Bongo Comics Turns 20!!

Big News! Bongo Comics

Bongo Comics is turning 20 years old!! Why it was only a decade ago they turned 10. Where does the time go?

SDCC Futurama Returns Comic

Futurama Returns Comic
July, 2007

Futurama Returns Comic
Title: Futurama Returns!
Layouts: Bill Morrison
Penciller: Jason Ho
Inks: Mike Rote
Colors: Nathan Kane
Letters: Karen Bates

This comic serves as a transition from the ending of the Futurama run on Fox and the re-boot at Comedy Central with the ordering of 4 straight to DVD movies that would later be chopped up in to a total of 16 individual half hour episodes to be shown first on Comedy Central.

With the poor treatment that Futurama received from the Fox Network the creative team behind this comic took many liberties in taking shots at their former network, timeslot, and the geek fans who demanded more Futurama

The story revolves around the Planet Express crew completing their original 72 'episode' deliveries and Planet Express going out of business but not before having to relive all their original missions over and over through a time warp thanks to the Carton Network when Planet Express is 'cancelled' from future 'episodes' by the Box Network. Carton Network, however comes to the rescue and orders four (4) additional missions to the delight of a throng of screaming Futurama geeks who are attending Package-Con in San Diego.

SDCC Toynami Destructor Figure Finally Getting Ready to Ship



Image copyrighted and taken from Toynami's
Facebook page

If you attended Comic Con this year and ordered the Destructor figure from Toynami and have been wondering where it is at - worry no more. I spoke to Toynami customer service who informed me that the figures were on their way and would be shipping out from Toynami in January which was also confirmed on the Toynami Facebook page. Originally slated to ship back in September of this year the release kept getting pushed back, although the Robot Devil plush did ship on time. Really looking forward to this figure along with the associated Gender Bender as the prototype from Comic Con appeared to be in scale to the episode which makes this a maxi-figure. It looks super cool and can't wait to get mine and added to this great line of Futurama figures by Toynami.
Visit the Toynami site for additional information and like their Facebook page while you are at it already.

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:

Futurama Comics 37

Cover Title: The Yoke's on You
Cover Credits: Matt Groening, Jason Ho, Mike Rote
Script: Ian Boothby
Pencils: James Lloyd
Inks: Andrew Pepoy
Colors: Nathan Hamill
Letters: Karen Bates
Editor: Bill Morrison

Reprinted in: Futurama to Infinity

FULL METAL RACKET
While making a delivery of Planet Chow to a living planet things go awry when Fry forgets to secure the planet on the ship and it begins to fall out resulting in the living planet chasing the Planet Express ship trying to gobble up all the tender morsels. After promising to not do anything stupid for the rest of the flight, Fry makes the 'smart' decision to pick up some space hitchhikers who turn out to be representatives for the Aliens for the Ethical Treatment of Mammals and decide that Fry and Leela have been overworked so they liberate them to a mammal sanctuary planet. Bender, not being human or mammal is released. While on the planet they quickly find out that it is inhabited with everything they need to lead an idyllic existence - except for the transforming robuts who consider humans to be pests and look to exterminate them.