Muppet Comic Mondays: Sesame Street #1

 Sesame Street Comic Book #1

James Gannon - In the fall of 2011, Ape Entertainment announced it had acquired the license for a Sesame Street comic book series. After BOOM!'s spectacular job with The Muppet Show and Muppet Classics, and Archaia's wonderful Fraggle Rock comics, it's great that the last of the major Muppet franchises finally has a series of its very own. Told in an anthology format with different writers and artists, this issue features seven... seven stories! AH AH AHHHHH!

Every issue will feature a different overall theme. This issue features different stories about imagination. As this is a comic geared for the younger crowd, Elmo introduces the issue with "How to Read a Comic Book" (Jason M. Burns/Scott Ball), with the issue's only appearances of Big Bird and Murray. This will be a recurring feature in every issue. The comic's main story, "The Anatomy of a Hero" (Jason M. Burns/Amy Mebberson) stars Elmo as he takes Super Hero lessons from Super Grover. Beautifully rendered by the fan favorite artist, Elmo learns an important lesson about what a hero is.

The one page short, "Little Castle Built by Prairie" (Jay Fosgitt) features Snuffy pretending to be a dragon, trying to knock down Prairie Dawn's castle. Prairie is also features in the next story, "Smog Day Afternoon" (Paul Morrissey/Scott Underwood), where Oscar fantasizes about the delightful possibilities of a weird stench that's wafting in. A miscolored Moishe Oofnik and Bodoque appear in Oscar's daydream, as does Irvine with his grouch family. In a different take on "If Moon Were Cookie," we see "A Dip in the Galaxy" (Patrick Storck/James Silvani). This time, Cookie isn't all that guilty to actually eat the cookie moon, and is quite happy it's not made of cheese. The key is, he doesn't finish it off, because it's a "sometimes food." Yeah, they reference that.

Rounding out the issue are "The Count Counts" (Jay Fosgitt) and "Imagination Runs Wild" (Jason M Burns, featuring stills of "Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures"). In the former, Count von Count daydreams of counting car parts, and buys a car at Nelson motors from a certain car salesman (a nice tribute). In the latter, Bert doesn't appreciate Ernie's overactive imagination, through re-purposed stills of the Sesame Street television segment. I personally prefer original artwork, though.

This issue is a great start to the series so far. Mercifully, the writing isn't in the form of Easy Reading, despite the obvious preschool audience. True to show and character writing is once again hand in hand with top quality artwork. It fits perfectly into the Muppet comics collection. Especially since Muppet artist mainstays Amy Mebberson and James Silvani contributed to this issue. Amy even provides artwork for the chase covers that expand to show the whole street and every single popular character currently on the show.

This comic also sees something that is rare in Sesame Street print media, background humans (including Alan and Maria). You usually see Sesame Street books with Anything Muppets in human roles. This adds a layer of realism, connecting it better to the show. Maybe in subsequent issues, some of our favorite non-Muppet cast members will contribute to the plot. While I'm on that subject, the one thing I'd like to see in future issues is a better presence of fan favorite characters that are no longer on the show, if only as background characters.  Prairie Dawn was in two consecutive comics. That's more than her presence on the show in recent years.

One last thing, if you didn't get the Free Comic Book Day reprint, it just features a reprint of the first story.  But I recommend tracking it down anyway. Not only is it a fun collectible, but it comes with an exclusive pin up of Super Elmo and Zoe.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

News Update: September 14, 2012

NEWS UPDATE: September 14, 2012

The Comic Buyer's Guide, the longest running magazine about comics, has an awesome cover story this week entitled: "More Than Muppets: Jim Henson's Comic Collection" written by our friend Whitney Grace. Just as it sounds, the article features a very impressive overview of all the comic incarnations of Jim Henson's creations--including the rare, vintage Pierre the Rat comic strip drawn by Jim himself! The article covers everything from Marvel's The Muppets Take Manhattan comic to the early 2000's Dark Crystal/Labyrinth graphic novels to BOOM!'s Muppet series and beyond! It really is a fantastic read and you should pick it up wherever comics are sold!

Friend of the blog Josh Armstrong recently let us know that his website Know the Artist interviewed another friend of the blog, I Am Big Bird filmmaker Dave LaMattina! You know we're suckers for anything involving I Am Big Bird and behind the scenes info, so this interview was a real treat. I highly suggest checking it out! It'll shed some more light on this hugely exciting upcoming documentary.

