Muppet Comic Mondays: "The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson" #1 Review

The Muppet Show Comic Book
“The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson” #1
Comic Book Review

Ryan Dosier – Following the extreme success of the first four issues of The Muppet Show Comic Book, extremely talented and funny writer and artist Roger Langridge returns to the Muppet stage on the comic page for the next series of The Muppet Show Comic Book, “The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson.”

Part One: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral was released in July 2009.

PLOT
The story hits the ground running as we join Scooter who is tidying up one of the Muppet Theater’s old storage areas. He soon accidentally comes across a treasure map in the storage area, much to Rizzo the Rat’s extreme pleasure. Pops then tries to deal with someone named Ninja Rogers who is trying to get into the theater (and succeeds).

Once Kermit enters he’s acting suspiciously and completely unlike himself. For starters, he’s wearing shades and a black leather coat and calling Scooter “sweaty orange guy” (which, while descriptive of him, is not his name). As if Kermit acting odd wasn’t enough, Animal is also acting distinctly unlike himself. The usually ravaging drummer is wearing a pressed suit, pressing proper grammar and only lightly pressing his drumsticks to his drums.

The rest of the Electric Mayhem is confused and perturbed by Animal’s newfound sense of refinery. Ninja Rogers attempts to audition for them with his very impressive tap-dancing moves, but is turned down in favor of trying to bring Animal out of his unfunky funk.

Meanwhile, Miss Piggy has grown extremely attracted to the weird Kermit. Unfortunately for her, weird Kermit avoids her advances just like normal Kermit does.

Once the Mayhem realizes that their attempts to sway Animal back to his old ways are no use, they turn to the one place you should always turn to (apparently), Muppet Labs. Dr. Honeydew tells Dr. Teeth and the gang that he does indeed know what’s wrong with Animal. He’s been developing higher brain levels thanks to a pill made by Bunsen and Beaker. The worst part of this inhumane treatment? It’s irreversible.

As Scooter attempts to tell “Kermit” about all of the rats in the theater (led by Rizzo) digging through the walls of the theater, “Kermit” simply shrugs it off and says that the rats are just helping them to find the treasure.

The issue closes with the Electric Mayhem falling back on Ninja Rogers for their finale and the whole band, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Scooter, and the rest of the Muppets signing a card for the ailing drummer.

Onstage sketches include “Muppet Sports Presents: Long-Distance Toast Hurling,” The Swedish Chef: “Presents Onion Soup His OWN Recipe!”, Wayne and Wanda: “When the Lusitania Went Down,” At the Dance, Fozzie Bear’s Monologue, and Pigs in Space.

TONE
The tone is perfect in this issue, as it is in all of Langridge’s books. He knows the Muppet sensibility and humor like the back of his hand by now. His tone is consistently perfect.

WRITING
Roger Langridge gets better and better with every issue. Each Muppet is written in their very specific, very well-refined “voice” and there’s not one that I have a problem with. Also… every line Zoot has is either one or two words. Absolutely brilliant.

I do have a slight problem with the story in this issue, however. It has nothing to do with how it’s structured by any means; I just feel that nothing really happens. I suppose that since this series has a continual plot (unlike the original series, where the plot “reset” in every issue), it’s understandable that once all four issues are released the story will read with great connectivity, but reading issue by issue can get rather annoying due to the lack of plot-happenings.

ART
Roger Langridge has truly mastered the Muppets. He draws all of them wonderfully by now. He stays on-model yet ventures wonderfully off-model on all of our favorite characters. The rats especially shine in this issue, as does Scooter and the Electric Mayhem.

He does draw someone who looks a lot like Mildred Huxtetter (purple face, glasses, curly hair), but her face is flat and round like a human. (Granted, a character actually referred to as “Huxtetter” appears in issue #3, so perhaps Langridge just created his own character that looks like her.)

CONCLUSION
As with the first four issues of The Muppet Show Comic Book by Roger Langridge, “The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson” does not disappoint at any… point.

Pick up your own copy of “The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson” #1 for yourself today and see what all the hubbub is about!

CAST
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Scooter, Statler, Waldorf, Sam Eagle, Beauregard, Robin the Frog, Floyd Pepper, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Animal, Pops, Ninja Rogers, Rizzo the Rat, Louis Kazagger, Gladys the Cafeteria Lady, Mitch Dumpling (Long-Distance Toast-Hurler), Scorchy Brownfinger (Long-Distance Toast-Hurler), The Swedish Chef, Wayne, Wanda, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Bear, Lew Zealand, a Walrus, Mildred Huxtetter, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Julius Strangepork, and rats, chickens, and things.