The Spectacular Spidey/Muppets Celebration

[muppetwriter]

Kermit: Hi-ho! Kermit the Frog here! And, boy, do we ever have a MARVELOUS celebration for all of you here on Muppet Central! What are we celebrating? (looks around a little) Uh...no, seriously. I'm asking. What are we celebrating?

(crew member steps in and whispers to Kermit.)

Kermit: Oh, right! We're celebrating one of the greatest crossovers since peanut butter and jelly, or peanut butter and chocolate...the Spidey/Muppets crossover! From now until May 4th, the release date of not just Spider-Man 3, but the third Spidey/Muppets crossover that it'll be based upon, we'll be providing you with some really neat materials, such as MARVELOUS Posters, the retelling of the second Spidey/Muppets tale with a new storyline and a hidden villain, and interviews with the characters from the third (and possibly last) Spidey/Muppets tale. And here to assist me in all of this is a woman who has been like a mentor to me, ever since I joined the field of journalism, Miss April O'Neil!

(Instead of April, Pepe the King Prawn steps in.)

Pepe: Hola, MC! I am Pepe, your fabulous king prawn-turned-interviewer, okay!

Kermit: Uh, there seems to be some kind of mistake, Pepe. You see, I'm supposed to be handling hosting and interviewing duties with April O'Neil. You know, from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The guys who actually know how easy it is to be green?

Pepe: Si! That is just de thing, Karmin. Because of de release of de new TMNT movie today, the gorgeous April O'Neil will be a little busy with its premiere. So, being de gracious king prawn that I am, I've taken the pleasure of helping jou host dis celebration--for a short period of time, of course. Because once I am done here, okay, I will go back and finish what will be de masterpiece of all masterpieces, okay!

Kermit: Mm-hmm. Lemme guess. Your Fantastic Four/Muppets crossover, "The Silver Crystal", right?

Pepe: Jou know it, froggy! We've got it all! De girls from W.I.T.C.H., the characters from that Avatar show, and Miss Jessica Alba, okay.

Kermit: What about all of the great Muppet stars from Muppets Tonight?

Pepe: Oh, jeah. Dem too, okay.

Kermit: Well, aside from all of that, we have a great celebration ahead of us. And if you stay tuned, we'll have our first interview with one of the stars of the third Spidey/Muppets crossover, Jenny from The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Pepe: Ohh, I loved her in that, okay.

Kermit: That and a lot more on "The Spidey/Muppets Celebration"!

 

[muppetwriter]

Pepe: Hola! Dis is Pepe again, reporting from de "set" of de upcoming third Tidey/Muffins crossover, okay. It might a little hard to see where I am at at dis time, but with some good description and imagination of jour part, we can make it happen, okay? Hehe!

(Sound of explosions in the background.)

Pepe: Eek! See what I mean? Even though jou did not hear da, it was very frightening, okay! It looks as if dey had just finished doing a great battle scene on a set that looks like some sort of construction site dat's across from a replica of de Muppet Theatre, okay.

Sean: Alright everybody! Break for lunch!

Pepe: Dat was de creator of "The MARVELOUS Muffins", the "muppetwriter", Sean What's-His-Face. But we are not here for him, okay. We are here to interview one of de lovely stars of "The Muffins Take Manhattan", Miss Jenny. And here she comes, okay.

(Jenny steps in, wearing a black robe over a tattered black costume and a platinum blonde wig; her face is a bit messy.)

Pepe: Mu dios mio!

Jenny: Hi, Pepe.

Pepe: What has happened to jou, okay?!

Jenny: Don't worry. I'm fine. This is how I'm supposed to look for the scene I just finished for the third story.

Pepe: Jou look as if jou had gone fifteen thousand rounds with a crocodile, okay.

Jenny:*grins* You could say something like that.

Pepe: Hehe! Gotta love teasers, okay! Speaking of which, what can jou tell us about jour role in de next story?

Jenny: Well, I don't want to give away too much, because I know there are a lot of readers out there who want to be fresh before reading. But I can tell you this much, something tragic happens to me in this tale that leads me onto a great journey.

Pepe: The Journey of Jenny. *laughs* Jou see what I did there? I made a reference to "De Dark Stone", which will be featured in de Muffins/Fantastic Four crossover.

Jenny: I believe the movie was called "The Dark Crystal", Pepe.

Pepe: Whatever. All dat matter is dat I am the star, okay.

Jenny:*shakes her head*

Pepe: Jou were in the second story? Is dat right?

Jenny: Yes. I was playing my original role from "The Muppets Take Manhattan" as the waitress and aspiring costume designer at Pete's Lunchonette. Remember? You had a role in it.

Pepe: Dat's right. I was in de story. I played one of de workers at de diner.

“Parker, I depend on you to be on time.” Pete said. “Even Rizzo depends on you to be on time, and he’s being coming here late long before I hired you.”

“I know, Pete.” Peter said. “I’m sorry.”

“I be sorry, too.” Pete uttered, as he and Peter walked into the diner, where a lot of satisfied customers were enjoying there meals and a lot of rats were cooking the meals, with help from a king prawn. “Yes, I be sorry on the day that I have to fire you, because you are so late.”

“It won’t happen again.” Peter assured.

“That’s exactly what you say last week.” Pete said, moving behind the counter where Pepe was, cleaning off a plate and butting into Pete and Peter’s conversation.

“Sí.” He uttered. “And jou promised the week before last week that jou would be here two hours before the time jou’re supposed to be here, h’okay.”

“When did he promise that?” Pete asked Pepe.

“Actually, it was more of a bet than a promise.” Pepe replied. “I bet him ten dollars that he wouldn’t be here before the time he was supposed to arrive. And, as jou can see…” Pepe put down the plate and held up a ten-dollar bill. “I won the bet, h’okay.”

“That wasn’t a fair bet.” Peter said. “You knew that I wouldn’t be here on time.”

“Ah! I’m offended, Peter Parker!” Pepe said, not sounding very sincere. “How was I to know that jou would be late? Jou could’ve surprised me, amigo. Jou could’ve actually been here on time.”

“But I wasn’t.” Peter said.

“Jou’ve got that right.” Pepe said, and he chuckled slyly as he walked back into the kitchen, leaving Peter feeling a little upset.

“If there’s anyone you should be firing, it’s that shrimp.” Peter told Pete.

