"Three Men and a Comic Book" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the
second season (and the ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' season finale) of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. It originally aired on the
Fox network in the United States on May 9, 1991.
[.] In the episode,
Bart sees the rare first issue of ''
Radioactive Man Radioactive Man may refer to:
*Radioactive Man (comics), a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe
*Radioactive Man (The Simpsons), a fictional comic book superhero in ''The Simpsons''
:*''List_of_The_Simpsons_comics#Radioactive_Man, Radio ...
'' for sale at a
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
convention.
Unable to afford it, he convinces
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
and
Milhouse
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class ...
to pool their money to buy the valuable comic, only to see it destroyed by their selfishness and inability to share. This episode contains the first appearance of the
Android's Dungeon and its owner,
Comic Book Guy, voiced by
Hank Azaria.
The episode was written by
Jeff Martin Jeff Martin may refer to:
* Jeff Martin (American musician) (born 1957), lead vocalist for the bands Surgical Steel and Racer X; drummer for Badlands
*Jeff Martin (Canadian musician) (born 1969), guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Tea Party
...
and directed by
Wes Archer. It features cultural references to comic book characters such as
Richie Rich and
Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from television critics for its use of parodies and cultural references. It acquired a
Nielsen rating of 12.9, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.
Plot
While attending a comic book convention dressed as his superhero alter ego Bartman,
Bart sees the first issue of ''
Radioactive Man Radioactive Man may refer to:
*Radioactive Man (comics), a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe
*Radioactive Man (The Simpsons), a fictional comic book superhero in ''The Simpsons''
:*''List_of_The_Simpsons_comics#Radioactive_Man, Radio ...
'' for $100 at
Comic Book Guy's
Android's Dungeon. Since he does not have enough money to buy it, he decides to get a job. Bart performs back-breaking labor for
Mrs. Glick
The American culture, American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even ...
, who gives him only fifty cents for all of his hard work.
When Bart sees
Milhouse
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class ...
and
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
at the Android's Dungeon, he persuades them to pool their money and buy the comic book. Since none of them is willing to let the comic book out of his sight, they spend the night together in Bart's
tree house
A tree house, tree fort or treeshed is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, a han ...
. They get progressively more paranoid and Bart grows convinced Martin and Milhouse are conspiring against him as a thunderstorm approaches.
When Martin gets up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, Bart thinks he plans to steal the comic and ties him up. Milhouse tries to alert
Marge
Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include:
People
*Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist
*Marge Anderson (1932 ...
that Bart has gone crazy, but Bart thinks he is making a move for the comic and tackles him. Milhouse falls over the side of the treehouse, but Bart catches him precariously by his sleeve. When a gale of wind takes hold of the comic, Bart is forced to decide between grabbing it and rescuing Milhouse. After Bart pulls Milhouse to safety, the comic blows out the door and onto the ground, where it is shredded by
Santa's Little Helper and struck by lightning. The next morning, the three boys reflect on how their inability to share the comic led to its destruction, while a bird lines its nest with a scrap from the last page.
Production
![Jeff Martin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Jeff_Martin.jpg)
The episode was written by
Jeff Martin Jeff Martin may refer to:
* Jeff Martin (American musician) (born 1957), lead vocalist for the bands Surgical Steel and Racer X; drummer for Badlands
*Jeff Martin (Canadian musician) (born 1969), guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Tea Party
...
and directed by
Wes Archer.
Characters making their first appearances on the show are Comic Book Guy, Mrs. Glick, Radioactive Man,
Fallout Boy, and Bartman.
Although many suggestions state that Comic Book Guy was inspired by the show's creator
Matt Groening, Comic Book Guy was partly inspired by a clerk at the
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
Amok book shop who, according to ''Simpsons'' writer
George Meyer
George Meyer (born 1956) is an American producer and writer. Meyer is best known for his work on ''The Simpsons'', where he led the group script rewrite sessions. He has been publicly credited with "thoroughly shap ng... the comedic sensibilit ...
, often "
aton the high stool, kind of lording over the store with that supercilious attitude and eating behind the counter a big Styrofoam container full of fried clams with a lot of tartar sauce".
Matt Groening noted: "I can't tell you how many times people have come up to me and said, 'I know who you based that comic book guy on. It's that comic-book guy right down the block.' And I have to tell them, 'No, it's comic-bookstore guy in America.'"
[ Cast member Hank Azaria based Comic Book Guy's voice on a student who went by the name "F" and lived in the room next door at his ]college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
.[Azaria, Hank (2004). Commentary for "]Homer's Barbershop Quartet
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 1993. It features the Be Sharps, a b ...
", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. According to ''Simpsons'' writer Mike Reiss, the writers "settled" on naming his store "The Android's Dungeon and Baseball Card Shop" after a late-night writing session, figuring they wouldn't see it after this episode.
Mrs. Glick was based on an old lady Martin and his brother used to do chores for when they were kids. Martin said they got to "pull weeds until heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
hands would bleed", and yet they were paid only two quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25.
Quarter or quarters may refer to:
Places
* Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town
Placenames
* Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland
* Le Quartier, a settlement i ...
s for several hours of work. American actress Cloris Leachman provided the voice of Mrs. Glick in the episode.
The episode features a parody of '' The Wonder Years'', in which Bart stares into the distance after realizing he has to get his first job, and an older version of Bart's voice is heard saying "I didn't realize it at the time, but a little piece of my childhood had slipped away forever." Daniel Stern guest starred as the voice of the adult Bart, just like he did for the adult voice of the character Kevin in the television show ''The Wonder Years'' (he had also featured with Yeardley Smith in the movie ''City Slickers
''City Slickers'' is a 1991 American comedy film, directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, and Jack Palance, with supporting roles by Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater, and Noble Willingham with Jake Gyllen ...
