Three Men and a Comic Book

{{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 2 | episode = 21 | director = [[Wes Archer|Wes M. Archer]] | writer = [[Jeff Martin (writer)|Jeff Martin]] | production = 7F21 | airdate = {{Start date|1991|05|09}} | guests = * [[Cloris Leachman]] as Mrs. Glick * [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]] as [[Bart Simpson|the adult version of Bart]] | blackboard = "I will not show off" (written in [[Blackletter]] font) | couch_gag = The couch tips over backwards. | commentary = [[Matt Groening]]<br>[[Jeff Martin (writer)|Jeff Martin]]<br>[[Al Jean]]<br>[[Mike Reiss]] | prev = [[The War of the Simpsons]] | next = [[Blood Feud (The Simpsons)|Blood Feud]] }} "'''Three Men and a Comic Book'''" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the [[The Simpsons season 2|second season]] (and the ''[[de facto]]'' season finale) of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in the United States on May 9, 1991.<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=[[The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family|The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family]] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/43 43] |ref={{harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997}} }}.</ref> In this episode, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] finds the rare first issue of ''[[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Radioactive Man|Radioactive Man]]'' for sale at a [[comic book]] convention. Unable to afford it, he convinces [[Martin Prince|Martin]] and [[Milhouse]] to pool their money to buy the valuable comic, only to see it destroyed by their selfishness and inability to share. This episode contains the first appearance of the [[Springfield (The Simpsons)#The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop|Android's Dungeon]] and its owner, [[Comic Book Guy]], voiced by [[Hank Azaria]].

This episode was written by [[Jeff Martin (writer)|Jeff Martin]] and directed by [[Wes Archer]]. It features cultural references to comic book characters such as [[Richie Rich (character)|Richie Rich]] and [[Casper the Friendly Ghost]]. [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]], who played Marv in ''[[Home Alone]]'', guest starred in this episode.

Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from television critics for its use of parodies and cultural references. It acquired a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 12.9, and was the highest-rated show on Fox the week it aired.

==Plot== While attending a comic book convention dressed as his superhero alter ego Bartman, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] finds the first issue of ''[[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Radioactive Man|Radioactive Man]]'' selling for $100 at [[Comic Book Guy]]'s [[Springfield (The Simpsons)#The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop|Android's Dungeon]]. Since he does not have enough money to buy it, he decides to get a job. Bart performs back-breaking labor for [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Mrs. Glick|Mrs. Glick]], who gives him only fifty cents for all of his hard work, including weeding carnivorous plants, feeding Mrs Glick's cat, and scrubbing sludge off her roof.

When Bart sees [[Martin Prince|Martin]] and [[Milhouse Van Houten|Milhouse]] at the Android's Dungeon, attempting to buy the comic book and a [[Carl Yastremski]] baseball card, respectively, he persuades them to pool their money and buy the comic book. Since none of them is willing to let the comic book out of his sight, they spend the night together in Bart's [[tree house|treehouse]]. They get progressively more paranoid, and Bart grows convinced Martin and Milhouse are conspiring against him as a thunderstorm approaches.

When Martin gets up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, Bart thinks he plans to steal the comic and ties him up. Milhouse tries to alert [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] that Bart has gone crazy, but Bart thinks he is making a move for the comic and tackles him. Milhouse falls over the side of the treehouse, but Bart catches him precariously by his sleeve. Milhouse admits to Bart he only wanted the Yastrzemski card to begin with, not the comic. When a gale of wind takes hold of the comic, Bart is forced to decide between grabbing it and rescuing Milhouse. After Bart pulls Milhouse to safety, the comic blows out the door and onto the ground, where it is shredded by [[Santa's Little Helper]] and struck by lightning. The next morning, the three boys reflect on how their inability to share the comic led to its destruction, while a bird lines its nest with a scrap from the last page.

