Simpsons Comics 1

 Simpsons Comics #1 is the premier issue of the Simpsons Comics series. It was released in November 1993 and has been reprinted by Bongo Comics several times.

Greetings, Comics Fans!
Thanks for picking up this first, #1, premiere, inaugurable, sure-to-be-collector's-item issue of Simpsons Comics!

Now if you'll be so kind as to take this comic book up to the cashier, dig around in your pockets for some money, and actually purchase this thing before you get it all grubby and dog-eared, we can continue.

This is not a library, you know.

What we're trying to do at the Bongo Comics Group is take our lifelong love of great comics and seeand see if we can wade in with our own stuff - putting out the best comic books we can, with good (deceptively simple) art and plenty of the laughs that seem so rare in comic books these days.

If you're a fan of The Simpsons TV Show, we think you'll dig this comic, as well as Bartman, Itchy & Scratchy, and Radioactive Man - and all the other Simpsons-related and non-related comic books we have up our sleeves.

What we try to do with the TV show is quite unusual: We sneak in little details for real fans (like you). That's why we change the opening credits with different couch gags every week, why we sneak in funny signs in the backgrounds, and why we stick in what we call freeze-frame jokes - secret in-jokes that you'll only get by hunting and searching a videotaped Simpsons episode with your remote control.

We call this revolutionary concept in TV entertainment Rewarding You For Paying Attention. And now we're trying to do Reward You For Paying Attention to our comic books.

So please pay attention!

(And let us know if you dig you rewards)

Your pal,

Matt Groening

Publisher

Summary
Mr. Burns, hoping to become younger, tests an experimental ray on Homer, who turns into a colossal monster.

The Amazing Colossal Homer-
Homer has put on weight so Marge forces him to eat only one donut a day at work. Meanwhile, Mr. Burns wants to be younger, so he visits R & D to see how things are going with the rejuvenator ray, a machine that will make him younger. Now all they need to do is test out the machine on an employee. Through a security monitor, Mr. Burns observes Homer eating multiple donuts and chooses him to be his lab rat. The ray is fired at Homer but nothing happens and, the machine is assumed to be a failure.

At home, Homer tries on a new pair of jeans that don't fit him, so Marge must go to the store to buy the next size up. When she retunrs, she finds that Homer has become a monsterous behemoth. She manages to catch up to him but his colossal size make it impossible to hear her. While this is going on, the media is having a field day with this story and Mayor Quimby is on the war path after an embarassment he suffered at the hands of giant Homer.

As Homer continues his rampage, things are getting worse for the family, who are being hounded by the media. Not only that, Homer is heading toward the nuclear plant and the result could destroy Springfield, forcing Quimby to call the Pentagon for an air strike. Luckily, Mr. Burns wants Homer alive so he has Dr. Olberman, head of R & D cook up a drug that will render Homer unconscious and return him to normal size. However, only one batch has been made so they have only one chance. Lisa suggests using trucks off Duff Beer to lure Homer away from the plant and then inject him with the drug as he passes them. Their plan succeeds and Homer returns to normal.

Mr. Burns then runs a battery of tests on Homer to see if their were no long-term health effects from the whole ordeal. When the results come back, Homer and Marge learn that he has lost three pounds and that he is perfectly healthy. But when they leave, Smithers tells Mr. Burns that the results they heard weren't completely true, and that some of the side-effects of the ray turned him into a balding, obese, donut-obsessed buffoon.

The Collector-
Script and Layouts- Steve Vance

Pencils- Sondra Roy

Inks- Bill Morrison

Colors- Cindy Vance

Inspiration- Susan Grode

The Collector is a reculsive millionaire who spends his days reading rare comic books. When his butler goes out of town for the weekend, the Collector's heating system short-circuits, which could ruin his collection. While attempting to fix the problem, he is locked inside his comic book vault. The temperature starts to drop and he soon begins to freeze. With no other option, the Collector must burn his comics to survive. When his butler returns, he finds that his master has gone insane.

Main Characters-

 * Homer Simpson
 * Marge Simpson
 * Bart Simpson
 * Lisa Simpson
 * Maggie Simpson

Secondary Characters-

 * Mr. Burns
 * Smithers
 * Dr. Olberman
 * Mayor Quimby
 * Chief Wiggum
 * Eddie
 * Lou
 * Kent Brockman
 * Lionel Hutz
 * Dr. Hibbert
 * Dr. Marvin Monroe
 * Troy McClure

Comic References

 * The cover of this issue pays homage to the first issue of Fantastic Four.
 * The back cover of this issue pays homage to Tales from the Crypt comics.

Reprints

 * Simpsons Comics Extravaganza
 * Simpsons Classics #1

Awards

 * Eisner Award for Best Short Story for Steve Vance