Monday, October 29, 2012

Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #2



You will not be calling "boo-urns" for this one, unfortunately.




NOTE: Didn't have time to put together special bumpers for the commercial break this time. Sorry.

66 comments:

Unknown said...

This was a good episode. I have been a fan of the Simpsons for years and I have to say that while I don't think they are bad, I do think that they should just have a good finale and bow out gracefully. Good Tosh.0 joke. Yeah, that guy is stupid. Nice end to the storyline and I like how it wasn't a total Thing ripoff. Can't wait for Secret Origins Month.

areoborg said...

How sad is it that right after the "as long as the doctor knows what he's doing" line, I said "HI EVERYBODY!" at the exact same time you did?

The answer is: very.

Anonymous said...

I love Penzance. My favorite production though left out that constable song. The Kevin Kline movie from 83. This comic isn't that bad but well it might be the worst of the TreeHouse of Horror series. So yeah I don't really see any other chance for you to get The Simpsons on any of your reviews.

Maybe you could get the other people from Channel Awesome together to do some G&S productions? You know just for fun since Doug isn't planning an anniversary special next year?

FugueforFrog said...

I guess let me start first with this: honestly I was a Simpsons fan back when the show started...but it has outstayed it's welcome. It had it's time back when it started and a lot of witty and great episodes in the early seasons, including the Treehouse of Horror. However, sometime in the mid-late 90s is when it got all stupid and there are too many reasons why I stopped watching. Yeah people still like things about the show but it just isn't for me anymore...but as you said I don't watch much TV anymore outside a couple things.

The comic...well, honestly I chuckled more with your stuff than with it. It sort of showed how obvious the bits and the humor had gotten on the show by the time this was printed. Though I did like your bits and sort of wonderments about why the heck they were doing what they were doing.

As for the culmination of the arc: that was awesome. Great seeing 90s Kid stop the shadow being and it's going to be sad not seeing Harvey for a while. But he needs a break considering he's been cooped up for so long in the apartment with nuts like 90s Kid and Linksano.

Can't wait for the next few weeks. I'd suggest the "Flash Gordon" theme for next week's episode but that's the wrong Flash...though do hope to hear some form of the "Lonely Man" with the Hulk comic at the end.

Anonymous said...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/madonna-booed-for-telling-new-orleans-concertgoers-to-vote-for-obama/

Painfully Life imitates art. All of Marge's over the top accusations are now sadly apt for Madonna today. That is scarier than either of the Comics IMO. And I had just gone to that site to check on Hurricane updates.

David 2 said...

Nicely done Linkara!

Anonymous said...

The Simpsons and their fox kin (Bob’s Burgers and the Seth McFarlane shows) are still the best cartoons aimed at adults on today. Adult Swim still has a few good shows but they are to short. The only good animated show left on Comedy Central is the fox refugee Futurama.

Unknown said...

This week's comic was genuinely good, imo. I know you acknowledged that it wasn't 'exactly bad' but I really think it succeeds too well to qualify for this show.

ngrey651 said...

It's good to see you branch out and look at different types of comics. I was hoping you'd one day get to a Simpsons comic book, they're usually very enjoyable, even if they can be lacking at times.

This "Gunslinger" seems a lot like Vyce, motivated by some kind of "greater purpose", only much, MUCH more annoying. At least Vyce directly stated why he did what he did when asked. There's nothing more irritating than somebody who's motives you can't pin down. At least with a big bully like Vyce, you have a certain expectation from people like him, you kinda KNOW how they'll react. But with "Mister Mysterious" types, all you wanna do is scream "Will you just tell me what you're up to".

As for Traveler, from what I've read, they evidently retconned his powers so that he was actually a mutant with the ability to control and alter people's perceptions, get inside their head. He just had a way of amplifying that power SO much he appeared godlike. But as we've seen, this wasn't done well.

So I want to recommend a similar story where this sort of thing WAS done well. Spidey gets confronted by somebody named "Fusion", who says he's an amalgam of all the villains Spidey's fought, and he wants Spidey dead because his son died trying to imitate a stunt he'd seen Spider-Man do. Spidey actually feels guilty, realizing how being looked up to is a double-edged sword and tries to later talk Fusion down...but the guy breaks his legs.

