What do you think?
Rate this book
Futurama Comics #16-19
Futurama: The Time Bender Trilogy
The four-part trilogy returns in an all new trade paperback collection. Fry, Leela, Bender, and Professor Farnsworth's clone/ward Cubert take an intergalactic trip, and when they return to Earth, they find the planet uninhabited. First, our merry band of messengers must fight off alien invaders bent on claiming the planet as their own. Then they must go in search of their missing colleagues as well as billions of citizens from Planet Earth. But "where are they?" soon turns into "when are they?" and "how" and "why" also make a little appearance. And before long the intrepid crew quite literally goes to hell and back again. Will the world ever get back to normal, or is everyone totally boned? Yes, there will be time travel—so bring a change of clothes!
120 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
157 people want to read
About the author
Ian Boothby
260 books30 followersMultiple Shuster Award, Harvey Award and Eisner Award nominee and an Eisner Award–winning comic book creator best known for his work as the lead writer on Simpsons Comics and Futurama Comics for Matt Groening's Bongo Comics. Boothby has written more Simpsons Comics issues than any other writer. He is a regular writer for MAD Magazine. He has also worked on various Canadian television series and is a well known stand-up, sketch and improv comedian working in the Vancouver area. He co-created Free Willie Shakespeare for the Vancouver Theatresports League which won the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Excellence in Interactive Theatre.
A writer for multiple television series including CBC's Switchback, Street Cents, "Big Sound" and Popular Mechanics for Kids. He is the co-writer of the DVD film Casper's Haunted Christmas and screenwriter of the Cartoon Network special Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy.
The creator of the sketch comedy series The 11th Hour, called "The funniest sketch series since SCTV" by the National Post, as well as the creator of the TV pilots Space Arm, Vancouver PM and I Dig BC and the co-creator of Channel 92 along with Dean Haglund and Christine Lippa. Boothby founded the Canadian Comedy Award-winning sketch group Canadian Content. He currently performs with the sketch comedy group Titmouse! and "The Critical Hit Show: a Live Dungeons & Dragons Comedy Experience," writes for CBC Radio's The Irrelevant Show, and co-hosts the podcasts Sneaky Dragon, Compleatly Beatles, Totally Tintin, The Fansplainers and Full Marx - a Marx Brothers Podcast with David Dedrick. He has also written the ebook It's About Tolerance Stupid : essays on improv & how to make things better without making yourself crazy. He is the writer of Sparks! a graphic novel series for the Scholastic Corporation's Graphix line with art by Nina Matsumoto, and Exorsisters, an ongoing series from Image Comics with art by Gisele Lagace.
He also appeared in the Adam Sandler film Happy Gilmore.
Ian Boothby is married to Y The Last Man co-creator and artist Pia Guerra and regularly contributes cartoons with her to MAD Magazine and The New Yorker.
A writer for multiple television series including CBC's Switchback, Street Cents, "Big Sound" and Popular Mechanics for Kids. He is the co-writer of the DVD film Casper's Haunted Christmas and screenwriter of the Cartoon Network special Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy.
The creator of the sketch comedy series The 11th Hour, called "The funniest sketch series since SCTV" by the National Post, as well as the creator of the TV pilots Space Arm, Vancouver PM and I Dig BC and the co-creator of Channel 92 along with Dean Haglund and Christine Lippa. Boothby founded the Canadian Comedy Award-winning sketch group Canadian Content. He currently performs with the sketch comedy group Titmouse! and "The Critical Hit Show: a Live Dungeons & Dragons Comedy Experience," writes for CBC Radio's The Irrelevant Show, and co-hosts the podcasts Sneaky Dragon, Compleatly Beatles, Totally Tintin, The Fansplainers and Full Marx - a Marx Brothers Podcast with David Dedrick. He has also written the ebook It's About Tolerance Stupid : essays on improv & how to make things better without making yourself crazy. He is the writer of Sparks! a graphic novel series for the Scholastic Corporation's Graphix line with art by Nina Matsumoto, and Exorsisters, an ongoing series from Image Comics with art by Gisele Lagace.
He also appeared in the Adam Sandler film Happy Gilmore.
Ian Boothby is married to Y The Last Man co-creator and artist Pia Guerra and regularly contributes cartoons with her to MAD Magazine and The New Yorker.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 4, 2015
It's back to school for the gang where, in an effort to impress the popular girls, Leela manages to break the sun. When they finally return to Earth, the planet is suspiciously devoid of human life.
Yeah . . . it's the Professor's fault.
Leela, Fry and Bender get sucked into different time holes and have completely different adventures.
Bender attends awitch robot trial in Salem, Massachusetts, while Leela dukes it out with the Minotaur on Mt. Olympus. Poor Fry ends up in 1915 fighting in World Worlds War I. (His trench mate is literally a maggot.)
There is much jocularity, hilarity and other words ending with "ity."
