History Recap / TheSimpsonsS12E11WorstEpisodeEver

* ShoutOut: Biclops is a nerdy version of ''Franchise/XMen'' character Cyclops. A potential customer (Kearney the bully) asks if Biclops has a girlfriend named [[ComicBook/LoisLane Lois Lame]]. Biclops himself is a co-creation of [[Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace Plan Nine Comics]].

* SelfDeprecation: Bart and Milhouse try to buy "Radioactive Man #1000" for 10 dollars - Comic Book Guy is less than amused, and notes that the book is in "perma-mint" condition, with even spilled soda flying off harmlessly onto lesser comics - with the scene revealing a bunch of now [[Creator/BongoComics wet Bongo comics]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Just because kids will tolerate Comic Book Guy's condescending insults doesn't mean that adults will tolerate it when he insults them or things that they enjoy. Insulting beer by calling it "the nectar of the nitwit" ends with him getting thrown out of Moe's Tavern.
** Also, since he has no friends due to being such a snobby and snarky crank, Bart and Milhouse are left in charge of running the store. Both being ten years old and having no business skills, it goes as well as one would expect.

** To defend Bart further, he and Milhouse do have other responsibilities besides running the store, and it's likely that Bart and Milhouse worked out times when one might be off. Even if he were an adult, Bart wouldn't be expected to be in the store seven days a week unless he were the sole proprietor, and Milhouse should't have made the decision without consulting Bart if they're co-managers.

* HollywoodHeartAttack: What happens when Comic Book Guy's RageBreakingPoint is reached re: Bart and Milhouse's attempts to enter the store. As befits his character, [[LargeHam he describes the symptoms of his attack in a fashion resembling old-school comic book narration]].

* NeverMyFault: Bart is angered by Milhouse wasting the store's profits on a highly unsuccessful comic book, but it likely never would have had happened if he had been doing his job as co-owner/manager, was there when the Plan Nine salesman came to the store and had talked Milhouse out of making a clearly bad business deal. On the other hand, Milhouse is still largely to blame for being foolish enough to buy a large amount of comics just to impress Lisa, even though she is clearly not interested. Bart even admits fault in thinking Milhouse could run the store by himself.

** How many times has homer gotten poisoned to the point where the family has Poison Control on speed dial and are on a first-name basis with the operator?

* NoodleIncident: How did Sideshow Bob, Nelson, and [[CreatorCameo Matt Groening]] get banned from the Android's Dungeon?
** In addition, how did Homer get a hold of a radioactive ape, and how did it trick him into having it stay at Ned's place?

'''Original air date''': February 4, 2001

* BigEater: Homer had been banned from Gallagher's live appearances for eating Gallagher's watermelon.

The Comic Book Guy is forced to take a sabbatical from working at the Android Dungeon after suffering a heart attack during a Creator/TomSavini Q&A session, and reluctantly lets Bart and Milhouse (whom he banned earlier in the episode) run the store.

!! Worst. Tropes. Ever.

* DroppedInSpeechClip: Homer eats some expired baking soda and goes on an "antacid trip" that takes his taste buds back. The ensuring hallucination features audio from Johnnie Cochran's "If it doesn't fit..." defense from the O. J. Simpson trial, President Nixon's resignation speech, and Neil Armstrong's "One small step for man..." quote.
* EscapistCharacter: In-universe. Nerdy superhero Biclops is one for Milhouse--and clearly, only Milhouse since no copies of his comics sell.

'''Comic Book Guy:''' Oh, pardon ''me'', Oldie Hawn.\\

* {{Jerkass}}:
** Comic Book Guy is at some of his most condescending: he talks down to Bart and Milhouse for not seeing the price on the back of ''Radioactive Man #1000'' and bans them for warning Martin's mom she was being stiffed. However, his bitter attitude catches Agnes' eye, and he softens up towards her.
** Martin's mom is no better herself, taking items out of Martin's room and intending to sell them without his permission, then putting them in a leaky basement instead where their value will depreciate.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Comic Book Guy has a heart attack after an angry condescending rant at Tom Savini and their guests and nearly banning them for life. He then acts like a condescending ass at Moes and they kick him out. Finally, he ends up in jail for possession of illegal tapes.

