TREEHOUSE OF HORROR #7

By: Arnold T. Blumberg
Date: Monday, October 15, 2001

Be warned, oh hardy adventurers who dare to enter Bart Simpson's depraved treehouse where all manner of ghouls and ghosts await you: that haunting image of the two-headed beast, Homer and Mr. Burns, does not appear anywhere within these moldy pages, nor is there any tale that explains why the horrible monster was created in the first place. Shocking!

Ah, but it's no loss. While there isn't any two-headed man story in this all-new anthology of amazing Simpsons Halloween antics, there's so much fun to be had, you won't notice for a moment. Presented in a bewildering variety of artistic styles and written by terrifying talents like Stan Sakai (GROO and USAGI YOJIMBO), Garth Ennis (PREACHER, PUNISHER), and Mark Hamill (look, kiddies, it's Luke Skywalker! Really!), this year's TREEHOUSE OF HORROR is a treasure trove of twisted tales guaranteed to chill you to your bones. So pull up a coffin, nestle snugly inside, and thrill to the latest scary stories straight out of the true Hellmouth Springfield, USA!

So what gems of grotesque glee are there in this year's treehouse? To kick things off, there's a very dark, surreal dreamscape called "In Springfield No-one Can Hear You Scream," in which Bart (courtesy of Ennis) dreams that his entire family has been impregnated by those Gigeresque Aliens we all know and loathe. Thankfully, it's all just a horrible nightmare...or is it (cue dramatic chord)? This is followed by a brightly-rendered little confection by Sakai, dubbed "I'm Not In Springfield Anymore!" Lisa may have wandered out of her own town and into a fantasy village with an all-powerful wizard (a wizard with a weight problem and a predilection for agonizing over the condition of various collectible comic books), but there sure are some familiar people in this place. In fact, the doofus, the fastidious blue-haired woman and the wind-up boy with mischief on his mind look just like...nah, they can't be...or can they (dramatic chord again)?

Next, journey back to 1875, where a disgusting missing link is discovered encased in ice! Thrill to the majesty and mystery of this scientific specimen of unparalleled historic significance as the ugly yellow-skinned beast is put on display for your amusement. Cringe in terror at the sight of his bulbous eyes and three-fingered hands, his penchant for belching, and his stomach-turning habit of scratching in various bodily areas. Wither in fear at the creature known as "Homererectus!"

Finally, the issue is capped off with perhaps the most traditionally illustrated Simpsons story, a riff on all those wonderful old Mort Weisinger Bizarro Superman adventures titled "Catastrophe in Substitute Springfields!" With a plethora of pointed in-jokes about comics and the collecting industry, and a hilarious final visual gag, this may be the most entertaining chapter of all. And it's written by none other than Fanboy Supreme and Jedi Knight, Mark Hamill! Come on, kiddies, isn't that worth the hefty $4.50 price tag alone? Of course it is!

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR

Grade: A

Issue: No. 7

Author(s): Garth Ennis, John McCrea, Dave Stewart, Stan Sakai, Nathan Kane, Troy Nixey, Karen Bates, Mark "Luke" Hamill, Bill Morrison, Jason Ho, Mike Rote

Publisher: Bongo Comics

Price: $4.50