"Graphic" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of Numb3rs.
Someone has stolen, recreated and sold several copies of an extremely rare comic book. Christopher Lloyd plays the original creator of the comic book, who no longer benefits from his past creations. Having thought that his comics wouldn't be worth much in the future, he either lost or sold his entire collection and regrets it now that he and his wife are forced to live on very little. His young friend and protégé, played by Ben Feldman, publicly humiliates the rich man who owned the original before it was stolen.
Trivia[]
The title references the rise of the 'graphic novel' as a literary form in its own right, acknowledged even by certain (though not all) academics, with Watchmen making Time magazine's list of the 100 greatest novels of the 20th century. In this rendition, there is the added element of graphs as a tool of mathematics.
Lloyd's character could draw from any one of a number of 'wronged authors' in the comic book field.
Guest star Christopher Lloyd and regular cast member Judd Hirsch costarred together on the very popular sitcom Taxi (1978). Their conversation towards the end of this episode makes reference to Lloyd's character from "Taxi," Reverend Jim "Iggy" Ignatowski, who was an aging hippie.
The character name of "Ross Moore" is a combination of the names of comic artist Alex Ross and comic writer Alan Moore.
Fittingly (for the comic book theme of the episode), two of this episode's guest stars are best-known for their participation in very popular science fiction franchises: Wil Wheaton (Miles Sklar) played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), and Christopher Lloyd (Ross Moore) played Emmett "Doc" Brown in all three Back to the Future (1985) movies.
In one of the scenes on the convention floor, Dr. Larry Fleinhardt is shown having purchased several pieces of comic memorabilia, most notably a "Fone Bone" plush doll from the independent comic series "Bone" by Jeff Smith.
Goofs[]
After Gordon Garrity knocks Don to the ground, Don clutches the back of his own head with his left hand. In both the wide shot and the extreme close-up, he's wearing his usual wristwatch. In the Garrity POV shot that comes between these two shots, the watch is suddenly missing.
Crazy Credits[]
26 pages 183 panels of graphic art 1 rare ashcan edition 14 fakes