Disney greenlights "The Muppet Show" comics

[Drtooth]

I'd love to see a true comic book revival, and hope we always have actual print comics. I hope these new Muppet comics can get a wider release, available at say; grocery stores, major book retail chains, ect.

I just hope we don't see a mid 80's early 90's indie comic crash again. And it looks like we're that dangerously close to it. If I see one more "I wanna be Harvey Pecar" comic, I'll fall asleep from their dreary little clouds. It's just like the mutant animal martial arts "Let's steal from Ninja Turtles and pretend their parodies" comics you find in the quarter bin. I think the Gnat Rat comic I read made a nice slap at those unfunny, poorly designed "I can do it too" comics.

These Muppet comics may just awaken me too. I haven't bought a comic at full price in ages... I do collect some of the Sonic X's when a sale comes allong.

And 2.99 a copy is a real deal.

 

[uppitymuppity]

Finally, a release date:

http://www.muppetnewsflash.com/2009/01/muppet-show-1-hits-stores-in-march.html

 

[unclematt]

I will go reserve my copies immediataly

 

[jacobsnchz]

Will it be sold at bookstores like Waldenbooks and Barnes & Noble? Those are the only good bookstores nearby. I think the two covers will be in the same issue. Like the Muppet Shwow one is the front and when you turn the cover a few pages it'll say 'Kermit's Story".

 

[Drtooth]

You know... looking at the final cover, it indeed looks like he changed some character designs from a previous draft. Rowlf's nose looks bigger and rounder, and not as long and thin as it used to be for one. Still looks like Gonzo is part though.

 

[JJandJanice]

You know after looking at that cover, I'm still totally on board for buying my copy, in fact, I should check if my favorite comic book store will carry it, but I'm still not a huge fan of the art work. It's not that it's bad, but some could use some improvement, at least in my opinion.

Gonzo just looks awful and there something odd about seeing Scooter with Teeth.

Janice looks pretty great though, but maybe I'm being a little bias,

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I've already asked my local comic book store to hold my copies for me.

 

[theprawncracker]

I've already asked my local comic book store to hold my copies for me.

I need to figure out if I even HAVE a local comic book store.

 

[BlakeMP]

www.freecomicbookday.com

There's a comic shop locator on the website. Just punch in your ZIP code and it'll tell you how to find the nearest shops to you.

 

[lowercasegods]

I've been reading up on this comic, checking out page samples and giving it time to sink in. And for me, the bottom line is this:

There's LOADS of pure, professional Muppet fan cartoonists out there who could do a much better job at representing the characters visually. So why Langridge?

Look, I'm not knocking his talent. I love his drawing style, and his quirky writing is right up my alley. But that doesn't make him the best choice for creating Muppets comics. If you listen to the guy in interviews, he acts like he just heard of the Muppets yesterday, and heard of them from someone who heard of them from someone else who may never have really heard of them in the first place.

And doesn't this guy own a computer? There's loads of good, accurate reference material online. So why is he using one of the worst Muppet books from the 70's as a visual reference? And more so, I own that book, and if he is referencing it, he's doing it without opening the cover.

Guy and Brad Gilchrist, who created the Muppet comic strip in the 80's, may have taken slight liberties with the designs, but at its root, the comic was an accurate reflection of the show and characters, and their designs were totally recognizable as the Muppet gang. Bring those guys back, for Pete's sake. Langridge draws the Muppets like he's doing a bad parody for Mad Magazine. And the fact is, Jack Davis, who drew the Sesame Street parody for Mad in the early 70's, did a far better job with the Muppets! Even he knew how to use reference material!

What I want to know is, why hasn't anyone tracked down all the great cartoonists who worked on the Muppet comic bits in Muppet Magazine? Bruce McNally, for example, was a GREAT cartoonist. The work he did on E.C. The Extra Celestial in Muppet Magazine, and equally well written by Mad Magazine scribe Dick Debartolo (who coincidentally wrote the Sesame Street parody drawn by Jack Davis for Mad in the early 70's) was brilliant. Syndicated cartoonist Daryl Cagle, who drew the Rocky parody for Muppet Magazine, was sheer genius, http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/f/fe/Comic_wocky01a.jpg and possibly the best Muppet cartoonist this side of Michael K. Frith. So why not use these guys? Seriously, it's not that hard to find worthy talent to bring the Muppets to the comics page.

Langridge claims Disney has encouraged him to draw the Muppets in this off model, caricaturey style because various cartoonists drew the Disney characters to that effect in Disney magazine, and supposedly it was successful. Well here's the difference: Disney's stock characters are BORING [with the exception of the work created by the great Carl Barks for various Disney comics, secifically Scrooge]. They needed that underground cartoonist tweak to make their stories and designs interesting to modern audiences.

Muppets, on the other hand, have always been wacky and irreverent, and have appealing looks that can be cartooned while still keeping with their lovable aesthetic. They don't need to be drawn in some off-kilter indie comic style to appeal to modern audiences.

Now, I could argue about if we even need another Muppet comic book, since Langridge's seems like it won't be any sort of improvement on what came before it. But really, if they're making the effort to do this, for Jim's sake, DO IT RIGHT!

At some point, I may submit my work to this publisher in the hopes of doing justice to these characters. But if what I read is true, and that Langridge's style is setting the precedent by which all future Muppet comics shall be judged, then it hardly seems worth the effort. I'm a fan and cartoonist, and I want the Muppets to be written and drawn as faithfully as can be. Disney, as usual, doesn't know what to do with the Muppets, and has put them in equally clueless hands. Sad, just so sad....