Posted in: Avengers, Comics, Marvel Comics, Spider-Man, X-Men | Tagged: chip zdarsky, muppets

Muppets Take The Marvel Universe But Chip Zdarsky Is Talking Uncle Ben

Marvel Comics takes back The Muppet Show for their 50th anniversary in September 2026 with The Muppets Take The Marvel Universe

It surprises a few folks to learn that The Muppet Show was a British TV show. Jim Henson had produced two pilot episodes of the show for ABC in 1974 and 1975, but they passed on a series, and other networks in the US rejected it. It took British TV producer Lew Grade agreeing to co-produce The Muppet Show for ATV, part of the UK ITV network, for the show to be filmed and recorded as a series at ATV Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, and it was first broadcast in the UK in September 1976. It was then picked up for syndication in the USA, to huge effect, but kept being made in the UK, which explained some of the odder choices of guests on the show, as well as how they became involved in the Star Wars movies, also being shot in the UK, and birthing a puppetry and special effects industry in Britain that remains rather strong to this day… and now Marvel Comics wants to claim it all for them selves with The Muppets Take The Marvel universe comic book for the fiftieth annioversary in September 2026, with Chip Zdarsky, Pete Woods and more…

• THE MUPPETS TAKE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1
  Written by CHIP ZDARSKY, MACKENZIE CADENHEAD, PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON, ADAM F. GOLDBERG, ASHLEY ALLEN, KYLE STARKS & MORE
  Art by PETE WOODS, DAVID BALDEON, ÁTHILA FABBIO, E.J. SU, PACO MEDINA & MIKE HENDERSON
  Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
  Foil Variant Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
  Muppet Treasure Island 30th Anniversary Variant Cover by MATTEO LOLLI
  Variant Cover by RON LIM
  Logo Mashup Variant Cover
• Tonight's very special guest stars—THE MARVEL UNIVERSE! Enjoy epic tales told in the Mighty Marvel Muppet Manner including:Rowlf the Dog is kidnapped by Mojo to help launch his new streaming service! It's the crossover no one saw coming as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Wolverine, Emma Frost and many more team up to save the day in this pop culture history-making adventure by Chip Zdarsky and Pete Woods.
• Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker welcome Bruce Banner and Hank Pym to Muppet Labs for a daring experiment with Gamma Rays and Pym Particles! What could go wrong? Find out in this explosive story from Kyle Starks and Mike Henderson.
• When Clea falls ill from a mystical virus and Doctor Strange doesn't have the cure—help arrives from the unlikeliest of sources: the Swedish Chef, in this appetizing tale from Ashley Allen and Paco Medina.
• Pigs in Space meet raccoons in space! Cosmic chaos ensues when Captain Link Hogthrob, First Mate Piggy, and Dr. Julius Strangepork crash into Rocket Raccoon and Groot in an intergalactic romp by MacKenzie Cadenhead and David Baldeon.
• And more, including stories by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Adam F. Goldberg, E.J. Su and Áthila Fabbio. On Sale 9/23

"This September, The Muppets come to the Marvel Universe for the very first time in THE MUPPETS TAKE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1, a one-shot celebrates the 50th anniversary of "The Muppet Show" with all-new stories uniting the beloved gang of Muppets with the iconic heroes of Marvel Comics! It's all hands on deck as superstar creators including Eisner-winning Muppets super fan Chip Zdarsky and acclaimed artist Pete Woods, along with Ashley Allen, MacKenzie Cadenhead, Kyle Starks, David Baldeon, Mike Henderson and more unleash The Muppets' trademark chaos on the Marvel mythos! The new one-shot follows the success of last year's homage variant covers commemorating The Muppets 70th anniversary, and to celebrate the new launch, more Muppet variant covers will be featured across titles throughout September."

The press release aslo says the following.

"With the great power of two iconic properties comes great responsibility. I promise to not let down Kermit, Fozzie and Animal the way Spider-Man let down his Uncle Ben," Chip Zdarsky joked. "It's impossible to overstate how excited I was to write for Miss Piggy, whom I consider to be one of the greatest icons of the last hundred years, a character who speaks to every generation. I also got to write Deadpool," he continued. "And Pete Woods is turning in the most stunning, detailed and joyous pages. Seeing his take on these characters interacting is a real delight."

I could feel Chip Zdarsky bristling at the use of the word "joked" when I read it. Who is Marvel PR to say who is or is not joking when they deliver a quote to be used in press releases? And in his Substack newsletter, he pushed back, with a Muppets/Sex Criminals-themed address.

 "Okay, there are dream jobs and then there are DREAM jobs, you know? I'm writing the first-ever crossover between MARVEL and THE MUPPETS this September with THE MUPPETS TAKE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE! The unbelievable Pete Woods is joining me on art and the pages he's turned in have been truly special. So much love and detail in every panel. You will truly believe that Spidey and Fozzie can be best friends. The press release is here, with many more details, and some quotes from me, like the one below. But I have to highlight the part I didn't write…  What Spider-Man did is no joking matter. Uncle Ben would have been alive today if it wasn't for him. You think I'd joke about the death of a man? For shame, Marvel. For shame. Also, don't fall for the fake news out there and the conspiracy theorists. Been seeing a lot of t-shirts like this at comic conventions, and it's frankly disrespectful:"

Thanks for the insight Chip! And now back to the rest of the press release…. You can find his Sex Criminals content in the rest of his newsletter. It's just not appropriate here… right Gonzo?

"It has been exciting for The Muppets Studio to collaborate with Marvel Comics in a new and unique way to bring the personality, humor and mayhem of The Muppets into the Marvel Universe and vice versa," said Leigh Slaughter, Vice President of The Muppets Studio. "To do this during the 50th anniversary year of 'The Muppet Show' makes this project even more meaningful."

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