Or so Spidey THINKS. It's a very gripping couple of issues where you think Spidey's actually been broken, only for the truth about Fusion to be revealed: he's like Traveler, he alters and shifts perceptions, he can MAKE people believe things, making Spidey think he'll never walk again. If you ever get the chance, check out the storyline he's in, it begins in "Peter Parker, Spider-Man", number 30.

HerpdeDerpDaMan said...

A whole Simpson's review without bringing up the Bart's Nightmare lets play. Review ruined.

Matt said...

The Austin Powers line "Oh no, I've gone cross-eyed," is actually from The Spy Who Shagged Me, not International Man of Mystery.

Anonymous said...

Wait, I just realised, Where has Ninja Style Dancer been during all of this? Is he on secret mission? Is he.. No, that's not possible.. He wouldn't...

Petey Batts said...

I like Daniel Tosh...

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"The Austin Powers line "Oh no, I've gone cross-eyed," is actually from The Spy Who Shagged Me, not International Man of Mystery."

Yeah, I keep screwing that up. No idea why. XD

Themilo said...

I hoped that the green thing that appeared in all of your Halloween title cards was the answer but alas I was proven wrong.

Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque said...

Well, Arrow's actually not that bad--especially considering the other bad shows you listed.

SirMatt said...

I enjoyed the Halloween story this year it, was a nice simple one with some lasting effects.

Though best part was that essentially 90's Kid saved everyone's ass.

And oooohhh secret origin month next. sweet!

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"Though best part was that essentially 90's Kid saved everyone's ass."

After all the crap he went through last year, I decided it was time for 90s Kid to be the hero for once.

Robyn said...

This episode felt a little shorter than the others, but maybe that's because this particular comic had just two Treehouse of Horror stories instead of the usual three.

Linkara and Harvey argue like an old married couple. I'm not sure if that's what you were going for with the characters, but it made me smile a bit. I also hope to see a return of Harvey, as he's one of my faves out of the entourage. Love the storyline, keep up the good work!

Oh, and Happy Halloween. I hope you have a nice holiday!

Anonymous said...

Actually, most voodoo practitioners ARE officially Catholic nowdays.

DarkSeraphim said...

Let's see...woke up late for work, barely managed to make it on time, was yelled at by my boss for "poor work attitude" or whatever b.s. he was spouting today. Was nearly run over on the way home, umbrella was stolen so had to walk home in the rain. THEN I find out the stupid weather caused my upcoming trip to Canada to be cancelled. Could today get any worse?

Well, perhaps it could. But this was not on that list today :) This review was hilarious and really gave me a boost for my good mood. Like a lot of people, I love the Simpsons and this was just hilarious! The ending to this arc was just awesome, and I want to give 90's Kid a big hug and a high five! Awesome shooting DUUUDE! Poor Harvey though...he needs a hug too *nods* Can't wait for Secret Origins Month!! Keep up the good work and don't stress yourself.

And thank you for the great moof lifter :)

Eileen Gonzalez said...

My new Halloween tradition is stocking up on canned goods, putting new batteries in all my flashlights and falling behind on all my favorite TGWTG shows thanks to freakishly large and unseasonable weather events. :P

I never liked "The Simpsons" but this review was fun. It almost makes me want to watch an episode or two. Also, yes! Someone else who thinks "Arrow" sucks!

AmuroNT1 said...

Great review as always. It actually took me a minute to realize "Magicians Get-Together" was supposed to be a riff on Magic: the Gathering, which was like Madonna a controversial piece of media thanks to a few cards with demonic images and "gambling" (the optional ante rule, which pretty much nobody ever used).

areoborg said...

Oh, I almost forgot! Your live show at Youmacon is Sunday at 2? I'll be there!

Nate said...

The Gunslinger reminds me of one of those "loot hunters", an asshole you sometimes come across in certain online games who just wants your stuff and nothing more. This episode really explained his character well and I think this is my favourite storyline yet.

Peace1986 said...

Yay for 90's kid, getting to percieve the shadow thingie, stabbing it and blasting it with the best weapon in the arsenal :D

Joining in with the people that are objecting to Arrow being in the same catagory as "those-shows-that-must-not-be-named" Or Youknowhich for short.