“I am a king prawn!!” Pepe shouted, from the kitchen, and Pete shook his head in annoyance.

Pepe: Hehe! I sure did get de last word on him, didn't I?

Jenny: You sure did.

Pepe: But back on de third story, what is it like being involved in such a tale dat crosses Muffins over with superheroes from Marvel Comics?

Jenny: Well, it isn't as awkward as most people would believe. The Muppets actually did get a big break in the comic book world, when Marvel Comics released a comic book adaptation to "The Muppets Take Manhattan".

Pepe: Si. I have a copy of dat comic. De draw the Muffins so well, but when it comes to de humans, dey make jou all look so weird. Jou look like something out of a "Blondie" comic strip, okay. Hehe!

Jenny:*sarcastic* Gee, thanks.

Pepe: I hear in dis story dat dere are going to be deaths. Four of dem.

Jenny: Yes. Very tragic deaths. One of which is the reason why I go on doing what I do in this next story.

Pepe: Can jou tell readers which death dat is?

Jenny: Sorry. Gonna have to wait 'til May.

Pepe: But May is so far away. Surely jou can tell us today. Perhaps by the bay. What do jou say...okay?

Jenny: Why are you talking like that?

Pepe: My bad. I'm drugged by Dr. Seuss, okay.

Jenny: Right. *rolls her eyes*

Pepe: Well, if jou cannot tell us anything about de deaths, den can jou tell us about de next MARVELOUS Muffin hero dat we're expected to read about.

Jenny: I can tell you this much. He's someone we're all familiar with and would make the most MARVELOUS hero in the history of comic books.

(Pepe stares blankly at Jenny for a while.)

Pepe: Okay....dad didn't help us very much. (Jenny rolls her eyes again.) But it has been a marvelous pleasure talking with jou, okay.

Jenny: The pleasure was all mine, Pepe. *walks away*

Pepe: Dere jou have it, Muppet Central! One death out of de four dat will trigger de journey of one character. But for what cost? Why does Jenny go on dis journey? And why does she look so sexy with all dat black and de platinum wig, okay? Read de story on May 4th and find out, okay! But, in de meantime, stay tuned for more marvelous dings here on "The Spectacular Tidey/Muffins Celebration", okay!

 

[muppetwriter]

Kermit: Hi-ho again, everyone. Our celebration really seems to be getting off to a good start. And it's only going to get better, as we treat you will all sorts of great materials. Up next...a MARVELOUS Mini's tale that takes place years before the events of the first story and relates to the upcoming third story in a marvelous way. It focuses on both Flint Marko, the soon-to-be Spidey villain known as "The Sandman", and Nicky Holiday. It's a marvelous twist on the cinematic ending of The Great Muppet Caper. Enjoy!

Unhappy Holiday​

Flint Marko had always been a confused man, being lured into a life of crime from a terrible childhood; he and his mother were abandoned by his father and forced to live in poverty. Throughout high school, Marko turned to theft and cheating to get through class and to make ends meet at home. After accepting a bribe, he was expelled from school and soon found work as a mob enforcer, becoming involved in more and more illegal activity and slowly developing a violent and bitter personality.

But somewhere in the midst of his life of crime, he was able to have found love, and he became romantically involved with a woman named Emma, whom he married and had a daughter with. However, being left with a family to care for, Marko was forced to take more drastic measures to get through life. One of these measures included Marko forming a partnership with a man he met one evening while pulling off a jewel robbery that ended up being botched. Though the man seemed like the ne’er-do-well type to Marko, wearing fancy playboy clothes (including rainbow-colored socks) and having a hairstyle that was something out of the early eighties, he was able to bail him out of jail and hire him to assist a great jewel robbery that he had been planning.

In time, Marko learned the name of his new partner and boss: Nicholas “Nicky” Holiday. He was the brother of wealthy British fashion designer, Lady Holiday, who possessed a collection of fabulous jewelry. One half of the Holiday family fortune was wasted by the sponging Nicky, for whom she still possessed tinges of grudging affection and family feeling. But unbeknownst to her, Nicky was the one responsible for stealing a valuable diamond necklace from her, only a few days prior to the meeting between him and Marko.

“You stole your own sister’s jewels?” Marko asked Nicky, as the two walked out of the New York police station Marko was being held in. “Why? What’s the motive in that?”

“My sister owns practically more from our family fortune than I ever will.” Nicky replied. “And if you ask me, that’s not very fair.” As Nicky and Marko walked out of the station, they were greeted by three of Nicky’s associates, gorgeous British women who work for both of the Holiday siblings (one for modeling, the other for robbery). Their names were as unique and unforgettable as their appearances: Marla, Darla, and Carla.

“You’re a real piece of work, Holiday.” Marko commented. “You hang out with three lovely ladies at the same time you pilfer your own flesh and blood.”

“Aw, come on!” Nicky remarked. “You say that like it’s a bad thing, buddy.” When Nicky called him that, Marko didn’t feel too comfortable. He had only known Holiday for a few minutes, and the man had already acted as if he was his very best friend.

“Listen, when it comes to things like robbery or theft, I work alone.” Marko told Nicky. “I don’t need some Hugh Hefner wannabe and his three Playboy bunnies to help me get through the hours of my own life.” Marko was just on his way back to his wife, daughter, and home, until Marla (Holiday’s auburn-haired associate) appeared in front of him and handed a large business envelope to Marko. “What’s this supposed to be?”

“Leverage.” Nicky uttered, just as Marko opened the envelope and pulled out the Polaroid photos that were inside. Glancing at the photos, Marko noticed how they were all of his wife, Emma, and his daughter, Penny. Some of the photos even had Marko himself in them. He slowly began to realize what Nicky was doing, and it made him extremely angry.

“You son of a…!” Marko immediately snapped; he dropped the photos and turned to Nicky, grabbing him by the collar of his black trenchcoat and slamming him against a brick wall. Seeing how angry Marko was made Marla, Darla, and Carla a little worried; they wondered if Nicky had gone too far with his threat. Even Nicky seemed a little intimidated by Marko’s violent attitude towards him. “If you dare go near my family, I…”

“Nothing will happen to them.” Nicky said. “As long as you play nice and help me and my girls pull off one of the greatest heists of our careers.” Marko wanted so badly to smash Nicky’s face in for even bringing his family into the situation. He had a fist balled and ready to do so. But he kept himself from attempting to seriously injure Holiday, seeing how they were all still outside the police station, with several authorities roaming around. Once Marko had eased himself and let go of Nicky, both of them sighed a breath of relief, along with Carla, Darla, and Marla.

