Fresh off the back of last week's Simpsons Comics #109 comes the latest adventure in Bongo's Bart Simpson Comics #25, avaliable this Wednesday in North America. "Bart lives the dream of every comic book fan, or so he thinks, when the Comic Book Guy enlists his help at a comic convention. Then, see how a little thing like Bart sneaking into a restricted movie topples the fortunes of an entire movie studio! And finally, after winning a free trip from Krusty the Clown, Bart manages to wreak havoc on an airplane and create his own "No Fly Zone!". The current UK edition titled Bart Simpson Summer (#17) is also avaliable to buy now.

It may not be the most popular show on Australian television but it is without doubt the most repeated. The Simpsons has screened in prime time virtually every night of the week for what seems years, and not just in a single dose but often in blocks of multiple episodes. Only a tiny amount of what is shown is new, and some repeats occur within a few weeks. The show may seem ephemeral to non-fans, but the sheer repeatability of The Simpsons provides a clue to the role played by repetition in popular culture and beyond. The secret of The Simpsons - and other seemingly inexhaustible cultural franchises such as James Bond and Doctor Who - is devastatingly simple. Unlike real life, in which inevitably we grow older, these characters do not change in any meaningful way even as the world around them changes. The cartoon world of the show is altered instantly through the wild antics of a family whose members nevertheless remain the same, and whose bonds with one another are, despite everything, unbreakable.

This is it, folks. Fox TV UK have revealed the alternate Season 6 DVD packaging via a press release on their website, stating that this box will be the norm for buyers in the UK. The Homer's Head packaging is being labelled as a 'limited edition'. This is the same box that be sent to those in the USA who requested it. While it has still noticably veered away from the original couch designs you've come to expect, the same cardboard format will be used. The Homers Head packaging will be restricted to just a run of 50,000 in the UK and for those who are not "lucky" enough to snap this up will be able to pick up Season 6 in its original magnifying glass packaging.

On closer inspection of the alternate box, the cardboard frame will still contain a peephole which was usually occupied by the television screen. The shape of Homer's eye through the magnifying glass matches the inside packaging of the plastic Homer's head set.

No word yet on how the set will be released in Region 4 (Australia).

Bongo's Simpsons Comics #109 hits the stands this Wednesday in North America. Mr. Burns, concerned about his public image, decides to open a museum dedicated to his life and his legend. But revisionist history is not an easy sell for the despicable despot of Springfield, especially when rewriting history requires righting so many wrongs! Also, no one is safe when Homer declares war on Arnie Pie in the Sky!

As usual Simpsons Comics does its own thing in the United Kingdom, and with this month's edition you'll get a free Simpsons whoopee cushion.

British royal Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry are being headhunted by TV bosses to star in an episode of cartoon series The Simpsons. Producers of the hit animated show want William to feature as Lisa's new love interest, while party-loving Harry has been cast as a wacky tearaway pal for Bart. Executive producer Al Jean says, "We've thought about approaching Harry and William because we believe they are fans of the show. It would be funny to make one of them Lisa's boyfriend. I know they're image conscious, but I don't see what harm it'll do." Jean has also hinted at wanting the princes' grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to star in her own episode. He adds, "I'd love to get the Queen on the show. That would be something." If the royal duo accepted the part, they will follow in the footsteps of other British stars who have enjoyed cameo appearances on The Simpsons, including Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

It's time! You've waited since December for the next installment in the Simpsons DVD collection, and today, The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season arrives in North American stores. The set includes every episode from Season 6 with commentaries, as well as deleted scenes, commercials, audio outtakes, and animation showcases. The set is retailing for around $49.95 US. Pick up your copy today! The set will be available in the UK on September 5th and in Australia on September 26th. Alternate packaging details are contained in the story below but the offer is only avaliable to US and Canadian residents.

The 1-800 number contained in the Season 6 box set is now up and active now directs people to check out the website SimpsonsBox.com. Those without internet access can call back during office hours. The website does not include an image of the alternate packaging but does ask questions such as why you aren't satisfied with the plastic case, so they may be reconsidering it for future sets. Proof of purchase is required. Thanks to Katie Bonnar for the address.

When he started work on the first season of The Simpsons, Mike Reiss thought the show would last six weeks. "We thought we were just doing it to amuse ourselves and six weeks was about the lifespan of a quirky, offbeat show," he said. Reiss didn't tell anyone what he did because he was ashamed to be writing for cartoons. Seventeen seasons and four Emmy's later, Reiss is still part of the Simpsons' fraternity. On the Gold Coast yesterday to address the Screen Producers Association of Australia's conference, Reiss admits to being surprised when the show is praised for its topicality. Given that each episode takes eight to 12 months to make, he says, "the show is one of the least topical shows on television" and its makers do not set out to be subversive. "Our point of view is always just to be the funniest we can on any topic."

