Muppet King Arthur (Muppet Graphic Novels) #BookReview

muppet-king-arthur by Christopher Jimenez

Bibliographic Info

FROM WORLDCAT
Title: Muppet King Arthur
Author: Paul Benjamin; Dave Alvarez; Patrick Storck; James Silvani
Publisher: Los Angeles, CA : Boom Studios, 2010.
Edition/Format: Print book : Graphic : Fiction : Juvenile audience
Genre/Form: Graphic novels, Fiction, Juvenile works, Juvenile fiction
Material Type: Fiction, Graphic, Juvenile audience
Document Type: eBook
All Authors / Contributors: Paul Benjamin; Dave Alvarez; Patrick Storck; James Silvani
ISBN: 1608865568 9781608865567 9781608865550 160886555X
OCLC Number: 875958645
Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations
Responsibility: writers Paul Benjamin and Patrick Storck ; artists Dave Alvarez (issue 1) ; James Silvani (issues 2-4).
Subjects:
Arthur, -- King -- Juvenile fiction.
Arthur, -- King.
Muppets (Fictitious characters) -- Juvenile fiction.

Background

I love The Muppets. I love everything Muppets. Real quick: Muppet Movie, Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets From Space, The Muppets; all classics. The latest Muppet movie sucked. I saw it, I enjoyed it for what it was... but it was not a classic.

So I was browsing Hoopla again, looking at whatever they had and I saw this Muppet King Arthur graphic novel. I knew that I had to experience the graphic novel series. So I borrowed this from my public library and downloaded the ebook to my phone.

NOTE: The bibliographic info is for the physical edition. I got lazy and didn't locate the e-edition. But don't worry, you can use this info to get it yourself, no problem!

Review

Of course, our lovable green frog friend is the protagonist of this story. Arthur is propelled onto the throne when, as a squire tasked with fetching a sword for Sam of Eagle, the lady of the lake directs him to Excalibur. Arthur the Frog pulls the sword from the stone and is destined to rule all of England.

Sam of Eagle is the main antagonist who is determined to follow the American Democratic process rather than some mystic monarchy. So Arthur is aided by Merlin to assemble his knights by hosting a talent show. They proceed to battle Sam of Eagle, go on a quest and bring civility to England.

As a big fan of the franchise, my expectations might have been too high. I felt that the jokes got a little annoying. I know, the jokes are corny and they are supposed to be corny. But it just felt a little more forced than farce and that is an easy pitfall for this kind of humor.

It was an entertaining read for an afternoon or two, but it's not exactly a "must-add" to my library.

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A New Job!!

Moving Along

I have an old announcement to make: I have taken a new position with the Florida International University Libraries. I am the new Web Services Librarian with the Information & Research Services Department.

I say this is an old announcement because if you know me personally, you already know this info. It has also been updated on all my Social Media profiles, so if you're following me then this might be old news. But it is news I am still super excited about.

Here's a picture of my office decor:

A few tchotchkes have been set up in the office. I might be official now... #fiulibraries #librarylife

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 16, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

Here's an interesting little factoid: FIU was recently named the second-best place to work in Florida behind Publix by Forbes Magazine.

A History Lesson

While I am new to the position, I am not new to FIU Libraries.

My first gig was in a computer lab in the Reference department (before its name was changed to I&RS). I also worked in the Juvenile Collection/Curriculum Lab. After a few organizational changes I ended up working full-time for the Division of IT at FIU—that's how I was able to put myself through graduate school (that & my wife who also worked at FIU which brought income and a discount for Family health coverage).

It was at FIU that I decided to become a librarian. I observed the librarians in Reference. I was impressed with their vast knowledge (especially at the age of 19, but still, it's vast). I knew that this was something I wanted to do some day.

All in all, I spent nine (9) working years at FIU before leaving for Fort Myers. And now I am back! And FIU has welcomed me back with wide open arms. (In my two weeks on the job, I've been officially welcomed 3 times in front of various groups and countless times on a personal level.)

Where I Was

By definition, no two places could possibly be exactly the same. There are a lot of differences between the Fort Myers Beach Free Public Library and the Florida International University Libraries. In fact, they are completely different from one another. Just the sheer size of each institution can account for these differences.

Please note that I do not intend to disparage FMBPL. Though I am not happy with how I was treated on the way out, I am grateful for the opportunity they afforded me when nobody else offered me employment. I worked hard for them and feel like my contributions both technically and pedagogically left the place better and more enriched than when I started. I certainly am a better librarian today than I was on day 1.

I suppose the takeaway here is that work environment is a critical part of the job search. You can make more money, but if the environment does not suit your disposition then it may not be a good fit. You may not be happy if going to work is a drag. When I took the position at FMB, I knew the Public library was not my first choice. I respect the public library. I believe it is a critical component of civic health. I also now know that it is not somewhere that I fit in, personally.

Where I Am Headed

I will be taking the year to get acclimated to my new position. It is new on many levels, not the least of which being university faculty as opposed to staff and the different responsibilities related to that position. During this period of time, I will be welcoming my third child into this world.

Sometime in 2017, I plan to begin my Ph.D. That will probably keep me occupied well into 2019/2020. By then, I'll have to figure out my future once again.

Of course, these are my plans and they are always subject to change...

Storytime With James Earl Jones

Who doesn't like Children's Books?

I think everyone likes a good reading, particularly from James Earl Jones. I had no clue that he was a stutterer and dyslexic. That goes to show you that our shortcomings can be overcome with some hard work. Enjoy!