Simpsons Illustrated
Encyclopedia
Simpsons Illustrated was a companion magazine to the American animated
television show The Simpsons
. It featured, among many other things, articles and interviews about the show and comics based on the Simpsons universe. Simpsons Illustrated was published between 1991 and 1993 and led to the establishment of the Bongo Comics Group.
The magazine also reported on real news related to the show. One story was about a protest held on February 13, 1991. A local citizens' group fought the state's plan to create a nuclear waste dump in their neighborhood. It organized Citizens Against Radioactive Dumping (CARD) and demonstrated at the monthly meeting of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Commission in Albany, New York
. Four kids dressed up as Homer Simpson
, Marge Simpson
, Bart Simpson
and Lisa Simpson
, and presented a three-eyed fabric fish, which looked like Blinky from the second season
episode "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
", to the commission. They also performed a rap song, which explained the plot of the episode.
, Bill Morrison, Cindy and Steve Vance, and Katy Dobbs was the editorial director. It ran for ten issues from 1991 to 1993. Welsh Publishing Company issued it four times a year. The magazine had a circulation of one million.
Bill Morrison drew and wrote all the Simpsons comics for Simpsons Illustrated, while the Arnold strip was drawn by Simpsons creator Matt Groening's brother-in-law, Craig Bartlett
. This strip was later adapted for the animated series Hey Arnold!
.
The first issue was released on April 4, 1991. It included a copy of the Springfield Shopper, a fictional newspaper from the show, and a fold-out poster describing every character from the show and their relationship to each other. An original bedtime story told by Bart was included, along with an Official Simpsons Illustrated School Survival Handbook, which included tactical tips on finding the best seat in class.
The final issue of Simpsons Illustrated was a one-shot comic edition titled Simpsons Comics and Stories. The overwhelming success of this seemingly one-shot book was the reason that Bongo Comics Group was created.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
television show The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. It featured, among many other things, articles and interviews about the show and comics based on the Simpsons universe. Simpsons Illustrated was published between 1991 and 1993 and led to the establishment of the Bongo Comics Group.
Content
Features in the magazine included in-depth articles and interviews with the cast and crew, diagrams of major characters' dream houses, comics, and fanart (which was highly encouraged). Another recurring feature in the magazine was a comic strip called Arnold.The magazine also reported on real news related to the show. One story was about a protest held on February 13, 1991. A local citizens' group fought the state's plan to create a nuclear waste dump in their neighborhood. It organized Citizens Against Radioactive Dumping (CARD) and demonstrated at the monthly meeting of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Commission in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Four kids dressed up as Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Marge Simpson
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
, and presented a three-eyed fabric fish, which looked like Blinky from the second season
The Simpsons (season 2)
The Simpsons second season originally aired between October 11, 1990 and May 9, 1991, and contained 22 episodes, beginning with "Bart Gets an F". Another episode, "Blood Feud" aired during the summer after the official season finale. The show runners for the second production season were Matt...
episode "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish
"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 1, 1990. In the episode, Bart catches a three-eyed fish in a river downstream of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant...
", to the commission. They also performed a rap song, which explained the plot of the episode.
History
Simpsons Illustrated was produced by Matt GroeningMatt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
, Bill Morrison, Cindy and Steve Vance, and Katy Dobbs was the editorial director. It ran for ten issues from 1991 to 1993. Welsh Publishing Company issued it four times a year. The magazine had a circulation of one million.
Bill Morrison drew and wrote all the Simpsons comics for Simpsons Illustrated, while the Arnold strip was drawn by Simpsons creator Matt Groening's brother-in-law, Craig Bartlett
Craig Bartlett
Craig Michael Bartlett is an animator best known for writing for Rugrats and creating the television series Hey Arnold!.-Career:...
. This strip was later adapted for the animated series Hey Arnold!
Hey Arnold!
Hey Arnold! is an American animated television series created by Craig Bartlett for Nickelodeon. The show's premise focuses on a fourth grader named Arnold who lives with his grandparents. Episodes center on his experiences navigating big city life while dealing with the problems he and his friends...
.
The first issue was released on April 4, 1991. It included a copy of the Springfield Shopper, a fictional newspaper from the show, and a fold-out poster describing every character from the show and their relationship to each other. An original bedtime story told by Bart was included, along with an Official Simpsons Illustrated School Survival Handbook, which included tactical tips on finding the best seat in class.
The final issue of Simpsons Illustrated was a one-shot comic edition titled Simpsons Comics and Stories. The overwhelming success of this seemingly one-shot book was the reason that Bongo Comics Group was created.
External links
- Simpsons Illustrated at www.planetbongocomics.com
- The Guide To Bongo Comics at The Simpsons ArchiveThe Simpsons ArchiveThe Simpsons Archive, better known as snpp.com or simply SNPP , is a Simpsons fan site that has been online since 1994...