My favorite line?
Leela, sent to Hades, kicks the ferryman into the river.
He cries, "AAAAH! The Styx and stones! They're breaking my bones!"
Yeah . . . it's the Professor's fault.
Leela, Fry and Bender get sucked into different time holes and have completely different adventures.
Bender attends a
There is much jocularity, hilarity and other words ending with "ity."
My favorite line?
Leela, sent to Hades, kicks the ferryman into the river.
He cries, "AAAAH! The Styx and stones! They're breaking my bones!"
September 5, 2014
This book was more fun that I expected.
I haven't watched Futurama regularly in years; I still know the characters and this book, a collected edition of a story-line from Bongo Comic that was initially released as single issues, was spot on. Admittedly. I did have to Google Cubert because he made his debut way after I last saw Futurama.
It was a fun book and it pretty much captured the spirit of the irreverent cartoon.
I haven't watched Futurama regularly in years; I still know the characters and this book, a collected edition of a story-line from Bongo Comic that was initially released as single issues, was spot on. Admittedly. I did have to Google Cubert because he made his debut way after I last saw Futurama.
It was a fun book and it pretty much captured the spirit of the irreverent cartoon.
February 7, 2015
Another great volume of Futurama. For some reason they discontinued the tradepaperbacks which was a shame because I'd have kept buying them. This one was just as silly as you'd expect, as for one thing is a four part "trilogy". The art in the volumes do match the show animation very closely, which is nice. Nothing groundbreaking here but if you find the show funny, you'd like this volume as well.
September 16, 2023
3.5 stars. For the first time, the issues contained in this volume connected instead of being one-shot stories. I enjoyed the overall story and thought the best moments were those referencing or parodying various pop culture. The ending felt a little rushed, but that was okay.
December 28, 2011
This is just as fun to read as it is to watch the episodes! Really loved seeing all the minor characters making appearances.
July 3, 2021
A bargain bin issue of The Simpsons is rather hard to find. At the used books stores, I can occasionally strike gold with a collection of funnies from Bongo Comics. But finding anything from Simpsons sister series, Futurama, is just about as rare as a thing as stumbling upon a gold nugget!
In this collection of 4 stories- in yes, what is called 'The Time Bender Trilogy', Fry, Leela, and Bender are tasked with finding Dr. Farnsworth's son Cubert a boarding school. Of course, it's an intergalactic boarding school! No earth bound fluff for Dr. Farnsworth's genius clone!
After several school tours, The Planet Express team find the perfect school for Cubert; a real institute of higher learning of which the youth absolutely hates. Tricked into attending school with Cubert, Fry and friends try to adjust to life as high school students. Bender becomes a nerd. Fry, a jock. And Leela finds the popularity denied her as a mutant orphan; mostly because she owns the delivery ship.
Leela's newfound fame results in a round of playing hooky with some other popular students. In an attempt to rectify their truancy, Leela is peer pressured into going back in time by making a slingshot around a star. But as this is a very dangerous maneuver, Leela accidentally triggers a supernova resulting in the school needing to be evacuated- literally!
Safely back on planet Earth, the delivery team finds the world completely abandoned. Well, except for that pesky alien couple from Omicron Persei 8 who've claimed Terra as their new fixer-upper home. Thus begins a zany romp to regain the planet for the human race and then trek through time to rescue the time trapped populace of the year 3000!
This was a fun story. I've been reading the complete run of Marvel Comic Presents. I've enjoyed it. But for the most part, its grim and gritty. Truly a product of late 80s, early 90s superhero comics. So, I've felt like I need a laugh or two. Thankfully, on a recent, but very brief vacation, I found a couple of volumes of Bongo Comics classics (1 Simpsons, 1 Futurama). It's been a welcome reprieve.
I loved Futurama. I wish it was back on TV in a reboot- and I hate reboots!!! Full of sly one-liners and funny Easter eggs, this volume was enjoyable. A few of the jokes were dated. But this was like finding a few new never-before-seen episodes of Futurama. Too bad it ended too soon, as I've zero clue when I'll find another vein of Matt Groening comic book gold!
In this collection of 4 stories- in yes, what is called 'The Time Bender Trilogy', Fry, Leela, and Bender are tasked with finding Dr. Farnsworth's son Cubert a boarding school. Of course, it's an intergalactic boarding school! No earth bound fluff for Dr. Farnsworth's genius clone!
After several school tours, The Planet Express team find the perfect school for Cubert; a real institute of higher learning of which the youth absolutely hates. Tricked into attending school with Cubert, Fry and friends try to adjust to life as high school students. Bender becomes a nerd. Fry, a jock. And Leela finds the popularity denied her as a mutant orphan; mostly because she owns the delivery ship.
