After a near death experience, Montgomery Burns worries what will happen when he finally shuffles off this mortal coil. Never fear, Smithers has a surprise for Monty in the form of an AI that replicates his personality. So far so smooth, until Chuck Dixon and Gavin Jennings throw a Homer in the works.

Dixon and Jennings first entertain with a unique perspective of death. During the surreal meeting, the writers dialogue an antique style of chat and obsolete word use that characterizes Burns to a tee. As a result you hear Harry Shearer's sibilance. "Excellent."

Jennings and Dixon next take advantage of the crayon stuck in Homer's brain to unleash particularly fun interaction with Santa's Little Helper that leads Homer to Burns' electronic brain. Dixon and Jennings furthermore emulate the current Simpsons philosophy. The convoluted way they arrive at the gist of the plot nevertheless makes sense within the context of Homer's characterization. They don't fall back on the non-sequiter gags popularized in the mid-seasons of the series.

Jennings and Dixon proceed to make wishes come true in clever ways. Even if you are careful what you wish for, the granting will always have unforeseen consequences. The endowments neatly draw upon continuity, such as the fact that Skinner's dream is to see Bart relocated to another school.

Phil Ortiz, Mike DeCarlo and Art Villanueva make the tale pop with unusual backdrops, comedic pulls of faces, a perfect Jetsons spoof and some wittily designed background characters.

Lighting and color effects distinguish Simpsons Comics from just any funny book. For example, the red atmosphere around Homer as he strikes his head adds pizzazz to his usual "D'OH!" Later in the story, suspenseful shadows good enough to be found in a dramatic comic shift and shimmy.

The Monty Burns-centric story offers the reader sight gags, dialogue deviltry and a vivid tapestry of artwork nuanced with Matt Groening's style.

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