Saturday, February 22, 2014

CBR Futurama Adventures

 

Presented in 2-D! No glasses needed! (unless you need glasses))

For more Matt Groening-related reviews, check these other pages below!

Comic title: Futurama Volume 2: Futurama Adventures
Art by James Lloyd, John Delaney & Tom King
Written by Eric Rogers 

Published by Bongo Comics 
From 2004
Lineup Futurama series
Format: Trade Paperback collecting Futurama Comics #5-9.

The scifi parody show created by Matt Groening came to comics back in November 2000 through Groening's own Bongo Comics publishing company.

Futurama was published as a bi-monthly. And for a while,  between 2003 and 2006 it actually was the only source of new Futurama material being made at the time!

Typical issues usually ran for about ~27 pages long and were done in traditional pulp scifi comic-style, continuing the tradition of the show to poke fun at the genre as well as a honor it.

This means lots of mock-up advertisements, plenty of pin-up art, character bios and fake interviews! Believe me, those are worth a read!

Each cover, more or less connected to the actual content, also features a funny, silly caption as to imitate the title screens from the cartoon.



Fry, Leela and Bender and the rest of the Planet Express crew are back for some new adventures!

This second volume collects issues #5-9, late 2001 and early 2002 issues.

The book opens with "Who's Dying to Be a Gazillionaire?". To save Planet Express from an hostile takeover, Fry decides to enter a dangerous game show where failing to answer correctly might get you killed!!

Next up is "Xmas Time Is Fear". Bender gets forced to deal again with the Robot Devil. He has Bender spread a rumor that the robot Santa has been reprogrammed for good this year. But all this is a hoax! Will our heroes be able to save New New York City from Santa Robot in time! This issue also contains a back-up feature, "H.G. Blob in Revenge of the Blob". H.G. Blob goes to the movies to see The Blob movie... 


"New Year's Rockin' Evil". It's New Year's Eve. During a blackout, the crew take this occasion to have a look back at the "What If? machine". They decide to check on what Fry's life had been had our hero never left 1999. Fry is seen back in his life as glimpsed in the very first episode, that is... until Bender and Leela came out of nowhere looking for him! But it turns out one of them actually is... the Bendernator!! After this Terminator spoof, there's also a very short story "The Continuum Less Travelled" in which Professor Farnsworth builds a new time machine... does it actually work this time?...

"Planet X-Press Men" sees the Planet Express crew turned into superheroes in a comic book-style parody! Parodying Stan Lee's classic X-Men, they each obtain super-powers for this occasion! With a twist at the end!

Finally in "Freaky Fry-Day" it's Grand Nephew's Day! Fry offers some matching necklaces to the Professor... only it turns out to be a whole lot more than simple bling bling. When our characters swap body, the Professor decide it's time to enjoy life now that he's living in Fry's body.. but what about Fry finding himself in this new aged body? Oh, my...

The book also contains a fun guide to Sci-Fi conventions by Cubert, a fantastic look at the Planet Express Building interiors, a couple short stories and more surprises!


Overall, Good News Everyone! This is a pretty fun hilarious addition to the collection of any Futurama fan.

Simply an outstanding book, and a great companion to the TV series (or a nice reminder, now that the show's over).

With some fantastic art, great solid writing and lots of witty humor!

It's only downfall is that like the more gimmick episodes, this volume mostly contain spoofs rather than proper side-stories. But they're all good!

I give it:
2 / 3 Snoopies!

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