Junk Mail, a letters page which also features generic drawings, along with the readers' frequent attempts to guess the identity of 'Junk Mail Guy', the incredibly sarcastic man who answers the letters and has apparently been locked up in a basement.[10] The U.S. and Australian editions used to have Junk Mail, but it disappeared beginning with #114.
Since the release of the first Simpsons Comics issue in the United States in 1993, the comic book series has been published at some point in the following countries around the world: Australia, Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Serbia and the United Kingdom.[17]
The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror is an annual horror series. It has been published around September–October, for Halloween, every year since 1995.[19] It takes its name from the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episodes of The Simpsons. Like the episodes, the comic book always feature three stories in each issue. The stories are written and illustrated by some of the most famous people in the comic book business.[20] Over the last dozen years, the series has had stories created by such industry stars as Garth Ennis (Preacher), Dan Decarlo (Archie Comics), Evan Dorkin (Milk and Cheese), Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan (Blade, Archie Comics, Tomb of Dracula) and rock stars Gene Simmons (Kiss), Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie. The stories usually parody modern horror stories and films, and feature distorted versions of the people of Springfield.[21]
Bart Simpson comics were first published in the United States in late 2000, and have remained on a bi-monthly schedule since then. The comic book series is centered on the Simpsons star Bart Simpson, but it also features the children of Springfield and each issue commonly has several short stories.[22]
The Australian edition of Bart Simpson comics was first printed in 2002 by Otter Press, in a digest-sized edition with a bonus Radioactive Man comic book, and has been released since then on a quarterly schedule (every three months).[23] They are also reprinted in the United Kingdom by Titan Magazines.[24]
Simpsons Super Spectacular is a comic book series published by Bongo Comics. It was first released in 2005 in the United States.[25] The series acts as a continuation of the Radioactive Man comics with the inclusion of the Springfield-universe superheroes including Homer Simpson as Pieman, Bart Simpson as Bartman as well as Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl from the Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror X".[25][26] It is still being released approximately once every six months in the United States.[27]
Simpsons Comics and Stories was a one-shot comic book edition of the magazine Simpsons Illustrated. Due to the success of this comic book, the Bongo Comics group was created.[5] The comic book was then replaced by Simpsons Comics.[15][28]
The Official History of Bongo Comics was a one-shot limited edition comic book of only 750 copies, which were given out to a few patrons at the San Diego Comic Con in 1993 as part of the launch of Bongo Comics. The single issue was only ten pages long.[29]
Bartman was a short-lived series that told the tale of Bart Simpson's superhero alter-ego, Bartman. It was one of the four 'premiere' series released by Bongo Comics in late 1993.[5][28] The Bartman series lasted only six issues, and was canceled in 1995. Many smaller Bartman stories have since been published in Simpsons Comics and Bart Simpson comics.[30]
The main writers and artists for the first three issues were Steve Vance and Bill Morrison, who were behind the creation of Bongo Comics itself. In late 1994, Steve Vance and his wife Cindy left Bongo Comics. The Bartman comic was put on hold and there was a gap of 9 months between Bartman #3 and #4. #4-6 contained a three-issue story arc written by Gary Glasberg and Bill Morrison, and with issue 6, Bartman was discontinued. However, in the Simpsons Game, Bart's super-power is turning into Bartman.[31]
Itchy & Scratchy Comics was a short-lived series, and one of the four original series released in late 1993 with the start of Bongo Comics.[28] The first issue was released on November 29, 1993,[5] and only two more issues were released after that as well as one special edition, called Itchy & Scratchy Holiday Hi-Jinx. The comics tried to expand on two characters that really did not need any expanding, and the readers thought Itchy and Scratchy was best in short, violent bursts and that full-length stories only took away from the visceral shock of the cartoon, so the comic book series was canceled in 1994.[32]
There were three different versions of the first Itchy & Scratchy issue available at the time. One version came with a poster that could be combined with posters contained in Radioactive Man #1, Simpsons Comics #1 and Bartman #1 to make a giant poster. This version sold for US$2.25. Another version that came out at the same time only cost US$1.95, but had a bar code on the cover and did not come with a poster. The third variant was a reprint of the comic and it had the top right portion of Bart Simpson's head covered over the original bar code. This version also cost US$1.95 and did not come with a poster.[33]
In 1993, there was a signing at Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles, where members of the Bongo Comics group autographed 500 copies of Itchy & Scratchy #1 and gave out a special Certificate of Authenticity (COA) with them. Each COA was individually numbered and had a raised seal stamped onto it.
