Langridge does a couple really profound things–wait, only one profound thing–the other thing isn’t profound as much as interesting.

I don’t remember a lot of “the Muppet Show,” mostly the movies, so I don’t know if the theater’s history was ever discussed “in canon,” but here Langridge establishes the theater was around before Kermit and the gang, which is something of a crazy idea (just imagine, a prequel series–someone call Hayden Christiansen).

The profound thing is taking Statler and Waldorf out of their balcony seats and sending them home for the night. It’s an incredible moment.

Otherwise, it’s a nice, pleasant issue. There’s lots of funny Muppet Show sketches, there’s the heartwarming conclusion. It’s a fine series.

I think some of the problem just stems from the constraint–it’s about the Muppets doing the show, which cuts into how much dramatic plot points each issue can contain.

I just read this issue and I can’t tell you a thing in it except a Pigs in Space episode–not as funny because Piggy’s not in it–something about Piggy being covered in fake jewels–and a really touching scene with Animal.

The series has been full of touching scenes with Animal. It’s more of a character than I’ve ever seen him, but I’m not entirely sure I read Muppet comics for Animal’s character development. Pretty sure I read them to laugh and, here, Langridge does come up with some impressive writing… only not plotting. The rhyming alone is exceptionally impressive.

I can’t figure out what Langridge’s doing with this issue because it’s nothing like either one before it and it doesn’t exactly raise the drama for the last issue. Instead, he has this flop of an issue. It just doesn’t do anything. There are some smiles, no laughs.

This issue has almost no Muppet Show stuff, as in sketches. Instead, Langridge is developing the Peg-Leg Wilson story. It’s a different, very successful approach (I just expected him to open the series with it). This issue is more akin to one of the Muppet feature films. There’s lots of plot.

There are a couple sketches and both work, but instead Langridge’s asides are just nicely presented single page emphases on certain characters or events (Scooter’s investigation into Kermit or the search of Animal’s replacement).

The issue ends on a strange note, like something’s been resolved, even though it hasn’t (except the Kermit mystery). I wonder if Langridge is going to solve on mystery an issue, though I suppose the Animal changing isn’t actually a mystery.

The best thing about the comic is the nuance. Langridge suggests, never says, Animal is scared he ate one of the stage rats.

Animal’s getting smarter, Rizzo and the rats are digging for treasure in the studio and Kermit’s acting very strange (leather jacket and shades). There’s also a ninja hanging around.

While the series has a subtitle, suggesting a unifying theme (at the least), Langridge is really just doing another Muppet Show comic, with bits from the show interspersed with the behind-the-scenes goings on. It’s all incredibly solid, though the laughs are more in the show bits (for whatever reason, the Pigs in Space sketch is really funny–even though there’s almost no punchline at all).

Langridge gets it, but the idea of a unifying factor–The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson–just distracts. It’s clear the book should be run as a loose ongoing, with the comic format allowing for some brief sketches and so on.

It’s not a fast read and it requires attention, which is pleasantly surprising.