The Magic Book Club!

For our latest ToughPigs Book Club installment, we're straying a bit from the norm by critiquing (and outright mocking) a comic book, rather than a children's book.

The comic book in question is Muppet Babies #15, published by Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel Comics), and the story from this issue that we'll be looking at is "The Magic Book". While all of the Muppet Babies comics are pretty bizarre, this one takes the cake. Things get pretty meta as the Babies don't just break the fourth wall, they take a sledgehammer to it and put it in a blender with some yogurt and bananas.

After reading the comic (remember to click the images to make them, y'know, readable!), I implore you to stop by the ToughPigs forum or send me an e-mail with your comments, criticisms, and colloquialisms. The best of the best will show up right here on your friendly neighborhood ToughPigs website.

Enough of my yammering! Enjoy the comic book! All the cool kids are doing it.

Suggested Discussion Questions:

1.) Is this a story about the Muppet Babies entering a comic book, or becoming self-aware as comic book characters? Do they also know that they are fictional characters? When they "snap" away in the last panel, are they being erased from the existence of their comic book universe?

2.) How creepy is it when Piggy looks right at you??? Even though she's kind of a bitch about it, saying you have big eyes and then "Hah"-ing in your general direction.

3.) Compare and contrast "The Magic Book" to Grant Morrison's "Animal Man." Go ahead, I dare you.

4.) What do you think Scooter Googled to find out that they were in a comic book?

5.) This gag doesn't really work as well on the computer as it would in a real comic book, does it? Does the change of medium affect the Muppet Babies' crisis at hand?
Click here to share your thoughts on The Magic Book on the ToughPigs forum! Magically!!!

joe.toughpigs@gmail.com