'Bowl Me Over'
| Bowl Me Over | ||||||
Comic Information
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Bowl Me Over is a comic story featured in Simpsons Comics 136.
Plot
Homer gets yelled at by Barney, Carl and Lenny because he forgot their bowling league night again. The next day, during his work shift, Lenny and Carl tell him that they have removed him from the bowling team and replaced him with Professor Frink, because on average he scores 20 points more. At dinner Homer asks his family why they think he was kicked off the team. Lisa thinks that Homer should reduce his drinking because that was what made that he forgot about the bowling night. Homer goes to Moe's, but can not enter as it is leased out for bowling players, and it turns out that they are celebrating Professor Frink, who made the team reach the final. Homer continues his walk on the search for a new source of happiness and meets Kearney, Jimbo and Dolph, who are playing street bowling, a game where you throw the bowling ball on the streets using people as pins. They let Homer have a go and he strikes Ned down. Thinking it's funny, he joins their team.
Once again, someone has graffitied Springfield with the tag "El Barto" Mayor Quimby asks Chief Clancy Wiggum to stop them. A street block away Ralph finds a spray can and starts playing with it. Clancy comes and realizes that Ralph is "El Barto", and is forced to incarcerate him because Bart, who was observing, dared not admit he's behind the tag. It is morning, Lisa thinks it's a shame that Ralph received six months house arrest and Marge is surprised that Homer is not mad about the bowling team who have won the state championship. Bart feels guilty and starts visiting Ralph, while in the evenings Homer has begun to play street bowling and enjoys it, and is better than the bullies who are jealous of him.
While Bart is with Ralph, he is visited by Astrid Weller, who says that she loves his art and wants to see him create a work of art. Bart hears this and tells her that he is "El Barto" and she does not believe in him. Dolph tells Homer about the perfect street bowling target - El Barto doing a painting in front of people. It's time for Ralph to make the "El Barto-painting", and a TV crew is there. When Homer sees that Ralph is "El Barto" he does not want to strike him with bowling ball. The bullies threaten to throw him out if Homer doesn't do it, but he still refuses to, so the bullies do it themselves. Homer throws his bowling ball at the bullies' bowling balls and hits them, causing them to come off course, saving Ralph while damaging the garage door Ralph had begun to paint on.
Astrid then says Ralph can not be "El Barto". The police arrest the bullies, who have destroyed the garage door, while Homer gets off free. Wiggum tells Bart that if he finds out who was "El Barto" he shall spend years in work camps. Both Homer and Bart feel guilt for what they did and they admit their crimes to each other. They start hugging but then Homer realizes that it was Bart who painted "Wide Load" on the back of his car and starts chasing him with a bowling ball.
