Comic Book Bin 
 
 Comics
 Comic Reviews
 Marvel Comics
 DC Comics
 Other Comics (648)
 Back Issues
 Manga Reviews
 Comic News
 Spotlight
 Phil's Bubble
 European Comics
 Canuck
 Black Astronaut
 Comics 101
 Web Comics
 Comic Strips
 
 Action Figures
 
 Video Games
 
 Fan Films
 
 Movies
 
 Books
 
 Interviews
 
 About
 Classifieds
 Newsletter
 RSS

Comics : Comic Reviews : Other Comics
Last Updated: Aug 21, 2008 - 3:13:23 PM




Simpsons Comics #131
By Hervé St-Louis
Sep 3, 2007 - 3:45:56 AM

Email this article
 Printer friendly page

Add to Del.icio.us     Add To Reddit
Add To Digg     Add To Stumbleupon
Add To Technorati Favorites     Add To Ask


simpsons131.jpg
Bongo Comics Group
Writers: Chuck Dixon, Ty Templeton
Pencillers: James Lloyd, Nina Matsumoto, Ty Templeton, John Delaney
Inkers: Mike Rote, Andrew Pepoy

This issue, Bongo Comics’ 40-year-old like intern, guides readers through some of the local adaptations of the Simpsons in other country. The tour takes us to Japan, where we witness a baseball game played by Bartomu. Next is the great mystery of the crumpling porches, set in Belgium, where Henri, better known as Homer in the United States tries to sell his waffles but without success. To round up the tour, is the Mexican version of the Simpsons is trying to sneak into the United States as migrant workers.

I really did not expect to enjoy this comic book so much. I thought that the comic book version of the Simpsons was for small kids. I was wrong. Adult readers will find enough material in there to challenge their mind, if they pay attention.

While the Manga version of the Simpsons is not very fun, it does capture the essence of the family. Just a few of the gags were interesting. Everything was a good translation of what it would mean to have the Simpsons in Japanese.

The Belgian version was more fun because the Simpsons’ characters were mostly adapted to fit an odd counterpart from some Belgian comic book from the Smurf or Tintin. How a proxy was found was quite funny and also made fun of these other comic book series, while making fun of the Simpsons at the same time. This is the type of absurd joke that works on so many level especially if you are familiar with the old Belgian comic book and the very political culture of that country. That story alone was priceless.

Finally, we get a Simpsons’ comic book that borrows more from South America soap operas than comic books but that works nevertheless. I could not stop laughing every time Bart or Lisa would call their mother Mamasita. And Marge looked the part too. Part of the story poked so much fun at Mexicans, that some people might be offended by it. But just like the Belgium story, it rang true.

The artwork is adapted to evoke the comic book style of the particular country where the story is set in. The manga update of the Simpsons work. Bart looks like Dragon Ball with spiked hair and all. The story was full of zip a tone and in black and white. The Belgian version of the Simpsons showed more flair. The designs were almost the same, but less smooth and with a heavy dose of ligne claire thrown in. Finally, while the Mexican version of the Simpsons was closest to the actual characters’ designs, Marge got lift up making her much more bimbo-like. The other characters got to wear local Mexican clothing.


Related Articles:
Simpsons Comics #141
Simpsons Comics #132
Simpsons Comics #131
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
SIMPSONS COMICS #84



Comment Script Join the discussion:

Add a Comment

Comments


© Copyright 2002-2008, Coolstreak Cartoons Inc. - All rights Reserved. All other texts, images, characters and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Use of material in this document(including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication) without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Top of Page

Search

The Secret History of The Authority: Hawksmoor 2 (of 6)
There is something fishy going on in San Francisco, and not just in its bay....
Rutu Modan's Exit Wounds
Eisner Award-winning Exit Wounds is a comics masterpiece.
Lucky Vol 2 No 2
Gabrielle Bell continues to chronicle life in the big city.
Dan Brereton's Nocturnals: Carnival of Beasts
Little seen, but always welcomed, the Nocturnals are back in a trio of colorful macabre tales.
Carter Allen's 252-Z: Law of Monsters
Hellboy meets Mr. Monster.
Seventy Six is Funkilicious
A trip back into the '70s with some colorful low lifes.
The Umbrella Academy Is A Winner
If you've wondered, The Umbrella Academy is Awesome.
Alex Robinson's Too Cool to Be Forgotten
You can go home again.
Paris Is A French Treat
Grab a croissant and enjoy this French romance.
War Heroes #1
All one would expect from a Mark Millar comic.
Liberty Comics #1
Relevant, like prohibition or the cotton gin.
Young, Gay & Battling in Liz Baillie's My Brain Hurts Volume 1
Red Mass for Mars #1
Set in the year 2115, the book opens with all the disasters that have happened between now and the future
Simpsons Comics #141
After one too many snubs by other members of his family, Grandpa Simpson becomes Grandpa Flanders
Nate Powell's Swallow Me Whole
Due: 09/2008 Two siblings find themselves haunted - by the ghosts in their heads.