The episode was written by [[Jeff Martin (writer)|Jeff Martin]] and directed by [[Wes Archer]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season2/page21.shtml |title=Three Men and a Comic Book |access-date=2007-07-30 |last1=Martyn |first1=Warren |author-link1=Gary Russell |last2 = Wood |first2=Adrian |author-link2=Gareth Roberts (writer) |year=2000 |publisher=BBC |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040426054600/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season2/page21.shtml }}</ref> Characters making their first appearances on the show are Comic Book Guy, Mrs. Glick, Radioactive Man, [[Fallout Boy (The Simpsons)|Fallout Boy]], and Bartman.

Although many suggestions state that Comic Book Guy was inspired by the show's creator [[Matt Groening]], Comic Book Guy was partly inspired by a clerk at the [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] Amok bookshop who, according to ''Simpsons'' writer [[George Meyer]], often "[sat] on the high stool, kind of lording over the store with that supercilious attitude and eating behind the counter a big Styrofoam container full of fried clams with a lot of tartar sauce".<ref name=tvguide>{{cite magazine |title=Flash! 24 Simpsons Stars Reveal Themselves |date=2000-10-21 |magazine=[[TV Guide]] |first=Joe |last=Rhodes}}</ref> Matt Groening noted: "I can't tell you how many times people have come up to me and said, 'I know who you based that comic book guy on. It's that comic-book guy right down the block.' And I have to tell them, 'No, it's {{em|every}} comic-bookstore guy in America.'"<ref name=tvguide/> Cast member [[Hank Azaria]] based Comic Book Guy's voice on a student who went by the name "F" and lived in the room next door at his [[Tufts University|college]].<ref name="F">Azaria, Hank (2004). Commentary for "[[Homer's Barbershop Quartet]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> According to ''Simpsons'' writer [[Mike Reiss]], the writers "settled" on naming his store "The Android's Dungeon and Baseball Card Shop" after a late-night writing session, figuring they wouldn't see it after this episode.<ref name="sprcon">{{cite book |last1=Reiss |first1=Mike |last2=Klickstein |first2=Mathew |title=Springfield confidential: jokes, secrets, and outright lies from a lifetime writing for the Simpsons |date=2018 |publisher=Dey Street Books |isbn=978-0062748034 |page=67|location=New York City}}</ref>

Mrs. Glick was based on an old lady Martin and his brother used to do chores for when they were kids. Martin said they got to "pull weeds until [their] hands would bleed", and yet they were paid only two [[Quarter (United States coin)|quarter]]s for several hours of work.<ref name="Martin"/> American actress [[Cloris Leachman]] provided the voice of Mrs. Glick in the episode.<ref name="bbc"/>

The episode features a parody of ''[[The Wonder Years]]'', in which Bart stares into the distance after realizing he has to get his first job, and an older version of Bart's voice is heard saying "I didn't realize it at the time, but a little piece of my childhood had slipped away forever." [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]] guest starred as the voice of the adult Bart, just like he did for the adult voice of the character Kevin in the television show ''The Wonder Years'' (he had also featured with Yeardley Smith in the movie ''[[City Slickers]]'' around the time this episode was produced).<ref name="Reiss">{{cite video |people=Reiss, Mike |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Reiss stated Stern was a "pleasure" to work with, and it took him only a few minutes to record his lines.<ref name="Reiss"/> Stern's younger brother [[David M. Stern]] worked as a writer on both ''The Simpsons'' and ''The Wonder Years'', so he helped the writers get the [[idiom]]s and the wording of the parody right.<ref name="Reiss"/>

When a rerun of this episode aired in 1992, a brief tribute to ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' aired following the end credits. ''The Cosby Show'' ended on April 30, 1992, and the tribute featured Bart and [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] discussing the quality of the show, and its importance to [[Bill Cosby]].

==Cultural references== [[File:Michelango Portrait by Volterra.jpg|thumb|140px|Homer makes a reference to the Italian painter [[Michelangelo]].]]

