The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horrors (2013) 19

Halloween ’13 and the 19^th issue of The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horrors.

Spoiler alert, as if the cover wouldn’t give it away, this is an all-alien issue with a little love(craft) to cap the book off.

Monster Mash-Up is ploy by Kang and Kodos Johnson to subvert humans to their will. Homer foils their plans when confronted with a choice between food and love.

Ian Boothby and Tone Rodriguez twist a tale common enough for so many in Alienated!

Finally, comic-book legend Len Wein resurrects an old evil nearing its centennial birthday with Cthulhu. Like the first two stories, it is revealed to be a farce with an O’Henry ending.

Cthulhu was the fictional, cosmic child of H.P. Lovecraft. The Call of Cthulhu was first published in Weird Tales in 1928.

The story became a pied piper for fantasy enthusiasts. It has become the subject of many multi-media projects. Cthulhu made a short appearance at the beginning of The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror XXIX.

In the episode, television’s first dysfunctional animated family go to Fogburyport to visit the birthplace of Green Clam Chowder. They soon learn the destination is a trap designed to bring fresh food to Cthulhu.

The Treehouse of Horror episodes began Oct. 25, 1990. Comprised of three vignettes, the shows became perennial favorites among viewers and critics. Treehouse of Horror VI, Treehouse of Horror XXIII and Treehouse of Horror XXV were each nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour).