They say that timing is key to a good joke. The Simpsons certainly knows that, but there is a different element of timing that can be just as important to the structure and execution of a gag: the ...

After nearly three decades of loud entrances, exaggerated bravado, and deliberately hollow slogans, one of The Simpsons’ most recognizable supporting characters has been quietly written out.

J.S. Gornael has a BA in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis in Poetry and an MFA in Fiction. He has taken workshops in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction (though mostly the second). Half-cinephile ...