The Muppet Show: The Comic Book (2009), Volume 5

October 12, 2009
A TV musical variety puppet show that's been off the air for more than 25 years is an unlikely source for a comic book. Fortunately, Langridge is the perfect cartoonist for the job: his sense of humor draws so heavily on vaudeville, light verse and absurdist blackout sketches that it's as if the franchise were created specifically for him to play with. His timing is impeccable, and his visual style has exactly the right mix of dignified gravity and dizzy silliness. (As with the TV show, we almost always see the Muppets from the waist up only.) Each of the four episodes collected here has a little bit of a narrative through-line (an insurance investigator trying to find out exactly what kind of creature Gonzo is, for instance), but they're mostly an excuse for Langridge to fire off a fusillade of recurring routines (The Swedish Chef! “Pigs in Space”! Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker!) and single-page inventions, gracing nearly every panel with little bonus sight gags. Langridge's command of the Muppet characters is so deft and witty that this volume is as good as having more episodes of the show.

February 1, 2010
Langridge captures the zany energy of the beloved Muppet Show
, which aired on television from 1976 and 1981, in this collection. All the usual suspects play a role, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Scooter, Beaker, Fozzie Bear, the members of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and, providing curmudgeonly commentary, Statler and Waldorf. The volume is structured like one of the episodes of the show—there is a main plot and a few subplots, all of which are interrupted by “skits” such as “Pigs in Space,” “Long Distance Toast Hurling,” and musical numbers. The central story revolves around a hunt for treasure possibly hidden in the theater by Peg-Leg Wilson, a performer from an earlier era. Skulking around the edges are a Kermit imitator and some devious rats. Langridge's bright, lively illustrations capture the feel and humor of the show. The intended younger audience will find something to giggle about on most pages, but like all of the best Henson productions, there are gags and comments aimed at adults. Those jokes, combined with a hint of nostalgia, may give those who grew up with the Muppets the first time around the most pleasure from the volume. Ages 9–12