"TV gets a little more outrageous all the time. Someone will pitch an episode one year and we'll think we'll never do it. Then a couple of years later we'll do it and it airs without a ripple. We did the episode where Homer smokes medicinal marijuana. Fox said they wouldn't air it. We said 'OK, show a blank screen'. They finally aired the episode and there wasn't one complaint."

There are still plans for a movie, but it may be a while yet. "We're taking our time with it," Reiss said. "Unlike the Bewitched movie, we decided to have a script first."

Here are your first glimpses at the covers of the next two books in The Simpsons Library Of Wisdom. Following on from The Bart Book and The Homer Book released last year, author Jesse McCann has just finished work on The Ralph Wiggum Book and Comic Book Guy's Book Of Pop Culture. The books will follow the mould of the previous two, showcasing details about the characters, their friends, and other quirky fun pages to keep you entertained. Each book is 96 pages long, and will retail for $9.95. They will be released alongside One Step Beyond Forever in late October, and you can order them from Amazon today.

Rumours have swept the internet over the last week relating to a slipcard contained in the Season 6 DVD set offering an alternate box to the Homer's head casing. The details were met with speculation after the phone number published on the card was misprinted, however it has been confirmed that an alternate packaging will be offered. The card reads "For all those anal-retentive nerds who like their DVD boxes to line up perfectly on the shelf... For all those who dislike storing their digital media inside a hollowed out human head, have we got a deal for you. Just Call 1-800-###-### for a very derivative old-style, just like before box with almost nothing new or creative to annoy or terrify you. Enjoy." TVShowsOnDVD have more info for you, and we'll follow this up on Tuesday when Fox will release a website containing information and images on the alternate packaging.

Ricky Gervais' official website has released the first glimpses of how Ricky will look in the forthcoming episode of The Simpsons entitled 'Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife', written by Ricky himself. These images are from the storyboard that is used by the animators to guide the making of the finished show. Obviously, they're not the finished drawings. Those familiar with Gervais will notice the character bares a striking resemblance to his character David Brent, despite the fact that the character he'll be playing is someone new. The episode to air next year will see Homer and Marge end up on a Trading Spouses-style show in order to win a plasma TV, though Ricky's character becomes smitten with Marge. So far it's been the most publicised episode of the seventeenth season so we're really hoping it's not a let down.

DVDBits.com claims to have the official box art for not only the next season, but the next FIVE seasons. Fans were promised each of the next five sets would contain packaging featuring the heads of the family members, so you would imagine all were designed at the same time to prove it could be possible. The pictures look legitimate to us, although with some small noticable differences between the Homer pictured here and the one released, it's fair to say these were early drafts from when the idea was pitched to Fox.
According to the images, Marge is Season 7, Lisa is Season 8, Maggie Season 9, and Bart Season 10 but due to the images being in their early stages, this may change.

TVShowsOnDVD have just released images of the inside of the new Homer's head packaging for The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season. The set which is released on August 16 has been criticised for its out of the norm packaging, but fans may view the new design in a different light knowing what's inside and how the set looks on its spine. The head is an outer case, which once opened contains another cardboard cover which opens in a book format. The spine design (ie how it appears on your shelf) is similar to that of the previous five sets. Full pictures can be seen at TVShowsOnDVD which is just one click away.

Dozens of voice-over actors and their supporters marched through downtown Mexico City on Wednesday to protest the replacement of the actors who provide the Spanish-language voices for The Simpsons and other TV shows. "Reject the impostor voices!" chanted about 90 protesters as they walked through the business district, slowing traffic to a crawl along busy Insurgentes Avenue. They carried pictures of Bart and Homer Simpson, along with those of other cartoon characters. Simpsons fans here have been in an uproar ever since the Mexico City firm that does the voice-overs for Latin America, Grabaciones y Doblajes Internacionales, canceled its contract with Mexico's actors union last year after the company changed hands. The move led to the mass resignation of 10 actors who supplied the voices for The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, King of the Hill and other shows. Their voices are known all over Latin America, thanks to the popularity of The Simpsons.

With under two weeks until the release of The Complete Sixth Season on DVD, a number of websites are giving you the opportunity to get your hands on a copy of the set. Zap2It has 5 to give away to US residents simply by filling out a form. The Smoking Gun asks you to guess a mystery word from one of their documents in order to win a copy as well as a set of celebrity Mug Shot playing cards. Enter today!

The DVD is released on August 16th in the USA and Canada, September 5th in the UK, and September 28th in Australia.