Written & Illustrated by Roger Langridge
BOOM! Kids Entertainment 2009
Approx age 7 & up
Meet the Muppets features four all new stories, each one focusing on one of the shows characters, but with plenty of other "skits" thrown in, following the format of the show. All of these vignettes follow closely the motivations of these established characters, even fleshing them out a little more. Kermit's story has the frazzled director longing for the simple days in the swamp, while Fozzie wonders if he can get his comedy mojo back, while the rest of the crew wonders if he ever had it at all. Langridge is brave enough to pose the age old question, what the heck is Gonzo anyway?
Oh boy oh boy oh boy. I love the Muppets. Like most kids born in the past 40 years, I was raised on a steady diet of Sesame Street. My favorite television half hour, however, was the evening reruns of the Muppet Show. For those of you not familiar with this television genius, all 6 of you, the Muppet Show was a send up of the dying trend of prime time variety shows. With a weekly guest host, the only non puppet, the show mostly followed the trials and tribulation of Kermit the frog dealing with his regular cast and crew of madcap miscreants.
Roger Langridge could not be a better choice for this book. His knowledge of the material is obvious, but it's his ability to perfectly capture the feel and pacing of the show that really makes this book stand out. So often comics based on existing properties fall short, relying on inexperienced artists working with very strict guidelines. Langridge's style is still apparent in all the panels, his use of line weights masterful, with all the characters instantly recognizable.
While I have listed this comics for seven and up, that's more in mind of someone who is reading on their own. It could be read to someone much younger, especially if they've got the wokka wokka's already. It's also great someone who needs a hi-low (high interest/low reading level).
No comments:
Post a Comment