This subject was so obvious I missed it. But I was reminded how much my kids love The Simpsons comics last week, when I took my youngest son into a local comic shop.
My son wanted three comics. The first was Birds of Prey #1, which I had on mail order already. The second was Titans: Villains for Hire, which I nixed because of the graphic and throwaway death of a hero.
The third was the latest Bart Simpson comic. I bought that one without protest. Once he finished reading the issue, my son passed it onto his sister, who also devoured it that same day.
Simpsons Comic #164 from March 2010
Summary:
The comic is the same as the show. There’s not-too-bright Homer, long-suffering Marge, brainy Lisa, baby Maggie and brat/rebel Bart Simpson. They get into trouble, have adventures and somehow seem to make it out alive at the end, making jokes and pop culture references all the while.
The quality of these stories are equal to the show, though individual stories vary. Some are better, some worse than the television episodes.
What Parents Will Like About It:
If you like the off-beat humor of the show, you’ll like the books. The only drawback is that they’re over too fast. The better investment is in the paperback collections, not the single issues.
What Kids Will Like About It:
The stories are funny. It doesn’t get more basic than that. My kids laugh out loud while reading them. I think these comics are especially good for kids who have trouble reading or are indifferent to books.
Recommended Trades:
My kids favor the Bart-centered comics. Those include The Big Book of Bart Simpson, The Big Beastly Book of Bart Simpson, and Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror Spine-Tingling Spooktacular. There’s also The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album. I bought this as a gift to my husband years ago. As each of my kids learned to read, they grabbed it off the shelf and spent hours reading it to find all the jokes.
About the Creators:
Bongo Comics, the publisher of the Simpsons comics, was co-founded by Simpsons creator Matt Groening. A number of well-known comic writers, such as Chuck Dixon, Gail Simone and Ian Boothby, have written for the company.