Leela's newfound fame results in a round of playing hooky with some other popular students. In an attempt to rectify their truancy, Leela is peer pressured into going back in time by making a slingshot around a star. But as this is a very dangerous maneuver, Leela accidentally triggers a supernova resulting in the school needing to be evacuated- literally!
Safely back on planet Earth, the delivery team finds the world completely abandoned. Well, except for that pesky alien couple from Omicron Persei 8 who've claimed Terra as their new fixer-upper home. Thus begins a zany romp to regain the planet for the human race and then trek through time to rescue the time trapped populace of the year 3000!
This was a fun story. I've been reading the complete run of Marvel Comic Presents. I've enjoyed it. But for the most part, its grim and gritty. Truly a product of late 80s, early 90s superhero comics. So, I've felt like I need a laugh or two. Thankfully, on a recent, but very brief vacation, I found a couple of volumes of Bongo Comics classics (1 Simpsons, 1 Futurama). It's been a welcome reprieve.
I loved Futurama. I wish it was back on TV in a reboot- and I hate reboots!!! Full of sly one-liners and funny Easter eggs, this volume was enjoyable. A few of the jokes were dated. But this was like finding a few new never-before-seen episodes of Futurama. Too bad it ended too soon, as I've zero clue when I'll find another vein of Matt Groening comic book gold!
November 11, 2017
So-so comic, could've been better, could've been worse. Time travel has been done much better elsewhere in Futurama lore. It was annoying that "Omicron" was spelled "Omicrom" multiple times throughout the comic--even if that had been present in the original publication, you'd think they at least could've corrected it before reprinting the comics here.
April 20, 2022
I liked Futurama and they had comic books back then and I think got this one online a decade ago and I loved it
December 12, 2022
I enjoyed seeing leela, fry, and bender thrown into different time periods.
December 20, 2022
A solid, loosely-related series of stories set in the world of Futurama. Everything one could hope to possible see in a Futurama adventure that's not on screen.
May 18, 2019
This is my second time reading this graphic novel. I was able to read it in one setting, and it was still funny, even though I had read it before.
The plot is rather straight forward, with an easy to follow explanation of the time travel that occurs.
Firstly, because of Cubert's grades dropping, from an A+ to an A, the Professor decides to have Cubert change schools. So, he has Fry, Leela, and Bender, check out schools that Cubert might excel in. Each school is a flop due to some reason or another. That is until they arrive at the last school on the list, a school where everyone is accepted, regardless of age, previous education level, and molecular density.
With some quick paperwork shenanigans, Cubert enrolls his chaperons into the school as students too. The gang attempts to call the Professor to have a work excuse for school, but the Professor is nowhere to be found back at Planet express, same with Hermes, Amy, and Dr. Zoidberg.
So, the gang has to relive their high school days...and the horror it included.
Fry is bullied by the gym teacher, like how he was when he was in high school, in the 1900s. Bender is the nerd since he calculates the math questions quickly and effectively. And, Leela has new cool girl status, because she can drive a space ship. Unlike when she had originally gone though school, being bullied because she is a mutant.
The gang figures out a way to get out of school, and back to New New York. Where they find out they are the last humans on Earth! Earth is currently on the real estate market, ready for being snapped up by the Omnicronions, due to it now being un-inhabited.
Now, it's time for the remaining members of The Planet Express delivery crew to once again, save the world, from a wayward experiment and learn about the dangers of time travel.
The plot is rather straight forward, with an easy to follow explanation of the time travel that occurs.
Firstly, because of Cubert's grades dropping, from an A+ to an A, the Professor decides to have Cubert change schools. So, he has Fry, Leela, and Bender, check out schools that Cubert might excel in. Each school is a flop due to some reason or another. That is until they arrive at the last school on the list, a school where everyone is accepted, regardless of age, previous education level, and molecular density.
With some quick paperwork shenanigans, Cubert enrolls his chaperons into the school as students too. The gang attempts to call the Professor to have a work excuse for school, but the Professor is nowhere to be found back at Planet express, same with Hermes, Amy, and Dr. Zoidberg.
So, the gang has to relive their high school days...and the horror it included.
Fry is bullied by the gym teacher, like how he was when he was in high school, in the 1900s. Bender is the nerd since he calculates the math questions quickly and effectively. And, Leela has new cool girl status, because she can drive a space ship. Unlike when she had originally gone though school, being bullied because she is a mutant.
The gang figures out a way to get out of school, and back to New New York. Where they find out they are the last humans on Earth! Earth is currently on the real estate market, ready for being snapped up by the Omnicronions, due to it now being un-inhabited.
Now, it's time for the remaining members of The Planet Express delivery crew to once again, save the world, from a wayward experiment and learn about the dangers of time travel.
October 21, 2007
Outstanding. All major and plenty of minor characters, it ended too soon.
February 17, 2011
i like graphic novels now. who knew? this was funny and ..better than tv. / ?
September 29, 2014
It was a pretty funny comic.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews