Treehouse of Horror

As a lifelong Simpsons fan, you'd think I'd be reading Bongo Comics' lineup with regularity: Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson Comics, even Radioactive Man and Futurama/Simpsons Special Crossover Crisis!! (I love the fact that the Bongo stable of writers, although low-profile, are totally attuned to the industry.) As with the animated series, the crown jewel of the collection seems to be The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror. (Creepy) contributors of past issues include Sergio Aragones, Dan Brereton, Alice Cooper, Geof Darrow, Evan Dorkin, Gene Simmons, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Rob Zombie!

Recent issues of Treehouse of Horror have focused even more on (slimy) superstar creators on the title, and if issue #14 (on stands now) is any indication of the regular quality, I'm signing up for the series. It is a masterpiece; bravo, Bongo! Featuring "Three Fearsome Fabrications" it lampoons two particular pop culture icons with triumphant, hilarious success: Steve Niles' macabre 30 Days of Night (adapted by Steve and Glenn Fabry with deadly faithfulness to both series), as well as Ian Boothby's skewering of superhot manga Death Note with art by Nina Matsumoto and Andrew Pepoy. Now, it's no secret that I am a slavish devotee of Death Note, which may color my enjoyment of this particular piece (entitled "Murder, He Wrote"), but I guffawed from start to finish. Indeed I may have used the term "brilliant." I don't know anything else about Boothby other than the fact that he is married to Vertigo artist Pia Guerra, according to Wikipedia, but I tip my cap to him.

The final tale in TOH #14 is a fun, characteristic romp from Gilbert Hernandez that evokes classic monsters of filmland... with a twist. This is The Simpsons, after all.
If you're looking for something to get you in the mood for Halloween, look no further than Treehouse of Horror . I was totally delighted by the precision and ingenuity Bongo brought to this title. When a publisher gets it really, really right, don't you need to clap your hands and say yeah?

-AJ