The winners of The Jim Henson Company and Talenthouse's Fraggle Rock design contest have finally been revealed! The winning design, by Inbal Hoffman, is below, but you can check out all of the finalists on Talenthouse's page, as well as purchase merchandise, including mugs, water bottles, laptop covers, t-shirts, and hats, featuring the finalists' designs on CafePress. Congratulations to the winner and all the finalists!

My favorite thing this week is two fantastic video starring the voices of Elmo and Cookie Monster on an Australian radio talk show. Why is this so awesome? Because they are doing their own hilarious takes on classic scenes from classic movies: A Few Good Men and Star Wars. You haven't lived until you've heard Cookie Vader. Enjoy.











The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

The Return/Beginnings of Muppet/Sesame Comic Books

James Gannon - It's been a couple weeks of inexplicable Muppet Comics news. That's a phrase I haven't been able to say in a while.

Last year, BOOM! Studios' Muppet license (soon followed by the rest of the Disney licenses) expired, just before the final arc was ready for publication. Roger Langridge, the writer/artist for The Muppet Show Comic Book, was too busy with more important matters to get the comic done on time, but finished it before the license ended. Months later, kid friendly magazine reprints of the first few arcs of the comic were published by Marvel Comics to tie into the movie. These reprints were a great boon to those who weren't lucky enough to follow the line from the beginning, but many of those who caught every single issue were left wondering if we were ever going to get the last of the Langridge Muppet comics. After all, he planned to finish his tenure with the "Four Seasons" arc anyway.

Good news, everyone! Marvel is finally publishing the Four Seasons arc this July as a four-part miniseries, the way they were originally intended starting in July. That's all I ever hoped for, myself. I'm sure other fans of these wonderful comics agree. If this leads to new Muppet comics, that's great. If it doesn't, I'm fine with that too. What's important is closure. Better late than never, especially since many comic book storylines, even finished ones, go into limbo when licenses expire, titles get canceled, or the direction of the title changes. Meanwhile, Roger Langridge has moved on to new projects. If you love comics and you're not reading Snarked yet, do so.

But more inexplicable than the return of the Muppet series is the announcement by Ape Comics that they will be publishing a line of Sesame Street comics. Unsurprisingly, we're getting some of the same great Muppet comics talent in Amy Mebberson (her artwork graces the preview cover) and James Silviani. This will be the first actual Sesame Street comic book series. It's too early to say what we can expect out of this comic series, but keep in mind that Sesame Street's target demographic is just learning how to read. This means that it will either be an easy reader with less complicated language for the young ones, or it could be written with adults in mind to share with their kids.

Either way, with such fan involvement, you can almost assume there will be some great nuggets for the older readers and fans. It's too soon to say if we'll see some classic, fan-favorite characters, but there's no doubt we'll get some cameos at the very least. Remember, you don't have to recast characters when you're just drawing them. It's great that the last of the Muppet Big Three finally gets a shot at comics. I've been calling for a Sesame Street comic since the Fraggle Rock comics were announced. I just didn't think it was too likely.

All I can safely say is, it's going to be an exciting few months for Muppet Comic Book fans.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

News Update: April 12, 2012

NEWS UPDATE: April 12, 2012
Exciting news came from the likes of Ape Entertainment late last week when they announced that their line of comic books starring the Sesame Street characters would soon be coming to stores. USA Today broke the exciting story of how, for the first time, fans will be able to bring Sesame Street home in comic book form. There are some great quotes from Ape CEO David Hedgecock, but the really exciting thing here is the first-look artwork. Mostly the fact that the art is by the incredibly talented friend of the blog Amy Mebberson (Muppet Peter Pan, Muppet Sherlock Holmes) drew the art for the cover! We have since learned that even more BOOM! Studios alumni are working on the Sesame comics, including artist James Silvani (Muppet King Arthur, Darkwing Duck) and producer Aaron Sparrow. We at The Muppet Mindset are absolutely thrilled to see what exciting things will come from this! Check out the art below:

One of the highlights of awards season every year is The Webby Awards, which honors the best of the best of entertainment on the internet in the past year. Why are the Webbys a highlight every year? Because for the past four or five years, the Muppets have been winners or nominees each year. From "Ode to Joy" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," the Muppets have become Webby legends. Well, this year is no different! The Muppets received a nomination for their "Muppet Show Theme Song" music video with OK Go in the "Online Film and Video: Viral" category. The Muppets: Never-Ending Mahna Mahna Phenomena is also nominated for the "Movie and Film" category. SesameStreet.org is nominated for four Webbys including "Websites: Youth," "Websites: Charitable Organizations/Non-Profit," "Websites: Family/Parenting" and "Websites: Best Home/Welcome Page" Make sure you cast your votes every day and let's bring the Muppets yet another Webby win!