Radioactive Man was one of the four "premiere" series released by Bongo Comics in late 1993.[28] The series has been released in two volumes, an early run from 1993–1994,[5] and the current run that's been going on since 2000. Smaller Radioactive Man stories have also been published in Simpsons Comics.[34] As a tie-in promotion of The Simpsons Movie a special "Radioactive Man Comic Book Edition #711" was sold at 7-Elevens as part of their Kwik-E-Mart promotion.[35]
Within the Bongo Comics, Radioactive Man is secretly Claude Kane III, a millionaire playboy whose personality was well-intentioned, but bumbling and not overly bright. In addition (which became a recurring storyline element), Claude's personality was permanently stuck in a conservative 1950s outlook on everything, no matter what the time era in question was. A running gag is that in order to preserve his secret identity, Claude is constantly wearing various types of hats, in order to conceal the lightning bolt-shaped shrapnel sticking out of his head.[36]
Issue #1 of the Bongo comic differs from Radioactive Man #1 as seen in The Simpsons episode "Three Men and a Comic Book". While featuring a similar scenario and accident (Claude getting his trousers caught on barbed wire just before a mega-bomb explodes. This is a parody of Bruce Banner getting caught by the Gamma Bomb in the Incredible Hulk#1), the Bongo series' Claude was not wearing tattered clothes. In the comic book, Claude's survival is due in part to a large thunderbolt-shaped shard of metal embedded in his head by the explosion. Claude would attempt to remove the bolt throughout the book series, but each attempt has nasty consequences which results in it being put back in his scalp again. Additionally, the bolt's presence would save his life numerous times in increasingly bizarre ways.[36]
Maintaining the satirical standards of the television show, these comics often parody genre comic books, and the reader can follow the evolution of Radioactive Man from a 1950s irradiated hero through the politically reactionary or radical years of the 1960s and 1970s, and the dark, troubled years of the 1980s and 1990s comic book hero. Indeed, one comic displays a startling similarity to Alan Moore's Watchmen, with Radioactive Man taking the part of state-supported hero Doctor Manhattan. The comics are published as if they were the actual Simpsons universe's Radioactive Man comics; a "1970s"-published comic features a letter written by a ten-year-old Marge Bouvier, for instance. The comic also takes the idea that the title has been running since the 1950s and each issue of the real series is a random issue from that run. So one issue might be issue #357, the next #432 and the next #567 etc.[34]
Radioactive Man was merged with Simpsons Super Spectacular in 2005.[37]
Bartman and Radioactive Man was a 16-page one-shot released in 1994. The comic was featured in the Hero Illustrated magazine, and it contained a mini poster of Bartman and Radioactive Man. The story was written by Steve Vance.[38]
Krusty Comics was another short-lived series, with three issues published from January to March 1995.[28] Each one of these issues contained a part of a three-part story entitled The Rise and Fall of Krustyland, about Krusty the Clown opening an amusement park to pay back a gambling debt.[39][40]
Lisa Comics was a one-shot, with the sole story being Lisa in Wordland, a parody of Alice in Wonderland.[41][42] It was released in April 1995 and tells the tale of Lisa Simpson getting caught in an alternate reality called Wordland while chasing after a postman. The postman turns out to be Ned Flanders and while he gives her a tour through the wondrous world they get caught by Mr. Burns. Burns forces Lisa to battle him in a game of Scrabble; she accepts and after a while she gets upset and smashes the board. Suddenly she wakes up and discovers it's all a dream.[43]
Simpsons Summer Special was a one-issue comic book. It was printed in December 2001, and was only available in Australia and New Zealand.[44]
Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis is a two part crossover between the animated series Futurama and The Simpsons. Part one was released on August 21, 2002 and part two on January 28, 2003, as its own series, independent from Simpsons Comics and Futurama Comics.[45] Both parts were published in the beginning 2003 in the United Kingdom as issues 3 and 4 of the regular Futurama Comics series.[46]
The series was written by Simpsons Comics writer Ian Boothby and was illustrated by James Lloyd.[47] The ending was originally written as a joke ending, but later Boothby and Lloyd used the ending to create the sequel to the series, Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis II, published in 2005.[48]
Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book is a five-part comic book mini-series starring the character Comic Book Guy. The five issues were released between July and November 2010.[49][50]
Simpsons Classics (or Best of Simpsons Comics in the UK) is a series that publishes old issues of the Simpsons Comics. It has been released on a quarterly schedule every year since 2004, and each issue reprint two issues of the initial Simpsons Comics series.[51]
Many Simpsons Comics have been reprinted and collected in trade paperbacks by the American publisher HarperCollins since 1994.[12] Several issues from Krusty Comics, Lisa Comics, Bartman and Itchy & Scratchy Comics have also been included in the trade paperbacks.
