 Cover ofPlanet Simpson (1st United States ed.) | |
| Author | Chris Turner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | The Simpsons |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Published | 2004 (Random House Canada) |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 466 pp. |
| ISBN | 0-679-31318-4 |
| OCLC | 55682258 |
Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation, also abbreviated toPlanet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation, is a non-fiction book aboutThe Simpsons, written byChris Turner and originally published on October 12, 2004 byRandom House.[1] The book is partly a memoir and an exploration of the impactThe Simpsons has had on popular culture.
Planet Simpson was written by Canadian authorChris Turner, who is a big fan ofThe Simpsons, although "not even the biggest fan I know personally ... I think I am actually a pretty average hardcore fan. What I brought to it was a sense that because the show is as well put together as it is, it really offers a wide lens for looking at culture generally."[2] Turner notes: "I can count onThe Simpsons to provide me with a solid thirty minutes of truth, of righteous anger, ofhypocrisies deflated and injustices revealed, of belly laughter and joy. It is food for my soul. Seriously. I think manySimpsons fans would agree. And that, as far as I'm concerned, makes it a kind of religion," he explains in the book.[3] He had previously written an essay during his time atShift entitled "The Simpsons Generation", which was syndicated across North America.[1] Turner wrotePlanet Simpson because there had not been a book that had looked at the "genesis, past, characters and influence" of the show, only official episode guides or academic pieces.[2]
Planet Simpson examines the show's satirical humor and its impact on pop culture.[3] It also looks at numerous episodes of the show.
It features a foreword byDouglas Coupland.[1]
The end of the first chapter includes a look at the author's Top 5 episodes. Turner lists "Last Exit to Springfield" as his favourite episode. The other four episodes ordered by airdate: "Marge vs. the Monorail", "Rosebud", "Deep Space Homer" and "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)".[4]
Christopher Hirst ofThe Independent felt the book would largely appeal to fans ofThe Simpsons who would enjoy "Turner's critical intelligence and social awareness," while "non-fans will see 470 pages of geeky raving." He felt the book was "sui generis," and its "combination of motor-mouthed omniscience and voluminous footnotes is reminiscent of a certain style of highbrow writing about pop music."[5] Curtis Gloade ofThe Record described the book as "almost 500 pages of this sort of meticulous, clear, and I believe, accurate rhetoric. It kept me nodding in agreement throughout. And laughing, too."[3] He also wrote that he hopes people will not skip by the book at the bookstore because it is aboutThe Simpsons and assume that it is "little more than a laugh-along-with-me book with lots of pictures and funny quotes." Gloade commented that this is "not the case. I laughed out loud regularly at the manySimpsons quotes, but that's only a small part of the total package."[3] He concluded thatPlanet Simpson is an "enjoyable reading experience, one that will likely be matchless still for a long time because I highly doubt we'll see such a melding of a stellar pop culture icon (The Simpsons) and eloquent cultural critic (Turner) again for a long time."[3] Kevin Jackson ofThe Times gave a largely negative review of the book. While feeling Turner's knowledge of the show was vast and finding much of the initial "less well-known aspects of Simpsonian pre-history" interesting, he overall felt the book was mostly "flimflam and filler" and criticised Turner's "gee-whiz prose and occasional lapses into plain old illiteracy" and ultimately failed to achieve the analytical goal Turner set: "It would take wit as keen and literary flair as supple as [the show's writers] to do justice to the show, and Turner is gifted with neither: he may think likeLisa, but he writes more like theComic Book Guy."[6]
| Publishing date | Title | Edition | Tag | Imprint | Cover's Extras | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st | UK | Ebury Press | Introduction byDouglas Coupland Power Screen Global Cult Pop Politics Music[7] | 472 pp.[8] |
| October 7, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation | 1st abridged | USA | HighBridge | The first audio to bring witty, opinionated, in-depth analysis to the longest-running sitcom of all time and the most important pop-cultural phenomenon of our generation. Abridged; 12 hours on 10 compact discs. Read byOliver Wyman.[9] | 12 hours[9] |
| October 12, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st (original) | CA | Random House Canada | Foreword by Douglas Coupland[10] | 466 pp.[11] |
| October 12, 2004 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation | 1st | USA | Da Capo Press | Foreword by Douglas Coupland author ofGeneration X[12] | 464 pp.[13] |
| August 4, 2005 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st revised | UK | Ebury Press | Introduction by Douglas Coupland ‘This is a terrifically energetic book which, like its many-layered subject, will reward repeat consumption.’THE GUARDIAN[A][14] | 480 pp.[15] |
| October 18, 2005 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation | 1st revised | USA | Da Capo Press | "Quite simply, the definitive book aboutThe Simpsons."—Q[16] | 464 pp.[17] |
| October 28, 2008 | Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | 1st revised with addition | CA | Vintage Canada | Foreword by Douglas Coupland With a new afterword by the author[18] | 576 pp.[19] |