“What do you want me to do?” Marko asked, and Nicky made a wicked grin appear on his face.

“That necklace that we stole from my sister…we pinned the robbery of this pig.” Nicky said, and Marko gave him an odd look. “I know what you’re about to say. I’m just as nutty pinning crime on a pig as I am stealing from my own sister. But she was no ordinary pig. No, this pig was beautiful, alluring, sensually strong, and…” Before Nicky could go on, his three female associates cleared their throats as a gesture of reminding him of their plan. “Oh, right. Well…soon after we pinned the crime on the pig, we found out that my sister is displaying her even more valuable prized possession, the coveted Baseball Diamond, at the Mallory Gallery in Downtown Manhattan.”

“You’re failing to mention where I’m included in all of this, Holiday.” Marko indicated, making Nicky only more nervous with his impatience.

“I think it’s about time the girls and I raised the stakes on our business.” Nicky said. “For some time now, our little team has been consistent on beauty and brains. Well, I think it’d be really marvelous if we were to include some brawn into our operation.” Marla, Darla, and Carla looked to one another with interest; not even they were aware of what Nicky was concocting at that moment. “I really believe if you were to assist us on future heists, after this upcoming one, then our job would be a lot more easier than it has already been. No one would have to worry about messing with us, and maybe we can get the things we want without having to steal them.” Marko believed Nicky was too full of himself to make such an offer. He was a loner, and he planned to always be one.

“You really are something else.” He said. “You threaten the safety of my family for what? To become your lackey? Your bouncer?!”

“I was thinking more on the lines of partner…or bodyguard.” Nicky said, and Marko just shook his head, snickering and smiling. “Come on, Marko! I’m giving you the offer of a lifetime here. Think of what we can accomplish, once that diamond is in our possession.” Marko did think of it, and though the idea of working with such a lowlife made him cringe, the thought of being able to take care of his family made him hope for better things. Nicky could tell he was getting through to Marko, noticing the sympathetic look on his face. “Your wife and your daughter will always be happy. And you’ll never be just another thug on the street.”

“Hey! I ain’t just another thug!!” Marko snapped, the loud tone in his voice nearly scaring Nicky out of his rainbow-colored socks.

“T-Then prove it t-to me.” Nicky said, and Marko just stared at him for a long moment, while Marla, Darla, and Carla stared at him. They were cautious of the next move he made, and even the slightest one (such as Marko reaching up and rubbing his fingers through his short brown hair) made them jump a little. Marko paced back and forth between Nicky and his associates, thinking of all the pros and cons to the deal. Finally, he stopped pacing and pointing viciously at Nicky.

“If you even think about stabbing me in the back during the deal, I won’t hesitate to put you and your girlfriends in the nearest dumpster!” Marko stated, and his threat made Nicky and his female partners shiver as if a chilly wind was passing through them. They took it serious enough to not even once think about betraying him.

“D-Deal.” Nicky stammered, just before he reached out and offered Marko to shake his hand. But Marko didn’t shake it. Instead, he just stared at Holiday and then at Marla, Darla, and Carla, studying each of them as he started to walk away. While he was walking, Nicky made sure to remind him of their plan. “Don’t forget! Tomorrow night at the Mallory Gallery!” Nicky wasn’t certain if Marko had gotten the memo or not, because he just kept walking as he addressed him.

“What have we gotten ourselves into, Nicky?” Marla asked.

“Can we trust someone who we’ve only met for just a few minutes any more than he can trust us?” Carla asked.

“What if our plans fall through?” Darla asked. “He will be dreadfully furious if they did.”

“Don’t worry, girls. This plan is foolproof.” Nicky assured. “With the pig in prison and everyone thinking that the jewel thefts have come to an end, there’ll be nothing to stop us.” The models-turned-thieves just stared at one another again, obviously doubtful of their upcoming heist. Nicky noticed how doubtful they were, and he got a little offended. “Hey. If I mean nothing will happen, I mean that nothing will happen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

The next day wasn’t all that good for Flint Marko, because he still felt very tense over the job that he was going to help Holiday and his associates do that evening. His wife approached him several times to ask if everything was alright to which he replied that things were “just fine” and that he was “worried about a meeting for a new job” that he was “taking.” Buying into his lies, Emma left him alone with some good advice.

“Just think of how happy we are, whether we have money or not.” She said, and her advice only made him feel tenser. He kept asking himself if it was really their finance that he was worried about. And if it was, then he asked himself it there was a better way to keep it steady.

“Twenty years ain’t worth this.” Marko told himself, and he was about to pick up the phone and contact Nicky, but then he stopped, remembering that he had no way of reaching him. He didn’t think to get a phone number on the night of their first meeting. He felt real discouraged over the situation, wondering if there was any way of getting out of it.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Even if he was able to get out of the job, Marko wondered if Holiday could be capable of framing him of the whole thing. He might’ve seemed like a lowlife coward to Marko, but he was smart enough to dig up some personal information on him. Marko wanted to just let the phone keep ringing until Nicky assumed that no one was home and hang up. But after at least fifteen rings, Marko knew that he would never give up.

He picked up the receiver and spoke into it, “Hello?”

“Just checking to see if you’re still in this with us.” Nicky asked over the phone, and on the other end, he could hear Marko sigh over the phone. “Listen, if this is all too much for you to handle, then just tell me and I’ll let you quit.” Marko was grateful of that offer from Holiday, until…“But just remember the opportunity you could’ve had to give your wife and daughter the life that they…”

“ALRIGHT!!!” Marko yelled, realizing at the last moment how much of a mistake it was to let his emotions come out like that. He could hear his infant daughter crying in the next room and his wife coming to comfort her.

“Flint?” She asked from the room. “Is everything alright?” Marko closed his eyes, which were welding up with tears as he listened to the sound of his wife’s voice.

