BART SIMPSON'S TREEHOUSE OF HORROR #12 REVIEW

[Blake Petit]

Review by: Blake M. Petit Blake@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Good
Title: Homer’s Ark and other stories

Another trio of Halloween tales from the Simpsons!

Homer’s Ark by: Terry Moore
Blood Curse by: Kyle Baker
Willie by: Eric Powell
Letters: Karen Bates
Editor: Bill Morrison
Cover Art: Bill Morrison
Publisher: Bongo Comics

It’s almost impossible to believe that The Simpsons has been on television for 17 seasons. It’s even harder to believe their annual Halloween comic book – a spin-off of their TV specials – is on its 12th issue. The thing that makes these Treehouse of Horror annuals fun is the chance to see other creators’ takes on the TV show’s characters, and this issue is no exception.

“Homer’s Ark” is first, a story by Strangers in Paradise creator Terry Moore. In the middle of a drunken stupor, Homer gets blasted by a bolt of lightning. In a near-death experience, God tells him He wants him to build an ark to save the world from a much-needed spraying for cockroaches. Homer, of course, goes overboard, leading up to a suitably bizarre Kafka-esque ending. I’ve been a fan of Moore’s for a very long time, and overbites and bizarre skin tones aside, this story is clearly one of his. If you ignore the skin tone and the Simpsons heads, the bodies and backgrounds would look perfectly in place in an issue of SiP. The story, however, is all Simpsons – goofy and fun.

“Blood Curse of the Evil Fairies!” is next, contributed by Kyle Baker. Bart (against his will) sits down to read a fairy tale to Maggie, but when the omnipresent bully Nelson overhears him, Bart twists the tale into a gory tale of death and retribution. The way Baker plays the characters – Homer in particular – is absolutely flawless.

“Willie: Portrait of a Groundskeeper” closes out this year’s helping of the macabre. Eric Powell (whose style is completely unmistakable, even with the Simpsons characters starring) tells a grotesque tale of Groundskeeper Willie, who falls in love with… well, to say any more would be spoiling it. But suffice it to say that this is without a doubt the most horrific of the trilogy in this issue. Some of the gore is a little over-the-top, but it’s not gratuitous – it gives the story just the right touch of classic EC horror, blended with the comedy of the Simpsons.

Overall, this is a better-than average Treehouse. We’ve got three great creators lending their unique voices to the characters, and we get three strong, original tales. It’s well worth the read for folks looking for some Halloween offerings.

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[maggottman]

Spraying for cockroaches and a Kafka-esque ending, huh? Clearly, that means Homer's going to be subjected to a bizarre trial in which he's never told what he's charged with...

[Andrea Speed]

Eric Powell does Willie the Groundskeeper?! Ooh, I'll have to look out for that.