At the beginning of the episode, Lisa reveals that she collects [[Casper the Friendly Ghost]] and [[Richie Rich (character)|Richie Rich]] comics, and Homer makes reference to Wonder Woman.<ref name="bbc"/> Radioactive Man's origin is nearly identical to the [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Hulk|The Incredible Hulk]], as they each had gained superpowers from absorbing massive amounts of gamma radiation during an experiment.<ref name="Martin">{{cite video |people=Martin, Jeff |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> The warning from the convention MC not to ask questions about the death of Radioactive Man's actor Dirk Richter is a reference to the mysterious death of [[Superman]]'s actor [[George Reeves]], although the addition of bordello could also be a reference to the unsolved 1978 murder of [[Bob Crane]].<ref name="Jean">{{cite video |people=Jean, Al |date=2002 |title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Three Men and a Comic Book" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

When Bart asks Homer for money to buy the comic book, Homer replies: "A hundred bucks? For a comic book?! Who drew it, Micha-ma-langelo?" This is a reference to the Italian painter and sculptor [[Michelangelo]], whose name Homer cannot pronounce.<ref name="dvd.net">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1636 |title=The Simpsons – Season Two |publisher=DVD.net |access-date=2009-04-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024060456/http://dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1636 |archive-date=2009-10-24 }}</ref> Bart's inner monologue in the diner scene is a parody of the narration in the coming-of-age comedy-drama series ''[[The Wonder Years]]'' and was voiced by ''Wonder Years'' actor Daniel Stern.

Milhouse initially goes into the comic store to buy a 1973 [[Topps]] [[Baseball card|card]] of the former [[Boston Red Sox]] player, [[Carl Yastrzemski]], "when he had the big sideburns". When the boys first unwrap the comic book, Martin describes it as "[T]he stuff dreams are made of", which is how [[Humphrey Bogart]]'s [[Sam Spade|character]] describes the Maltese Falcon at the end of the movie, ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]''. The Radioactive Man commercial for [[Laramie (cigarette)|Laramie]] cigarettes is a takeoff on ''[[The Flintstones]]'' characters' starring in [[Winston (cigarette)|Winston]] commercials in the 1960s.<ref name="CB" /> When Bart begs Mrs. Glick not to apply [[iodine]] to his wounded arm, she grabs his arm and the scene shifts to their silhouettes as Bart screams, mirroring a scene in the 1939 film ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.<ref name="Jean" /> The accusation and suspicion that grows between the boys is similar to the plot of the film ''[[The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)|The Treasure of the Sierra Madre]]''.<ref name="book" />

When Martin makes a squealing noise while falling in the treehouse, Bart calls him "Piggy" and threatens to stuff an apple into his mouth, resembling a similar quote from the book ''[[Lord of the Flies]]'' (1954), by [[William Golding]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Networks set to sweep into May |last=Lundin |first=Diana |date=April 29, 1991 |work=Los Angeles Daily News |page=1}}</ref> Bart trying to save Milhouse from falling from the treehouse is a reference to a scene in the film from [[Alfred Hitchcock]] from 1942, ''[[Saboteur (film)|Saboteur]]''. The title of the episode is a reference to the 1987 comedy film ''[[Three Men and a Baby]]'' in which three men have to take delicate care of a baby.<ref name="Martin" />

==Reception== In its original broadcast, "Three Men and a Comic Book" finished twenty-third in the ratings for the week of May 6–12, 1991, with a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 12.9, equivalent to twelve million viewing households. The episode was the highest-rated show on Fox that week. It was the first time ''The Simpsons'' beat ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' in the ratings.<ref name="ratings">{{cite news |title=Nielsen Ratings /May 6–12 |date=May 15, 1991 |work=Long Beach Press-Telegram |pages=C12}}</ref>

Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson lauded it for its use of new characters, commenting that "of all season two's Bart-focused episodes, only '[[Bart the Daredevil]]' offers competition with 'Comic' as the best of the bunch. It's a tough call, but I'll take 'Comic' in a squeaker. The show melds the series' deft satirical tone with exceptional character development. Bart seems to grow especially strongly, and his psychological meltdown in the third act is hilarious."<ref name="The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseason2.shtml |title=The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season |last=Jacobson |first=Colin |access-date=2009-04-06 |archive-date=March 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326021145/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseason2.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