“I…I’m fine, Emma.” He replied, and he took a deep breath before speaking into the receiver again. “Just…Just meet me on Robinson Street when you’re ready.” He quickly hung up the phone and wept on the floor afterwards. His wife stood nearby, with his baby girl in her arms, looking on with a great deal of concern.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Nicky and his girls met Marko at the location he had given them. They picked him up in their slick, black Pontiac Firebird (one of Nicky’s favorite vehicles) and drove him to the Mallory Gallery in Downtown Manhattan. Once they arrived there, they entered the building in such a daringly slick way that they were completely undetected by the armed guards who stood outside and kept watch of things. Even Marko found himself impressed by some of the gadgets that they had used to get inside.

Everything seemed to be going splendidly to Marko. No one was aware of their presence in the closed and emptied Mallory Gallery, and there was no alarms or other security devices that could’ve picked them up. Marko was beginning to regret ever doubting Holiday and thought of his partnership with him and his associates as a marvelous sign. Finally, he was going to have the life that he dreamed of having and hoped of sharing with his wife and daughter for the longest time, all because of one baseball-shaped diamond that rested within the center of the gallery, which he and his new partners had entered.

“It’s beautiful.” Marko uttered, as the sparkling diamond glistened in his teary eyes. Nicky and his associates looked at Marko and then to each other, smiling proudly. Marla stepped up to the glass case that the diamond was being displayed under and began to cut open the top half of it with another one of their special gadgets. Once it was, Marla reached inside the case and grabbed the diamond, grinning at it while it was nesting in her gloved hands. “This has got to be the best night of my whole life.” And that was when a completely different and yet peculiar voice addressed the group.

“Excuse me. But I don’t think that belongs to you.” The voice said, and when the thieves turned their heads, they found themselves face-to-face with a large group of unusual characters, from a little green frog to a blue and furry character with a hooked nose, all of which were forming a large net of themselves in order to lower safely into the room.

“What the…?” Marko could barely believe his eyes, as he watched some of the characters fall and land onto Nicky and his girls. A couple of characters dressed in lab coats had landed on Marko, but he was able to throw them off of him afterwards. He stared in confusion as the unusual characters began to toy with his new partners, taking the diamond away and keeping it from them by playing a rousing game of baseball. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Marko saw how another one of the characters was chasing Marla, Darla, and Carla all around the room, while screaming “woman” over and over again.

Marko was seeing what was once a well thought out plan fall to pieces before his very eyes. His trust in Nicky Holiday had quickly deteriorated, and he knew that with all of the zaniness happening in the room, it would not be long before the police would arrive and see what was happening. Feeling very angry and defeated, he began to retreat from the room, only to be then confronted by two preteens. One was a beautiful green-eyed redheaded girl with braces and a cute ponytail, while the other was a freckled, brown-eyed, blonde-haired boy with a naked baby mole rat in his pocket.

“Going somewhere, mister?” The redheaded girl said, with a determined look on her face, and Marko was bewildered over the appearances of the odd strangers who seemed heroically anxious to keep Marko and his new partners from escaping the gallery.

“Who are you weirdoes?!” Marko exclaimed.

“Well, actually, there’s only one weirdo in our group.” The blonde boy uttered, pointing past Marko and directly to Gonzo, who was busy keeping the diamond away from Nicky and his associates. Between Marko’s anger over Holiday’s failed plan and his impatience with the characters that meddled into it, Marko had become a force not to be reckoned with.

“If you kids think you can stop me, you are badly mistaken.” Marko said. “Now, get out of my way!” He pushed past the preteens and made his way to the nearest exit. But the redheaded girl wasn’t going to let him off that easily. While he was running, she began to execute several cartwheels and somersaults, before landing in front of Marko and blocking his path again. “Don’t make me bust you up, little girl!”

“I seriously doubt if that’ll happen.” The redhead remarked, and Marko grinned at her, not wanting to hit a preteen girl. So, instead of actually hitting her, Marko pulled his punches and made it seem like it was hard to beat her. She quickly dodged left and right, as Marko attempted to knock her out of his path to the exit. “Come on! Is that the best you’ve got?” Her words only angered him even more, and soon he was no longer pulling his punches. One had even found its mark square at her chest, knocking her down to the floor.

“KIM!!!” The blonde boy screamed, and he found himself becoming very furious with Marko, who was surprised of himself for doing what he did to the redheaded preteen.

“I’m sorry, kid.” Marko told her. “But I can’t go to jail again. Not while I’m taking care of my…” Before he could finish what he was saying, Marko felt something hard smack against the back of his head, and then everything had gone dark before his very eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~​

When Marko had regained consciousness, he found himself outside the Mallory Gallery, surrounded by several police officers that were handcuffing Nicky Holiday and his girls, as well as himself. He looked around in a daze, seeing the two preteens and the unusual characters who had all foiled their plan together and was the only reason why they had gotten caught. But Marko blamed Nicky Holiday himself for the disaster more than any of them, and he didn’t hesitate to let him know that he did, as he spotted him speaking passionately to the same pig that he supposedly framed.

“For a moment, I actually believed you, Holiday! I believed you would help get my life together and look what happened! I’m going back to jail…or worse! You’ve taken everything that was important in my miserable life away from me!!!” Everyone, including Nicky himself, turned and looked at Marko, as he tried to break free from the ten police officers that were trying to hold him down and keep him from getting near Holiday. “I swear to God Almighty that I will kill you the next time we cross paths! You hear me, Holiday? I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!”

Nicky was stopped cold by Marko’s threats. He just stared at him for the longest time, as the police officers that were arresting him had placed him inside of their squad car. As the car door was closed on him, Marko stared at all of the faces…all of the people responsible for what he believed to be the most embarrassing and unforgettable night of his life. He glared from the two preteens to the unusual puppet-like characters and finally at Nicky Holiday himself, as he was driven away in the squad car. When he was far from the Mallory Gallery, his anger had eased by only a fraction. Thinking of his wife and daughter was the only thing that kept him from exploding while sitting between two police officers in the backseat of the squad car, while two were up front.

“You really know how to pick your friends, Marko.” said the police officer who was driving the squad car, in a very sarcastic tone. “Of all the people, you chose a guy who was stupid enough to get himself caught by a bunch of Muppets.” Marko heard the name of the group who caught him and his former partners in the act, and he got a little curious.

“Tell me, officer.” He said. “How do you kill something like that? How do you kill a Muppet?”

MARVELOUS Mini's​

Kermit: Stay tuned for more marvelous stuff, as "The Spidey/Muppets Celebration" continues.

