If the almost 700 animated episodes of the Simpsons aren’t enough to satisfy your Simpsons appetite, then look no further, there are also hundreds of adventures printed in the pages of Simpson's comic books. Here we look at a few of the key issues that would help a fan looking to start a collection centered on Springfield’s favorite family.

 

 

SIMPSONS COMICS AND STORIES #1 (1993)

Outside of the books signed by Matt Groening or ones with Homer sketches, the most valuable Simpsons comic on the market is Simpsons Comics and Stories #1, published by Welsh Publishing Group (a company later acquired by Marvel Comics). Interestingly, this foray into comic books was a special edition and final entry of the publisher’s Simpsons Illustrated magazine series. It contains four different stories: Bart dons the cape of Bartman to save the beloved Radioactive Man comic book franchise, the mayor hunts down the graffiti artist El Barto, a story from Maggie’s young perspective, and a short Itchy and Scratchy PSA.

At the moment, CGC 9.8 copies of the book sell at an FMV of $190. Comparatively, the first issue of the Simpsons Illustrated magazine, the original 1993 print not the 2012 reprint, can be found under the $10 level. That could be a cheaper entry into collecting the Simpsons, if not at least an interesting conversation piece.

 

 

SIMPSONS COMICS #1 (1993)

Following the conclusion of Simpsons Illustrated in 1993, Matt Groening’s own company Bongo Comics began publishing Simpsons comics in the same year with the flagship Simpsons Comics #1. The cover of the issue is a fun homage to the iconic cover of The Fantastic Four #1 (1961), with Homer in place of Giganto. This cover ties into the first story where Homer gets zapped by a laser that makes him into a towering giant who terrorizes Springfield. The second story of the issue is a bit meta; it follows a comic book collector’s ordeals after he is trapped in his comic book vault and is forced to burn his priceless books to survive.

The volume of sales for Simpsons Comics #1 is much greater than Simpsons Comics and Stories #1, but currently sits at a lower FMV at comparative grades; $85 for CGC 9.8. This is down from 2018 when sales consistently went above the $100 level, with a high of $190 in the summer. One sale of particular note is a CGC Signature Series 9.8 that was not only signed by Matt Groening and Bill Morrison but also has a sketch of Homer by Groening, which sold for $700 this past Oct 2019. Quite a bump compared to a Stan Lee CGC Signature Series.

In the Simpsons Comics series, the only other issues to achieve a relatively larger sales volume and market value, albeit lower than the aforementioned books, is Simpsons Comics #2 (1993) and Simpsons Comics #3 (1994), which hold FMVs of $60 and $48 for their CGC 9.8s, respectively.

 

 

TREEHOUSE OF HORROR #1 (1995)

The Treehouse of Horror comic series is basically the annual Halloween episode in comic book form. Compared with the main Simpsons Comics series, the Treehouse of Horror series offered a bit more variety with guest writers contributing to each of the individual stories. The first issue alone contains a story from Mike Allred (Madman comics) about a genetically designed Homer-plant by Lisa, a story from Jeff Smith (Bone comics) that retells Melville’s classic hunt for Moby Dick, and a James Robinson (Starman comics) story about a curse that turns Bart and Lisa into panthers. The FMV for Treehouse of Horror #1 is currently $110, but it also does have the lowest volume of sales of the books mentioned here.

 

 

“Near mint! Heh heh! Slight spine roll! Very Fine! Heh heh! Ultra-Rare! Hee Hee! Only known copy! HAHAHAHAHA!" – Homer, going insane after burning his comic books

 

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