Itchy & Scratchy #3 Review

itchy & scratchy #3 review

VIOLENTLY FUN! Date Released: June, 1994
By Michael Daaboul | February 05, 2012

When Bongos Collide, Itchy is scheming new ways to decapitate Scratchy, while Scratchy tries to find a less stressful job.

The last comic to be featured in this series presents a cover art that is drawn well and contains great use of colours. Not only is it developed with such craftsmanship, it's spot on with the story as well. It's a great sign the comic will be a good read just by analysing the cover art and what the potential story will be about. Not always the case, but the probability is more likely than not.

Labor Pains (27 pages) is the first part of When Bongos Collide crossover story which starts with this issue, continues in Simpsons Comics #5 and ends in Bartman #3. The crossover idea is successful and is usually well-executed, so it's a good indication of what you're getting yourself into when reading this issue.

The story is central to the idea of leaving a job you don't like and trying to find a better job. Scratchy leaves the entertainment industry in search of a job that won't kill him. However, Itchy decides that he can't live without his partner in pain and 'helps' Scratchy on his search.

What I like most about this comic is that it's essentially a lengthy Itchy and Scratchy episode if it were to be watched on The Simpsons animated sitcom. It's all action and there's 27 pages worth of chaos and mayhem. The issue is enjoyable to read and at no point you want this to end. The comedy is paced at a reasonable speed with the punch lines having the impact intended; it pulls the jokes off well even though they might be subtle in parts. Watch out for Scratchy in the drive-through scene which is a good example of the humour used in this issue. Even the torture Scratchy is subjected to is amusing which is nasty to say, and the helplessness felt by Scratchy is executed well and is believable.

On the second page of this issue there's an ad not Simpsons related and another advert at the end which promotes Skybox Simpsons Trading Cards Series II. The last ad is relevant as the American issue comes with an exclusive Simpsons Skybox Decoder Trading Card which allows you to view the hidden grey screens found in this comic, however, if you happened to have the Australian version (or a reprint) of this issue, there's no card. In these issues with no cards, the grey screens have been removed and what you would of saw with the Decoder, have been replaced instead. Some reprints have this issue and those included in When Bongos Collide crossover story with a nice cardboard cover, with better quality paper, updated drawings and stronger use of colours which is impressive.

As this review is reviewing the original comic, the only factor I will take from this is the missing card from the Australian issue. Other issues around the world may differ, however, the argument lies between having the Decoder and not having the card and just have the images there. My personal opinion is that it's better having the images drawn without having to use a card to view those grey panels. When I'm reading a comic, unless it has a significant feature, I prefer not to carry other items to see the drawings. It's a gimmick that only hinders the presentation of this issue and shouldn't have been included. However, one might need to understand it was most likely used to help promote the trading cards. Still, if someone loses this Decoder, they're stuck with grey panels which are ugly.

The other problem I found in this issue is that it's a crossover story with no real crossover elements until the end. This doesn't affect the story's enjoyment as you take this as an Itchy and Scratchy comic anyway, but by being the first part of the crossover, it seems you forget about it being a crossover tale until it happens.

Other than what has been said, the presentation values are very good, no errors in this issue, the panels are nicely placed and it's a good package for what a comic should look like.

The graphics are consistent, nicely drawn, colours are excellent and it seems the quality of the drawings and colours get increasingly better as the comic progresses. Which seems to be a consistency problem, but as the artwork was already done to a high standard, I didn't mind the increase in quality so I won't mark it down here. It would have been nice for this quality to be at the very start though.

You will find that this issue has the potential to be read a few times and even after sometime; you might want to pick this up again. Lasting appeal is high and an issue I encourage Simpsons’ comics fans to pick up. It’s quite sad that this issue marked the end of the Itchy and Scratchy series; I felt that this was a quality production and Simpsons' characters they could have really expanded and developed some fun and hilarious stories to. I would be glad if this series ever made a comeback.

The humour is paced reasonably well and is amusing from start to end, it's a great beginning to When Bongos Collide crossover story and an Itchy and Scratchy instalment you shouldn't miss.