Speaking of awesome things on the internet... four incredibly dedicated Muppet/Sesame Street fans recently created a real-people version of the classic "Fat Cat Scat" song from Sesame Street starring Bip Bipadotta and three Anything Muppets. You have to watch it... right now. It'll blow you away.



Remember last year when all the hubbub was going on surrounding various Muppet t-shirt design contests at WeLoveFine and, most notably, Threadless.com? Well, Sesame Street has taken a major cue from The Muppets Studio because there is currently a Sesame Street T-shirt Design Challenge going on at Threadless!! From April 12 - May 3, 2012, artists can submit their own t-shirt designs inspired by Sesame Street! The entries will be voted on and a winner will be chosen and produced. The winner also receives $2,000 cash, a $250 Threadless gift card, a copy of My Life as a Furry Red Monster signed by Kevin Clash, a copy of The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch) signed by Caroll Spinney, and a copy of Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street signed by Joan Ganz Cooney. Can you say WOW?! Well what are you waiting for artists? Get out there and design the best Sesame Street t-shirt you possibly can!







The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Reviews from the Muppet Back-Issue Bin: Muppet Babies Comics #16

James Gannon - A while back, I discovered a Star Comics Digest that had a great old Muppet Babies comic reprinted in between some pretty mediocre/decen comics. Since then, I vowed I'd dig up the old Muppet Babies comics I had and review them right here. I cleaned that closet out and I’m ready to start, so I’ll begin with my favorite issue, #16.

Star Comics Digest Muppet Babies Issue #16

"We Spy" (or "The Spy in Striped Socks!"):   Seems that the Muppet Babies have taken a shine to pretending that they’re secret agents. But when Nanny declines to join in their games to pick up a few things, they get suspicious that she really IS a secret agent.  Animal takes the term undercover literally, tosses a large blanket over Kermit, and sets off the famous Muppet Babies fantasy sequence. Kermit becomes agent Double O-F (OOF), and is sent on a mission to track down the stripy socks wearing Agent "N," who was last seen at a Secrets Convention. There, Kermit meets up with Mata Piggy (who is later revealed to be Agent OOP), who shows how the world leaders trade their secrets. Dr. Gonzo is outside with a faster than sight airplane that Kermit, frankly, can’t see. A familiar pair of stripy socks walks by, causing Kermit to think he’s following Agent "N," but in reality is the evil Agent "V" ("as in villain"), who wants the secrets of the world to be made public (insert Wikileaks joke). After a non-violent kid friendly struggle, Agent V is captured, the secret files are accidentally dropped by Kermit into the sea ("At least they’re still secret," he adds), and Agent V vows revenge on "N." Of course, it’s hard to find a secret agent only recognized by a certain pair of socks when everyone at the Convention is wearing them. Piggy romantically advances on a reluctant Kermit, as she’s known to do, and the fantasy ends. There are some clever references to spy media, including Kermit’s Maxwell Smart style shoe phone, but none of those obvious James Bond catchphrases (thank goodness). And some nice little background gags, courtesy of penciller Marie Severin (including a romantic candle lit dinner between Khomeini and Quadaffi... this WAS written in the 1980’s, after all).

The Big Mess-Take:   Nanny enters another splash panel to ask what the babies are doing (just like in the last comic!), this time to comment on the huge mess they’ve made during a pillow fight. After telling them to clean up the mess, Piggy ponders, "There’s got to be someplace where people appreciate a good mess." And to the surprise of no one, Gonzo knows. He leads the rest of the babies into the closet to the Center for Mess Enlightenment, a place where they’re encouraged to create the biggest mess possible. After making a huge disaster area out of a test kitchen and a test living room, they are given low scores. The head of the center, a nameless human dressed in stereotypical artist clothes, bemoans, "No one can make a good mess anymore!  It’s becoming a lost art." While he claims to see a raw talent in Animal, he praises Gonzo’s inspiration. Gonzo then proceeds to turn on a fan and create a perfect 10 worthy pigsty. Unfortunately, his friends get lost in the ruckus, causing him to frantically search, fall out a clothes basket, and break the fantasy. Piggy insists that they have to clean up this even bigger new mess they started, and Gonzo agrees. "We need to know where everything is so we can mess it up another day," he says.

