Mr. Stuffins #1 (of 3)Written by: Andrew Crosby, Johanna Stokes
Art by: Axel Medellin
Rating: Very, very lame
Teddy Bear secret agent... sounds like a decent enough concept, but the execution is very "unproduced screenplay." Broadly drawn characters, a lame mix-up, even the bear isn't that entertaining. Honestly, this was a disappointing read, because the concept could be very cute and have all sorts of directions it could go in, but this... this is very, very lame.
Zachary's parents are getting divorced (or are, more properly, separated--something that comes up a couple of times oh ho ho) and his dad takes him shopping where his dad tries to get him to buy MANLY toys like tanks and footballs, but Zach wants a talking teddy bear that's totally interactive. His dad thinks it's lame, but buys it anyway. What they don't know is that a scientist working on some top secret project is on the run and hid his disc containing the project in the very bear that Zach just got! So the bear, instead of being loveable and fun, is now a paranoid, militaristic toy that ties up the other stuffed animals and "interrogates" them.
Yeah, it could be fun, it could be entertaining, but it's not. The family is one horrible cliche after another: workaholic dad, bitter mom, slutty daughter, loser son with no self-esteem! The bear has no real personality. The top secret project subplot is nothing new. Like I said, everything about this project reads like "unproduced screenplay" with many obvious reasons for the 'unproduced' part.
My prediction for what happens: the bad guys swarm the house, the kid and the bear work together to overcome them, everyone lives happily ever after having learned a valuable lesson.
The Muppet Show #2 (of 4)Written by: Roger Langridge
Art by: Roger Langridge
Rating: Pretty damn funny
The first issue didn't wow me as much as everyone else despite my liking the art. This issue, though, really impressed me. Focusing on Fozzie attempting to rework his comedy act, Langridge had me laughing throughout this issue.
My favourite scene has Fozzie attempt physical comedy by jumping off a diving board onto a trampoline while people throw pies at him. Langridge's art and composition cracked me up quite a bit.
Unlike the Kermit story of the first issue, this one worked for me because it played around with Fozzie trying out new comedy styles. It's very active and engaging.
I honestly don't have THAT much to say beyond that this was a very funny read, both because of the writing and the art. Pulling off comedy in art seems lost on most comic book artists, but Langridge's cartooning abilities are superb.
