FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

FUTURAMA #32: In Space, No One Can Hear You Read

by Ian Boothby, Mike Zazaleh, and Andrew Pepoy

(Bongo Comics Group)

Reader Appeal: All Ages

Genre: Humor

I have a confession: I’m a Futurama junkie. I loved this show, and it killed me that it was canceled after the fourth season. For those of you who don’t know, Futurama was an animated TV show from the creators of The Simpsons and, in my opinion, the better show of the two. So if you, like me, are still pining after the adventure of Philip Fry in the year 3000, I have good news: the series lives on in comic form.

In this particular issue, the zany cast of Futurama (members of a package delivery service company in the year 3000) decides to test out the professor’s super-futuristic porta potty. For added privacy, when you flush, it teleports itself to a random point in space and time far from anyone you know. Naturally, the device goes haywire and the crew is sent from place to place through time, with ridiculous consequences. The plot is loosely unified by the idea that Dr. Zoidberg, a consummate screw-up, accidentally saves the world on each planet where they arrive. There’s not much more to say about it than that, except that the crew must eventually figure out how to get home.

This comic doesn’t rise to any great heights of drama or social commentary, and it doesn’t try to. It’s primary goal is to make you smile, and it did that. Franchise fans will be pleased to see their favorite characters here and that the comic manages to preserve the dynamics between them and the distinct flavors of each character. The writer obviously has a good grasp of the franchise, so much so that reading the comic is not entirely unlike reading a script for the TV show. The zany, off-the-wall humor is there, and that’s what you look for in these comics, if you look for them at all. I can’t think of any deep lessons or messages you might get out of this comic, but that’s par for the course in this case, so it’s acceptable.

The art in this comic is, to be honest, the weak point. The drawings are decent, but simply don’t measure up to the TV show. The artist does an OK imitation of the visual style of the show, but it’s clearly just that: an imitation. The coloring also seems to have some flaws too; Leela’s lipstick looks awful, so much so that it really detracts from the whole look of the comic.

There are also some problems with the whole TV-to -comic adaptation, in my opinion. As I said, this comic reads a lot like a script from the show. Unfortunately, that’s also its weak point, it reads like a script. You can’t help thinking, while reading it, that it would be so much better as a script, and that something essential is lost when you don’t have the exceptional voice talent of the show backing up the material. I think there’s also a point of confusion in the content. The weak visual style and zaniness are likely to make this comic appeal more to a younger audience, but its pages are packed full of cultural allusions that will really resonate best with the Gen-X crowd (Dr. Who, The Black Hole, World of Warcraft, Yellow Submarine, etc). I recognized them, but I don’t think anyone younger than myself probably will.

All in all, this comic was fine: not great, not bad. Parents looking for a bit of amusement for their kids will find little to object to here (except one mild curse word). On the other hand, kids probably won’t be able to appreciate a lot of the more amusing jokes and allusions. Still, that might not matter to them. If you’re an adult and you simply can’t wait to see more Futurama, you’ll find this comic decently satisfying, but in the end you might be better off waiting until the direct to DVD release of “Bender’s Big Score” comes out this Christmas.

FAMILYFANS RATING: C-

AFTER THE STORY (optional)

If your family members are interested in this comic, then encourage discussion about it afterward. You can use these questions to get started:

• Did Dr. Zoidberg really deserve any credit for saving the planets when he didn’t mean to? Why or why not? What does it really mean to be a hero?

• Have you ever created a even worse situation because you were unwilling to admit something you had done wrong?

• Is there any difference between taking credit for something someone else did (like Bender) and taking credit for something you didn’t mean to do (like Zoidberg)?  Why?

--MV

Note: All book or comics-related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective publisher.