The Cure for the Common Clod US Publish Number 11 UK Publish Number(s) 13 Written by Patric M. Verrone Art by Tom King Title caption The Most Influenzal Comic of All Time Published (US) 23 January 2003 Published (UK) 23 September 2004 In trade paperback Futurama Conquers The Universe

"The Cure for the Common Clod" is the eleventh comic issue, which was released 23 January, 2003 in the US and 23 September, 2004 in the UK.

The Story

Act I

Fry catches a disease while on a delivery. Leela checks the shipboard medical books and diagnoses Fry with something thought to have been eradicated centuries ago; the common cold. At Planet Express, Fry sneezes over Amy, Leela and Hermes during a medical exam from Zoidberg. The cure for the disease has been forgotten, and because the cold is so contagious Fry is quarantined. The Professor explains why he, Bender and Zoidberg couldn't have been infected. They then watch in disbelief as Leela strips naked and jumps into a tree outside to gather acorns. She has reverted to her primal state due to the mutated cold virus, so has Hermes, who is still his normal bureaucrat self. They realise Amy may be infecting everyone else in the city, so they head to her sorority's lingerie rave. Amy never made it to the party, but had been spotted at the library.

Act II

They leave Fry in his bubble at the door and enter via the roof. In her primal state Amy is busy trying to prove Riemann's Hypothesis, the Professor explains that this will take days and that she is contained. Satisfied that the city is safe, they exit via the front door, which sends Fry's bubble rolling into the city's water supply, where it splits open. The next day everyone is acting weird because of the virus. The Professor decides that he should use one of his doomsday devices. The others stop him when Amy returns feeling better after blowing her nose. She and other infected people are hacking up huge germs, these come together through reverse mitosis and form a single gigantic germ. Leela's mutant metabolism creates a germ that is an antibody, but it's too small. They enlist the Sewer Mutants to produce more antibodies, they agree because they believe the infection will be like a party (which it seems to be for them). The antibodies head to the surface and merge, where they destroy the giant germ. A ceremony is held at Citihall to thank the mutants.

Additional Info

Like "some crappy science fiction story"

Trivia

The Australian man is seen amongst the crowd of infected New New Yorkers, implying that he's not a slave anymore. Also seen are the Omicronians, who are on Earth for some reason. (the crowd contains over 60 characters we've seen before and a few we haven't.)

The ship has its own library.

The Professor started the tradition of Lingerie Raves when he was in Kappa Kappa Wong.

This comic book's storyline shares a similarity with the season 6 episode "Cold Warriors".

Quotes

Fry: No I'm... doesn't. Amy: You're just faking it because you want to weasel out of going to the all night rave my sorority is having at the lingerie warehouse tonight. Zoidberg: There's something beating in here. I better open you up and get it out of there. Raoul: [On his head.] Look at me! I'm a tripod!

Leg Mutant: [On Vyolet's head.] So what? I'm a totem pole!

Continuity

"Robots only get sick in crappy science fiction stories". This occurs in "Fry and the Slurm Factory" and this comic.

Allusions

The planet with the civilisation based on a book about gangster films is a reference to the Star Trek episode "A Piece of the Action".

episode "A Piece of the Action". The title character of Where's Wally/Waldo is seen in the crowd holding an arrow pointing himself out.

The start of the comic refers to Mad Magazine .

. Fry is quarantined inside a bubble called the "Travolta 3000", a reference to the 1976 made-for-TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, which starred a young John Travolta.

Characters

Characters in the Crowd Scene

Comic Credits