 

[The Count]

Very powerful stuff... Loved the interview with Jenny, I kinda have a guess as to who she's supposed to be... And the story, oh! That was great and chilling at the end and ooooh... Looking forward to this very muchly.

 

[muppetwriter]

Thanks, Count. I was going for chilling at that ending. And I won't spoil anything for Jenny and her role in the upcoming story.

Now, let's go back to Kermit....

Kermit: Thanks, M.W. We have a lot more marvels to explore during this celebration, such as the black stuff that covers Spider-Man in the next story and turns him into a more villainous version of himself. In "The Spectacular", members of the C.O.V.N.E.T. organization have regrouped to hunt down and destroy the Symbiote (as they call it) before it or Spider-Man himself can do any further harm. And with me at this time to explain more about that part of the tale is the infamous K. Edgar Singer, who was originally the villain of our sixth Muppet film, Muppets From Space. How are you, Ed?

Ed: I'm actually doing fairly well, Kermit. I just got done reading the script to one of the final scenes of the story, and I'm not too happy right now.

Kermit: Oh...well...I'm sorry to hear....

Ed: You want to why I'm not happy, Kermit? Because in this next story, I'm....

Kermit: Ed! Ed! This isn't a spoiler thread! Please refrain any plot details that are crucial to this upcoming crossover.

Ed:*sighs* Oh, alright. What do you want me to talk about then?

Kermit: Well, I figured you could start out by telling us why you're back to being a bad guy again? I thought you reformed yourself at the end of Muppets From Space.

Ed: I thought you said you didn't want me to reveal plot details that are crucial to the story.

Kermit: Yeah, but that's just a small detail. I'm sure you can explain to us that one little plot.

Ed: Fine. *takes a deep breath* I come down to Earth from Gonzo's home plant, crash my ship, and get amnesia.

(Kermit stands and stares at Ed for a long time.)

Kermit: Uh...wow. OK. That plot was smaller than I imagined. *clears his throat* So, uh, can you tell us why exactly you were sent back to Earth by Gonzo's relatives in the first place?

Ed: I....*stops and thinks for a moment*....You know, I can't recall why they did.

Kermit: Uh, Ed? It's just a story. You don't really have amnesia, do you?

Ed: Well, I did hit my head pretty hard on the C.O.V.N.E.T set during that scene Bobo and I were doing. I suppose I must be suffering from short-term memory.

Kermit: Well, lemme help make it longer. Has your coming back down to Earth have anything to do with the Symbiote itself?

Ed:*snaps fingers* Ah, yes! It does! The Gonzonians sent me back down to warn Gonzo of the threat that the Symbiote poses to all of the humanity on this very planet.

Kermit:*nods his head* Interesting. So, Ed, you've seen the trailers to Spider-Man 3, right?

Ed: Yes, I have.

Kermit: And does the sight of Venom intimidate you? I mean, he's no Gonzo.

Ed:*laughs* Of course not. I've encountered creatures far more worse than Venom. Take the villain of Ryan the prawncracker's story, "Old Friends Who've Just Met", for example. He was just as vicious as Venom.

A voice echoed over the alien's large head. "Pardon the interruption my leader, but there's a video call for you," the voice said.

"Put it through," Onzgo said. He turned to the wall where an alien stood in a dark black cape and a bright red suit. His nose was long like a Gonzonian's, except thicker and gray. His sleek black skin showed off his glowing yellow eyes, that were much smaller than a Gonzonian's.

The alien stared down. "Onzgo, I have my ships and weapons ready, I can obliterate your entire fleet and the star ship the remainder of your species lives on, just like I did your planet," it said in a deep, booming voice.

Onzgo glared at the brute. "I have heard your threats before Exod, and your demands are being met. Why do you insist on torturing me and my people?"

Exod laughed a deep maniacal laugh. "Because it's so much fun for me of course! And as always, to deliver the friendly reminder that if my demands aren't met by the dedlin, I will strike and you will rue the day your people crossed me."

The wall turned off and Exod disappeared. Exod's many demands were outrageous, ten-million Szkexels (the Gonzonian form of currency), an entire fleet of high powered, dual-engine, hyper drive compatible ships and finally, to marry Onzgo's only daughter Flanzgo.

Kermit: Yeah, that Exod sure was a mean fellow. And it took every Muppet, every Gonzonian, and even you--as a good guy--to stop him.

Ed: Yes, Exod was a very admirable foe. And, uh, do me a favor, Kermit. Please don't show any parts of that story where I'm referred to as Z...Zon...Zononononon.....

Kermit: Zongo?

Ed: DON'T....CALL....ME....THATTTTT!!!!

Kermit:*shaking with fear* Uh, s-sure, Ed. N-No problem.

Ed:*takes another deep breath* My apologizes. It's just that....next to "Freak-Boy", "Wacko", and "Paranoid Delusional Psychopath", "Zongo" is the name that depises me the most. *begins snapping his neck* It just...makes me...feel alone...in this universe.

Kermit: Uh, yeah...right. *clears his throat again* Well, you're definitely not alone when it comes to the guy who becomes the creature known as Venom, Eddie Brock. His life is just as rough as yours.

Ed:*surprised* Really? He seemed like an okay guy when I met him on set.

Kermit: Well, you see, the guy who you met on set was Topher Grace, he plays Venom in the film and in our version of it. He's always an okay guy. You ever seen That 70s Show?

Ed: What 70s show?

Kermit: No, That 70s Show.

Ed: What 70s show?!

Kermit: No, look at the bold and italicized words in my line, Ed. The show that Topher Grace starred in is That 70s Show.

Ed:*getting frustrated* What 70s show are you talking about?!

Kermit: The one that aired on the FOX Network.

Ed: And what was it called?

Kermit: That 70s Show.

Ed:*angrily* Do you know the name of the freakin' show or not?!?!

Kermit: I'm telling you its name, Ed. That 70s Show.

Ed: ARRRGHHHH!!! This interview's over! *starts walking off* Bobo, save that last Bear Claw for me, will ya?

Kermit:*shakes his head* Sheesh. Well, I don't know how much we got from K. Edgar Singer, folks. But we'll make sure to get some more from the other stars of the third Spidey/Muppets story soon. Stay tuned...the celebration continues.