Overall, this is very similar to the style of the cartoon series, with some small changes. The fantasy sequence often is the story, unlike the show using the fantasy sequences in context of the story. Plus, there isn’t any educational or social values content like most of the episodes have. The character personalities seem pretty genuine from the show, though Fozzie talks exclusively in puns. Laura Hitchcock manages to keep the comic as imaginative and clever as the show is, but also adapts it to work in comic form. Marie Severin’s artwork is perfectly Muppety, even making some of the characters look more puppet like than the animators ever did (Kermit’s expressions in the first comic are priceless). As I said last time, the art unfortunately suffer the technology of the time, and it would be great to see a well done digitally colored reprint to really get the art to shine.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Archaia to Republish Classic Fraggle Rock Comics

James Gannon - Word broke out last week that Archaia Comics, the studio behind various adaptions of Jim Henson properties, is going to reprint the old 1980’s Marvel comics Fraggle Rock series into graphic novels.

Among the stories being reprinted are “The Magic Time Machine,” “The Trouble With Being #1,” “The Monster That Could Be Anything” and “The Doozer Who Wanted to Be a Fraggle.” All those and more will be bound in a softcover book retailing for $9.95. Fraggle Rock Classics vol. 1 will be available on August 31, 2011. (via ToughPigs)

 

While I admit the 80’s Marvel Fraggle comics weren’t the greatest thing, I still find this a great boon to fankind! Here’s why:

1)      These have been long out of print, and finding them at comic stores is a roll of the dice. I was lucky enough to find one issue (reprint of #5, "The Mean Genie" episode adaptation) for a buck a few years back, but it’s safe to assume you’re probably NOT going to walk into your local comic shop and find them. And if you do, they’re probably not going to be in good condition or have the complete collection. 

2)      Speaking of bad condition, these comics will be digitally remastered, recolored, and nice and polished.  Anyone who has early 80’s comics can vouch for me, they tend to deteriorate. They had to use newsprint stock paper and very greasy ink that would bleed through the paper and make the artwork look muddy and murky. And that’s even before the paper yellowed and the ink rubbed off onto other pages. Marie Severin’s Fraggle Rock comic art is spectacular, and needs to shine. The cleanup will do it worlds of good. Face it, the digitally printed, glossy stock of today’s comics spoiled us. And for good reason.

3)      Above all, HEY! It’s Fraggle Rock! What Muppet collector wouldn’t want more Fraggle stuff to collect? And at a reasonable 10 bucks too!

This is what I’ve been calling for since the Great Muppet Comic explosion. Graphic novel reprints of long lost, hard to find material, all remastered to look all sparkling clean and beautiful. I wish that Marvel/Disney takes the hint and clean up and rerelease the Muppet Babies comics in due time. If nothing else, I could see Archaia reprinting the Dark Crystal and Labyrinth comic adaptions published by Marvel as well. I also hope this means that the Fraggles will be a staple of the Jim Henson Company/Archaia Publishing license that they’ll revisit in time with new stories and issues. Having the old comics is great, but having new comics is even better.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

News Update: May 7, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: May 7, 2010

• Big news from The Jim Henson Company this week as they released an official Press Release discussing the upcoming production of the highly-anticipated sequel to Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal entitled Power of the Dark Crystal. The press release doesn't mention too many important details aside from Omnilab Media being tapped to work with the Hensons to produce it and the fact that it will most likely be in 3D. It also mentions that Brian Froud is on board to do some of the designs for the film, so that's a very good sign.

• On The Muppets Studio side of the news, general manager of The Muppets Studio, Lylle Breier, was interviewed by the MTV Movies Blog. She discussed all things Muppety, including the Webby Awards nominations (and subsequent wins), "Bohemian Rhapsody," and more. The stuff she mentioned that we didn't already know include the next viral Muppet video, "American Woman," being released Memorial Day Weekend (May 28-31), and that the new Muppet movie is indeed Jason Segel's The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time, and not The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made. Breier stated that Cheapest had  been shelved for the time being... Whatever that means!

