Muppet Robin Hood

by Tim Beedle, Armand Villavert Jr (Illustrator), David Petersen (Illustrator)

The Muppets tell the Robin Hood legend for laughs, and it’s the reader who will be merry! Robin Hood (Kermit the Frog) joins with the Merry Men — Sherwood Forest’s infamous gang of misfit outlaws — to take on the stuffy Sheriff of Muppetham (Sam the Eagle) and the wicked Gonzo of Gisbourne! Features a cover from David Petersen, the Eisner Award-winning creator of Mouse Guard!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Humor, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Childrens, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2009

Reviews

[Doc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't mess with a Loxley

When I heard there was a Muppet comic portraying the story of Robin Hood (as well as some other stories in different volumes) I was intrigued so I found a copy to check it out. I found the small size of the book to be a little disappointing being used to full sized comics including the far superior books such as Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Dragons which were also released by Boom Comics under the Archaia distributor. Although I see now that this book was designed for children sometimes I felt like Statler and/or Waldorf and wanted to blurt out at random about some of the off the wall randomness and the less than amusing art at times though it was interesting to see how they fit much of the cast into the story even if some of their parts were short.

By the way if you read this book there is a special guest spot from Audrey II which I found out was created by Martin P. Robinson who worked on Sesame Street and Jim Henson. So with that interesting factoid mixed into the random silliness that turned the original tale into a comedy routine capable of going so far as to smash through the 4th wall even I found myself dragging at times but enjoying other parts as well. Of course being a kids book I guess they didn't want to discuss the crusades so they came up with an alternative and at least part way through I was reminded of the Moose sketch from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" when the writer of the story suddenly left and part of the book was replaced by someone else along with an apology for the switch.

All in all the Muppets have been an icon for many years and although they did rehash some of the older jokes there are some I haven't heard of before that seemed incredibly appropriate for the acting troupe. If you read this book and love Muppets I hope you have your favorite jokes you will remember. :)

Edit: By the way I forgot to mention this but In case you are curious like I was when Prince John was shown to be played by a unknown Muppet and his chimp sidekick (to me at least) I did a little research and found the humanoid Muppet is called Johnny Fiama and the chimp is Sal Minella. Now back to reading. :)

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this graphic novel, the Muppet characters assume the roles of the characters of the Robin Hood story and tell it in their own way. The overall plot is similar to that of the original story, but of course given that they are the Muppets, there is a great deal of poetic license taken.
Kermit is of course Robin Hood and Miss Piggy is Maid Marion. The dialog is truly that of the Muppet characters, especially the attitude of Miss Piggy, yet the sense of the story is generally preserved. It is a fun and entertaining rendition of a classic story, one that children will love to read, further preserving the legend of the noble robber that takes from the rich and gives to the poor.

[Theresa F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was...different. But I expected as much from The Muppets.
Did I like it? Yes.
Would I reread it? Maybe.
Would I recommend it? Probably.

[Marian Rolewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! It is just what I expect from the Muppets playing Robin Hood. I laughed so much.😍🤣

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to confess, I've never enjoyed the Muppet movies as the original show. Somewhere between working all of the celebrity cameos in and the inclusion of so many songs that I was reminded of Disney movies I guess they lost me. So it was with a bit of that apprehension that I purchased this graphic novel. I have to say I was completely won over. I lost count of the number of times I smiled in this unique retelling of Robin Hood. While there have been many different versions of the tale, I think Muppet Robin Hood stands on its own and still channels the Muppet brand of humor. My only complaint is that one of the characters said "Meh". Not only am I not a fan of this word, but I feel like it is too modern to be included in anything Muppet related. One of the real strengths of the show is its timelessness. The show aired thirty years ago and its still highly entertaining to watch now. I have a feeling words like "Meh" will not be around in thirty years and its a shame they chose to include it here. This is a very minor complaint and you should absolutely check out not only Muppet Robin Hood, but this whole line of graphic novels if you've ever been a fan of the Muppets.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Take the Robin Hood story, cast it with Muppet characters, keep the basic theme but mix everything else up so it's just plain silly and you have Muppet Robin Hood. Robin (Kermit) returns to find his swamp has been turned into a mini-golf attraction and learns all over England that places have been turned into attractions with admission fees. I found the book aimed at a much higher age than what the publishers suggest simply by it's making fun of itself and its characters. Do today's third graders know who the Swedish Chef is? Janice? Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker? Do they get the irony of Rowlf the dog playing the part of a wandering minstrel? My ten year old couldn't name a single Muppet except Kermit the Frog and that is because of his occasional appearance on Sesame Street. Anyway, I didn't find the story humorous and got bored halfway through and couldn't wait for it to be over. I will not be reading any Muppet adventures by choice.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the strictures of the story still hem in the Muppets, like in Muppet Peter Pan, this story takes more liberties (with both story and form) and gives more of the Muppets screen time. The story is pretty close to the legend (and the Kevin Costner version, oddly enough), with some random asides. It takes a few more detours for jokes, and breaks the fourth wall regularly (including a very funny quest for the merry men, and a 2-page spread that really goes all out for weirdness), but still manages to mine the story for most of its jokes. And the Robin/Marian relationship never really works, which is kind of weird considering it's Kermit and Piggy. But overall, they do a good job; though the artwork ranges a little further afield from the traditional representations of the characters (Piggy again seems very off). But ultimately, it does exactly what it sets out to do.