'' around the time this episode was produced). Reiss stated Stern was a "pleasure" to work with and it took him only a few minutes to record his lines. Stern's younger brother David M. Stern
David Michael Stern is an American television screenwriter. Among his first work in television was writing episodes of ''The Wonder Years'' in the late 1980s. He then proceeded to write several episodes of ''The Simpsons'' in the 1990s. In 2010, ...
worked as a writer on both ''The Simpsons'' and ''The Wonder Years'', so he helped the writers get the idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...
s and the wording of the parody right.
When a rerun of this episode aired in 1992, a brief tribute to '' The Cosby Show'' aired following the end credits. ''The Cosby Show'' ended on April 30, 1992, and the tribute featured Bart and Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
discussing the quality of the show, and its importance to Bill Cosby.
Cultural references
At the beginning of the episode, Lisa reveals that she collects Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich comics, and Homer makes reference to Wonder Woman. Radioactive Man's origin is nearly identical to the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
character The Incredible Hulk, as they each had gained superpowers from absorbing massive amounts of gamma radiation during an experiment. The warning from the convention MC not to ask questions about the death of Radioactive Man's actor Dirk Richter is a reference to the mysterious death of Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
's actor George Reeves, although the addition of bordello could also be a reference to the unsolved 1978 murder of Bob Crane.
When Bart asks Homer for money to buy the comic book, Homer replies: "One hundred bucks? For a comic book?! Who drew it, Micha-ma-langelo?" This is a reference to the Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
, whose name Homer cannot pronounce. Bart's inner monologue in the diner scene is a parody of the narration in the coming-of-age comedy-drama series '' The Wonder Years'' and was voiced by ''Wonder Years'' actor Daniel Stern.
Milhouse initially goes into the comic store to buy a 1973 Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...
card Card or The Card may refer to:
* Various types of plastic cards:
**By type
***Magnetic stripe card
*** Chip card
*** Digital card
**By function
***Payment card
****Credit card
**** Debit card
****EC-card
****Identity card
****European Health Insur ...
of the former Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
player, Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...
, "when he had the big sideburns". When the boys first unwrap the comic book, Martin describes it as " e stuff dreams are made of", which is how Bogart's
Bogart's is a music venue located in the Corryville neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, near the University of Cincinnati, across Vine Street from Sudsy Malone's Rock 'n Roll Laundry & Bar.
History
The venue opened as a vaudeville theater called t ...
character
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
describes the Maltese Falcon at the end of the movie, '' The Maltese Falcon''. The Radioactive Man commercial for Laramie cigarettes is a takeoff on '' The Flintstones'' characters' starring in Winston commercials in the 1960s. When Bart begs Mrs. Glick not to apply iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...
to his wounded arm, she grabs his arm and the scene shifts to their silhouettes as Bart screams, mirroring a scene in the 1939 film '' Gone with the Wind''. The accusation and suspicion that grows between the boys is similar to the plot of the film ''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' (originally titled ''Der Schatz der Sierra Madre'') is a 1927 adventure novel by German author B. Traven, whose identity remains unknown. In the book, two destitute American men in Mexico of the 1920s join a ...
''.
When Martin makes a squealing noise while falling in the treehouse, Bart calls him "Piggy" and threatens to stuff an apple into his mouth, resembling a similar quote from the book '' Lord of the Flies'' (1954), by William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...
. Bart trying to save Milhouse from falling from the treehouse is a reference to a scene in the film from Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
from 1942, '' Saboteur''. The title of the episode is a reference to the 1987 comedy film '' Three Men and a Baby'' in which three men have to take delicate care of a baby.
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Three Men and a Comic Book" finished twenty-third in the ratings for the week of May 6–12, 1991, with a Nielsen rating of 12.9, equivalent to twelve million viewing households. The episode was the highest-rated show on Fox that week. It was the first time ''The Simpsons'' beat '' The Cosby Show'' in the ratings.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson lauded it for its use of new characters, commenting that "of all season two's Bart-focused episodes, only 'Bart the Daredevil
"Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 6, 1990. In the episode, Bart decides he wants t ...
' offers competition with 'Comic' as the best of the bunch. It's a tough call, but I'll take 'Comic' in a squeaker. The show melds the series' deft satirical tone with exceptional character development. Bart seems to grow especially strongly, and his psychological meltdown in the third act is hilarious."
"Three Men and a Comic Book" was named the best episode of the season by IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
. The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, commented that unless you have a "passing understanding of comic books and their buyers' behaviour, some of the jokes will pass you by". Doug Pratt, a DVD reviewer and ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' contributor, criticized the episode for not being inspired enough, and added that the ''Wonder Years'' parody "seems pointless". "Three Men and a Comic Book" is Bryce Wilson of Cinema Blend's favorite episode of the season. Wilson praised the episode for its cultural references, calling them "true greatness".
''Surrey Nows Michael Roberds praised the ''Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' parody, saying it is "one of the more clever film parodies hidden within a typical ''Simpsons'' plot".
Colin Kennedy of ''Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' called the ''Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' parody the ninth best film parody of the show, commenting that "Bart turns ntoa perfect Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Ins ...
– grizzled, paranoid and sleep-deprived. With lighting and camera angles half inched from Huston, this priceless gag is joyfully pitched over the heads of 90 percent of the audience."[Colin Kennedy. "The Ten Best Movie Gags In ''The Simpsons''", '']Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', September 2004, pp. 77 The episode's reference to ''Saboteur'' was named the 25th greatest film reference in the history of the show by '' Total Film'''s Nathan Ditum.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Men And A Comic Book
1991 American television episodes
The Simpsons (season 2) episodes
Television episodes about comics
it:Episodi de I Simpson (seconda stagione)#Tre uomini e un fumetto