Review: Jim Henson's The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow (Archaia Press)

Originally developed by Jim Henson and his longtime collaborator Jerry Juhl for television, Musical Monsters never got produced. Enter Archaia Entertainment and Roger Langridge, who have brought the Muppets onto the comics page. Unfortunately, Musical Monsters does not translate well to comics.The plot is short and simple. The "monsters" referred to in the title are extraterrestrial beings. Each monster gives off a distinct sound. Together, the monsters harmonize and make music. Musical Monsters would likely have been a musical show, with plot time focusing on the monsters' musical performances. However, this is not possible to depict in the comics page. Readers are required to imagine what the monsters sound like. The book provides notes on the pre-production of the television show, as well as snippets from the original script. Photographs of the monster muppets are also featured. If you are a fan of Jim Henson, this book is a published record of Henson's nearly lost work. Otherwise, it's not that good.