[Peyton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty disappointed with this book. The Muppets have done Robin Hood at least twice before, and both times spectacularly (one episode of the The Muppet Show and one picture book from the 80s). I don't know who thought they needed to do it again.

The main problem with this effort is that none of the characters are true to themselves--the whole book feels more like a parody of the Muppets than an official presentation. Scooter is a fashion-obsessed would-be tailor, Janice is an idiotic wild child, and Kermit pursues Miss Piggy with Errol Flynnish abandon. The only character who really rang true was Gonzo--I had no problem hearing his voice.

This could have been something special. Too bad it kinda stinks.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these Muppet-related graphic novels really work. Other times, they just come off as mildly desperate. And I'm sorry, but when did Kermit ever actually fall in love with Miss Piggy? Retelling the story of Robin Hood with classic Muppet characters, the book doesn't quite live up to its famous name. The art is fine, but not extraordinary, and there are a heck of a lot of those new Muppets in the story, in spite of the fact that they're really not as well known as classic folks like Fozzie and Kermit. Ho hum. - B

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit - and I think this is my favorite one so far! Kermit is Robin Hood, Miss Piggy is Maid Marion, Sweetums as Little John, Gonzo is Guy of Gisborne and Sam the Eagle is the Sheriff of Nottingham. A nice retelling of the story, keeping enough of the original to please fans of Robin, but enough fun twists to make it new and very Muppets. They did a great job pairing the individual muppets with similar characters to keep the story believable, though I found the illustrations in. This one not as good as the others I've read thus far.

[Ships · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir Robyn of Loxley played by Kermit, Maid Marion, by Miss Piggy, Gonzo is the wicked Gisbourne & Sam the Eagle the Sheriff of Nottingham. Humourous & fun, wicked funny writing, expressive & can be read again & again to find new nuances in humour. Yeah yeah I'm a muppet fan, brings back my childhood in magic technicolour. There's a cover gallery at the back too. It's one of those weird genres that can be shared with the children, well worth the purchase I think, but like I said I am biased....

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title pretty much tells it all. The Muppets characters in the Robin Hood story. Kermit of course is Robin of Loxley Swamp. The lovely Maid Marian is none other than the fabulous Miss Piggy. Fozzie plays Friar Tuck and so forth. As with all Muppet stories, they are great for all ages. The characters are very kid friendly yet there are jokes that will get adults to laugh out loud while going right over the kids head. Fun for the whole family!

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't liked these as much as the straight Muppet Show comic books but they still have their moments. In this one, we have Kermit as Robin Hood, Sweetums as Little John and Miss Piggy as Maid Marion.

Robin Hood returns home to find his swamp has been turned into a miniature golf course and the admission is outrageous.

[Duane · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay graphic novel based on the Muppets as they portray what they consider to be their version of "Robin Hood". The text is upper reading level yet I found the humor to be dull and not up to the usual Muppet standards. A nice addition to add to your graphic novel collection, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a must have read.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a disappointment from the usual high-quality nature of Muppets fare. The illustrations were of a poor quality and inconsistent, the story was all over the map, and the characters didn't stay true to form at all. (Since when did Kermit return Miss Piggy's adoration?)

Try Jim Henson's The Storyteller instead.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little retelling of Robin Hood using Muppet Characters. There is much breaking of the fourth wall and much punnery; as is to be expected by The Muppets. Not up to The Muppet Show writing quality, but not bad.

[Beth]

Unfortunate choice of drawing style which kept me from getting into the story. Lots of action which I found hard to folllow. Characters and personalities not as cleverly utilized as I think they could have been. Very punny as always.

[James Howald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this as a spirit prize for my Electric Mayhem Fall League Ultimate Team. It's cute, but it's primarily muppets.

[Mary Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining revamp of the classic Robin Hood tale starring the Muppets. A must read for any Muppets fan!

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

One Sentence Review: Really wished I liked this one more since I love me my Muppets, but the new characters included here (like that doggone shrimp) really threw me off.

[Truly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this muppet spin on a classic!

[Jen one n · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like it nearly as much as the Muppet's Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson. Kinda flat and slow moving.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the art is nice, this seems to be the weakest of the Muppet stories. It's simply not very funny.

[Rizal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and enjoyable. A lot of parts I want to laugh out loud but some are just hit and miss. Amazing art, good story.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent read, but not as much fun as some of the other Muppet parodies. Most of the jokes don’t really land.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

And that, my friend, is how you retell a legend and keep it fresh!