It helps that I haven't been a big Green Arrow fan, and yes, as a pure adaptation of the DC character, it would fails.
But, it works in it's own universe, makes nods to the comic fans by dropping names, and I'm saying straight up: I like that show.

boooratt said...

I really wish I knew when the new upload time was!?
I use to love and look forward to the Treehouse of Horror episodes each year, but as of now I've lost a lot of interest in the Simpsons due to modern episodes that all seem to be very one sided in that they seem to always want some political message EACH episode!
My favorite ones are the Killer Krusty Doll one, The Sound of Thunder one, The King Kong one, and the Pet Sematary/Zombies ones! There was one I really liked but I don't know if it was meant to be a Treehouse of Horror episode or an episode in the same style as them but wasn't necessarily meant as a horror parody, but it was the one where it was all Fairy Tale parodies! The best one being the one where Homer is like the hero and he comes across Rapunzel and tries to climb her hair and ends up scalping her because he is so fat he rips the hair right off her head trying to climb it.
I got a trade that collects a lot of Treehouse of Horror comics and it has the old fashion wrap around story of the Illustrated Man and it's all pretty funny for except one bit that is worthy to be on this show and that one is sort of like a mix of en episode of the show that has happened. The episode where the scientist guy brings his dead dad back to life as a Frankenstein like monster but in this comic's case it is Bart because he killed Bart by hitting him with his car and then it gets confusing because he starts killing other sand switching up their body parts and all I can really recall other than that is it ends with Bart's head on a monkey's body and the Scientist dude's brain in the body of a jock and the whole segment is drawn in the style of the Archey's Comics!
Well for the comic reviewed here today I'd say I like the Sideshow Blob part, but the other part with Lisa as Madonna was very dated jokes to the early to mid-90s that not even I get! Also, I was never a fan of the joke as Marge as the overly protective activist mom that goes crazy over ever thing that she think is damaging kid's minds or whatever.
I guess from what was shown here this was written in the era when the show was pushing Bart as the face of the show before they noticed more like and sided with Homer as he was barely in these!

I really like the Gunslinger's steampunk glove! Where he purchase that!?
Well, that story arc got resolved pretty quick!
Can't wait for Secret Origins month to start up again! You're going the original Flash comic next week and I love how cheesy those Golden Age stories are and him not even trying to hide he's got powers as a civilian!

buzzrock1 said...

Wow this is a trip for me. Your reviewing a comic that I've actually read. Seriously I never read normal comics until I started watching your show, but I always collected Simpsons comics. This is pretty awesome.

Ozaline said...

A rare treat for the episode to be posted before I go to work, yay!

I gotta say while I was hoping for one of the team to be an imposter this was a satisfying conclusion to the arc.

Will this maybe lead to Harvey's spin-off, that he was created for in the first place?

Loved the Tosh.0 gag, I really can't stand that guy... he's stuck up and he comes across as rather sexist too.

Mercenary said...

Holy crap I remember reading the Madonna story when I was like 10 or something.

SkylerQ said...

I have not finished the video yet but I really like Arrow. GA is one of if not my my favorite superhero (my other two being Nightwing and Superman) and I think it's nice to see Ollie in something that is more well written than 85% of his new 52 run. Ann Nocenti is KILLING me with that crap she is turning in.

Doresh said...

Weird, the German version of the Simpsons comics uses this cover for Vol. 1 (I know that because this plant Homer head in a jar references an earlier story) Oo

And why DOES he wear a blue shirt? I never got that oO

Anonymous said...

Between this and Longbox of the Damned (plus my day in general), this has been an awesome birthday! Thank you for making this such an enjoyable birthday Linkara ^_^

August m said...

Great Review, I actually laughed at bits of the comic. As for the show itself, I still watch it(Been watching it since the show first aired when I was 3). Sure people can say there are bad episodes but which show doesn't?

Also, I agree about that treehouse of horror short being the worst because it was just stupid on any level.

As far as televison, I only watch it for sports(Basketball, Footbal, and soccer), Doctor Who, and cartoons. Everything else is on Netflix, Hulu, and my DVD/Bluray collection.

Phantom Roxas said...

I'm not a Green Arrow fan, but I have been enjoying Arrow. I can understand why you wouldn't like it even if you did watch it, however.

