How to Secede Without Really Trying

How to Secede Without Really Trying is the fifty-ninth comic issue, released 1 February, 2012 in the US.

Act I
While Bender and Fry are trying out a new fully interactive 3D TV at a store, they see on the news that Mayor Poopenmeyer is holding a press conference regarding corruption charges. Bender remarks that he could get out of those problems easily and Fry suggests that Bender should be the mayor's advisor. The mayor agrees and asks Bender to meet him in his office. He's unsure if he wants to take the job until they meet Leela in the street and she talks about the high price of eggs for twenty minutes. Bender jumps on a taxi and Leela decides to take some owl eggs from a nearby nest. At the mayor's office, Bender reveals he has a plan to help the mayor's image. During another press conference, Tinny Tim is dropped from the roof of Citihall and the mayor catches him, making the mayor a hero. Leela, who is cooking something at Planet Express, is interrupted by the sounds of owls slamming themselves into the building. As she claims to have no idea why it is happening, the Professor decides to ignore it. But owls find a slingshot at a giant novelty toyshop across the road. Leela confesses to the professor, but he decides that they are not going to give up the eggs. At another conference Bender gets into an argument with a reporter and declares that New New York is leaving the planet. Nixon, who happened to be nearby, approves of this.

Act II
As Farnsworth is busy with other matters, Bender asks Professor Wernstrom for help. Coincidentally, Wernstrom already has a city sized dome left over from a school project. Soon the city is sent into space. Farnsworth doesn't care about this as the owls are still attacking, and he's just created a creature to help fend them off. Elsewhere; New New Yorkers are realising that they can't visit relatives out of town, watch non-local TV, get any beer or buy food that isn't hot dogs or pretzels. After a few weeks, the owls have demolished most of the Planet Express building and the mayor places all the blame for his city's problems on Bender, who is sent via rocket out of the dome. Leela decides to give the eggs back, but Zoidberg has eaten them. A month later, New New York is accepted back onto the Earth, with the penalty of a tax increase, and the office has been rebuilt. The owls stopped attacking when Leela gave them some eggs Zoidberg found. The hatchlings resemble a cross between birds and Decapodians.

Trivia

 * The title font of Futurama Comics and the Bongo Comics logo have been updated for the January, 2012 solicitation. The title fonts of Bongo's The Simpsons titles have also received updates. The new cover format appears to also lack title captions. Additionally, this issue lacks page numbers.
 * The quality of the paper used by Bongo Comics' printers has increased.

Continuity

 * New New York is sent into space again, having last been removed from the planet in "Cold Warriors".

Allusions

 * The title is a play on the title of the book .
 * Poopenmeyer's hunting outfit resembles that of.
 * The issue makes obvious references to ', ' and , all popular app games.
 * Wookieeleaks is a reference to, s and possibly.
 * An -like robot is in the background of one of the press conferences.
 * Morbo reviews the 1996 sci-fi movie  on his TV show, a film about martians (that slightly resemble Morbo and his species) who invade and intend to take over Earth.

Goofs

 * Even though the previous issue featured Dick Cheney, the deceased Agnew is used in this issue. However, this could be the headless clone of Agnew, who was formally introduced in the show in "A Farewell to Arms".
 * The mutants are seen underground. This is an inversion of a common goof where, prior to "The Mutants Are Revolting", the mutants were seen above ground. It could be argued, however, that while the mutants are allowed on the surface, some do not intend or have yet to move above ground permanently.

Special Features

 * The Bongo Beat - review of the column's history.
 * Junk Mail
 * Seven Questions (more or less) with Ian Boothby.

Characters

 * Amy
 * Bender
 * Fry
 * Hattie McDoogal
 * Headless body of Agnew
 * Hydroponic farmer
 * Leela
 * Linda
 * Mayor Poopenmeyer
 * Morbo
 * Nixon
 * Professor Farnsworth
 * Professor Wernstrom
 * Sal
 * Debut: Sarah Palin's head
 * Smitty
 * Tinny Tim
 * URL
 * Vyolet
 * Zoidberg

Comic Credits

 * Script
 * Ian Boothby
 * Pencils
 * John Delaney
 * Inks
 * Dan Davis
 * Colors
 * Robert Stanley
 * Letters
 * Karen Bates