Futurama’s new riff on classic 95-year-old comic is one of the show’s best parodies of all time

The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 9, “The Futurama Mystery Liberry,” now streaming on Hulu

one of FuturamaThe best parodies ever poke fun at a classic comic. The sci-fi comedy has been poking fun at genre conventions and iconic stories for over two decades, with several episodes dedicated to poking fun at the classics of other genres. Some of the show’s best riffs on popular media have included a Star Trek parody that brought back most of the original show’s cast, a movie-length parody of fantasy tropes, and plenty of gags about famous sci-fi movies Star Wars And The matrix franchises.

The parodies are especially common in Futuramas anthology episodes. Typically occurring once a season, these anthologies have steadily become more satirical, poking deliberate fun at specific shows and films. This carries over to the US Futurama Season 12 episode “The Futurama Mystery Library,” which uses a parody of Read Rainbow As a framing device to set up three satires of literature. One of the segments even uses a small animation shift which Only improves on a rock solid parody. Here’s why FuturamaIt’s take on a classic comic works so well.

Futurama Season 12 Episode 9’s Tintin Parody Explained

like Futurama Reinvent yourself as Hergé’s classic comic

Futuramas Tintin parody may be one of the best examples of Futurama‘s ability to poke fun at other properties while staying true to its own weird and dark comedy. “The Futurama Mystery Library” features various parodies of children’s book characters, including Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and Encyclopedia Brown. The most well-executed of these parodies is the riff on TintinWhich recast the Planet Express crew as some of Tintins most iconic letters in a word designed to resemble the original Tintin comics.

The segment’s story sees the group embark on a trek around the world to reunite Farnsworth with his lost love, the world’s version of Futuramas perpetual evil mom. This reflects the Tintin The habit of the series to send the characters on global adventures, reflecting historical themes and scientific ideas. It’s all filtered through Futuramas design and sense of comedyLeading to many dark jokes and silly turns (especially once Bender, Hermes, and Amy appear as the equivalents of Thompson and Thomson). The short goes so far as to directly mimic the art style of Tintin creator, Belgian cartoonist Hergé.

Tintin’s parody feels surprisingly natural in Futurama’s sci-fi world

Tintins sense of adventure fits neatly in Futuramas inventive universe

Futurama Has paraded all kinds of movies and shows before, but very riff on Tintin Feels like a particularly clever fusion. The extraterrestrial adventures of both Tintin Stories and Futurama Episodes allow for a clever world-trotting adventure. Both benefit from a keen sense of humor that can jump between satisfyingly silly to surprisingly dark (though Futurama takes things further than most in this regard). They both always have optimistic lead characters, allowing Free to be at ease in his role as Tintin. The nature of the adventures, Tintin and Planet Express, work really well alongside one another.

This is especially true as the plot brings the Planet Express crew across the globe. There’s even a mysterious artifact that plays into the plot, playing on the common trope of Tintin and revealing some historical items that play into his adventures. While Futurama makes fun of the concept by selling it for free by a salesman who invented its importance on the spot to earn some money, it is still an important part of the story and sets up a fantastic approach to science that Feels like Futurama But retain enough of Tintins adventurous spirit To be authentic to both.

Tintin makes for one of Futurama’s best parodies ever

Futurama Has parodied a lot of sci-fi, but never as well as it Max Tintin

The thing that makes Futuramas parody of Tintin So fun is the way It replicates the original while remaining true to itself. some of FuturamaThe previous parodies have been much more surface-level, as seen in season 4’s “Anthology of Interest II.” Others are strong riffs on their subject matter but don’t feel like it Futurama In the process, such as the pointed parodies of breakfast cereal advertising and incorporating them into the show, like the segments of season 10’s “Saturday Morning Fun Pit.” Both are funny episodes, but the parody of Tintin in Futurama Season 12 is pitch-perfect.

It reflects the dark humor at the heart of FuturamaIt’s a silly take on sci-fi. There is a hint of Futuramas commitment to romance and love with Farnsworth’s yearning for his lost love. There’s even some goofy sci-fi nonsenseSuch as when history allows Frey to accidentally reform Pangea. This segment feels true to Tintin As well, imitate Hergé’s distinct cartoon style and bring a bright sense of adventure to the segment. It’s a great parody, works well as a weird stand-alone Futurama history and as a satire of Tintin At the same time.