Futurama Comics #44

If you haven't already picked up your copy of Futurama Comics #44... what are you waiting for? At first glance the title captions are back. #44's says "Chicks dig guys who read..."  and then it says Futurama Comics.  Awesome. I missed those.

The story starts out with Fry and Bender messing around with some virtual reality game called 'Grand Theft Spaceship' where Bender is robbing some meat bag his spaceship while Fry is stuck playing 'Grandparent Theft Spaceship".  Obviously the wrong game and Fry wants to try Bender's game buy he won't let him because he'll crash his ship but Fry says his 'driving is all kinds of awesome in the game and real life!'  So Bender double dog dares him to prove it by flying the Planet Express ship. After showing up Bender Fry plays a game of chicken with (but who else) the Chicken Lawyer and crashes into an asteroid.  Meanwhile Leela is in hypersleep on the ship (and somehow didn't wake up.) Later Fry is in the Hall of Traffic Justice where Fry is being defended by (but who else) the Chicken Lawyer. Fry's license is revoked and ordered to complete spaceship traffic school. (A reference to the N64 game Starfox is here too!)

Fry serves two weeks in jail for contempt of court and heads to traffic school where Hermes is the instructor. In the class with Fry is Kif and Zapp Brannigan! (I love Zapp.) Hermes shows the class a video called 'Gruesome Crashes' with references to the Jetson's, Star Wars and Star Trek. Zapp throws a paper-airplane in boredom and it lands in Fry's hair. Zapp uses his ray gun to get it out and starts Fry's hair on fire. After Fry gets a hair transplant he takes his road test. Passes parallel parking but fails parallel universe parking. Fry and Zapp get into an argument and Fry challenges him to a race to the end of the universe. Zapp tries to get out of it because neither of them have their driver's licenses but Herme's tells them the barely passed and gives them their spaceship driver's licenses. Zapp tries again to get out of the race by saying he has a doctors note but Fry double dog dares him and leaves Zapp with no choice but to send Kif , but Kif reminds him he dosen't have his driver's license because it might encourage mutiny. Finally Zapp agrees to race and by standers decide to join them in the race for $500 prize. Zapp whispers a little side wager with Fry who hesitates but after the dreaded double dog dare it's on.  The next day the race is on and Fry and Bender are flying the Planet Express ship once again. They get rammed by a Vin Diesel looking character and Bender quickly takes care of the nuisances.

By this time Leela finally wakes up and wonders if the date on her wrist-ka-bob is right. She was only supposed to sleep for three hours but it's been three weeks.  Fry explains there current situation and Leela demands they turn around and end the race.  Zapp buts in via screen and Leela informs him they are dropping out of the race, until Zapp calls the ship a garbage scow. Leela orders the crew to man their stations.
And that's where I'll leave it off, you need to buy this comic if you haven't. I'll tell you this they did get to the end of the universe. There is even an epilogue that may gross you out.

  It's always great to see Zapp in a issue.  The story was enjoyable and a page turner. The references they made were funny and the little edits by Bill Morrison (Editor) makes it just that more personal. Definantly probably one of my favs.