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.

Each issue takes the form of a printed Muppet Show episode, complete with sketches, musical numbers and backstage chaos. The first four issues focus on the main characters -- issue #1 is "Kermit's Story", followed by "Fozzie's Story", "Gonzo's Story" and "Miss Piggy's Story". In September 2009, these four will be collected into a book entitled Meet the Muppets, to be released in both paperback and hard cover.

Langridge says that the comic will run beyond the initial four parts: "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."

Issue #1 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. Issue #2 was published on April 29th.

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
Release Date: March 29, 2009

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" 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".


 * 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, Snowth (cover only), Whatnots, Muppet Monsters

Issue #2: Fozzie's Story

 * When the Cheese Manufacturers' Convention sours on Fozzie'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 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 an 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 new 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 theaters 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 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. But Scooter reminds him that earlier they'd disucssed that he'd need some stingent safety procedures before doing anything hasty. Gonzo assuress a nervous Smedley that his act is risk-free, and offers to let Smedley test out his act, which would invovle Smedley getting inside a cannon. A scarred 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. While at the hospital, Scooter begs Gonzo to tell him what he is, and Gonzo says that he's 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: Pops, Osbert J. Smedley, Statler and Waldorf, Scooter, Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Link Hogthrob, The Masked Phantom, Rizzo the Rat, Sam the Eagle, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, The Swedish Chef, Miss Piggy, Animal, Floyd Pepper, Beaker, Dr. Julius Strangepork, chickens, rats.
 * Background characters: Thog, Gloat, Boppity, Sweetums, Robin the Frog, Crazy Harry, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Lew Zealand, Uncle Deadly, Police Chief Bruin, Space Bug, Marsupial, Beautiful Day Monster (cover only), Mildred Huxtetter (covers only), Clifford (cover only).

Issue #4: Miss Piggy's Story

 * Miss Piggy's diva ego takes the stage.
 * Release Date: July 1, 2009
 * Characters: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Sam the Eagle, Statler, Waldorf, Janice, Floyd Pepper, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork, The Houses, Sweetums, The Pigs, Rizzo the Rat, Annie Sue, Animal, Lew Zealand, Beaker, Bunson Honeydew, Beauregard, Andy and Randy Pig
 * Background characters: George the Janitor, Hugga Wugga creatures, Mahna Mahna, Snowths, Crazy Harry, Madame Rhonda, a sasquatch, Gladys, Mildred Huxtetter, Mean Mama

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. Strangepork, Whatnots, Pigs, Muppet Monsters, Bird Dancers, Bert
 * Background Characters: Rowlf the Dog, Rats, Chickens