This Wednesday, February 10, will see the release of The Muppet Show Comic Book #2, which is the second issue of Boom! Kids’ ongoing Muppet Show Comic Book series, and which is not to be confused with the two previous Muppet Show Comic Book #2’s.
As usual, this issue has multiple covers. There’s an ultra-limited edition Emerald City Comicon version, which is beautiful…
…but Cover B, by series writer/artist Roger Langridge, is the one that really demands you buy the issue.
This is part two of the “On the Road” storyline, in which the Muppets are taking their show from town to town. Fozzie’s still off on his own, so Kermit brings in a replacement comedian, Clint Wacky. Tonight’s show is in a small town called Little Statwald, where every resident belongs to one of two families. And you can probably guess who they all look like. It’s a funny idea, although it seems like a shame that Fozzie isn’t around to be surrounded by Statlers & Waldorfs.
Issue #2 is The Muppet Show Comic Book’s most story-heavy issue yet (Have I already said that about a previous issue? Well, this one tops it), as Scooter struggles with Clint’s impact on the show. There are plenty of onstage acts, too, and all of them are affected by the low-budget, low-tech nature of the traveling show. This includes musical numbers, Pigs in Space, and a fun variation on a fairly obscure Muppet Show sketch.
Like #1, the book also features a nice little backup story starring Fozzie. It’s called “Garbage,” and it’s one of those things where Roger Langridge really takes advantage of the comic book medium to tell the story. Oh, and for those of you keeping track of the Brit-centric references, this issue features a couple of references to Christmas crackers. Oh, and also there’s this, which may be the weirdest single panel in the series so far:
And that’s it until next month’s #3, which will include “On the Road.” I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m curious to see how Fozzie ends up reuniting with his pals… or will we have to wait until a later arc?
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by Ryan Roe – Ryan@toughpigs.com