This was a funny review, and I liked your voices for most of the character, especially Dr. Nick. The Tosh joke was great, although I remember liking what I had seen of his show, but that was years ago.

Harvey is still my favorite character, so I've been feeling bad for what is happening with him here. Here's hoping he makes a triumphant return during Christmas.

ngrey651, I think you raise a good point, but it sounds like the the Gunslinger is a lot like Traveller in that sense, but that kind of was the joke with Mysterior and Mr. Inegma (I'm pretty sure that character was supposed to be a corruption, so it's me misspelling the word).

"After all the crap he went through last year, I decided it was time for 90s Kid to be the hero for once."

I figured that was the reason, and it worked rather well.

I love Secret Origins Month, so I'm looking forward to it this year, especially since we're starting things off with the Flash. Oddly enough, it is going to have a weird parallel to the All-American Comics #16 review, with you talking about the first Flash, while there's this supposed insistence that Barry is the most "iconic" Flash, even though Wally is the first Flash I and a lot of other people knew about.

Anonymous said...

After our brief Twitter conversation last night, I'm glad to be able to see this now! :D

I really liked this review, and the character picks for the title card were spot on. I used to read the Simpsons comics and I always hoped you'd do one. You do awesome impressions of some of the characters, and I love it whenever you sing. (Also, great Halloween fake names, loved that touch.)

As for the storyline, good wrap up, and I'm SO glad 90s Kid got his day in the sun. I hope things continue to get better for him after all the crap he had to go through. Also, yeah, Harvey does really look like he could use a rest. I wish him luck and I hope he comes back for Christmas. (And here's hoping for that spin-off thingy that everyone keeps talking about!)

Great review. Can't wait for Secret Origins Month. ^^

Anonymous said...

One question I still don't understand was.. What the fuck was that shadow creature, and what did it have to do with the Gunslinger and his steampunk glove?

Anonymous said...

A reviewer's lot is not a happy one to be done.

A reviewer's lot is not a happy one.

Unknown said...

I have some Simpsons comics and they are funny, you should read some more often

Anonymous said...

Something just occurred to me.

In the end of this episode you are clearly at the shelves still decorated with some of the materials for the LOTD videos.

And in the review you point out that the reason you didn't do a top 10 involving Tree House of Horror was because of the reviews Moarte is making in the other room.

So is he in a parallel dimension or is he doing his reviews out in the middle of the stand off?

Jesse said...

90's Kid saving the day was a nice touch. That probably ate at Harvey a little too.

Who is that guy with the Edward Elric hair?

SpammerD said...

I was surprised to hear the quip at Arrow. what is it you don't like about it? Personally, I think its a great else world story....line.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"I was surprised to hear the quip at Arrow. what is it you don't like about it? Personally, I think its a great else world story....line."

Apparently you missed the second part of that quip.

I haven't watched Arrow. I don't care about Arrow. At all. Because I don't watch TV.

Unknown said...

The second story was not funny at all. As someone who was scared out of their mind by the Exorcist, I enjoy getting to see parody's to replace my memories of the film itself but this just felt... unfinished and like the jokes belonged elsewhere.

To the storyline, also agree it was very cool to see 90s kid save the day. I feel like I'm missing something with the Gunslinger but can't put my finger on what.

Anonymous said...

Well for starters what would he need the power of a dozen magic guns that have reached their full potential for? Why so many? Just how many souls are involved I don't think we can assume all the magic guns are created equal. But for some reason he needs that peak capability. I somehow get the feeling that if all that magical energy were released in full at once it could be enough to change the nature of a dimension. So why does he need all that power? Can it really be as Fire Power?

Tetsu Deinonychus said...

I liked this episode a lot! Hearing you imitate the Simpsons character's voices was very amusing.

Anyway, if you're wondering about Bart's shirt and the Power Ranger chest emblems, sometimes movie/TV franchises come up with a special visual trait that makes it different from the show. This is to mark official merchandise as "official". Someone making counterfeit Simpsons or Power Ranger merchandise is probably going to copy the appearance from the show itself, so having the character's look different in a specific pre-planned way on the real products helps them spot the fakes.

Anyway, loving the story segment at the end (very intense considering the more light-hearted review). It was great that 90s Kid got to save the day considering how much Harvey was putting him down earlier. I'm hoping Harvey gets to have a cool hero moment when he returns from his soul-searching concert tour.

