Leon
Just a small aside, and everyone here sure already knows this…but how awesome is the actor's name? "JB Smoove". Best stage name ever.

Planet Simpson is a good book! But it's very different from this one, as Planet Simpson is much more like a college thesis, analyzing subtext and characters, as well as how The Simpsons has become such a part of our lives and culture.

Yes, Homer as Carl's asst was a decent storyline. However, it was done better in "Homer the Smithers". But then again, nearly every Simpsons storyline has been done and re-done a thousand times (and even the lousy retreads are still infinitely more enjoyable than According to Jim).