Muppet King Arthur by Paul Benjamin, Patrick Storck, & CompanyDate Completed: January 21, 2011
Reason for Reading: Carry on with the Series.
Many have sought the Holy Grail, and many have failed. Now the Muppets present some very good reasons why, as they recount the fantastic quest of King Arthur and his Muppets of the Round Table! This classic tale of adventure, romance, and magic is told once again, but this time with more frogs, chickens, bears, and Whatnots than you can shake Excalibur at! In the words of Fozzie, it will be a "knight" to remember! Features a cover gallery with art from David Petersen, the Eisner Award-winning creator of Mouse Guard!Fiction or non-fiction? Genre?
Fiction. Classic retelling in graphic novel format.
What led you to pick up this book?
I have all ready read and reviewed Muppet Robin Hood and Muppet Peter Pan.
Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending!
This is like the classic story meets Monty Python, but with Muppets. It stays to the story a bit, but it also has fun with it. Kermit plays King Arthur. Percival is played by Fozzie. Animal is Gawain. Morgana is Piggy. I expected her to be Guinevere. Dog (?) is Merlin. The annoying hippy woman, I need to look up her name, is the Lady of the Lake. She didn't bother me as much in this one. Gonzo is Lancelot. A chicken plays Guinevere. I know, weird, huh? Think about it, though...
What did you like most about the book?
The humour. This books are just funny and fun. That's really the only reason that I am reading them. They took lots of liberties with the story and I appreciated them. King Arthur is always one of my favourite stories, so I enjoy reading any retellings.
What did you like least?
I thought it was a little strange that a chicken plays Guinevere. It never occurred to me when I was a child that there were so few female characters in the Muppets. That's good, though. Nowadays it would bother me... Yes, the chicken makes sense, but all she does is cluck. (That's another thing that would bother me now that didn't bother me as a child... Think about it...) Although, they did make some homour out of her inability to speak, so it wasn't as bad as it could be.
Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books?
This author, no, but I have read other books in the series. I liked this book and Muppet Peter Pan way better than Muppet Robin Hood. They took too many liberties with Robin Hood and it was just weird. These stories were just fun...
What did you think of the main character?
Kermit as King Arthur. It makes a lot of sense because he is the leader of the Muppets. It works well for him. I always enjoy Kermit. It's a childhood thing! I sort of wish they would mix things up a bit, though, and I am happy to see it looks like Fozzie plays Sherlock Holmes and obviously Miss Piggy is Snow White.
What about the ending?
The end was something they took a lot of liberties with. The narrator even comments on how they decided to change things drastically for a change and I enjoyed it. It is how Arthur should have played out, but obviously things like that never happen!
What did you think of the cover?
Once again, I liked the cover but I think some of the ones in the galley included at the back are way better!
Series:
Muppet Peter Pan
Muppet King Arthur
Muppet Sherlock Holmes
Muppet Snow White
I love the Muppets. I grew up watching The Muppet Show religiously, know the opening song by heart still today, and every so often pull the show, or a film, out just for the pleasure of spending time with them again.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Jim's son has made some wonderful films in his father's absence, I believe the early death of Jim Henson was a real loss to the creative film-making community. He was a unique, magical individual.
Carl: I know. I was very sad when Jim died. Everything changed in that moment. I still have enjoyed what has came since, but it is just not the same. I would eventually like to have the show on DVD.
ReplyDeleteI just have the first season and would like to get the rest at some point. And I agree, the stuff without Jim isn't quite the same.
ReplyDeleteCarl: I tried to watch the first season from the library but it was all scratched. Then I considered asking for it for Christmas, but got the Pacific instead... Maybe later in the year I will splurge on at least the first season!
ReplyDelete