Jillian Jensen said...

Wow… I kid you not, my college voice instructor assigned me that "Pirates of Penzance" song this very day. I wouldn't have gotten that reference otherwise. I am a terrible musical theatre student.

Yeah… that made me smile. :) Thank you.

Lizard-Man said...

Figured I'd share my favourite THH shorts I suppose, since I can't say much about the review besides I agree it was kind of a meh book.

Dial Z for Zombie: Lots of killer jokes there.

The evil krusty doll, loved that one.

Time travelling Homer, also good.

The Shining Parody was hilarious and even improved on the infamous typewriter scene in my opinion making it even creepier.

That's all I can think of for now. Maybe the advertising one that was a kaiju movie in a sense and those are always cool.

Never liked the transformers one they did, none of it made any sense and when they had the robots both team up to concquer the world it just invalidated everyhting about the characters they were making fun of. Parodies in my opinion should always pay homage to the source material. The second they make things out of character at random I lose interest.

I didn't like the Dolphin one much either. I mean, come on, the Dolphins take over the earth? What about tanks? And guns? They can't use guns! They got flippers! Thinking too hard I guess about that, whatever.

I also liked that 90's kid got to save the day. Sure he has crap taste in comics, but he seems like a nice guy... if not just really stupid.

Kyle said...

Tosh? Silly Linkara, I think you misspelled Ray William Johnson

Anonymous said...

The Comic: Well this one seems alright.

Your Arc: Curiouser and curiouser.

Fiery Little One

Unknown said...

"I haven't watched Arrow. I don't care about Arrow. At all. Because I don't watch TV."

still, it wasnt right to put it next to all of those shows like jersey shore and others that even though they have fans they also still questionable shows

Arrow is pretty good and not worth to be put next to this

Ming said...

Good episode. You know, I keep expecting the Simpsons to actually end one day, but I don't think Fox is going to cancel that show anytime soon, especially since it's still one of their most successful shows.

Anyway, I'm not going to say this Simpsons comic was that bad, but I think there could have been room for a third Treehouse of Horror story.

Great finale. I said that I wouldn't be too surprised that if the mysterious shadowy figure was working with the Gunslinger. Turns out I was right about that part. Nice to see 90s Kid actually do his heroic save.

Can't wait for Secret Origins Month.

Frosty said...

Yay, Moarte made it to the show!!! Well... sort of. :)

This has been one of those times when I'm way more excited for the storyline than the actual comic. Nice to see character development for Harvey. Even if it means we won't see him for a while. (Think he can come to Europe to throw a concert as well? :) )

Happy halloween to you too!

Jenbrait said...

So if the shadow thing made you think you couldn't leave the place, does that mean you were able to contact Cinema Snob because you temporarly forgot about it? Although it wouldn't explain how the two mystery morons managed to contact you since you did remember.

Blackcat325 said...

Happy Halloween and nice to see a review of a comic that wasn't completely terrible.

The storyline conclusion was well worth the wait! I'm with the people who liked that it was 90's Kid who got to be the hero this time. I also liked that Linkara threw him the gun - showed he meant it when he said he trusted them now. Also that moment when 90's Kid ran the sword through the shadow-thing, and Linkara and Harvey just looked at each other like "... the Hell?!". You could really forget that it was one person playing both parts. The whole sequence of overpowering the shadow-thing just worked really well.

Awww, Harvey! I remember when Linkara left for his journey, he looked around the apartment and said that when he got back, everything would be ok. That felt like tempting fate, and when he did come back, it seemed like things were a bit too ok. I like that there have been consequences, even if I will miss seeing Harvey for a while.

Anonymous said...

I noticed on the blackboard behind Professor Frink, the mathematical formula Johnny Quick uses to activate his superspeed-(3X2(9YZ)4A).

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"I noticed on the blackboard behind Professor Frink, the mathematical formula Johnny Quick uses to activate his superspeed-(3X2(9YZ)4A)."

HA! Okay, now THAT'S awesome.

Arianne said...

