Snarked #1
Created by Roger Langridge
Written and Illustrated by Roger Langridge
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, Matthew Wilson
Covers by Roger Langridge, Chris Samnee
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: October 5, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

All-ages comics are an interesting genre. A creator must be able to tell a story that can appeal to a wide age-range while also keeping it visually and thematically dynamic. More often than not creators try to use broad strokes to tell their all age’s story. If you are trying to make something for a broad demographic, why not use universally funny or silly concepts so everyone can appreciate it, right? But the issue is that while trying to capture these collectively “funny” or “childlike” themes writers often lose control of a story just they can throw in another gag. Luckily Roger Langridge‘s Snarked avoids this pitfall and tells a smart, quirky, and most importantly fun story that anyone can appreciate.

Snarked #0
Written & Drawn by Roger Langridge
Cover by Roger Langridge
Price: $1.00
BOOM! Studios
Release date: August 2011

If the Eisner awards for comics still had the “Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition” category, Roger Langridge would be a shoe-in to win this year. His runs on The Muppet Show comic for BOOM! Studios and The Mighty Thor for Marvel were well loved by critics and the people who actually read it, but sold in pretty small numbers. Langridge is back with a new series, Snarked, also from BOOM! Judging from the preview issue, Snarked #0, it is another series that deserves a bigger audience than it may reach.

Snarked centers on two characters, Wilberforce J Walrus and Clyde McDunk, also known as the Carpenter. If you’re familiar with Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, you may recognize the names of those characters. Snarked takes the characters from Carroll’s poem, and puts them in their own little universe. In this introductory issue, we meet the two main characters and get a good sense of their personalities. Walrus is a grifter, a cheat, a smooth talker, and a layabout. The Carpenter is stupid. He is a dupe, a rube, and a simpleton. There is a Laurel and Hardy feel to their relationship that is perfectly expressed within the first few pages. We’ve all read these types of characters before, but there is still humor to be mined from them by a skilled writer.

Marvel Comics and Disney Publishing are teaming to bring the Muppets gang to life in an all new giant-size comic called DisneyӢMuppets Presents written by Roger Langridge (Thor: The Mighty Avenger). In the story, which features Kermit, Fozzy, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and the rest of the gang, the Muppets plan to revive their old school variety show by bringing back some of their greatest sketches, including Pigs in Space and Veterinarians Hospital. Also packed into this 96-page comic Kermit is homesick, a psychic tells Miss Piggy that she will lose something green, Fozzy attempts to revamp his stand-up act, and a lot more!

The Muppet Show Comic Book #5
Written by: Roger Langridge
Artist: Amy Mebberson
Colors: Eric Cobain
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Covers by Roger Langridge
BOOM! Studios
Price: $2.99
Releases date: May 5, 2010

In the latest issue of The Muppet Show Comic Book, Statler and Waldorf are still playing a game of cosmic chess involving the Muppets. They arranged for Skeeter to show up and get a job there, and now they’re introducing Miss Piggy’s nephews, Randy and Andy Pig. Statler and Waldorf’s main goal seems to be manipulating events in order to create chaos, and these two are the perfect candidates. Randy and Andy are not very bright, clumsy, and cause constant trouble for the other Muppets.

Will the Muppets be able to deal with Randy and Andy’s “help” for an entire week? Read it and find out.

By Seaberry

The Muppet Show Comic Book #4
Written by Roger Langridge
Art by Amy Mebberson
Colors by Eric Cobain
Letters by Deron Bennett
BOOM! Studios
Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 7, 2010

I remembered reading collections of Muppets comic strips as a kid, and this Muppet Show Comic Book series is very much in the vein of those past comics.

The story begins with Statler and Waldorf, the hecklers from the balcony, playing a game of chess with pieces resembling the Muppets. They talk of introducing a new character into the equation. Actually, it’s more of a new/old character. This character was on the Muppet Babies series, but to my knowledge had never appeared as a grownup until now. I don’t want to give away the name of the character, but it was interesting. It was very fun to see this character as an adult Muppet, and it was also cool to see a bridge between the Muppet Babies cartoon and the comics. I had always thought of the cartoon and the Muppet Show as existing in the same universe, and this issue verified that.