 

[muppetwriter]

MARVELOUS UPDATE!!!!​

For those who are big Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends fans like myself, you'll be happy to know that Nina Valarosa, the strict police officer and Eduardo's creator from "Good Wilt Hunting", will be in the story. She'll be helping our heroes in solving the case that involves Flint "The Sandman" Marko and Nicky Holiday.

We'll be exploring more on this in interviews with characters from the secondary franchises involved in the crossover.

 

[muppetwriter]

And now for a special segment, which is exclusive to this celebration. I'd like to call it...

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

It brings up actual information about the "MARVELOUS Muppets" series that I'd never brought up before. So...

DID YOU KNOW THAT....​

Originally, the series was going to cross over characters out of Marvel Comics with characters out of Disney. The first idea was going to have Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy be The Daily Bugle reporters (much like they were in the second Spidey/Muppets tale) and Max, Goofy's son (who will be featured in the next one as a reporter), would be the first one to discover Peter Parker's spider-like abilities.

Before "The MARVELOUS Muppets" came to be, several ideas followed. One of which had the girls from W.I.T.C.H. (who are now the stars of the F4/Muppets stories) be the main franchise that crosses over with the Marvel heroes. Another had characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, an idea that might come into play one day in the future.

So now you know.

 

[theprawncracker]

WOW muppet writer, I LOVE it! Great stuff!! I can't wait!! *bounces*

 

[muppetwriter]

Pepe: Hola, friends! Here comes another special treat for jou, okay! It's de very first "MARVELOUS Muffins" story, de first Spidey/Muppets crossover, "De Amazing, okay!" Actually, dere's not an "okay" in de title, I just added dat myself, okay. But anyways, de story will be retold again, included with interesting side-notes from de muffinwriter himself. Dey'll pop up in black bold, italicized words just like dis. Whoa! Dat's freaky, okay! So, here it is, "De Amazing!"

The MARVELOUS Muppets
Presents
"The Amazing!"​

(This was the first and only "Marvelous Muppets" story without bold-fonted letters in the title.)

My name is Sean Thomas, and if anyone told you that my life was anything but ordinary and that the things I’m about to tell you are just pure fiction…well, let’s just say someone may have been pulling your leg.

("Sean Thomas" is the pen name that I use for all of my fanfic stories. There is a reference to the Spider-Man 2 song by Train in that sentence.)

I’m 33 years old, and I guess you can say that I’m one of the handsomest black males in America; people are always telling me that I bear a striking resemblance to Malcolm-Jamal Warner…and they’re absolutely right! I’m one of those friendly types that are always laid back, have a great deal of respect for friends and family, and always get things done no matter what.

(Out of everything in Sean Thomas's description, only the age and reference to Malcolm-Jamal Warner are false.)

I work as a journalist for the Daily Bugle, a popular newspaper that almost everyone in New York City reads every single day, which means that my boss would be the paper’s publisher, J. Jonah Jameson (a flamboyant skinflint with a short black mustache who frequently and loudly castigates the employees and chomps on an ever-present cigar). Before I decided to go into journalism, I really wanted to go into a career in science to do remarkable things like come up with a new form of fusion or something. With an I.Q. of 260, you’d think I’d be pursuing such a career; but I’d rather stay out of the spotlight.

(The genius of Sean Thomas is actually the key factor of his character. It's not an exaggeration. He was once an assistant to Curt Connors.)

Being a journalist for the Daily Bugle has its ups and downs. The good side being the fact that my beautiful 35-year-old sister, Lori Thomas (who has been one of my greatest supporters over the years), is working alongside me as a photographer. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them that Lori and I come from the same heredity, which I can respectfully understand, since Lori is a red-haired, hazel-eyed Caucasian woman that most people say bears a strong resemblance to Debra Messing (and, again, they’re absolutely right!).

(The Debra Messing reference, like the Malcolm-Jamal Warner one, came as a result of imagining how this story were to look if it was an actual movie. Sean and Lori are actual biological siblings; neither of them are adopted.)

Lori was a streetwise woman of integrity and kindness; though she sometimes tends to let her job go to her head, you can bet that she’ll always be there to get the scoop, as well as back her friends up in any heated situation.

(Lori's character is actually based off of TMNT heroine, April O'Neil.)

However, there is always a negative side to anything that is positive, and the bad side to being a journalist in the Daily Bugle is that I’m forced to work with three of the most peculiar characters you will ever meet in New York (Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great). Of course, with all of the bizarre stories that we’ve been digging up for the past five years, Lori and I have no choice but to work with such peculiar characters. Out of the three of them, I must say that I enjoy working with Kermit on certain stories; he used to be a reporter for the “Sesame Street News” and interviewed many nursery rhyme characters, before he became investigative reporters with Fozzie and Gonzo. Kermit is always a hard-working frog, which was the least I can say for Fozzie and Gonzo, who were two fellas that were extremely difficult to work with. Gonzo always likes doing weird things and Fozzie always has the urge to tell a semi-funny joke during the investigation (which is why Lori loves working with them).

(Sean and Lori had worked with Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie for approximately five years prior to this story.)

One early Saturday afternoon at the Daily Bugle, Robbie Robertson (the Bugle’s editor-in-chief and the only employee who does not fear the wrath of J. Jonah Jameson) told Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Lori, and me that Jonah had bought us tickets to see a wrestling event in midtown Manhattan and wanted us to do a story on Bone Saw McGraw (a fierce wrestler that was six foot nine, three-hundred pounds of pure muscle) and his three minute challenge with an amateur wrestler.

(Randy Savage, the man who played Bone Saw in the movie, is actually six foot two and weighs two hundred and forty-five pounds.)

We all kinda doubted this so-called assignment that Jameson was giving us, seeing it as some way of embarrassing us for some strange reason; Gonzo, however, thought of it as a chance to show off his skills in wrestling, but I was luckily able to talk him out of it. The thing we didn’t realize at the time was that this assignment was the genesis of a huge phenomenon.

(One of the deleted scenes to the story includes Gonzo actually stepping into the ring and going up against Hulk Hogan. It's an obvious reference to Muppets From Space.)

Lori drove us to the smallish arena in her black 911 Turbo Porsche and parked it into an extremely crowded lot of many different types of vehicles. We joined up with the thousand wrestling fans that were streaming into the arena, and we could not have stuck out any further from the crowd, especially with Kermit wearing that gray hat and trenchcoat and Fozzie with a “press” card sticking out from the band of his brown, old-fashioned hat.