It looks like the 90's kid can shoot properly and make himself useful under the right circumstances.So, the shadow thing might be a ally to the gunslinger like his own version of Vyce's minions minus the vocal noises part. If I'm right the Anger mood changer that caused everyone to express their anger was caused by The Shadow Minion as I'm going to dub . I wonder what those things that came out of its hands were?. Did they caused the bad moods was it "cast" by it or was it a defense thing it does. So many questions.
I remember that The Tree House of Terror had a Blob episode starring Homer. Also, I think there is going to be a added tv trope to Harvey's section under characters. I wonder if Moarte is a Next Door neighbor from another dimension. I remember enjoying the Opening of the Tree house of Terror the best. Finally, I liked the credits for this episode to be very fitting

Sijo said...

Not going to comment much on the comic itself because I found it rather dull, neither bad nor good. However I do want to comment on the resolution to the whole "Distrust in Linkara's house!" (or whatever you call it :P )storyline:

As expected, it was very good in writing, acting and dialogue. Loved that it was 90's Kid who saved the day (though how did he see the shadow when the others didn't?) I'm sorry to see Harry go, but I like that you played it fair and didn't just have everyone say, "Yeah it must have been the spell, we would never say such things about each other!" which would have been a cop-out.

I hated the Gunslinger, though (the character, not the actor!) While he is a cool villain, he was really pedantic in how he snarked at Linkara for questioning him when HE was the one who broke into his house and tried to steal his weapon. I don't think he's the real menace, though, but more like a third side in a coming struggle kinda like Vyce was. Should be fun to see what develops.

Cryptix said...

It was Day of the Dove! I was right! :D -dances-

Well, it was similar in concept, at least. I'm sure the concept's been used in plenty of other places, too, so the old TOS episode might have nothing to do with its appearance here, but still. I'll take any excuse to dance.

Asdf-- d'awwww. Everything after the credits was awesome. It's sad to see Harvey like this, but it's interesting to see one of the Doppelganger characters get this much development. And yay for 90's Kid getting a chance to shine! He deserves it. Now whether he'll let anyone forget about it anytime soon...

If I did have to find something to critique, the pacing felt a bit rushed, especially the resolution with the shadow creature. I suppose that was meant to be more spaced out between this episode and the last one, though, and you just ran short on time? It happens. It was still quite enjoyable.

I would talk about the comic more, but I've never been a Simpsons fan -- I've enjoyed a few episodes when I've seen them, but I've never been much of a TV watcher, and I've only ever seen one of the comics, though I enjoyed that too -- and I found your jokes more amusing than any of the comic's. I especially liked the Moarte shout-out. It doesn't hurt to get you singing more, either -- nice touch with the 'backup singer' editing.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm a week behind on LotD due to lack of internet...

Anonymous said...

I was saying boo-urns.

Comics were too dark and humourless 'at the time'? I'd say they still are.
But not as bad as 90s; okay, I'll give it that.

I think the 'reversed formula' means that, instead of his body absorbing all his mucus, his mucus absorbed his body.

This has been bothering me: how do you spell Moarte? I thought it was 'Muerte', but people are pretty consistent (!) about 'Moarte'.

Why would Bob know what Ãœter looks like?

Oh, and that empowering rap group is probably a riff on Salt 'n' Peppa. They were the style at the time.

Lewis Lovhaug said...

"This has been bothering me: how do you spell Moarte? I thought it was 'Muerte', but people are pretty consistent (!) about 'Moarte'."

Yep, it's spelled "Moarte."

Anonymous said...

Thanks!
He pronounces it that way, but the accent threw me.

Anonymous said...

You have an amazing singing voice *goes fangirl and faints*

Unknown said...

Don't know how accurate this is but I heard Matt Groening decided to have Bart wear a blue shirt in the merch since bootleg stuff would use his TV colours. So blue shirt = Stamp of official Simpsons Merchendise

Kevin Murphy said...

Great review Linkara, though what exactly do you have against Arrow. I think its a really good show, great action, decent characters and Green Arrow finally gets his moment in the spot light, I'll admit the acting is kinda chunky at times and the plots can be confusing but your two cents would be great.

On another note i think it would be awesome if channel awesome appeared on the simpsons, namely you, the critic, spoony (i know he left the channel but it would still be funny) the chick, angry joe and cinema snoob since you guys are probably the most popular (and intelligent) internet celebrities.