Simpsons Comics Get Some Fancy Book Learnin' (Simpsons Comic Compilations) [Paperback]

Matt Groening (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2010 | Series: Simpsons Comic Compilations

Gather round for some high-spirited and fortune-filled fables when Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, takes on the world's most beloved literary classics! Mount Olympus will never be the same when Homer presents The Iliad and Ned Flanders takes a turn as Aesop. Then, in a tale of biblical proportions, Bart meets the most famous underachiever of all time, the Prodigal Son, and Abraham Simpson finds it is not so easy to keep a covenant with God when you have a son like Homer. Next, Marge is Persian princess Scheherazade, who must impress the impulsive King Moe-mar Shahryar every night with a story in order to save her own neck. Then, Bart does the Bard, man, when the students of Springfield Elementary perform, measure by measure, virtually every one of William Shakespeare's plays in one midsummer night. Finally, Lisa attempts to win over Rod and Todd Flanders with the lovely and endearing Danish fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matt Groening, the creator and executive producer of the Emmy^® Award-winning series The Simpsons, as well as creator of the cartoon strip "Life in Hell" and the animated FOX television series Futurama, is the man responsible for bringing animation back to primetime and creating an immortal nuclear family. In addition, Groening formed Bongo Comics Group in 1993 and currently serves as publisher of The Simpsons Library of Wisdom, Simpsons Episode Guides, Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson Comics, Radioactive Man Comics, Simpsons Comics Treasure Trove, the annual Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, Futurama Comics and more than 36 comic compilations, as well as many instant classics including Bart Simpsons Guide to Life, The Simpsons Handbook and The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Harper Design (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061957879
• ISBN-13: 978-0061957871
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "I ordered Christian fairy tales on the internet and they sent me Hans Christian Andersen ones by mistake!"---Ned Flanders, December 16, 2010

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mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Simpsons Comics Get Some Fancy Book Learnin' (Simpsons Comic Compilations) (Paperback)

As was first done with "Simpsons Comics Hit The Road," "Simpsons Comics Get Some Fancy Book Learnin'" actually follows the theme of the title and cover art. All the comics have the Simpsons characters portraying figures in literature from Greek Mythology to Shakespeare. The longer comics are very well done but some of the shorter ones at the end fall flat. Still, I enjoyed this change of pace from the usual Simpsons comics. It offers a very clever use of characters.

"Greek To Me"--Homer plays, well, Homer (the Greek poet) who tells four stories to a gathering of children. The first is "The Labors of Hercules" with Bart as Hercules. He only completed 10, but hey, 10 out of 12 is a B+ which is the best grade Bart ever got. In the second story, Homer is Hades who abducts Marge...er, Persephone...and is taken to court over it. In the third story, Selma is Medusa and Perseus (Bart) has to cut of her head or face 100 years detention. Finally, Homer tells a string of Aesop's Fables like "The Fox and the Grapes," "The Tortoise and the Hare," and--my favorite--"The Ant and the Grasshopper" where Homer is the grasshopper and Flanders is a hilarious-looking ant! There are a lot of clever lines in this one, especially Barney as Oedipus.

"Pandora, Jr."--A 5-page comic with Lisa explaining the story of Pandora's Box to Maggie. Maggie doesn't learn the lesson.

Fairy Tales--Ralph plays Humpty Dumpty in a 2-page short, then there are a string of Hans Christian Andersen tales that Lisa saves from the Flanders's book burning BBQ. Lisa reads the stories to Rod and Tod. There is "The Little Mermaid", "The Prince and the Pea" (featuring Smithers and Mr. Burns), "The Shadow" (featuring the Comic Book Guy), "Thumbelina", and "The Story of a Mother." My favorite is "The Ugly Duckling." I like the scene where Marge the swan takes in the ugly duckling Bart saying, "It's not like I haven't compromised before," while watching a fat Homer swan swigging beer and burping.

Arabian Tales--Dunyazad (Marge) tells King Shahryar (Moe) stories to keep from being put to death. The first one is the best. Ned Flanders is Aladdin who finds a lamp containing an incompetent genie (Homer). His wishes grant him an all-you-can-eat buffet and go-go bar and an angry wife Maude brought from the dead in skeleton form. The other stories are "Apu Baba and the Four Thieves" and "Sinbart The Sailor."

Shakespeare--Plays parodied are "Antony and Cleopatra," "Julius Caesar," "Henry V," "Romeo and Juliet," "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," "Richard III," "Titus Andronicus" (in Itchy and Scratchy cartoon form), and "King Lear." Most of these, in terms of punch lines, are pretty weak.

Bible Stories--Bart tells Rod and Tod some Bible stories to calm them down after they find out Sunday School is canceled. The stories parodied are "The Prodigal Son," "Abraham's Sacrifice," and "Noah's Ark." These comics were, on the whole, funnier than the Shakespeare ones.