Bongo Comics


Bongo Comics Group was a comic book publishing company founded in 1993 by Matt Groening along with Steve & Cindy Vance and Bill Morrison. It published comics related to the animated television series The Simpsons and Futurama, as well as the SpongeBob SquarePants comics, along with original material. The company was named after Bongo, a rabbit character in Groening's comic strip Life in Hell.
Bongo, at some time in its history, printed Simpsons Comics, Simpsons Comics and Stories, Futurama Comics, Krusty Comics, Lisa Comics, Bart Simpson, Bartman, Itchy & Scratchy Comics and Radioactive Man.
Zongo Comics, also created by Groening, was Bongo Comics' counterpart geared towards mature audiences.

History

Groening launched Bongo Comics Group in 1993, perceiving a lack of funny books in the comic book industry at the time: "I go into comic book stores and look at all the stuff, and, for the most part, it looks like fairly grim science-fiction and superhero stuff... I guess I just thought there was room out there for funny comic books." The company launched four titles, the bi-monthly Simpsons Comics and Radioactive Man Vol. 1, and the thrice-annually Itchy & Scratchy Comics and Bartman. Groening hoped that the new company would revitalise the industry, and held discussions to publish cross-overs with characters from other publishing companies. The comics use original story-lines rather than simply adapting episodes of the television series; however, in 2011 editor Bill Morrison explained that the stories "fit in with the continuity of the shows."
The company launched Futurama Comics, based on the cartoon series of the same name, in 2000.
2012 saw the company change their logo, and a new creative director was unveiled, with Nathan Kane promoted internally to replace the departing Bill Morrison.
It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2018 that Bongo would be shutting down in October. Simpsons Comics #245 was the final issue released by Bongo.

All series

  • Simpsons Comics 245 Issues
  • Bartman v1 6 Issues
  • Bartman v2 3 issues
  • Itchy & Scratchy Comics 4 Issues
  • Radioactive Man Vol. 1 6 Issues
  • Krusty Comics 3 Issues
  • Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror 23 Issues
  • Roswell, Little Green Man 6 Issues
  • Hopster's Tracks 2 Issues
  • Bart Simpson 100 Issues
  • Futurama Comics 83 Issues
  • Radioactive Man Vol. 2 9 Issues
  • Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis 2 Issues
  • The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis II 2 Issues
  • Heroes Anonymous 6 Issues
  • Simpsons Classics 30 Issues
  • Simpsons Super Spectacular 16 Issues
  • Bongo Comics Free-For-All 13 Issues.
  • The Simpsons Winter Wingding 10 Issues
  • The Simpsons Summer Shindig 9 Issues
  • Comic Book Guy: The Comic Book 5 Issues
  • SpongeBob Comics 85 Issues
  • SpongeBob Comics Annual-Size Super-Giant Swimtacular 6 Issues
  • Sergio Aragonés Funnies 12 Issues
  • Simpsons Illustrated 28 Issues
  • Simpsons One-Shot Wonders 18 Issues
  • Mylo Xyloto 6 Issues

    Single issue publications

  • Bongo Comics Group Spectacular
  • Simpsons Comics and Stories
  • The Official History of Bongo Comics
  • Bartman and Radioactive Man #1
  • Lisa Comics
  • Bart Simpson's Joke Book
  • Futurama Comics#1 A 2000 San Diego Comic-Con variant of Futurama Comics #1.
  • Free Comic Book Day: Gimme! Gimme! Giveaway!
  • Radioactive Man #711 Promotional comic available only at 7-Eleven.
  • San Diego Comic-Con exclusives:
  • *Futurama Returns
  • *Delivery-Boy Man
  • *The Simpsons Best Superhero Stories Ever! The Collector's Edition
  • *The Simpsons Go for the Gold
  • *Two One-Shot Wonders in One : contains The Malevolent Mr. Burns and Professor Frink's Fantastic Science Fictions.
  • *The Greatest Bartman Stories Ever Told! : contains an assortment of previously published Bartman stories.
  • One-Shot Wonder series:
  • #Ralph Wiggum Comics
  • #Bart Simpson's Pal, Milhouse
  • #Li'l Homer Comics
  • #Maggie
  • #Professor Frink's Fantastic Science Fictions
  • #The Malevolent Mr. Burns
  • #The Wonderful World of Lisa Simpson
  • #Duffman Adventures
  • #Kang & Kodos
  • #McBain
  • #Jimbo Jones
  • #Grampa Simpson's Adventure
  • #Krusty the Clown First released digitally through the Simpsons Store app. A print version was released in February 2018.
  • #The Mighty Moe Szyslak
  • #''Chief Wiggum's Felonious Funnies''