• Speaking of the (four) Webby Awards that the Muppets won this week, The 14th Annual Webby Awards Ceremony (hosted by The Office's B.J. Novak) will be held on June 14th. I've been informed that the Muppets will be on hand (pun sort of intended) in some fashion to accept their awards and make their five-word acceptance speech.

• Yesterday, as Lylle Breier predicted, the Muppets appeared in a brand new online video with LOST's Carlton Cruse and Damon Lindelof, writers of the show. Rizzo and Bobo appear in LOST Slapdown, an online exclusive web series. In the video, the two Muppets lead a tour of fans through the LOST studio. Yes, it is as hilarious as it sounds. (Muppet fans outside the US watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYc0oLXy9Vg.) The video is labeled "The Muppets 1" so that can only mean more are on the way! We know for sure that Kermit and the Swedish Chef have recorded something as well, so be on the lookout for that!

• In comic book news, an exclusive scoop by MTV News (which we then stole) states that Muppet Sherlock Holmes will be the next Muppet Classics comic book adaptation after Muppet Snow White finishes this summer. The series will be written by Patrick Storck (Muppet King Arthur) and illustrated by friend of the blog Amy Mebberson (Muppet Peter Pan, The Muppet Show Comic Book - Family Reunion). Gonzo will play the famed sleuth and Fozzie will be his right hand man, Dr. Watson. I'll be sure to keep you updated as more information about this exciting new series becomes available!

• And, finally, it's our turn for an exclusive scoop. In the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine (#1102 - May 14, 2010) there is a brief article about the newly announced Muppet movie. The page features a fantastic picture of Kermit as well. The following are some excerpts from the article that mention some exciting news that you may or may not be aware of as of yet!

New Disney Boss Digs Muppets and Wizards
"As Rich Ross shakes things up at Disney after taking over as studio president last fall, he’s turning to some Hollywood stars who haven’t been on the big screen in more than a decade: Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear. An untitled Muppet movie is likely to become one of Ross’ first greenlit projects (after Pirates of the Caribbean 4, of course), and it says a lot about where the studio is headed.

When Ross grabbed the reins last October, he killed a lot of movies in the development pipeline, including a sequel to 2007’s John Travolta-Tim Allen-Martin Lawrence comedy “Wild Hogs” and a big-budget remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea that McG was slated to direct. Instead, he fast-tracked a Muppet movie written by Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel, whose 2008 hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall made puppets cool again. The duo’s plot is being kept under wraps, but sources say Segel (How I Met Your Mother) will star as the best friend of a new Muppet named Walter who will join a quest to save the famed Muppet studio. James Bobin (Flight of the Conchords) is on board to direct, and Amy Adams has been mentioned as a possible costar. Mandeville Films (The Proposal) is among the producers. Next up is a table read with the Muppets and their puppeteers, and since merchandising opportunities are apparently limitless with such an adored property, sources predict production could begin as early as this fall. ~ Nicole Sperling"

Amy Adams? Filming this fall? Merchandise? Excitement, thy name is Muppets!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

News Update: March 19, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: March 19, 2010

Big news this week from our good friends at TVShowsOnDVD.com who announced this week that the Jim Henson classic comedy special, Dog City will be released on DVD on June 8, 2010. An early look at the DVD cover art (pictured at right) shows that Rowlf, a prominent player in the spcecial, will be in the special. This is a great sign for Disney/Henson relations for future releases. I'll keep you posted on any future updates about the DVD and its release.
 
Remember when the Muppets appeared on Christmas at Rockefeller Center on NBC this past December? As you'll recall, most of the country only got to see Kermit and the gang singing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and missed out on seeing The Electric Mayhem's first television performance in years. Well, some kind soul has uploaded the video of Dr. Teeth and the band performing "Run, Run Rudolph." Be sure to check it out. It's fantastic to see the triumphant return of everyone's favorite band!

In other news, "Muppet King Arthur" #3 and "The Muppet Show Comic Book: On the Road" #3 have been released these past two weeks and are showing very positive reviews. Be sure to check your local comic book store for these great continuations of these Muppet stories.

Various Hollywood insiders are reporting that Jason Segel will officially play the human lead in the new Muppet movie. Which... is something that most Muppet fans have assumed since the script was announced (probably because Segel said he was going to play the human lead). Still no word on the official plot or title of the film (they're still fighting with marquee companies on how to fit "The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time" or "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made" onto their signs.












