"I had a very typical childhood," said Matt Groening in a San Jose Mercury News article by Michael Oricchio. "The only difference was that I took notes and vowed never to forget what it was like." Groening's vow helped drive him into cartooning, where he has been taking revenge on his childhood tormentors and a lot of other pretentious people for most of his adult life. In his Life in Hell comic strip and The Simpsons animated television series, Groening lampoons authority figures from playground bullies to classroom and office tyrants, viewing life through the eyes of children and adults who feel doomed, overpowered, or defiantly obnoxious. His best-known creation is Bart Simpson, who has his adventures chronicled on the most successful prime-time animated series since The Flintstones. The Simpsons went on to win ten Emmy and a slew of other awards, earn $500 million in merchandising, air in...