San Diego Comic Con 2002 ABPoG Archive

I have been going to the San Diego Comic Con for the past twelve years or so. It has been a lot of fun and have enjoyed myself, however, as most of you know who do go it has become so much more crowded and mainstream and the show has changed so much in the past few years it has changed my experiences. I will post and talk about that in another blog but for the time being this is from the old ABPoG site and relays some of the stuff that was going on for Futurama that year. The following year Futurama had a much larger presence but then the show went off the air and activity dwindled a bit but has made a big comeback in recent years.

John Delaney Interview ABPoG Archive

About a year after I was lucky enough to interview Ian Boothby for the original ABPoG site, Futurama penciller John Delaney contacted me and was gracious enough to be interviewed as well and gave a very informative and fun talk about working for Bongo, the process, and the big Futurama Comics project at the time the Time Bender Trilogy (completed in four parts of course).

Ian Boothby Interview ABPoG Archive

Years ago I was lucky enough (2003 I believe) to have Ian Boothby contact me and he was agreeable to do a little Q/A session regarding his work in comics and his work with Bongo Comics writing the Simpsons. At the time of this interview Ian was just starting to be more productive on the Futurama Comics line and has continued to churn out some fun stuff for Futurama including the Time Bender Trilogy and the groundbreaking Futurama Simpsons Crossover.

I had been lucky enough to discuss Futurama Comics with a number of Bongo creatives and hope to bring some of those interviews as well as new ones to this blog and hope to talk to Ian again real soon. Without further ado:

Less Than Hero

Less Than Hero
March 2, 2003

Writer: Ron Weiner
Director: Susie Dietter
Production Code: 4ACV04
Original Air Date: March 2, 2003
Guest Voices: N/A

Soon to Be A Major Religion



 Shown at last years Comic Con I was really excited to see this one again. While assembling a super collider that Farnsworth had purchased from Pikea, Leela and Fry experience some soreness and so decide to go see the good Dr. Zoidberg who gives them some miracle creme he bought from a traveling salesmen. The creme seems to work out fine for them until they notice the side effects of this miracle creme - it gives them super human powers. They decide to put their powers to good use and form a crime fighting duo. Fry as Captain Yesterday and Leela as Cloberella. Bender joins in as Super King to round out the trio and form the New Justice Team. They become instant success in New New York and even have their own theme song:

Futurama Comics 1

Bongo Comics
Released November, 2000

Cover Title: Feisty First Issue

Cover Credits: Matt Groening, Bill Morrison, Nathan Kane
Writer: Eric Rogers
Penciller: James Lloyd
Inks: Steve Steere
Colors: Colorbot 3000
Letters: Karen Bates
Editor: Bill Morrison
Reprinted: Futurama-O-Rama, Comic-Con exclusive

Monkey Sea, Monkey Doom!
Ever wonder what it would be like to order those cool sea-monkies from the back of comic books? Fry finds out as his supercharged sea-monkies wreak havoc over New New York. In the end Zoidberg gets an early Thanksgiving Day feast with his new found friends.

Fun issue for an old guy like myself who actually remembers when comics did advertise sea-monkies, Charles Atlas books and boxes of 1000 army men.

For you collectors out there this issue was also was released as a special San Diego Comic Con exclusive. Not much is different between the two issues as the interior artwork as well as the cover is the same. The only difference is an insignia bearing Comic Con Exclusive on the cover as well as different coloring for the cover. Other than that they are basically the same but something to hunt for out there.

Of note, this issue is scripted by Eric Rogers who is also a writer for the television show. This is James Lloyd first Futurama issue but has been providing artwork for Simpsons Comics up to this point.

 

Space Pilot 3000

Writer: Matt Groening, David X. Cohen
Director:
Production Code: 1ACV01
Original Air Date: March 28, 1999
Guest Voices: Leonard Nimoy, Dick Clark

The first episode of this series that introduces us to the main characters of Futurama: Fry, Leela and Bender. After accidentally falling into a cryogenic chamber and being frozen for 1000 years, Fry wakes up to a whole new world. Along the way he meets up with a certain robot by the name of Bender as he tries to escape his career implantation assignment from Leela. Great moment at the end of this episode where all three make the conscious decision to alter their own fate and choose their own path thus proving you don't gotta do what you gotta do.

Lots of fun moments in this episode like when Larry welcomes Fry to the future. Fry's first trip on the boom tube, meeting up with Bender in the Suicide Booth and Leonard Nimoy being fed like a goldfish in the Head Museum.After tracking down his great, great, great, great,... you get the idea, nephew Professor Farnsworth, Fry, Leela and Bender take up employment as the delivery crew for the Planet Express Delivery Service. Oh, well some things never change.