Simpsons Art Imagines Barney's Real Feelings In Heartwarming Lenny Sequel
Artist David B Cooper returns to the world of The Simpsons in a new sequel to his Lenny fan comic, focusing on the struggles of Barney Gumble. Cooper previously explored the character of The Simpsons mainstay Lenny Leonardson and his existential crisis. Barney has been a recurring character since the series premiere episode in 1989, "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire."
Voiced by Dan Castellaneta, Barney Gumble is one of Springfield's most recognizable residents; the town drunk, frequent and loyal customer of Moe's Tavern, and one of Homer Simpson's closest friends since childhood. Barney has been one of the series' most recurring characters across The Simpsons' 33 seasons, be it as one of Homer's close confidants, working one of the jobs off his surprisingly wide-ranging résumé, or multi-season arc of chasing sobriety following in season 11 episode 18 "Days of Whines and D'oh'ses." While the show has never explored him with too much depth, one artist has decided to delve into the character's true feelings with a guest appearance from one of his friends.
Cooper, who created the fan-favorite "A Short Comic About Lenny," returns to the world of The Simpsons once more, sharing "A Short Comic About Barney" on his Twitter account. In the comic, Barney reflects on his long life and many achievements, as well as his struggles with bettering himself. Despite his successes, he feels like he is stuck in a cycle, always falling back on his old habits. As Barney delves deeper into his personal crisis, Lenny (Harry Shearer) offers some aid following his own experience in Cooper's original comic. Check out the heartwarming comic below:
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Released in 2021, "A Short Comic About Lenny" explores Lenny's life as the character goes through an existential crisis, taking into account the series' many episodes and production changes to tackle how life for a Springfield resident really is. Set off by the death of Frank Grimes (Hank Azaria) in "Homer's Enemy," Lenny begins to question the series' outlandish events, and even his own memories. Addressing factors such as the recasting of Lenny's best friend Carl Carlson, who went from being voiced by Azaria to Alex Desert in 2020, Lenny struggles to find his place in the world of The Simpsons, ultimately keeping his feelings to himself.
The Simpsons has often attracted surreal fan creations and dark fan theories that reframe the series beyond its animated sitcom premise, with Cooper's original comic being one of the most beloved fan creations in recent years. "A Short Comic About Barney" is a perfect sequel to Cooper's Lenny story, as not only is it filled with plenty of Easter eggs, but it provides closure to the prior work by seeing Lenny use his own experience to comfort Barney and remind him of his value. As the show approaches season 34 and its 750th episode, Cooper's comic gives fans a new perspective on the belching Springfield regular while offering a hopeful message.
Source: @davidbcooper