The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Interview with Muppet King Arthur #1 Artist Dave Alvarez

Lisa Alexander - Today on The Muppet Mindset we interview artist Dave Alvarez. Dave has been involved with BOOM! Studios and the Muppet comics since the very first issue of "The Muppet Show Comic Book" when he drew a variant cover for "Kermit's Story." Most recently, Dave drew the interior artwork for Muppet King Arthur #1.

Dave Alvarez Interview

LISA:   First of all, Dave, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with the Mindset. We really appreciate it. Do you prefer to be called Dave or David?

DAVE:   I got used to Dave. It’s different. I grew up listening to the name “David” attached to a “clean up your room!” way too many times.

LISA:   You did a beautiful variant cover for the first issue of Muppet Robin Hood. How did that come about? Did someone approach you to do it, or did you wave Semaphore flags around until someone noticed you were interested?

DAVE:   Why, thank you, I’m glad that you like it! I was “waving flags” like you said way before that to see if I could fit with their “Muppet Show” series at first.

Eventually, BOOM’s editor saw my Muppet fan-made- comic strips and asked me if I could do a variant cover for “The Muppet Show” and then they asked one for Muppet Robin Hood. 

LISA:   What about your variant covers for Kermit’s and Gonzo’s stories? How did those come about?

DAVE:   They came about the same way. Disney liked what I did for Muppet Robin Hood so they asked for variants as well. These were very limited since they were used for some specific stores but at least I got a couple of copies.

LISA:   How much did you know about the content of those issues when you did the covers? Obviously you knew Kermit and Sweetums were in Robin Hood… (Not that Kermit was much of a surprise…)

DAVE:   BOOM sends me all kinds of visual references and the script as well. I saw one cover sample of Kermit fighting with Sweetums on a bridge and it brought my attention. So I decided to go with that.

LISA:   Now you’re doing ALL of the art for Muppet King Arthur. How is it different, from your perspective, to do the entire series, as opposed to a few covers?

DAVE:   It’s way different. I’m only in charge of pencils and inks. Colors will be provided by another artist. It’s interesting because the story demanded the intervention of many “generic” Muppets, so I made my research and drew some obscure characters from way back. Let’s see how many of them can you recognize.

LISA:   Who picks the “camera angle,” so to speak, of any given frame in the comic? Do the writers choose, or do you decide what’s in the “shot”?

DAVE:   Although the writer gives you a guideline, like for example, “establishing shot of town” or “wide shot of castle”, sometimes, one as the artist needs to modify certain angles in order for them to fit the page.

LISA:   Building off of the last question a little, how much of a say do you have in which background characters appear, for example, in a group of spectators or passers-by?

DAVE:   I got a free hand in that. Sometimes the writer wanted certain obscure characters as well. Others I just chose by my own.

LISA:   Any chance we’ll see Angus McGonagle the gargling gargoyle?

DAVE:   Aaaah, maybe! Who knows?

LISA:   King Arthur requires a lot of period clothing, even for characters who don’t usually dress at all (i.e. Kermit, Fozzie…). Kermit’s, Fozzie’s, and Gonzo’s armor all look fantastic. Do you decide what the characters wear? Or do Benjamin and Storck say, for example, “Give Kermit a red cape, and put a chicken on Gonzo’s shield”?

DAVE:   Although I also got a free ticket on some of those many of them were beautifully rendered by Amy. Some sharp-eyed readers will notice the Disney reference that I chose for Kermit’s first clothes.

LISA:   Clothing aside, there’s a huge style difference between the cover art you’ve done and the comics you’ve posted on DeviantArt and Muppet Central, and even between King Arthur and your other covers. Was that your choice, or someone else’s? Do you prefer drawing one style more than another?

DAVE:   The cover arts were done entirely by me but the interiors will be colored by another artist so you might find a slight difference in style. In the covers I combine many composition elements and was given more time.

LISA:   Speaking of your own comics—which are hilarious , by the way—where do you find your inspiration for those? Would you ever consider writing a full story arc, if given the opportunity?

DAVE:   It’s easy once you know the characters. You just think of a situation and how the characters will react to them. I’ve been working on my daily comic strip Yenny since 2003, so it’s easy to think how Yenny or Zacha will react to certain situations.

With the Muppets is basically the same. I grew up with them so I sort of know what Kermit will say to a burned Gonzo.

LISA:   Do you look at anything as a reference when you draw the Muppets? Does what you look at vary for different styles?

