Melonpool is one of those zany cartoons that enjoys its silliness. Indeed, we’re just now coming off the tail end of one of the more serious storylines, and even in the midst of being captured by the most evil character of the series (an evil copy of the sardonic and cynical Ralph), Steve Troop managed to include quite a bit of humor, making fun of the Star Trek and Star Wars movies while blending it with a dash of humor to create a truly tasty dish – er, comic.

It’s also one of the older comics out there, with strips going as far back as April, 1996, and while it might have skipped a month (or two) here or there, that’s still nothing to sneeze at. But back on June 20th, 2004, Steve decided to put down his pencil and quit the comic. He wrapped up several loose ends (including letting Melonpool finally see the Giant Space Amoeba episode in Star Trek – his missing it had been a running gag for most of the series) and send the gang off into space to return Ralph to Zinobop. Fortunately, that lasted only five months. The creating bug bit again and Melonpool returned from retirement with a storyline bringing together several loose ends from the previous storylines.

It wasn’t all fun and games. There were days on end where there was no punch line. But in a way, that intensified the humor when it did appear. For years, Melonpool was used as a glimpse into our own society from alien eyes, and using our own television shows as a gauge from which these comedic aliens measured us (and themselves). Now it’s gone on to new frontiers, to explore strange new worlds, and seek out amusing new situations… to boldly go where Melonpool has not gone before. It’s what the comic needed, and I hope to see more Melonpool in the years to come.