| Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis / Crossover Crisis II |
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|---|---|
Cover of Series #1 issue #1 |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Bongo Comics[1] |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | Crossover |
| Publication date | 2002 – 2005 |
| Number of issues | 4 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Ian Boothby[1] |
| Penciller(s) | James Lloyd[1] |
| Creator(s) | Matt Groening |
| Editor(s) | Bill Morrison[1] |
The Futurama/Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis is a two part crossover between the animated series Futurama and The Simpsons. It was published in 2002 and 2003 by Bongo Comics. A sequel, Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis II, was published in 2005.
In the US, the first series was published as its own, independent from Simpsons Comics and Futurama Comics. In the UK, the first series was published as issues three and four of the regular British Futurama Comics series. The second series was published in the UK as Simpsons Comics #103 and Futurama Comics #17.
Contents |
The story relies on the Futurama episode "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid". In that episode, the Brain Spawn transported Fry and Leela into many works of literature, including Tom Sawyer and Moby-Dick. It also makes use of the idea that Futurama is "real" and The Simpsons is just a TV show in the Futurama universe (as it is in ours).
The comic begins in Springfield, with a mayoral election between current mayor Joe Quimby and Snowball II, the Simpsons' cat. It turns out that this is in fact an old edition of Simpsons Comics, which Fry is reading as the Planet Express crew head to the living planet of Nerdanus XII. They are taking the biggest comic collection in the universe to the planet, where it will be sealed in liquid diamond forever, as this is apparently the only way they will be collectibles.
While unloading the comics, the crew are hit by the Brain Spawn's stupifaction ray, which drastically decreases any living being or robot's intelligence. Fry, however, is the only being in the universe unaffected, due to his lack of a delta brain wave. Fry, by throwing objects at the Brains, manages to make Leela and Bender intelligent again, but the crew are then trapped inside various comics and adverts by the Brains.
Bender manages to use a spoiler ray to force the Brains to reveal their plan. The Brains plan to take over the Earth by creating a false collector's market - by sealing comics up, they will no longer be able to be read. They will then do the same with films, books, paintings and other art, until the collective intelligence of Earth's inhabitants is low enough for them to invade. Fry says that the rest of the Planet Express crew would avenge their deaths, so Professor Farnsworth, Hermes, Amy, Scruffy and Dr. Zoidberg are brought to the planet. Another remark by Fry gets the crew, plus Nibbler, trapped inside an old Simpsons Comic, the one Fry had been reading earlier.
Apart from Fry and Nibbler, the crew get amnesia and wander off into the world of Springfield. After Nibbler realises that they would be more likely to find the main characters (i.e., the Simpsons), Fry sets out to find them.
Bender goes into Moe's (to celebrate his new found sobriety) and meets up with Homer Simpson, who assumes that he's the new Duff beer mascot. Fry heads to Springfield Elementary, where after being mistaken as the new sub teacher, he becomes the teacher of Bart Simpson's class. He tries telling Bart of his origins, but naturally Bart does not believe him and has him locked in the school at the end of the day. Leela sees Lisa Simpson being bullied by classmates and helps her stand up for herself. Hermes and Zoidberg end up at the power plant, where they attract the attention of Mr. Burns and Smithers. Scruffy also becomes assistant groundkeeper at one point and argues with Groundskeeper Willie. Marge Simpson mistakes Nibbler for a baby (due to him hypnostising her) and gives him milk, which causes him to lose his memory as well. Farnsworth gets arrested by the police after they think he is insane.
Bender is thrown out of Moe's for doing something with the love testing machine, so Homer gets Ned Flanders to give Bender a room. He later escapes after Flanders catches him doing something else with his jukebox. At the Springfield Retirement Castle, Professor Frink overhears Farnsworth talking with Abraham Simpson and realises that Farnsworth is a genius, and breaks Farnsworth out. And at the Springfield Country Club, Zoidberg "saves" Mr. Burns from choking by using a toaster. Burns makes Zoidberg his personal physician.
Next morning, when school starts, Fry manages to convince Bart that he is telling the truth by showing him the comic they are both in. They fly through Springfield on hovering skateboards using a piece of anti-gravity gum. At the power plant, Zoidberg sneezes over Hermes which causes him to regain his memory. Their talk about the future is overheard by Mr Burns, who kidnaps them.
Lisa takes Leela back to her house, where she complains that Bart gets all the attention. Leela tells her she's a special girl and should take attention if not given it. Maggie enters, followed by Nibbler and Marge - seeing Nibbler gives Leela her memory back. Nibbler quickly fills everyone in on the plot using his mental powers. Fry and Bart arrive, followed by Homer and Bender. Nibbler senses great danger, so everyone gets in the Simpsons' car to head to the power plant. They use the anti-gravity gum to beat a traffic jam, but Homer spits it out after the flavour goes. The car lands on a Duff blimp, but Bender's cigar causes it to explode. Falling again, they are caught by Frink and Farnsworth on their flying motorcycle. Since the car is overweight, Fry (with his holophoner) and Lisa are left behind.
