Review by Frank Plowright

Conceived by a broad array of considerable talents, there’s a level of editorial quality control ensuring Simpsons-related comics rarely disappoint, and Blastoff continues that pattern. All quibbles are minor.

For instance: Carol Lay’s first contribution is about an insomniac Bart, which ticks all the boxes, but lacks the dense joke ratio of Lay’s non-Simpsons work. However her second and longer story does all that and more in what might be the best of a collection where competition is stiff. Although wanting to rise above the marketing-led phenomenon of white horse Princess, Lisa is nevertheless seduced, and determined to win a fashion contest where the prize is a pony. Yet, surprisingly, so is Bart. It’s a gem from start to finish, offering some sound parental advice alongside the emotional turmoil and succession of funny moments.

While Bart is the star turn throughout, a fair proportion of other TV show regulars put in an appearance beyond the Simpson family. Most are in peripheral roles, but Amanda McCann has Bart apprenticing in the Kwik-E-Mart under Apu’s watchful eye, and Tom Peyer has Montgomery Burns managing to repeal child labour laws and so employ a cheaper workforce. It’s a strong idea perhaps worth more than the ten pages allocated. Peyer also writes the opener about the pressures on Bart representing the school in a pie-eating contest.

There’s little room for individuality in the art style. The presumption is that readers will want to see Bart and co. looking exactly as they do on TV screens, and all artists subsume their natural style with the exception of Sergio Aragonés, who fits the cast around his style. He contributes several single page wordless strips, and one longer tale about Homer and Barney as youngsters smuggling their way into a film set, leading to an excellent pay-off. The individuality of the other artists rests on how many visual jokes they can slip into the panels. Aragonés is, of course, a master, Lay comes into her own and Nina Matsumoto has a lot going on at an auction.

Fans of The Simpsons get full value here.