Writer: Eric Rogers Artists: John Lloyd(p), Phyllis Novin(i), Dave Stewart(c) Publisher: Bongo
Plot: The IRS is after the Professor.
Futurama Comics isn't laugh out loud funny. There are amusing instances of satire. Morbo hosting a game show that kills contestants is particularly inspired, but most of the jokes merely invoke a smile. The story however is still worth your time, for among the absurd landscape of the future, the characters remain true to themselves and display a genuine fondness for each other. In this way, Futurama Comics best imitates its source.
Fry is willing to risk his life to save the Professor--his great, great, great Grand Nephew if memory serves--from bankruptcy. The Professor in turn is willing to swallow his pride to save Fry from certain doom. Leela shows her love for Fry by risking her life for him. This twist is particularly insightful. Leela does love Fry though not in the way Fry wishes. Leela however doesn't want to live in a world without a Philip J. Fry, and given the short history of the series, you can see why. Fry is indeed "special."
Continuity is also maintained through cameos by other series characters. Not all of them work. Scruffy the Janitor is exalted to the point of obsessive mania, but Kip and Zap Brannigan in the brief scene they share are enjoyable, and the foreshadowed appearance by another Futurama antagonist comes as a pleasant surprise.
You might think cartoon artwork needs to be less detailed or evocative. Perhaps, but at least in this issue Futurama is more than jokes. The timing for instance on page thirteen is not only the source of amusement but also the pivot of the entire cast's motivations. When Leela walks up to the podium there's hesitation in her step because she may be walking toward her doom. The way in which she and Fry hold hands as they try to answer the question exhibits their expertly portrayed friendship as well as the tension both feel, and their elated hugging fits both characters and closes the book on a sweet note.
