Really, WTF? Both subplots were awful. The show really blew like never before. Ack!
What were they thinking?
Doesn’t somebody say this every week?
I thought the first act was flat-out great, the funniest one I’ve seen in a long while. After that it fell off. They’ve never done the “it was all a dream thing” before, as far as I can remember, nor should they because it’s dumb. (Even worse, I figured it out ahead of time.)
The one called The Wife Aquatic was the worst I’ve seen. I don’t even bother to tune in to new episodes anymore. It stinks nowadays.
Homer after his makeover was just plain creepy. :eek:
I haven’t seen it yet. Do I brace myself hurricane style or earthquake style? Thanks in advance.
I loved it. But then, I’m a tremendous comics nerd. The Cool comics store is spot-on for the one I go to, right down to the owner and his girlfriend. And hell, any show with those three guest stars is A-OK with me.
JABF17 “Husbands and Knives”
Written by Matt Selman
I liked this one. Much like last week’s, it reminded me very much of an older episode in terms of writing. I agree with those who say the first act was the best, and I would like to have seen more of the new comic book store owner, but at least the B plot set the A plot into motion.
Comic Book Guy: “Phillip K. Dick! It can’t be! It’s if as Superman moved to Gotham City!”
Martin: “Which he did in World’s Finest Comics #94! See?”
Comic Book Guy: “That was an imaginary story dreamt by Jimmy Olsen after he was kicked in the head by Supergirl’s horse Comet. It never really happened.”
Bart: “None of these things ever really happened.”
Comic Book Guy: “Get out of my store.”
(But the Simpsons are real, right? Right?)
Bart: “All right. I get it. You’re cool. You’re not ‘mainstream.’ You wear a porkpie hat.”
[Inexplicable jump-cut to Homer at work]
Homer: “Mmm…pork pie.”
Bart: “But let’s see what you know about superheroes!”
Milo: “Hey, I’m all about the capes. Flame on.”
Bart: “Who’s stronger- the Thung or the Mulk? And show your work.”
Milo: “Whoa, head rush! Okay…well, the Mulk kicked a tidal wave into the sun, whereas the Thung gave a piggyback ride to the 1985 Chicago Bears…that’s a tough one.”
The comic book store plot was classic Simpsons and one of the best I’ve seen in awhile. The other was only so so. I really think they missed a bet – the story should have revolved around the Comic Book Guy getting back at the new comic book guy.
I have a name, you know. (And feelings… sniff.)
Great guest character and great use of Jack Black. I loved the exchange you quoted, and yeah, the first part did feel like an older episode. (When was the last time Bart was into comics?) I don’t think you needed to be a comic book geek to enjoy the jokes about all the dead characters, and born-again Robin was very funny. (At least, I’m not one.) Alan Moore and Dan Clowes were very funny.
Oh, and the “for rent” poster on The Android’s Dungeon was great. 
I don’t know, the comic jokes were largely lost on me. The minor comic book writers being super heroes elicited my WTF moment #1 and as Og is my witness, I did not need to see the scene of Homer’s nipples weeping. ::shudder::
Is anyone who did not hate this episode also not into comics? That might make the difference.
Jim
I’m not into comics, and I liked this episode. But then, I also liked the Halloween episode everybody else seemed to hate…
I’m not into comics. I read Maus years ago, but if I weren’t a Doper I’d have no idea who Alan Moore is. I’ve never read any of his work. I did see the movie version of Ghost World, but I don’t know anything about the author. He was just pathetic.
Agreed about the nipple thing. Surgery humor just never makes me laugh, so I wanted all that stuff to end before it started.
I’m not into comics all that much – I never heard of one of the three comic book artists, and you don’t have to be into comics to know about (Pulitzer Prize winner) Art Spiegelman or Alan Moore – they write literature.
But most of the gags were understandable to anyone with a basic knowledge of popular culture. Heck, anyone on this board could get the joke as to who was stronger Thung or Mulk, even if you didn’t know who they were parodying. We’ve had the “Who would win in a fight?” question asked plenty of times.
That unfunny part yes, but the 3 obscure comic book writers playing on what I suppose is their public personna? The Robin joke was even less funny and I even had some idea what it was about. Sorry, it just didn’t work for me. The Marge/Homer part of the show was really and truly horribly bad.
I thought it was a pretty good episode. But I didn’t like the way the writers just put the new comic book guy chracter aside and forgot about him. What they should have done is have the meteor at the end fall on his head.
Though I don’t read many anymore, I am a lifetime comic fan. As such, having Alan Moore guest on the Simpsons was pure gold.
I don’t care if he reads the phonebook, I am psyched.
But to hear him sing Little Lulu? RIOT! To hear him discuss corporate explotation(Little Watchmen!) EPIC!
His voice did not sound like what I expected. It sounded like Hank Azaria making a voice that might sound like Moore.
I’ve always found Moore fascinating. He’s like a Michael Jordan in comics, yet many (culturally literate) people have no idea who he is.
While I definitely enjoyed this episode more as a comic fan, you don’t have to be a fan of a certain subject to appreciate a well written joke. I vaguely know of Frank Geary and care nothing of architecture, but I loved the jokes from the Prison Snitch episode.
“Hey, Geary. Like nonlinear shapes much?”
I’m not sure the insider jokes in this episode were well written, but it IS possible to be insider and broadly funny at the same time.
Damn, I wish I had seen this episode. I love Alan Moore.
Because of the writer’s strike, it will probably be reaired soon.
I just checked the Fox website, and it will be available online in a few days. I love that! I stopped paying for cable when I moved this summer, so I just have rabbit ears to get the local stations, and my reception sucks. But I can watch most shows online on the network websites, and they even have limited commercial interruptions. What an age we live in!
I’d like to see this resolved in a future episode.