"Three Men and a Comic Book" was named the best episode of the season by [[IGN]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/07/22/simpsons-the-the-complete-second-season |title=The Simpsons – The Complete Second Season Review |date=July 22, 2002 |website=IGN |access-date=January 15, 2022}}</ref> The authors of the book ''I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide'', [[Gary Russell]] and [[Gareth Roberts (writer)|Gareth Roberts]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv51/garyrussell.html|title=Gary Russell: From Peladon to Placebos|author=Preddle, Jon|date=June 1997|magazine=Time Space Visualiser|issue=51|access-date=20 August 2020|publisher=The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club|quote=I've just done my first non-fiction book, Oh No It's A Completely Unofficial Simpsons Guide for Virgin, co-authored with Gareth Roberts which has, to be frank, been more of a nightmare than it needed to be [the book was published as I Can't Believe It's An Unofficial Simpsons Guide, with Gary and Gareth writing under the pseudonyms Warren Martyn & Adrian Wood].|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208064905/https://doctorwho.org.nz/archive/tsv51/garyrussell.html|url-status=live}}</ref> commented that unless you have a "passing understanding of comic books and their buyers' behaviour, some of the jokes will pass you by".<ref name="bbc" /> Doug Pratt, a DVD reviewer and ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' contributor, criticized the episode for not being inspired enough, and added that the ''Wonder Years'' parody "seems pointless".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pratt |first=Doug |title=Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More! |year=2005 |publisher=UNET 2 Corporation |isbn=1-932916-01-6 |page=1094}}</ref> "Three Men and a Comic Book" is Bryce Wilson of Cinema Blend's favorite episode of the season. Wilson praised the episode for its cultural references, calling them "true greatness".<ref name="CB">{{cite web |url=http://www.cinemablend.com/review.php?id=494 |title=The Simpsons – The Complete Second Season – DVD |last=Wilson |first=Bryce |date=April 19, 2004 |publisher=Cinema Blend |access-date=January 15, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901145427/https://www.cinemablend.com/review.php?id=494|archive-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref>

''Surrey Now'''s Michael Roberds praised the ''Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' parody, saying it is "one of the more clever film parodies hidden within a typical ''Simpsons'' plot".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.canada.com/surreynow/news/whatson/story.html?id=aae481c1-acb2-4ba0-bb2f-992b02ff0b45 |title=Here's to you, Homer and crew |last=Roberds |first=Michael |date=June 6, 2008 |work=Surrey Now |access-date=2009-04-06 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Colin Kennedy of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' called the ''Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' parody the ninth-best film parody of the show, commenting that "Bart turns [into] a perfect [[Humphrey Bogart|Bogart]] – grizzled, paranoid and sleep-deprived. With lighting and camera angles half inched from [[John Huston|Huston]], this priceless gag is joyfully pitched over the heads of 90 percent of the audience."<ref>Colin Kennedy. "The Ten Best Movie Gags In ''The Simpsons''", ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'', September 2004, pp. 77</ref> The episode's reference to ''Saboteur'' was named the 25th greatest film reference in the history of the show by ''[[Total Film]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Nathan Ditum.<ref name="totalfilm">{{cite news|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/|title=The 50 Greatest Simpsons Movie References|last=Ditum|first=Nathan|date=June 6, 2009|work=[[Total Film]]|publisher=GamesRadar|access-date=January 15, 2022|archive-date=April 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403060436/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-50-greatest-simpsons-movie-references/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== {{wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_2#Three_Men_and_a_Comic_Book|Three Men and a Comic Book}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} *{{snpp capsule|7F21}} *{{IMDb episode |id=0701275}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Men And A Comic Book}} [[Category:1991 American television episodes]] [[Category:The Simpsons season 2 episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes about comics]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Jeff Martin (writer)]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Wes Archer]]

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