Early this year, Boom! Studios launched their kids’ comics line with Muppet Show, Incredibles, and Toy Story titles. However, they were limited series, only four-issue runs meant to test the waters and then be collected for the bookstore market. They were quite successful, often selling out and going to additional printings.

So on Wednesday, December 9, Boom! will relaunch The Muppet Show and Toy Story comics as ongoing series. Each debuts with a #0 issue and multiple covers (unfortunate remnants of the collector mentality in the comic direct market) but the stories are fun.

The first two Muppet Show #0 covers are by the series writer/artist Roger Langridge, while the other is by Amy Mebberson. The story has Fozzie Bear and Rizzo the Rat pitching a Pigs in Space movie to Hollywood bigwigs as “Flash Gordon meets Animal Farm”, an on-the-nose comparison that had me laughing. The moon’s been stolen, and the crew of the Swinetrek must find and retrieve it. Along the way, there are lots of scifi references and alien jokes, plus Sweetums, a favorite, gets to guest star. You’ve got to see Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s Matrix-style makeover!

by Michael Cavallaro	by Brent Schoonover	by Mike DeCarlo & Nathan Watson

Toy Story #0, in a plot reminiscent of the second movie, is about Andy getting another Buzz toy from Grandma. I like that the comic has room for more characters, with additional toys being part of the gang, even if they do seem to be scared most of the time. “Oh, no, another toy, maybe Andy will like it better!” And I’m not sure I would have chosen to end the first issue on a cliffhanger; I would have preferred to save that for issue #1. The character voices are on-target, though, and the emotions the toys express — uncertainty, jealousy, fear of someone else being liked more, friendship, loyalty — are ones kids can relate to.