(Lori ironically drives a Porsche that was manufactured in the same year that The Great Muppet Caper--which Kermit and Fozzie's attire are in reference to--was released.)

Speaking of Kermit, he didn’t exact take this assignment with much ease; the ravenous fans chanting “Bone Saw” (as well as Gonzo holding up a sign, with the words painted in red, which said, “We want blood!”) made the frog a bit nervous.

“Sheesh!” exclaimed Kermit, as he gazed around at the raucous people that surrounded him. “You think Mr. Jameson would’ve given us a more comfortable and kid-friendly story to investigate.” Kermit could not ignore the violent message that Gonzo’s sign was giving. “Gonzo, why on earth would make such a gruesome sign?” Gonzo was a little surprised over Kermit’s reaction.

“Gosh, Kermit,” He said, “I figured it would help us blend in with the crowd. I mean, look at everyone.” Kermit took a moment to notice some of the things that the fans were carrying with them, such as real sharp saws, blood-covered bones, and black & white makeup that made their faces look like skulls. The sight of such grotesquely decorated objects made Kermit sick to his stomach.

“Do I really have to?” inquired Kermit, as he kept his focus away from the raucous crowd. “Well, I guess there is one bright side…at least Sam the Eagle isn’t here to witness all of this.”

“Oh, I heard he’s scheduled to sing the national anthem!” Fozzie told Kermit, who had just about heard everything.

“How were they able to book him?” Kermit asked.

“You know Sam,” Lori said, “He’s willing to sing the national anthem, no matter what the occasion is.”

“But Sam detests random acts of violence.” Kermit stated. “He thinks it’s…unpatriotic.”

“Ya know, for a fella that detests violence, it sure is strange how he believes fighting for America is the most patriotic thing in the world.” I said, and Lori smiled at me, also realizing how unusually ironic it was.

Once we were inside the packed arena, we were about to head straight to our seats, until Fozzie got a sudden hankering for a funnel cake, a humungous tub of popcorn, and a foot-long hotdog, both marinated with honey, and a honey-sweetened Dr. Pepper in addition. Honestly, Fozzie’s appetite is a whole lot weirder than Gonzo’s personality. Soon after he got his meal, we all went to our ringside seats and focused our attention on the center stage, where the wrestling ring was located.

(Dr. Pepper was the actual sponsor for the first Spider-Man film. There is no honey-sweetened version.)

Inside the ring were two wrestling announcers named Johnny Fiamma and Sal Manella, who both spoke like they were part of the mafia. Johnny is known to have an “Old Golden Throat” because he is a natural when it comes to singing on stage; he usually took gigs that involved singing, but Sal (his monkey friend) convinced him that announcing for wrestling events produced larger amounts of “green stuff.”

(Sal Manella helps Johnny replace Bruce Campbell in this scene, but he replaces Bruce entirely for a scene based off of Spider-Man 2 for the second Spidey/Muppets story, "The Amazing...Sequel!")

“Hey, hey!” stated Johnny, speaking through a microphone that both him and Sal were sharing together. “How youse doin’ here tonight? I tell ya…I haven’t seen this much blood and gore since ‘The Godfather of the Bride’.” It was obvious that the audience didn’t feel like hearing Johnny Fiamma talk, because they kept on chanting “Bone Saw!” in between his words. Johnny and Sal looked like they were getting a bit hot under the collar.

“Uh, ya better get on with the show, Johnny.” suggested Sal, and Johnny went ahead and focused on the event that was taking place at that moment.

“Right. Right.” said Johnny, and he held up a small card that he used to help him catch up with the show. “Uh…let’s see here. Oh, yeah!” Once he got what he was supposed to say, he put away the card and turned back to the crowd. “Alright. Let’s bring out the real star of this show.”

“Yeah! Yeah!” exclaimed Sal, getting real excited. “He’s the spine-crunchin’, skull-slammin’, leg-snappin’, finger-breakin’, flesh-eatin’…” While Sal was chatting away about the ruthless wrestler, Johnny and the crowd were getting more impatient, wondering when he was gonna stop talking. “…the eye-stabbin’, tongue-slicin’, nose-squishin’, vertebrae-rupturin’…”

“Sal! Sal!” interjected Johnny, and Sal immediately stopped and looked at Johnny, who was pointing at his watch and indicating that he was wasting time talking.

“Oh, oh, yeah! Sorry, Johnny.” said Sal, soon before Johnny took over again.

(With the exception of the third Spidey/Muppets crossover, the stories were primarily meant to have Spider-Man encountering classic Muppets and references to classic Muppet films like The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan. The characters of Muppets Tonight--Johnny, Sal, and Pepe the King Prawn from the second crossover--appeared for the sole reason of being the most popular characters out of the "new generation" Muppets.)

“Ladies and gents, it is my pleasure to introduce…Bone Saw McGraw!” said Johnny, and as everyone directed their attention to the entrance, it wasn’t Bone Saw that came into the arena…it was Sam the Eagle himself. I could tell that this wasn’t part of the program, because Johnny and Sal were looking at each other in confusion. Meanwhile, in the audience, Kermit was still impressed that Sam even bothered to show up for the event.

“This should be interesting.” He said, as Sam entered the ring, with his own microphone in his hand, which he spoke seriously into.

“Let me be the first one to say that this entire show is nothing but a mindless, inexcusable form of entertainment that I would hardly call an American sport.” stated Sam, and judging from the boos that were directed towards him, there was no doubt that Sam was the last character the crowd wanted to see. “I have been permitted to sing the national anthem for this rancorous event, but I refuse to sing such a beautiful, patriotic song to a bunch of wild animals like each and every one of…”

It was funny how Sam just happened to mention about animals, because the next person that came into the ring was Animal himself, who was working as one of the security personnel that was hired to drive annoying guys like Sam out of the ring. Animal growled like the madman he was when he came into the ring, which forced Sam to instantaneously stopped his talking and jump away from the ring and run out of the arena as fast as he could, with Animal in high pursuit. After that whole scene was over, I looked over at Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, and Lori, who all could not believe what they just witnessed.

“Wow! That was almost as crazy as the time he sang with Janet and Justin at the 2004 Super Bowl.” Gonzo said.

