The Creator Of The Boys Wrote A Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror Story

"The Simpsons" Halloween anthology episodes, "Treehouse of Horror," are a tradition going on 25 years right now. Some "Treehouse" segments are superior to others, naturally, but the episodes give the show a chance to break all the rules, killing characters willy-nilly or irrevocably changing Springfield.

"Treehouse of Horror" is so synonymous with "The Simpsons" that the "Simpsons" comics, published by the now-defunct Bongo Comics, did an annual "Treehouse of Horror" issue from 1995 to 2017. (These "Treehouse of Horror" comics are now collected in omnibus editions.)

One of the most famous "Treehouse of Horror" comics was "Murder, He Wrote," an Eisner Award-winning parody of the manga/anime "Death Note." This was in 2008, many years before the animated "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII" combined "The Simpsons" and "Death Note."

Now, many of the "Treehouse" comic stories were written by Bongo Comics regulars. "Murder, He Wrote" was by regular "Simpsons" comic writer Ian Boothby, with manga-influenced black-and-white art provided by Nina Matsumoto. However, the annuals occasionally attracted big-name comics talent — including Garth Ennis, creator of "The Boys" and "Preacher." Ennis fans know he loves his splatter violence and black comedy, making him an excellent fit for "Treehouse of Horror."

Ennis' story ran in 2001's "Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror" #7 — and, surprisingly, it is not a "Preacher" send-up. Yes, sadly, no Reverend Lovejoy as Jesse Custer. Instead, Ennis parodies one of the all-time great horror films, the way many other "Treehouse of Horror" stories do: James Cameron's "Aliens."

Ennis' "In Springfield No One Can Hear You Scream" was drawn by John McCrea and colored by Dave Stewart, the go-to colorist of the "Hellboy" comics. It does not directly parody "Aliens." (i.e. Marge is no Ellen Ripley). Instead, the comic opens with Bart watching an "Itchy & Scratchy" riff on "Aliens" — Itchy is the Xenomorph who uses his acid blood as a weapon against Scratchy, the ill-fated astronaut. 

Marge warns Bart this will give him nightmares, but Bart brushes her off. Until he walks into the living room and sees his family strung up in an alien hive. Chestbursters, each one taking the likeness of their host, begin erupting out of everyone; naturally, Mr. Burns is the Alien Queen. Bart runs for his life until awakening with a fright but is reassured it was all just a dream. Until a final panel shows Maggie hiding an alien inner jaw behind her pacifier. 

"In Springfield, No One Can Hear You Scream" features Ennis writing a parody using established characters he did not create. So, it's a bit difficult to hear his voice in the comics — but if you listen closely, you can hear whispers of it.

"Alien" and "Aliens" are the rare case where a film and its sequel stand more or less equally in pop culture. Which one you prefer mostly comes down to personal taste. Ennis, though, is specifically drawing on "Aliens," with the hive setting and alien queen, and it makes total sense that he prefers Cameron's film over Ridley Scott's.

Ennis loves war stories. (His best comic, "Sara," is about an all-women Soviet sniper squad in World War 2.) He admires old-school, John Wayne warrior masculinity but recognizes it can be destructive. Ennis' lead characters, from Billy Butcher in "The Boys" to Frank Castle in many "Punisher" stories, live that dichotomy. "Aliens" is about a cocky space marine squad who find themselves totally outmatched but refuse to surrender; that adrenaline-pumping probably resonates with Ennis more so than the measured horror and space trucker leads in "Alien." 

Less flatteringly, some of Ennis' edgelord homophobic humor seeps in too. The Mr. Burns queen's tongue-mouth naturally wears the face of Smithers. Once he pops out, he declares proudly: "I'm a queen too, Sir!" Garth Ennis' voice has made him one of the most respected writers in American comics, but it's also a voice that's unafraid to hold anything back.