* MayDecemberRomance: Comic Book Guy (late 20s, early 30s) starts dating and developing a serious relationship with Agnes Skinner, an old age pensioner.
* MushroomSamba: Homer goes through an antacid trip after eating a spoonful of decades old baking soda from the back of the fridge.
* MysteryMeat: At an international food festival on the Springfield Squidport, Marge orders Chicken Tandoori at an Indian booth and Homer orders Beef Wellington at a London booth. Underneath the boardwalk, a worker puts slabs of "All-Purpose Meat" on conveyor belts to their respective booths.
* NerdsSpeakKlingon: After he gets thrown out of Moe's, Comic Book Guy ask himself "Is there a word in Klingon for loneliness?", looks in his pocket dictionary. "oh, yes. [[SkywardScream Garr'dock!]]".[[note]]Not actually an official Okrandian Klingon word.[[/note]]
* NeverMyFault: Bart is angered by Milhouse wasting the store's profits on a highly unsuccessful comic book, but it likely never would have had happened if he had been doing his job as co-owner, was there when the [=LensCrafters=] salesman had came to the store and had talked Milhouse out of making a clearly bad business deal. On the other hand Milhouse is still largely to blame for being foolish enough to buy a large amount of comics just to impress Lisa, despite the fact she is clearly not interested. Bart even admits fault in thinking Milhouse could run the store by himself.
* NoodleIncident: How did Sideshow Bob, Nelson, and [[CreatorCameo Matt Groening]] get banned from the Android Dungeon?

* RetCanon: Comic Book Guy's wall of people banned from the store was originally introduced in the Simpsons comic books in the mid-90's before being used here.
* ShouldntWeBeInSchoolRightNow: Bart points this out at the end of the episode, stating they haven't been to school in "Days and days and days".
* ShoutOut: Biclops is a nerdy version of ''Franchise/XMen'' character Cyclops. A potential customer (Kearney the bully) asks if Biclops has a girlfriend named [[ComicBook/LoisLane Lois Lame]].
* SinisterSurveillance: The Comic Book Guy's video vault contains a number of secret videos, including surveillance footage from all over town and such things as ''real'' alien autopsies and [[UpToEleven illegal alien autopsies.]]
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:

** Also, since he has no friends due to being such a snobby and snarky crank, Bart and Milhouse are left in charge of running the store. Both being ten-year-old and having no business skills, it goes as well as one would expect.
* TakeThat:
** In the original script and closed captioning, Bart orders Milhouse to mark down the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' merchandise until someone actually buys it (in the actual episode, Bart tells Milhouse to put the Poochie merchandise on clearance and throw in some ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' comics).
** Biclops is also a take on the absurdly lame characters [[MerchandiseDriven created to try to provide advertisement on stuff like toothpaste and fast food]].
** When Bart and Milhouse find The Comic Book Guy's illegal video vault, one of the videos in the collection is "''[[Film/TheGodfather Godfather III]]'': The Good Version".

* YouMustBeThisTallToEnter: Bart sets a minumum height requirement to enter the adult section. Ralph tiptoes his way in.

* NeverMyFault: Bart is angered by Milhouse wasting the store's profits on a highly unsuccessful comic book, but it likely never would have had happened if he had been doing his job as co-owner, was there when the [=LensCrafters=] salesman had came to the store and had talked Milhouse out of making a clearly bad business deal. On the other hand Milhouse is still largely to blame for being foolish enough to buy a large amount of comics just to impress Lisa, despite the fact she is clearly not interested. Bart even admits fault in thinking Milhouse could run the store.

* NeverMyFault: Bart is angered by Milhouse wasting the store's profits on a highly unsuccessful comic book, but it likely never would have had happened if he had been doing his job as co-owner, was there when the [=LensCrafters=] salesman had came to the store and had talked Milhouse out of making a clearly bad business deal.