List of The Simpsons comics facts for kids

The comic book series based on The Simpsons TV show were mostly published by a company called Bongo Comics. The very first comic strips about The Simpsons appeared in 1991 in a magazine called Simpsons Illustrated. These comic strips were super popular!

Because people loved them so much, a special one-time comic book called Simpsons Comics and Stories was released in 1993. It had three different stories. This comic was a big hit! So, Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, along with Bill Morrison, Steve Vance, and Cindy Vance, decided to start their own comic book company: Bongo Comics.

By the end of 1993, Bongo Comics was already publishing four different comic series: Simpsons Comics, Bartman, Radioactive Man, and Itchy & Scratchy Comics. Over the years, many more titles came out, including popular ones like Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson, The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror, Simpsons Super Spectacular, Simpsons Summer Shindig, and Simpsons Winter Wingding.

In the United Kingdom, Simpsons Comics and Bart Simpson comics are reprinted by Titan Magazines. They also print stories from other Bongo Comics. In Australia, Otter Press publishes the same titles. Many issues of Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, and Bart Simpson have been collected into bigger books called trade paperbacks in the United States by HarperCollins.

All the Comics Published

Here's a list of all the different comic books Bongo Comics has published based on The Simpsons:

Popular Comic Series

The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror

The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror #13, a spooky annual comic.

The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror is a special horror comic series that comes out every year around September or October, just in time for Halloween. It started in 1995. The comic gets its name from the yearly "Treehouse of Horror" episodes of The Simpsons.

Just like the TV episodes, each comic book has three scary stories. Famous comic book writers and artists, like Garth Ennis (who wrote Preacher) and Dan Decarlo (who worked on Archie Comics), have created stories for this series. Even rock stars like Gene Simmons from Kiss and Alice Cooper have contributed! The stories often make fun of modern horror movies and tales, showing funny, distorted versions of the people from Springfield.

Simpsons Comics One-Shot Wonders

Simpsons Comics One-Shot Wonders was a series of comic books that only had one issue each. Eighteen different titles were published from 2012 to 2018. Each one focused on a different character or theme, like Ralph Wiggum Comics, Bart Simpson's Pal, Milhouse, Li'l Homer Comics, and Maggie. There were also comics about Professor Frink, Mr. Burns, Duffman, Kang & Kodos, and even Bartman in a special three-part saga.

Past and Limited Series

Simpsons Comics and Stories

The cover of the only Simpsons Comics and Stories issue.

Simpsons Comics and Stories was a one-time comic book that came out of the Simpsons Illustrated magazine. It was so successful that it led to the creation of Bongo Comics. This comic was later replaced by the regular Simpsons Comics series.

Simpsons Comics

Simpsons Comics was a monthly comic series based on The Simpsons TV show. The first issue came out on November 29, 1993. Over 200 issues were published! It started coming out every two months, but then became a monthly comic in 2000.

Since 1997, there was also a monthly edition in the United Kingdom. This version mostly reprinted stories from the U.S. comics. It also included pages with drawings from UK readers and a letters page called Junk Mail, where a sarcastic person answered fan letters.

On March 20, 2013, Bongo Comics released the 200th issue of Simpsons Comics, which had an extra-long story.

Simpsons Comics has been published in many countries around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Sadly, on July 27, 2018, it was announced that Bongo Comics would be closing down. This meant that no more Simpsons Comics would be published after issue #245. The very last issue came out on October 17, 2018.

Bart Simpson Comics

Bart Simpson comics first came out in the United States in late 2000. They were published every two months until mid-2011. This comic series focused on The Simpsons' mischievous star, Bart Simpson. Each issue usually had several short stories, often featuring other kids from Springfield.

The Australian version of Bart Simpson comics started in 2002. It was a smaller, digest-sized book and sometimes came with a bonus Radioactive Man comic. These comics were also reprinted in the United Kingdom by Titan Magazines.

The series ended in February 2016 with its 100th issue, which was a special 48-page comic.

The Official History of Bongo Comics

The Official History of Bongo Comics was a very rare, one-time comic book. Only 750 copies were made! They were given out to some lucky fans at the San Diego Comic Con in 1993 when Bongo Comics was first launched. This special issue was only ten pages long.

Bartman Comics

Bartman was a short-lived comic series about Bart Simpson's superhero alter-ego, Bartman. Bartman first appeared in The Simpsons TV show in the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book". This was one of the first four comic series released by Bongo Comics in late 1993.

The Bartman series only lasted for six issues and was canceled in 1995. However, many smaller Bartman stories have appeared in other comics like Simpsons Comics and Bart Simpson comics since then.

The main writers and artists for the first three issues were Steve Vance and Bill Morrison, who helped create Bongo Comics. When Steve Vance and his wife Cindy left Bongo Comics in late 1994, the Bartman comic was paused for nine months. Issues #4-6 finished a three-part story, and then Bartman was discontinued.

Itchy & Scratchy Comics

The first issue cover of Itchy & Scratchy Comics.

Itchy & Scratchy Comics was another short-lived series, and one of the four original comics released when Bongo Comics started in late 1993. The first issue came out on November 29, 1993. Only two more regular issues were released, plus one special edition called Itchy & Scratchy Holiday Hi-Jinx.

The comics tried to tell longer stories about Itchy and Scratchy, but readers felt that these characters were best in short, violent bursts, just like on the TV show. Full-length stories took away from the funny shock value. So, the comic series was canceled in 1994. Itchy & Scratchy still appear in Simpsons Comics as short segments when the Simpsons family watches TV.

