★★★★★ 4
"I very nearly singed my bone!"--Melvin Van Horne
Format: Paperback
Another fun-packed issue of Simpsons Comics. This is the 15th issue I've bought and, with only a couple of exceptions, they are all as funny and entertaining as the television show. I've read them all multiple times. This issue is perfect for the Sideshow Mel fan because he is featured in a short that documents how and why he became Sideshow Mel and he is also the hero in another comic. Jimbo Jones fans will like the short about how he became a bully (he wasn't always one). Dr. Hibbert also has a short feature. Here's what this issue has to offer:
"Simpson/Sideshow Sibling Smackdown": Cecil Terwilliger and Lisa have something in common--they can't escape from the shadows of their attention-grubbing older brothers. Can they find a rapport even as one is intent on destroying the other?
"A Recipe for Disaster"--Marge needs a new dish for the church social pot luck and tries recipes written by "Springfieldian citizens of questionable character."
"Homer's Run"--Bart becomes owner of a demanding falcoln ("I have to do everything for him. What a stupid bird") while Homer signs up for early retirement on the Hawaiian Island Garbagio--which looks (and smells) just like it sounds.
"Secret Origin of Sideshow Mel"--The background story of how and why Melvin Van Horne became Krusty's sidekick (you won't believe what Mel's occupation was before he replaced Sideshow Bob).
"Day of the Nerd"--Lisa finds out the truth about NASA's exploration of Mars. Meanwhile, the other geeks of Springfield compete in feats of nerdome to win the inheritance of the largest collector of TV/movie&comic book memorabilia. Interesting and unique but jumps around a lot.
"Bummer Vacation"--Short about Bart's summer (his batting swing looks totally wrong) and then writing a report on it that Mrs. Krabbapal doesn't believe.
"Laughter is the Worst Medicine"--Homer competes in a competitive eating contest, "The Gorge in the Gorge." As Krusty says, "Chewing is for losers! Once you swallow, it's the colon's problem." After eating the final hot dog, something goes horribly wrong. Meanwhile Krusty gets a real doctor's degree instead of an honorary one and sick people start lining up at his door.
"Down Home Doctorin' Time with Doctor Julius Hibbert"--Short about Dr. Hibbert as a TV doctor forced to change the style of his show to get better ratings. Ends very abruptly.
"The Permanent Record Room!"--Principal Skinner shares some stories (school stories, not war stories). (1) "Pranks But No Pranks"--Bart plays a joke on Groundskeeper Willie which has the janitor believing he's a superhero. (2) "And the Beatings Go On"--The origin of Jimbo Jones. No, he wasn't always a bully. (3) "Truant or False"--Lil' Homie gets hooked up with a young miscreant(who would grow up to become a prominent figure in Springfield). Homer thinks he's learned a valuable lesson from the breif time he spent with this rebelious kid, but perhaps it is the rebel who changes his ways. Sidenote: they wouldn't have had Noiseland Arcade if this comic was accurate. Homer's mother is in this comic and she left the family in 1969.
"The Many Faces of Bob"--Sideshow Bob is released from prison but is hit by a Duff Beer truck on his way out and has to undergo plastic surgery. Bart and Lisa try to figure out who Bob could be posing as before he gets his revenge on Bart.
"Homer vs. The Raccoon I & II"--I'm not sure why this was divided into two parts; it's just an 8-page short. Anyway, Homer tries to capture a raccoon that has been going through his trash.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2007
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