The Big Picture
- The Simpsons‘ Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2 collects 23 spooky stories featuring the iconic yellow-skinned family and other Springfield citizens.
- The Treehouse of Horror episodes are often regarded as some of the best in The Simpsons series, with fan-favorite parodies of horror classics like The Shining and Dracula.
- This deluxe collection, contained in a die-cut slipcase, offers fans a unique opportunity to explore the comic-exclusive horror adventures of The Simpsons, featuring a variety of talented writers and illustrators.
Few animated specials are quite as ubiquitous as the yearly Treehouse of Horror episodes from The Simpsons. Since 1990, America’s favorite yellow-skinned family has delivered tales both frightening and funny that riff on classic horror tropes and media in celebration of Halloween. That yearly tradition then began to bleed into comics with Matt Groening‘s Bongo Comics launched what would become The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror, a series of 23 issues full of spooky stories both original and adapted from the television show. Last year, the creator released the first of three “Ominous Omnibus” collections that will round up each issue into neat packages. Now, it’s time for the second to haunt store shelves with The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2: Deadtime for Boos & Ghouls releasing on August 1.
The Treehouse of Horror episodes have often been viewed as some of the best episodes The Simpsons has to offer, inserting the family into a number of wild horror-themed scenarios that otherwise wouldn’t be possible in the confines of the show. Among the fan-favorites are “The Shinning,” a parody of Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining with Homer standing in for Jack Torrance, “Time and Punishment” in which Homer majorly messes up the universe when he goes back in time with his toaster, and “Bart Simpson’s Dracula” with Mr. Burns playing a parody of Bram Stoker‘s iconic Count. Recent years have seen the special pay homage to Death Note and Stephen King‘s beloved novel It.
Although a few stories in the run of the Treehouse of Horror comics are based on the show’s segments, most are entirely new tales of the macabre starring members of the Simpson family and citizens around Springfield. This volume will also feature an introduction penned by Lisa Simpson after Bart previewed the first collection. These volumes mark the first time the comics have ever been gathered into a deluxe collection, making them one of the few ways to explore the comic-exclusive horror exploits of The Simpsons.
What Else Can Fans Expect From the Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2?
Like the previous collection, this omnibus collection has no shortage of brilliant writers and illustrators from throughout the world of comics. Names that appear include Kyle Baker, Ian Boothby, Dan Brereton, Gerry Duggan, Pia Guerra, Peter Kuper, Carol Lay, Nina Matsumoto, Terry Moore, Steve Niles, Brian Posehn, James Robinson, Tone Rodriguez, Scott Shaw!, and Jim Woodring. Also similar to its predecessor, the massive collection will be contained in a deluxe, die-cut slipcase for maximum spook factor.
Things are still going strong for the town of Springfield as they’re locked in for two more seasons at Fox after renewal for Seasons 35 and 36 earlier this year. The Simpsons are still a keystone in Fox’s Animation Domination lineup despite being nearly as old as the network itself, and they are scheduled to pick back up this fall on October 1. For Star Wars Day 2023, the youngest Simpson Maggie even went on a sci-fi adventure of her own with the short Rogue Not Quite One released on Disney+.
The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 2: Deadtime for Boos & Ghouls is available for purchase for $39.99 on August 1. A third and final omnibus will be released sometime in 2024. Check out the reference-filled couch gag made by Guillermo Del Toro for Treehouse of Horror XXIV below.