There were three different versions of the first Itchy & Scratchy comic. One version came with a poster that could be combined with posters from Radioactive Man #1, Simpsons Comics #1, and Bartman #1 to make a giant poster. This version cost US$2.25. Another version cost US$1.95 but had a barcode on the cover and no poster. The rarest version was a reprint that also cost US$1.95 and had no poster.

In 1993, there was a special event at Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles. Members of the Bongo Comics team signed 500 copies of Itchy & Scratchy #1 and gave out a special Certificate of Authenticity (COA) with each one. Each COA had its own number and a special seal.

Radioactive Man Comics

Radioactive Man #1 cover.

Radioactive Man was one of the first four "premiere" comic series released by Bongo Comics in late 1993. This series has been published in two parts: an early run from 1993 to 1994, and a later run that started in 2000. Shorter Radioactive Man stories have also appeared in Simpsons Comics. As a special promotion for The Simpsons Movie, a comic called "Radioactive Man Comic Book Edition #711" was sold at 7-Eleven stores during their Kwik-E-Mart event.

In the Bongo Comics, Radioactive Man is secretly Claude Kane III. He's a rich guy who means well but is a bit clumsy and not super smart. He's also stuck with a very old-fashioned 1950s way of thinking, no matter what year it is! A funny ongoing joke is that to keep his secret identity safe, Claude always wears different hats to hide a lightning bolt-shaped piece of metal sticking out of his head.

The first issue of the Bongo comic is different from Radioactive Man #1 shown in The Simpsons episode "Three Men and a Comic Book". In the comic book, Claude survives an explosion because a large, lightning bolt-shaped piece of metal gets stuck in his head. Claude often tries to remove this metal piece, but every time he does, something bad happens, so it always ends up back in his head. This metal piece also saves his life in many strange ways.

These comics often made fun of different types of comic books, just like the TV show makes fun of things. Readers could see how Radioactive Man changed from a 1950s hero to a hero from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. For example, one comic looked a lot like the famous comic Watchmen, with Radioactive Man acting like Doctor Manhattan. The comics were published as if they were the actual Radioactive Man comics from the Simpsons universe. For instance, a "1970s" comic might have a letter written by a ten-year-old Marge Bouvier. The series also pretended that the comic had been running since the 1950s, so each real issue would be a random number from that long run, like #357, then #432, then #567, and so on.

Radioactive Man comics were later combined with Simpsons Super Spectacular in 2005.

Bartman and Radioactive Man

Bartman and Radioactive Man was a special 16-page comic that came out in 1994. It was included in the Hero Illustrated magazine and had a mini-poster of Bartman and Radioactive Man. The story was written by Steve Vance.

Krusty Comics

Krusty Comics was another short series with only three issues, published from January to March 1995. Each issue told part of a three-part story called The Rise and Fall of Krustyland. It was about Krusty the Clown trying to open an amusement park to pay off a gambling debt.

Lisa Comics

Lisa Comics was a one-time comic released in April 1995. The only story in it was Lisa in Wordland, which was a funny version of Alice in Wonderland. It tells the story of Lisa Simpson getting lost in a strange world called Wordland while chasing a postman. The postman turns out to be Ned Flanders. As they explore, they get caught by Mr. Burns. Burns makes Lisa play a game of Scrabble against him. Lisa gets upset and smashes the board, then wakes up to find it was all a dream.

Simpsons Summer Special

Simpsons Summer Special was a single-issue comic book printed in December 2001. It was only sold in Australia and New Zealand.

The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis

The cover of issue #1.

The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis is a four-part comic series that combines the worlds of Futurama and The Simpsons. It was written by Simpsons Comics writer Ian Boothby and drawn by James Lloyd. The series had two volumes: Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis and The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis II.

The first part came out on August 21, 2002, and the second part on January 28, 2003. Parts three and four were published in 2005 as The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis II. A special hardcover book with all four parts was released in 2010. Both TV shows also had a crossover episode called "Simpsorama".

Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book

Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book is a five-part comic mini-series starring the character Comic Book Guy. The five issues were released between July and November 2010.

Simpsons Super Spectacular

Simpsons Super Spectacular was a comic book series published by Bongo Comics. It first came out in the United States in 2005. This series continued the stories from the Radioactive Man comics and also included other superheroes from the Springfield universe. These included Homer Simpson as Pieman, Bart Simpson as Bartman, and even Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl from the Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror X".

Issue #10 also featured an adventure with the 'Unleashed Legion', a superhero team made up of superhero versions of the Simpson family pets: Santa's Little Helper and Snowball 2, Mr. Teeny (Krusty the Clown's pet chimpanzee), and a parrot owned by Captain McCallister. Simpsons Super Spectacular ended on October 17, 2013.

Collected Editions

Simpsons Comics Trade Paperbacks

Many Simpsons Comics issues have been collected and reprinted in bigger books called trade paperbacks by the American publisher HarperCollins since 1994. Some issues from Krusty Comics, Lisa Comics, Bartman, and Itchy & Scratchy Comics were also included in these collected books.

Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Paperbacks

Bigger books collecting most of the issues from the Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror series have been released since 1999 by HarperCollins. These are great for reading all the spooky stories together!

Bart Simpson Paperbacks

Issues from the Bart Simpson series have also been collected and published in trade paperbacks every year from 2002 to 2015 by HarperCollins.

See also

• List of The Simpsons books
• Futurama Comics