Comics Review: Bartman Spectacularly Super Secret Saga #1

Is the Bartman reboot a success?

One of the most underutilized aspects of The Simpsons’ fandom is the show’s lack of going crazy like the comics do. You never see the likes of Bartman or the Adventures of Radioactive Man, or the kids’ take on the Fantastic Four on television which kinda sucks.

This quarter’s reboot of Bartman known as “Spectacularly Super Secret Saga” gives us a take on Bartman set 20 years in the future where all of Springfield’s kids are now older and with either hero/villain tendencies, with a presentation not unlike Batman Begins where we get a much darker and brooding Bartman tale with very few well-written jokes but definitely laden with The Simpsons brush when it comes to gags. This issue sets us up, introduces us to all of the characters, the setting, everything you need to kick off a good mini-series.

Unfortunately, some of it is a BIT too derivative. The robot character designs are too reminiscent of Futurama, and for my money, I’ve always found Bartman as a kid as being more appealing. Still, though, the end scene has me curious for more, so I’m hoping for better. At 23 pages, don’t expect the same amount of girth as the print one-shots, but for a fraction of the price, it’s not a bad buy.