DAVE:   I have a lot (if not all) of the Muppet movies, videos and books. The internet is very helpful when it comes to obscure characters. You can easily detect which Muppets have the Don Sahlin touch and which not.

LISA:   Which character, would you say, is the most difficult to draw? Which is the easiest?

DAVE:   Sweetums was the most…uhm… I won’t say difficult, but tricky. I doodled a lot first before choosing a final design. I will add myself to a list of people who say that Muppets were not meant to be drawn. That’s why I decided to go very cartoony. Just to feel as if I was making a parody of them.

LISA:   Drawing aside, who is your favorite Muppet?

DAVE:   Kermit the Frog. He always knows what to do and has the nerve to deal with millions of mentally impaired Muppets. LOL

LISA:   What’s your favorite Muppet production?

DAVE:   I would say The Muppet Movie because Jim Henson made magic when computers were not around. But somehow I love “Muppets take Manhattan” mainly because I was a small kid when it came out. I remember that my grandma used to keep all the newspaper movie reviews and pictures for me. There was even a headline that said “La Rana René por fin se Casa” which means “Kermit finally got married” and had a picture of him and Piggy in bride and groom clothes.

LISA:   You’ve done a lot of non-Muppet work, too. Tell us about some of that. What’s your favorite group of characters to draw?

DAVE:   I’ve been working in the Looney Tunes comics for 12 years now. I’ve also worked on other characters like Tomb Raider and some Paul Dini creations.  It’s difficult to say which characters are my favorite to draw. I like it when I can have a free creative input on them.

LISA:   You’re also a member of Muppet Central. What drew you into THAT insanity?

DAVE:   I don’t know. My psychiatrist says that is a good therapy. It keeps me from bungee jumping in Greek robes.

LISA:   Any suggestions for other fan artists who want to actually work for the Muppets?

DAVE:   Find your own style and show what you can do by just being yourself.

LISA:   Thanks again for taking the time to do this interview with us. Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

DAVE:   I think that’s all that we have for today so we’ll see you next time in The Muppet Show!! YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!

Thanks again to Dave Alvarez for this fantastic interview! Check out Dave's work in Muppet King Arthur #1, on shelves now!











The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Muppet Comic Mondays: The Day Without Comics

Well, unfortunately, there are no new comics to review this week since both The Muppet Show Comic Book: On the Road #2 and Muppet King Arthur don't come out until this Wednesday (February 10, 2010). Thankfully, there is some comic-related news worth reporting!

Our good friends at ToughPigs have an exclusive look at the first five pages of both King Arthur and On the Road #2. We finally get to see Dave Alvarez's take on the Muppets in King Arthur and it's hard not to absolutely love it. Be on the look-out for a cameo from a Henson creature one wouldn't normally expect to see!

Archaia Comics has also officially announced and debuted cover art for their Fraggle Rock comic book, in stores this April. Confirmed Fraggle Rock Comic Book contributors include Adrianne Ambrose, Heidi Arnhold, Jeffrey Brown, Ross Cambell, Katie Cook, Joanna Estep, Jake Forbes, Sam Humphries, Neil Kleid, Chris Lie, Jeremy Love, Grace Randolph, Jeff Stokley and Heather White.

It's great to see that friend of the blog Grace Randolph is getting involved with the Fraggle Rock comics, along with artist Katie Cook, whose work has been featured on ToughPigs in the past. 

Look out next week for our review of either On the Road #2 or Muppet King Arthur #1 (or both, we haven't really decided yet) (because I know you all care so much).

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Muppet Comic Mondays: Muppet Peter Pan #4

Muppet Peter Pan #4

Comic Book Review

Ryan Dosier - After a delay of about a month, it's finally here. The final installment of "Muppet Peter Pan" written by Grace Randolph and illustrated by Amy Mebberson. When we last left the Neverswamp, Piggytink had been reduced to a seemingly-lifeless lump by the wicked Mr. Smee (Rizzo). Will she survive? Will Peter and Piggytink work out their height differences? Does Captain Hook ever fall in love? ...Let's find out!

PLOT
As expected, part four picks up right where part three left off. Sam Eagle reminds us of the cliffhanger from last issue as the increasingly impatient narrator prods him to move along. So he does, and we reconvene with Peter (Kermit) who has just found Piggytink laying lifeless in the Lost Boy's clubhouse.