The others arrive at the power plant to find out that Mr. Burns will turn Zoidberg into radioactive bisque unless they take him to their "future world". Farnsworth and Frink have invented a device that might get the Planet Express crew back to their own world, which Burns takes. Smithers then takes it from Burns, and reveals himself to really be Amy in disguise! Unfortunately, the real Smithers, dressed up as Mr. Burns, retakes the device. Just as the real Burns is about to use the device, aliens from the "Galactic Time Council" (who look remarkably like Kang and Kodos, but aren't), arrive with weapons. Burns and Smithers run off, after which it is revealed the aliens are in fact the result of Lisa playing on the holophoner, with Fry doing the voices.
The Professors use their machine, which causes a tear in the comic. Nerdanus XII zaps the brains from the tear, which shatters the barrier around the comic. This means the crew can finally go home..... where it is revealed that New New York is now filled with the citizens of Springfield in an "ironic twist ending".
In an alternative ending to the previous issue, Professor Farnsworth goes to a science convention, where Wernstron ruins his project; he then uses an emergency second project, a pair of scissors that can cut open reality. He tests it on Simpsons Comics #87, "Hail to the Cat", resulting in the population of Springfield being transported to New New York and enslaved: Fat Tony and his goons to the mafia Donbot, Moe at Zorgnax's pub, Mr. Burns at Mom Corp, Gil to Malfunctioning Eddie's, and the rest of the Springfieldians to Zap Branigan and the Nimbus. The Simpsons escape captivity and wind up hired by Planet Express in exchange for not being turned in to the police. Bart gets ahold of the reality-tearing scissors and breaks them, causing them to become unstoppable; Bender gets rid of them by throwing them into the library, which contains every book ever written. Reality is totally destroyed and every fictional character ever winds up in New New York.
All the fictional characters ever have been released and have taken over New New York City, with Dracula as mayor. The Planet Express Crew and the Simpsons family try to escape Earth, but are bombarded with attacks from Pulp Fiction aliens. Then Bender, in an attempt to torment Homer, throws away a can of beer, causing a chain reaction explosion that destroys the spaceships. Just when things look fine, the Nimbus picks them up, where it is revealed that Smithers, having been sold into slavery on the Nimbus in the previous issue, staged a mutiny and is "living [his] childhood dream of being an intergalactic space pirate" with Mr. Moleman as his first mate. They plead with him to take them back to Earth because it is in danger, but he refuses until Leela reveals Mr. Burns is dating Mom. In his hurry to find out if it is true, Smithers presses the Eject button, sending them hurtling towards Earth. Minutes before they fall to their deaths, a parachute rental robot flies up. Soon they land safely, but are overwhelmed by the mob of fictional characters. Just when it looks like there is no chance, Bart points out that he and his family are also fictional and that they should not be harmed. The Simpsons run to Planet Express to try and find something to stop the characters. Homer finds the "What if" machine (from the Futurama episode "Anthology of Interest I") believing it to be a TV. When Lisa realizes what it can do, she asks it, what if they knew how to defeat the fictional characters. After watching what happens, the Simpsons go to Fry's apartment and find a copy of Simpsons Comics #1, in which Homer turns into a giant. Bart quickly throws one page, featuring Giant Homer, into the vortex which the fictional characters came from, bringing Giant Homer to life. Lisa uses a megaphone to bribe Giant Homer with a king-sized beer if he gets rid of the fictional characters. Try as they might, they can't stop him, and Dracula orders to retreat back to the vortex. The town rejoices at freedom, but it is short-lived when Giant Homer starts to destroy the town. Professor Farnsworth comes up with an idea to stop Giant Homer: using a giant TV screen in Times Square, they film footage of Marge offering Giant Homer pork chops. Believing it to be the real Marge, he hugs and kisses the TV, then proceeds to do something that makes Bender swear never to go into that building again. Calling a vortex moving company, the Professor has the vortex placed under Giant Homer, which promptly swallows him up and returns him to fiction. The Simpsons are sad when they have to leave their new friends, but Leela reminds them they can stay a little longer, because they have to "round up the rest of the Springfieldians". Homer offers to drive the ship, but Leela refuses when he crashes into the moon. The last scene shows Mom cloning Mr. Burns, ending by copying Burns' signature move, putting the tips of her fingers together and going "Excellent!"
The series was written by Simpsons Comics writer Ian Boothby and illustrated by James Lloyd. The ending of the first series was originally written as a joke ending, but later Boothby and Lloyd used the ending to create the sequel to the series, Crossover Crisis II.
The whole premise of the story is based on the concept that The Simpsons are fictional characters within the Futurama universe. This is substantiated by the appearance of Bart Simpson-based merchandise in three episodes of the Futurama TV series : Mars University, A Big Piece of Garbage, and Leela's Homeworld. However, paradoxically, in the Simpsons universe, the reverse is true and Futurama is the fictional story, as demonstrated in the Simpsons episode My Big Fat Geek Wedding, where Matt Groening appears during a comic-book convention as "the creator of Futurama".
With the first series Part One was released on August 21, 2002 and Part Two on January 28, 2003 in the USA - both parts were released in early 2003 in the UK. The second series was released on January 26, 2005 and March 23, 2005 in USA.