Created by cartoonist Matt Groening and premiering as an animated short on the Tracy Allman Show in 1987, ‘The Simpsons’ (Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie) have been a part of the American pop-culture landscape for over 30 years now.
Throughout that time there has been little unaffected by the show’s massive popularity: Do you want to play a Simpsons video game? No problem - there are many. Are you looking for a ‘Bart Simpson’ backpack? They’re still out there: T-shirts, DVDs, lunch pails, coloring books, etc. etc. you name it, because the list goes on and on.
This list, of course, includes comic books.
The other day, however, Bongo Press (publishers of Simpsons Comics) announced the publication of the very last issue of Simpsons Comics. With issue #245, it was announced, the long running series would be coming to an end. This is a good occasion to review the legacy of Matt Groening’s work in comics and his most popular creation: 'The Simpsons'.
Although Groening’s input on the series itself is probably minimal at this point, and to be honest, with ever declining ratings, even in its television version, currently 'The Simpsons' seems to be carrying on in cruise control, coasting on the creative vapors of past glories, just like a Zombie, but I digress.
What many people may not know is that Groening was involved in comic books and cartoon publishing before 'The Simpsons' franchise made him a household name.
His first success was the off-beat strip Life in Hell starring a beleaguered anthropomorphized rabbit named Binky, and which he worked on from 1977–2012. The Life in Hell title started as a self-published comic book (curiously no copies can be found on the CGC census: will this change in the future?). Yet, while, Life in Hell was basically an attempt to describe life in Los Angeles to his friends, it was with 'The Simpsons' that Matt Groening found stellar fame.
When asked to animate the 'Life in Hell' cartoon for national television, Groening refused and instead created this fictional family in the town of 'Springfield'/somewhere in middle-America, and the rest is pop culture history.
For those who’d like a taste of Groening’s early efforts, a collection of ‘Life in Hell comics’ can be found in the Love is Hell anthology and others. However, it is in relation to ‘The Simpsons’ that Groening’s name will be forever connected. That said, how do collectors feel about Simpsons Comics?
With its Fantastic Four #1 homage cover, this comic kicks off the long running series. For viewers who paid attention, and that was a lot of people in its heyday, it was obvious from the beginning that ‘The Simpsons’ had strong and direct connections to comic book culture. Aside from the popular recurring character 'Comic Book Guy', many aspects of the show alluded to its comic culture origins.
As social satire, for example, the off-beat style of the early Simpsons - something it masterfully accomplished during its first Eight seasons - was right out of the Mad Magazine and underground comic tradition. One of my favorite episodes relating to comic book culture from any show, in fact, is “Three Men and a Comic Book", i.e. Episode 21 of Season 2, which originally aired May 9, 1991.
In any case, the early Simpsons Comics, starting with this issue, were faithful to the spirit of the show. In terms of collectability, this comic seems to have fallen by the way side for many years. I think, given time, this will change since the status of The Simpsons in pop culture is basically tantamount to that of Charlie Brown and Archie.
The Simpsons is a highly recognizable brand, and for many people (especially Millennials) it has been around now for so long that it feels like the Mickey Mouse and Disney of the twenty-first century. Evidence that this comic may eventually be worth some money down the road can already be seen from the data. While nowhere near Batman Adventures #12 levels, for a comic based on a cartoon show, Simpsons Comics #1 has quite decent returns. A 9.8 certified copy, of which there are a total of 731 on the CGC census, is currently worth $170.00. After 130 sales going back to 2011, this grade shows a healthy positive return on investment of +38.5%. But best overall roi has been on 9.4 graded copies with positive + 131.4% after 14 sales starting in 2013.
******* Edit: 10/19/2018 ********
I state in this article that the Simpsons first comic book appearance was in Simpsons Comics #1, but this is inaccurate. The very first appearance of the Simpsons in comics was actually Simpsons Comics and Stories #1 (Cover date: January 1993). Special thank you to reader J- for letting me know. Although I was unaware of the above, it can't be that much of a secret, since a certified 9.8 copy of SCS #1 sold for $295.00 in an Ebay sale on 06/06/2018 and returns are positive and, according to Gocollect.com up in all grades.