When Piggytink won't wake up, Peter thinks she just mad at him and storms off. It takes Nibbs (Pepe) to explain to the naive frog that it's love that drives Piggytink and keeps her around, and it will likewise take love to bring her back.

So, with a little love power, Peter is able to revive Piggytink--which pleases her to no end, as you can imagine. For the rest of the issue Piggy remains latched onto her beloved Peter now that he has finally made his true feelings known--and there were witnesses!

After Piggytink explains what Mr. Smee did, Captain Gonzo/Hook, Peter, the Lost Boys, Wendy, Michael, John, and the Hippen Groovy tribe team up to set things right. First, Wendy and Captain Gonzo will try the peaceful approach. Peter is convinced that won't work, so he has his own plan B that involves a lot more swordplay and a lot less peaceful harmonizing.

As Wendy and Gonzo approach the ship, and we get a hilarious joke involving the captain's log and a brief, but fantastic cameo by Lew Zealand, it's obvious that Wendy's plee for peace is not going to be abetted by Mister/Captain Smee. He soon calls to his aide every single rat on the ship to engage in mutiny against Gonzo.

So with plan A failed, Peter and the Lost Boys begin plan B against Smee's rat army. Nana (Camilla) falls from the sky, Fozzie makes a deliciously awful joke, Louis Kazagger reports for Muppet Sports, and the Hippen Groovy act as highly-colorful Pied-Pipers.

The story has an extremely satisfying end that I won't give away for those of you who haven't had the chance to read it yet. Sure, it's not a traditional way for the Peter Pan story to end, but it is an extremely Muppety way.

TONE

Usually Muppet fairy tale adaptations have a difficult time of balancing the Muppety tone while attempting to tell the story. Thankfully, that is definitely not the case with Muppet Peter Pan. Thanks to the combined work of Randolph and Mebberson, this story is totally Muppety.

WRITING

It's hard for me to decide if I like the writing better than the artwork here, because they are both awesome and they work together perfectly. Grace Randolph has such a wonderful understanding of the Muppets. She knows even minor characters like Janice, Bean Bunny, and Louis Kazagger perfectly and I sincerely hope she returns to write more Muppet comics.

ART

Likewise, if there is one artist I would love to see back with the Muppets it is definitely Amy Mebberson. Her Disney-like illustrations capture the likeness of almost every Muppet perfectly, with Pepe being the odd exception. Though Amy has stated many times that her preference is with the Jim Henson-era Muppets so this one little bump in an otherwise perfect road is easily over-looked.

I think her best work is with Gonzo, Janice, Scooter, Kermit, and, undoubtedly, Miss Piggy. Her Piggy is one of the most gorgeous and faithful interpretations of her that I've ever seen and would love to see Amy draw more. Even if it was just a Miss Piggy calendar drawn by Amy, I'd eat it up!

CONCLUSION

After the unfortunate tone of Muppet Robin Hood, it is extremely refreshing and heartening to see that not all Muppet fairy tale stories have to be less than spectacular. Muppet Peter Pan captures everything great about the Muppets. It is written in such a way that they retain their uniquely brilliant personalities and drawn in such a way that is faithful to the actual puppets and just plain gorgeous.

I highly recommend this series of comics! Pick up the single issues as soon as you can or wait for the trade paperback to come out--whatever you choose, just make sure you pick this up!

CAST
Kermit the Frog as Peter Pan, Miss Piggy as Piggytink, Gonzo the Great as Captain Hook, Janice as Wendy, Scooter as John, Bean Bunny as Michael, Sam Eagle as Mr. Darling/the Narrator, Rizzo the Rat as Mr. Smee, Sweetums as Mr. Starks, Fozzie Bear as Tootles, Rowlf the Dog as Slightly, Pepe the King Prawn as Nibs, Dr. Teeth as His High Grooviness Dr. Goldentooth, Floyd Pepper as Firecheeks Floyd, Zoot as Zoot Runningmouth, Animal as He-Who-Runs-With-Sharks/Animal, The Swedish Chef as himself, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker as gunmen, Lew Zealand as a pirate, Statler and Waldorf as themselves in the crow's nest, Camilla the Chicken as Nana, Louis Kazagger as Himself, Rats as themselves.

Thanks to ToughPigs for the pictures used in today's article!

Don't forget to come back to The Muppet Mindset tomorrow for Part 2 of our interview with Bill Barretta!













The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier