The Muppet Show Comic Book: Meet the Muppets

The Muppet Show Comic Book is a title published by BOOM! Studios based on the television series The Muppet Show. The series is written and illustrated by Roger Langridge. The comic premiered with a four-issue miniseries in March 2009, and is continuing with more miniseries and specials. The series is currently in its second volume, The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson.

Each issue takes the form of a printed Muppet Show episode, complete with backstage chaos, recurring and original sketches, and "musical numbers" (which given the medium's silent nature, are depicted on the page as poems). And each four-issue mini-series will have a different narrative or thematic focus, the first of which dedicates one issue to each of the main characters -- issue #1 is "Kermit's Story," which is followed by "Fozzie's Story," "Gonzo's Story," and "Miss Piggy's Story." Each of these issues stands alone and explores the titular character's most elemental trait -- Kermit's nostalgia for the swamp, Fozzie's trials and tribulations as a comedian, Gonzo's nature, and MIss Piggy's love (and jealousy) of her frog.

While the focus of the comic book is on characters who starred in The Muppet Show, Langridge fills the pages with familiar bit players from the original series and brand new faces, whether they be Whatnots, pigs, or monsters. In Langridge's continuity, the Muppets have been performing together for over 30 years, so characters who debuted after the show went off the air in 1981, such as Pepe the King Prawn, have been included, albeit silently. Similarly, Langridge's sketches include the familiar ("Veterinarian's Hospital," "Muppet Labs"), the forgotten ("Talking Houses"), and the original. While the mix is different in each issue, a new episode of "Pigs in Space" has featured in every installment of the first mini-series.

"Kermit's Story" was published on March 25, 2009 and sold out on its first day of release. BOOM! has announced it will go back to press with a second printing. In September 2009, the first four issues will be collected into a book, Meet the Muppets, to be released in both paperback and hardcover. Included here will be all of Roger Langridge's unpublished Muppet comics made for Disney Adventures.

Langridge says of the series' second installment: "As far as my work schedule is concerned, The Muppet Show Comic is an ongoing monthly series, but BOOM! Studios want to re-start the numbering every four issues for marketing reasons. So the next four-issue story arc is called "The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson", in which rumours of a hidden treasure inside the theater lead to, one hopes, hilarious complications -- all this as a background subplot to the usual songs, sketches and so forth. Nothing radically different to the initial four issues, except the subplot element is a bit stronger. And that will lead us into the next four-issue arc, which is a logical progression from this one, I hope."

In addition to the Muppet Show comics, BOOM! Studios is also publishing Muppet adaptations of classic stories, beginning with Muppet Robin Hood.

Issue #1: Kermit's Story


When Kermit receives a mysterious letter and starts strumming an old tune on his banjo, Robin realizes that his uncle misses the swamp. With their beloved leader down in the dumps, the whole Muppet gang does its best to try to improve Kermit's spirit.

Gonzo tries flattery, "breaking thirty years of precedent"; Fozzie tries the "old hat routine," which usually has the three-year-olds in stitches; Piggy jumps out of a cake, dressed as a lily pad; and Scooter, hoping that being in front of an audience will snap Kermit out of his funk, schedules a Koozebane sketch that ends up being disastrously interrupted by would-be guest stars the Zimmer Twins.

But in the end, it's Robin's insistence that his uncle play through to the end of "The Pond Where I Was Born" on his banjo that finally helps Kermit realize that even though the theater is his home now, the pond "will always be a part of me. Wherever I should roam."

Other sketches featured in the issue include a "Muppet News Flash," a new musical number ("Bang, Boom, Splat and Pow"), a cooking segment with the Swedish Chef, and "Pigs in Space."


 * Release Date: March 25, 2009


 * Characters: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Robin the Frog, the Newsman, Statler and Waldorf, the Medium, Pops, Floyd Pepper, Four Little Hop-Toads, Rowlf the Dog, the Zimmer Twins, Male Koozebanian Creature, Female Koozebanian Creature, the Swedish Chef, Sam the Eagle, Beauregard, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Zoot
 * Background Characters: Dr. Teeth, Animal, Janice, Rizzo the Rat, Sweetums, Camilla, Uncle Deadly, Mildred Huxtetter, Nigel, J. P. Grosse, George the Janitor, Lew Zealand, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Crazy Harry, Green Frackle, Koozebanian Phoob, Happy Yellow Creature, Snowth (cover only), Whatnots, Muppet Monsters

Issue #2: Fozzie's Story
When the Cheese Manufacturers' Convention sours on Fozzie Bear's comedy act, he tries to reinvent himself by looking to the past for inspiration. Unfortunately, his Shakespearean homage ends in tragedy, his music hall routine lands him in "Veterinarian's Hospital" when Miss Piggy finds out that Kermit has canceled her "Suffragette, Crepe Suzette" number for it, and a slapstick performance conceived by Gonzo leaves him with nothing but pie on his face.

But when Rowlf suggests during a last-ditch Beatnik sketch that Fozzie just be himself, the bear actually succeeds, bringing even Statler and Waldorf to tears of laughter (and dashing the hopes of a Humorous Cheese cooked up by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew in a "Muppet Labs" sketch earlier in the show).

Other sketches featured in the issue include a musical number ("In My Merry Oldsmobile"), "The Ubiquitous Quilp," and "Pigs in Space."


 * Release Date: April 29, 2009


 * Characters: Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Scooter, Rowlf, Statler and Waldorf, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Janice, Johnnie Steele and Lucille, Humorous Cheese, the Ubiquitous Quilp, Alligator, Rats, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork


 * Background Characters: Thog, Pepe the King Prawn, Camilla, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Sam the Eagle, the Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, Floyd, Zoot, Animal, Green Frackle, Sweetums, Mildred Huxtetter, the Cheese Manufacturers' Convention, Pigs, Whatnots, Muppet Monsters

Issue #3: Gonzo's Story
Osbert J. Smedley, the theater's insurance agent, comes to the theater for some routine questioning. A busy Kermit has Scooter answer Smedley's questions. Mr. Smedley needs to know what species everybody in the theater is, but Scooter's not sure what Gonzo is.

Scooter asks Gonzo what he is, but Gonzo states that he's never really thought about it before. Scooter asks around, and nobody else is sure. Eventually, Rizzo comes to the conclusion that Gonzo is a "Gonzo". Scooter gives Smedley the answer, but then after realising who Gonzo is, he realizes that having Gonzo in the theater would raise the premium up to five thousand percent.

Gonzo assures a nervous Smedley that his act is risk-free, and offers to let Smedley test out his act, which would involve Smedley getting inside a cannon. A frightened Smedley then claims that there was an error and that the insurance company owes the theater thirty-two cents, and rushes off just before the big finale, which ends up sending Gonzo to the hospital.

At the hospital, Scooter begs Gonzo to tell him what he is. Gonzo's reply: "I'm an artist."

Sketches include "Chicken Lake" with Gonzo and the chickens, "Bear on Patrol", "Gumshoe McGurk, Private Eye" with Gonzo in the title role, "Pigs in Space", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Rat" with Gonzo, Rizzo, and the rats, and "Extravagonzo!," the finale with Gonzo being fired from a cannon.


 * Release Date: June 3, 2009


 * Characters: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Rizzo the Rat, Camilla the Chicken, Statler and Waldorf, Osbert J. Smedley, Sam the Eagle, Marsupial, The Masked Phantom and her nephew, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, The Swedish Chef, Animal, Floyd Pepper, Beaker, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Space Bug, Chickens, Rats


 * Background characters: Thog, Green Frackle, Blue Frackle, Sweetums, Robin the Frog, Crazy Harry, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Lew Zealand, Uncle Deadly, Police Chief Bruin, Mildred Huxtetter, Beautiful Day Monster (cover only), Clifford (cover only), Pigs, Muppet Monsters

Issue #4: Miss Piggy's Story
The guest star is Madame Rhonda, a psychic. She gives fortunes to various Muppets, and Miss Piggy misinteprets her prediction that she'll lose something valuable as meaning she'll lose Kermit.

Sketches include a message from Sam the Eagle, "Veterinarian's Hospital," The Talking Houses, Muppet Labs, and "Pigs in Space."


 * Release Date: July 1, 2009


 * Characters: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Rowlf the Dog, Statler, Waldorf, Sam the Eagle, Madame Rhonda, Janice, Floyd Pepper, Rizzo the Rat, Animal, Link Hogthrob, Annie Sue, Lew Zealand, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Sweetums, Talking Houses, Beauregard, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Officer Hogg, Pigs


 * Background characters: Crazy Harry, Hugga Wugga, Happy Yellow Creature, Mahna Mahna, The Snowths, a sasquatch, George the Janitor, Andy and Randy Pig, Gladys, Mildred Huxtetter, Mean Mama, Camilla, Whatnots, Muppet Monsters, Elephant, Uncle Deadly (wanted poster only), Zoot (cover only)

Comic-Con Preview Book
To promote the title, a special preview comic featuring some unreleased material from the Muppet comics Langridge produced for Disney Adventures magazine was released at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con. The preview included "Muppet Labs," "Pigs in Space," and "At the Dance" sketches in addition to a Muppet Show-themed plot about Sweetums' desire to perform for his mommy.


 * Release Date: July 2008


 * Characters: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Statler and Waldorf, Sweetums, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, The Rodent Doo-Wop All-Stars, a Baby, Sweetums' Mommy, Mildred Huxtetter, Zoot, Janice, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Whatnots, Pigs, Muppet Monsters, Bird Dancers, Bert


 * Background Characters: Rowlf the Dog, Rats, Chickens

Trade Paperback
On August 26, 2009, BOOM released a softcover trade paperback collection of the four issue run. The binder and interior label it as, The Muppet Show Comic Book: Meet the Muppets.

Each cover variant by Langridge is reproduced, but the variants by other artists are omitted. The back of the book reprints material created by Langridge for Disney Adventures. Thirteen of the fifteen original pages are included; a two-page Pigs in Space story from the Comic-Con preview is missing.

At 6"x9", the book is smaller than the individual issues (which are 65/8"x101/8"). The second page of the Pigs in Space story from issue #3 "Gonzo's Story" is printed in inferior quality to the rest of the pages in the book.

Additionally, the "At the Dance" page from the preview comic (called "The Muppet Ballroom" here) replaces Bert with Dr. Teeth.