“He’s barely gotten over that controversial mess.” said Kermit, just before all of the lights in the arena suddenly went off, leaving us in an unbelievably pitch-black situation that alarmed Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, and Lori. “Hey! What’s going on here?”

“Gee, I don’t know.” Fozzie said. “But it sure is spooking me out.” That’s when a single spotlight came on and shined high above the arena, aiming itself directly at the ring entrance, where Bone Saw McGraw came out into the arena from to the pleasure of several roaring fans. Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Lori, and I were very intimated by the appearance of Bone Saw McGraw, who strangely looked similar to another wrestler in a bigger organization.

“Man!” Lori exclaimed. “If it wasn’t for the disgusting brown saliva that was coming out of his mouth and onto his bushy beard, he’d have my adrenaline pumping for sure.”

“I’ve got a feeling that neither of us is going to like what’s going to happen in that ring.” Kermit assumed.

“I beg to differ, Kermit.” Gonzo contradicted. “I think that what we’re about to witness will be one of the greatest performances, right next to my tire-eating act.” Kermit shook his head in disgust at the similarity between Gonzo’s act and Bone Saw’s performance in the ring.

(Gonzo's act is an obvious reference to one of the early episodes of The Muppet Show.)

“Hard to believe that’s what’s got me shaking right now.” said Kermit, and he got even more nervous when Gonzo lifted his violent sign high up in the air, as Bone Saw jumped into the ring and prepared himself for his match with an amateur wrestler. While the fierce wrestler was preparing, Johnny and Sal (also intimated by Bone Saw’s appearance) mustered the courage to share the same radius with him and announce the match at the same time.

“Well, uh, we sure have been waiting for this moment, haven’t we, Sal?” said Johnny, and Sal nodded with agreement.

“You’re absolutely right, Johnny!” exclaimed Sal, and he directed his attention to the raving crowd that was us. “Three minutes, ladies and gents! Three minutes is all that it takes to win three thousand dollars for one match against the snarling, grotesque beast that stands before us.” Hearing how Sal described him made Bone Saw very offended.

“Hey, monkey-bones!” snapped Bone Saw, and Johnny & Sal jumped at the gruff tone in his voice, turning their attention to him. “Who ya callin’ a beast?!?!” Johnny hid behind Sal, both of them quivering with fear.

“U-U-U-Uh…what I meant to say is Bone Saw McGraw is so tough that not even a snarling, grotesque beast like Randy Savage can beat him!” said Sal, in a desperate attempt to cover his previous comment.

“Absolutely, Bone, baby.” commented Johnny, peaking over Sal’s shoulder. “Savage, Hogan, The Rock…none of those crybabies got nothing on you.”

(It'd be at this point when Hogan would stand up from the crowd and challenge anyone to battle him in order to prove how good he is. Gonzo would obviously be the one to step up.)

Bone Saw, satisfied with the new comments that Johnny and Sal made, turned his attention to the ring entrance, waiting for the first amateur wrestler to come out. Maintaining back to their announcing positions, Johnny and Sal headed out of the ring and moved toward the ring entrance, standing in front of large, white curtains. “Well, if our first victim can withstand just three minutes in the ring with Bone Saw McGraw, the sum of three thousand dollars will be paid to…” Johnny stopped talking into the microphone for a brief moment to peek behind the curtain and speak to an unseen person. I couldn’t tell who he was talking to, because the white curtains made it impossible to see who was behind them, and the roars from the crowd made it hard to hear what was being said.

“I wonder who the first victim is.” Fozzie said.

“Someone who’s gonna need a serious medical bill when this is all over.” I told Fozzie, just as Johnny went back to talking into the microphone, announcing the first amateur wrestler.

“THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!!!!” He yelled, and both he and Sal moved away from the curtains, at the exact moment they parted to reveal a guy that could hardly be classified as a wrestler. The so-called “Amazing Spider-Man” was a guy that looked like he stood at five foot eight inches, had part of his face obscured by a red ski mask, and wore what appeared to be a homemade wrestling attire of a blue sweatpants, white/red tennis shoes & gloves, and a red sweater that had a fairly amusing black spider insignia on it. Everyone thought that the amateur wrestler known as “Spider-Man” was nothing but a complete waste of time, because he had the appearance of a cruiserweight that was going up against a heavyweight. As Spider-Man approached the ring and entered into it, my friends and I could not get over the height and build difference between Bone Saw and Spider-Man.

“Sheesh!” exclaimed Kermit, truly astounded. “Look at the size of that Spider-Man guy! He’s a popsicle compared to that behemoth, Bone Saw McGraw, in front of him. He’s gonna die in that ring!”

“Don’t worry, Kermit.” Fozzie said. “It’ll only be for three minutes when these two nice gentlemen fight in the ring. No big deal.”

“Yeah, but it would be a lot more fun if they had them surrounded by a giant, two-ton steel cage.” said Gonzo, and right after he said that, what else were to suddenly fall around the ring than a giant, two-ton steel cage. All of the spectators, including Gonzo, were very pleased to see a massive cage surround the two competitors. “Oh, boy! Now this is what I’m taking about!” Gonzo set down his sign and lifted his camera, aiming it at the ring and taking several pictures of Bone Saw and Spider-Man, while both Kermit and Fozzie were becoming scared and nervous.

“I-I-It’s o-o-okay.” said Fozzie, frantically containing his composure. “As long as neither one of them have blood squirting out of their heads, everything is okay.” Lori and I saw how Kermit and Fozzie were shaking with fear over the violence that was going to happen inside the ring; my sister turned to me, with a grin on her face.

“Ten bucks sayin’ the web-head’s gonna get his face mauled by Bone Saw.” uttered Lori, and I just couldn’t back away from a beat like that; my money, of course, was on Spider-Man.

“You’re on!” I acknowledged, just as the match between Spidey and Bone Saw commenced.

(Lori had never paid Sean back for the bet.)

TO BE CONTINUED....​

(Nowadays, only when the chapter exceeds past its limit would it be split up into parts. Chapter One of "The Amazing!" was not that long.)


Pepe: Hehe! Dat was fun, okay! Stay tuned. Dere's more to come.

 

[muppetwriter]

WOW muppet writer, I LOVE it! Great stuff!! I can't wait!! *bounces*

Thanks, P.C.