The World's Fastest Cartoonist Voiced Himself On Futurama
The long-running animated sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" has had no shortage of celebrity cameos over the course of its long and complicated timeline. While that other animated show created by Matt Groening probably has more A-list stars to its credit, "Futurama" has been able to really dig into the esoterica of pop culture in a way that few other shows have, including a surprising number of legendary musicians, as well as a cameo appearance from a figure who's at the top of the comics field but isn't exactly a household name in the mainstream.
The figure in question is one of the absolute giants of cartooning, whose influence can be felt in pretty much any work that involves drawing something to make people laugh, either directly or indirectly. Known throughout the comics world for his lightning-fast drawing (he often specializes in doing quick cartoons on the spot during personal appearances), his cameo on "Futurama" is both a tribute to his artistic legacy and a pretty funny gag on its own.
The head of Sergio Aragonés appears in a 2010 episode of the show
The "Futurama" episode in question is 2010's "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences," which is Season 7, Episode 11 of the show. The cartoonist is Sergio Aragonés, the comic book legend best known for his doodle-like margin gags over more than 50 years of "Mad" magazine, as well as for creating the comic book series "Groo the Wanderer." His own website bills him as "the fastest cartoonist in the world today," which must be how he found time in his schedule to voice his own disembodied head for a quick "Futurama" scene in which he critiques the amateur comic book work of Fry (Billy West).
He's underwhelmed by Fry's artistry but does take time to compliment what he believes to be the Aragonés-style margin doodles. Fry's response: those doodles were smears of pickle relish from a hot dog. It's an amusing scene that simultaneously educates viewers on the trademark "Mad" margin drawings that Aragonés specializes in, and it adds a cartooning legend to the roster of personalities whose heads have popped up in the far-futuristic world of "Futurama."
Incidentally, this is not the only connection between Aragonés and a Matt Groening project. In 2009, a press release that made the rounds (including GoCollect) announced his coming on board with the "Bart Simpson" comic book. He continued to contribute material to this series until its final issue in 2016 (via Bongo Comics).