Comics Review: Simpsons Winter Wingding #8

 

Spoilers!

Bear Patrol 2: Polar Excess

Someone had the bright idea to use live polar bears for a parade float, then act surprised when they go on a rampage. This prompts Homer to call together the Springfield Bear Control. Unfortunately, Barney is stuck in the Christmasland that the bears took as their own. Officer Wiggum offers help, because Ralph is stuck in the same spot. After a Taken spoof, they make it to the village. Homer and Wiggum make a dash for the chimney and end up getting caught by the bears. Ralph comes out, and says he knows the bears from talking to them. The bears just want to be kept together. Barney was the voice in the Taken spoof, the bears get what they want, and all is well.

Pete Za Party

Burns and a news crew are walking through the plant, because he’s on the show “Undercover Employer.” He refuses to be in wigs and thick glasses. The crew gets Homer to talk about the conditions, and spurns the wrath of Mr. Burns. The next day, Burns makes cutbacks, and forces a fee to use the bathroom. Homer still seems well off, though, until Burns and Smithers takes his doughnuts away, behind the glass protection of a radioactive workstation. Homer stages a sit down strike. Smithers talks down Burns from firing everyone, and instead, giving them a Christmas Party (It’s not a holiday party, screw you.) Burns almost screws this up too, by thinking Smithers meant Peta Za instead of pizza. So, this guy is forced to do an act out of nowhere. The crowd is fading fast, until he comes back with pizzas. Burns realizes a little pizza goes a long way, and exploits the hell out of it.

Everyone Loves a Parade

Homer is a little excited about Lard Lad’s donut cannon, and wakes the family to get there early for a good spot. Of course, the family is upset at being up and out so early. Homer keeps everyone up at the parade route, until he falls asleep himself. Irony is a cruel person when Homer sleeps through the parade.

D.I.Y. Homer

Homer is up on the roof, playing a game on his tablet, when he should be hanging Christmas lights (see? Christmas!). After a quick talk to Flanders, Homer realizes he spent close to $2,000, he didn’t finish the lights, and he’s ruined Christmas again. He tries to fabricate gifts, and even misses dinner. Christmas morning, all of the gifts are under the tree. Everyone ends up disappointed by the gifts, especially Lisa with her torn apart and put back together mobile library. The family hates the gifts, and they’re snowed in. If that wasn’t the worst, a bird snaps a power wire, cutting the power to the Simpson house. They start a fire, but it won’t last long. Then, Homer puts all of the gifts together to make a snowthrower. IT works so well, it chases Flanders down the road.

So, it’s the day before Thanksgiving, and I usually hate anything Christmas before Thanksgiving. In fact, the only thing I hate worse is “Holiday this,” and “Holiday that.” It’s Christmas, damn it. It was ok when we were kids, so leave it the hell alone. That pops up a lot in this comic. A lot of Christmas imagery, but no mention. Are you kidding me? Stop insulting our intelligence.

Anyway, the comic itself is great. However, D.I.Y. Homer re-tells a classic Simpsons story from long ago, where Homer ends up losing Christmas money, and has to make due with what he has. I don’t mind it too much, the story is old anyway. I liked Pete Za Party,because it delves into how vindictive he gets when people go against him. I think it may be because of the soft spot I have for Burns. Bear Patrol 2 was sort of draggish. I wasn’t digging it at all. As an opener, it wasn’t too terrible, because it had to get better, and it did. Overall, I think that there are some high spots, but the opener drags it down a bit.