| Title | Issues | Release | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simpsons Comics Extravaganza | Simpsons Comics #1-4 | July 10, 1994 | ISBN 0-0609-5086-2 |
| Simpsons Comics Spectacular | Simpsons Comics #6-9 | June 23, 1995 | ISBN 0-0609-5148-6 |
| Simpsons Comics Simpsorama | Simpsons Comics #11-14 | May 5, 1996 | ISBN 0-0609-5199-0 |
| Simpsons Comics Strike Back! | Simpsons Comics #15-18 | October 11, 1996 | ISBN 0-0609-5212-1 |
| Bartman: The Best of the Best | Simpsons Comics #5, Bartman #1-3, Itchy & Scratchy #3. | March 28, 1997 | ISBN 1-8528-6820-1 |
| Simpsons Comics Wing Ding | Simpsons Comics #19-23 | May 22, 1997 | ISBN 0-0609-5245-8 |
| Simpsons Comics On Parade | Simpsons Comics #24-27 | May 19, 1998 | ISBN 0-0609-5280-6 |
| Simpsons Comics Big Bonanza | Simpsons Comics #28-31 | January 27, 1999 | ISBN 0-0609-5317-9 |
| Simpsons Comics A Go-Go | Simpsons Comics #32-35, 10 | February 16, 2000 | ISBN 0-0609-5566-X |
| Simpsons Comics Royale | Simpsons Comics #50, Krusty #1-3, Lisa #1 | March 6, 2001 | ISBN 0-0609-3378-X |
| Simpsons Comics Unchained | Simpsons Comics #36-42 | March 19, 2002 | ISBN 0-0600-0797-4 |
| Simpsons Comics Madness | Simpsons Comics #43-48 | April 1, 2003 | ISBN 0-0605-3061-8 |
| Simpsons Comics Belly Buster | Simpsons Comics #49, 51, 53-56 | February 3, 2004 | ISBN 0-0605-8750-4 |
| The Simpsons Holiday Humdinger | Simpsons Comics #15, 52, 79, Itchy and Scratchy special | November 1, 2004 | ISBN 0-0071-9170-7 |
| Simpsons Comics Barn Burner | Simpsons Comics #57-61, 63 | February 15, 2005 | ISBN 0-0607-4818-4 |
| Simpsons Comics Jam-Packed Jamboree | Simpsons Comics #64-69 | April 11, 2006 | ISBN 0-0608-7661-1 |
| Simpsons Comics Beach Blanket Bongo | Simpsons Comics #71-75, 77 | April 10, 2007 | ISBN 0-0612-3126-6 |
| Simpsons Comics Dollars to Donuts | Simpsons Comics #78, #80, 82-84 | April 9, 2008 | ISBN 0-0614-3697-0 |
| Simpsons Comics Hit The Road! | Simpsons Comics #85, #86, 88-90 | February 27, 2009 | ISBN 9-781848-562271 |
| Simpsons Comics Get Some Fancy Book Learnin' | Simpsons Comics #62, #70, #76, #126, #148 | April 6, 2010 | ISBN 0-0619-5787-9 |
| Simpsons Comics: Homer For The Holidays | Simpsons Winter Wingding #1-3 | October 8, 2010 | ? |
| Futurama/Simpsons Crossover Crisis | Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis #1-2, The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis II #1-2, Simpsons Comics #1 (loose reprint), Simpsons Comics #87 | April 1, 2010 | ISBN 0-8109-8837-2 |
Trade paperbacks collecting most the issues of the Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror series have been released since 1999 by HarperCollins.[13]
| Title | Issues | Release | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treehouse of Horror: Heebie-Jeebie Hullabaloo | collects issues #1-3 | September 8, 1999 | ISBN 0-0609-8762-6 |
| Treehouse of Horror: Spine-Tingling Spooktacular | collects issues #4-6 | September 18, 2001 | ISBN 0-0609-3714-9 |
| Treehouse of Horror: Fun Filled Frightfest | collects issues #6-7 | September 2, 2003 | ISBN 0-0605-6070-3 |
| Treehouse of Horror: Hoodoo Voodoo Brouhaha | collects issues #8-9 | September 19, 2006 | ISBN 0-0611-4872-5 |
| Treehouse of Horror: Dead Man's Jest | collects issues #10-11 | August 26, 2008 | ISBN 0-0615-7135-0 |
| Treehouse of Horror: From Beyond the Grave | collects issues #12-13 | August 23, 2011 | ISBN 978-0-06-206900-9 |
Issues of the Bart Simpson series have been collected and published in trade paperbacks every year since 2002 by HarperCollins.[14]
| Title | Issues | Release | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Book of Bart Simpson | collects issues #1-4 | July 9, 2002 | ISBN 0-0600-8469-3 |
| Big Bad Book of Bart Simpson | collects issues #5-8 | June 17, 2003 | ISBN 0-0605-5590-4 |
| Big Bratty Book of Bart Simpson | collects issues #9-12 | July 6, 2004 | ISBN 0-0607-2178-2 |
| Big Beefy Book of Bart Simpson | collects issues #13-16 | May 31, 2005 | ISBN 0-0607-4819-2 |
| Big Bouncy Book of Bart Simpson | collects issues #17-20 | May 2, 2006 | ISBN 0-0611-2455-9 |
| Big Beastly Book of Bart Simpson | collects issues #21-24 | April 3, 2007 | ISBN 0-0612-3128-2 |
| Big Brilliant Book of Bart Simpson | collects issues #25-28 | May 6, 2008 | ISBN 0-0614-5022-7 |
| Bart Simpson: Son Of Homer | collects issues #29-33 | July 1, 2009 | ISBN 0-0616-9879-2 |
| Bart Simpson: Class Clown | collects issues #33-37 | May, 18, 2010 | ISBN 0-0619-7629-6 |
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