The Big Sweep

"The Big Sweep" is the tenth comic issue, which was released 27 November, 2002 in the US and 26 August, 2004 in the UK.

Act I
After a meteor shower hits New New York and the planet express crew are forced to stay in the building, there’s a meteor day the next day and Scruffy introduces a sport named Swurling, which involves pushing meteor rocks with brooms into a circle. While playing Fry, Bender, Leela and Scruffy meet the hall of fame Swurling coach Vic Lebruteski who asks them to be on his team after they prove to be naturals. When they sign the contract Leela gets suspicious and later gets even more suspicious when no other team turned up to play against them which makes the team winners. After researching Leela finds out that the last three of Lebruteski’s teams have either died or disappeared which convinces Leela not to go until Amy shows off in front of Leela, which changes her mind.

Act II
Leela finds out that the game is practically suicide and if they do win they will become Lebruteski’s slaves. The game starts and the team have to avoid a carnivorous goalie, flaming arrows and a giant bird. Leela succeeds in scoring but the rocks turn out to be eggs of the chicken lawyer’s sister, which makes them illegal, and the team are about to be executed until Leela suggests that the chicken lawyer sues the Olympics. The owner of the Olympics make a deal that if they don’t get sued the execution will stop. Lebruteski reminds the team that they are his slaves and the eggs are now his. The giant bird then takes him off thinking they are her eggs.

Trivia

 * This issue was released in the UK at the same time as the 2004 Olympics
 * Swurling is a spoof of the actual Curling game, played with brooms on ice
 * Fry's remark, "I'd like to see my face on something besides the back of a milk carton" is a nod to The PJ's putting him on a back of a milk carton

Characters
(In alphabetical order)
 * Amy
 * Bender
 * Fry
 * Hermes
 * Hyper-Chicken
 * Leela
 * Morbo
 * Prof. Farnsworth
 * Scruffy
 * Tinny Tim
 * Vic Lebruteski
 * Weather Entity Hal
 * Walt
 * Zoidberg

Comic Credits

 * Script
 * Eric Rogers
 * Pencils
 * John Delaney
 * Inks
 * Phyllis Novin
 * Letters
 * Karen Bates
 * Color
 * Joey Mason
 * Editor
 * Bill Morrison