Muppet Peter Pan #1 (of 4)

[MichaelRoberts]

Title: Muppet Peter Pan #1 (of 4)
Publisher Name: Boom Studios
Writer: Grace Randolph
Art: Amy Mebberson
$2.99, 24 pages, Color

Safety Content Label: A - Appropriate for age 9 and up.

Publishers Blurb:
The timid Kermie Pan resides in the magical realm of Neverswamp, where the pushy fairy Piggytink tries to toughen him up! One night, while searching for his shadow, Kermie Pan and Piggytink encounter the Darling children, who run away to Neverswamp and encourage Kermie Pan to battle Captain Gonzo! Features A covers by Eisner-award winning MOUSE GUARD artist David Petersen!

Reviewer Comments:
I have a test for books that try to be funny: will it make me laugh out loud? It’s one thing to read a joke and give a little smirk; it’s a whole different matter if that little bit of laughter actually bursts out unexpectedly. Literally, this book passed the test on page one. Page 1! That’s ridiculous! I laughed the whole way through this book, and it’s supposed to be for kids. I will say that a few of the jokes needed a rim shot afterwards (bah domp tssss), but that humor totally fits in with the Muppets storytelling.

Oh, and there’s a story involved. Peter Pan gets Muppetized, and plenty of small adjustments are made. Loyal fans have nothing to worry about, however, as the main storyline still holds true to the original tale. The creative team did make some interesting choices such as changing Tinkerbell to Piggytink (not so much a huge departure as just funny) and changing the location of the story from London to Boston in the early 1900s. The setting change mainly allows writer Grace Randolph to crack some pretty humorous jokes on the American mentality of the time, and it shows the mixture of humor styles in this book. There are the obvious gags, but there are some more sophisticated jokes mixed in here that will keep adults chuckling.

The rest of the creative team certainly cannot be ignored in a book like Muppet Peter Pan as they truly helped to bring this story to life. Artist Amy Mebberson did an amazing job with this issue. The art had clean lines and a great variety in color and texture throughout. Some artists seem to get stuck in an all-bright colors mode or all-dark-and-gloom-mode, but Mebberson’s variations were refreshing. Also, letterer Troy Peteri had some very distinctive looks for the dialogue of characters that were frequently off-panel in a war for narration rights of this tale. It’s a great joke, and it works because I could easily keep up with who was talking at all times.

I really don’t have a single criticism for this entire issue. It’s a gorgeous book, and it had me laughing from beginning to end. Great job, Boom Kids!