There was a Life in Hell comic in the late 80s with a single, full page panel of a crowd watching a parade. One of the people in the crowd is a heavy-set adult with the head of Bart Simpson. I'm pretty sure it's in School Is Hell or Love Is Hell, and it definitely predates the Tracey Ullman cartoons. I was a big Life In Hell fan in 6th grade so I noticed it the first time I saw the Simpsons on Tracey Ullman.



Anyway, that's when the Simpsons peaked. Just try to outhipster me on that one, you can't.

This was very similar to my experience getting to see Rusty Nails at the Rose Parade sometime in the late 80s.Ya'll probably know this but he's the inspiration for Krusty, but despite some kids' jerkoffery Rusty kept his cool. Later on I'd get to know the guy behind the makeup, at least a little bit. But sadly he passed away a few months ago.

The Simpsons haven't been funny since season 25. And don't get me wrong, I was totally on board during the first 24 golden years, but after Lisa Goes Gaga, there was nowhere to go but down.

You can't really appreciate Simpsons unless you've read it in the original Middle English.

Yeah I've thought about that a lot, if I was a writer for the Simpsons, since I pass by those places on the show a lot. I actually grew up a few blocks from Evergreen St. and Moes is based off of a place right by where my parents still live. I also used to play in the same orchestra under angry conductor guy that Matt did. But I'd still find it hard to come up with ideas. I dunno, Bart gets Doxxed? Lisa meets Banksy? The cynicism in the writers room must be pretty high, since I'm sure both of those story arcs are already covered by now.

There was a pretty great episode where Homer and Flanders became bounty hunters, a heartwarming episode that takes place in the future where Bart and Lisa great drunk off box wine in the treehouse and reminisce about how fucked up they are, and a truly fantastic episode where Bart realizes he's trapped in an existential hellscape of perpetual boyhood and attempts to prolong it by convincing Steve Coogan the world has ended.

The episode ends with Bart on his deathbed, looking at penguins, and coming to terms with his own mortality. I am not joking. It could easily be the series finale.

I did always like the Future/Past episodes and I like when the show's self-aware like that. It makes up for when they go back 20 years and Marge and Homer are hippies and then they go back 20 years and they're part of the grunge scene. Also it's nice to know that they're getting lesser known celebrity voices like Coogan in there; last one I watched was one with Michael Chabon and Jonathan Franzen, because I like those guys and outside of literary arts community they're not exactly household names. It wasn't a great episode but it seemed like they were having a lot of fun.

If The Simpsons ever contacted my People and asked if I'd be interested in doing a cameo, I would say yes, but only if I got to shove Lisa and yell THERE'S NO TIME at someone.

I am Salman Rushdie btw

A lot of this early style is inspired by Gary Panter actually. But you're right Doug did adopt a similar style.