The Muppet Show Comic Book
The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #2
Comic Book Review
Ryan Dosier – The second series in Roger Langridge’s The Muppet Show Comic Book series, “The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson” continues with Part Two: You May Meet a Stranger. As you’ll remember from Part One, Kermit had begun acting too hip for the room—and Miss Piggy loved it. Also, Animal, under the scientific influence of Bunsen and Beaker, has begun acting refined and well-mannered. Rizzo and the rest of the rats have also started to dig up the entire theater in search of buried treasure.
Part Two was released in August 2009. The book does little more than move the plot along—but it does so beautifully!
PLOT
The story continues with cool “Kermit” under fire from Miss Piggy. She “asks” the leather-clad amphibian to join her on a date in her dressing room. “Kermit” is intrigued by the idea of Piggy’s best jewelry and lowers his shades to reveal eyelids and normal, non-Saturn-like pupils. (A rare character-design flaw on Langridge’s part, or a purposeful hint? Let’s find out, shall we?)
The two Kermits meet in one of the old Marx Brothers mirror routines, and the real Kermit doesn’t bat an eye at it (probably because it’s physically impossible for him to bat an eye). Next we meet up with Dr. Teeth and the rest of the Electric Mayhem, who have hired a hypnotist named Creepy McBoo to try to bring Animal out of his funk. Unsurprisingly, it does little to bring the crazed drummer back to his normally abnormal self.
After that, we finally get some more elaboration as to how Bunsen is making Animal more refined. He is literally zapping Beaker’s higher brain activity and transmitting it into a serum which makes Animal smarter (and Bunsen’s geraniums healthier). While the Muppet Labs sketch is going on, three rat audience members are watching from above adding in hilarious comments throughout. One of them asks if the others have seen a rat named Sherman—none of them have, but Animal does have Sherman’s hard hat in his pocket.Scooter, the ever-suspicious go-fer, decides to do some detective work to figure out what’s been going on with Kermit. He emerges from his searching perhaps even more confused than before.
Piggy soon meets fake-Kermit in her dressing room, where he charms the sow and steals her diamonds without her noticing. As he walks off, Scooter is on the phone with the “Looks Like You Like Lookalikes Agency” to ask if they have any doppelgangers of Kermit—unfortunately, most of the agencies have never heard of him. That’s until the “You Won’t Believe It’s Not Sinatra Agency” tells Scooter that they have one Kermit impersonator: a Kismet the Toad.
After the Electric Mayhem hosts auditions for a new drummer, they choose Creepy McBoo after being under his hypnotic influence.
Kermit soons join another rat in his search for Sherman. They soon find the little Sherman under a bucket. The rat moans and claims that Animal tied him up and made him listen to drums in the storeroom of the theater.
Before the closing number, Scooter reveals Kismet to Kermit. Kermit tells the go-fer that he hired Kismet for an All-Kermit closing number full of his impersonators—unfortunately, there were no other impersonators at the agencies.The issue ends with a romping closing number and an unlikely (yet, at the same time, very likely) friendship.
Sketches include “Machu Picchu,” Muppet Labs, “From the Top Secret Casebook of Scooter, Boy Detective,” Bear on Patrol, and “The McMuppets and the McCoys.”
TONE
Langridge’s tone remains Muppety and perfect throughout. Creepy McBoo, especially, exudes a Muppety air and seems like he could easily be a one-shot character on The Muppet Show. The Electric Mayhem auditions are also very Muppet-like and the whole issue just keeps up a goofy, fun tone.
WRITING
I love Roger Langridge’s writing. It is always extremely clever and funny at every turn. He really gets to shine in Peg Leg Wilson thanks to an ongoing plotline. He develops his story very well, and the loose-ends start to come together as more unfold—it’s brilliant.I also just love Creepy McBoo. He is a fantastic character that blends right in with the Muppets.
ARTThe art is continually awesome. Langridge is even able to make a few subtle differences to Kismet the Toad when he’s put next to Kermit. Langridge is an incredible artist and he has a fine-tuned grasp on the Muppets in every sense.
CONCLUSION
This book carries on the great story of The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson. I’m very pleased by how this issue and this story is turning out, and I can’t wait to see how the story continues and finishes!
CAST
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Statler, Waldorf, Scooter, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Animal, Zoot, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Sam Eagle, Rizzo the Rat, Sweetums, The Newsman, Creepy McBoo, Crazy Harry, Beauregard, Robin the Frog, Big Mama, Link Hogthrob, Mahna Mahna, The Snowths, Annie Sue, Gloat, The McCoy Family Jugband, Rats, Penguins, Chickens, and other various Muppets.
