"Lisa's Bad Word"
Writer: Earl Kress
Artists: Ryan Rivette (p), Shane Glines (i), Nathan Hamill (colors)

"Cool Rules"
Writer: Earl Kress
Artists: Alberto Santiago (p), Mike Rote (i), Art Villanueva (colors)

"Saxaphony"
Writer: James Bates
Artists: Marcos Asprec (p), Phyllis Novin (i), Hamill (colors)


"Saxaphony" is the best story in the lot. James Bates has Bart conceive of a devious plan which makes clever use of Mp3 players and an innate talent for deception. The comment Milhouse makes reflecting on his relationship with Bart is almost worth the price of the book.

As for the other stories, "Cool Rules" is solidly okay but nothing special. Here, Lisa attempts to gain access to an exclusive Malibu Stacy club. She's just not cool enough to enter. The addition of Mr. Smithers was an inspired moment, but Lisa's plans are simply not that interesting or inventive.

The first story fails because it requires continuity that I've never seen on the show. As far as I know, Lunch Lady Doris doesn't swear like a sailor on The Simpsons. That may have been the intent, but such behavior certainly wouldn't pass on a prime-time family show. In any case, the pay-off doesn't pack enough comedy to excuse the contrivance.

Asprec's, Novin's and Hamill's simple two-act play between Lisa and Milhouse as well as Bart's Frank Sinatra imitation add to an already outstanding story by Bates. While "Cool Rules" isn't impressive, Santiago's, Rote's and Villanueva's transformations for Lisa are better than the concepts. "Lisa's Bad Word" isn't much, but the art by Rivette, Glines and Hamill excels in exemplifying Lisa's embarrassment and the bad day that took her to the bad word.

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