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Muppet King Arthur
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!
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2010
50 people want to read
About the author
Paul Benjamin
111 books5 followersPaul Benjamin is a comic writer and editor for the US comics industry, along with having written his own original manga Pantheon High and other titles for various publishers.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 4, 2010
The King Arthur Tale though very skewed does retain its very basic plotline. Kermit is Arthur, he's reluctant to take on the duties of Kingship but does do them with pride. His main enemy is Sam the Eagle who wants to live in a more Republic nation. The Quest for the Holy Grail is the ultimate challenge but when they arrive home he finds his nephew has joined sides with Sam. The humour in this book is most definitely aimed at adults rather than children. There's a joke about having a recount and somebody says oh, no. Don't tell Florida. There is page where the conversation in every balloon manages to incorporate the name of numerous British rock groups from the Beatles to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to New Order and Madness. And the humour continues in that vein. I thought this was pretty funny but by the end when they had a pun-off contest I was weary of it. Things I liked: the septagonal table, the repeated appearance of the mnah mnah song guy and Fozzie with his head shaved in a tonsure as Friar Tuck. OK, but I'd only recommend to die-hard Muppet fans.
May 10, 2015
This was interesting.
July 31, 2023
The once and future frog king
This adaptation of Arthurian legends by the Muppets is comedy gold (plated.) With a certain amount of wit, puns, and stream of references, some of which are a bit outdated now, the collected works of these four comic books brings us an easy and cheerful story that kids who like jokes will enjoy and adults will understand thanks to the occasional humor a child would not understand.
One thing I found a little annoying though is they switched artists between volume 1 and the rest of the series changing character designs though I wrote it off as time passes and fashions change. The Original style from Dave Alvarez is fun and cartoonish with plenty of emotion expressed while James Silvani brought more of a Muppet style that wouldn't look out of place if they were acting this out on their show. Each has their charms and thankfully they were both better then what I saw from Armand Villavert, Jr. who worked on Muppet Robin Hood (there is a sample at the end of the book along with several other Disney related books.
All in all the combination of humor, art, and wierd story has marked this as one of my favorite Muppet adaptations so far. I hear the Peter Pan one is good too so I am hoping for the best. :)
This adaptation of Arthurian legends by the Muppets is comedy gold (plated.) With a certain amount of wit, puns, and stream of references, some of which are a bit outdated now, the collected works of these four comic books brings us an easy and cheerful story that kids who like jokes will enjoy and adults will understand thanks to the occasional humor a child would not understand.
One thing I found a little annoying though is they switched artists between volume 1 and the rest of the series changing character designs though I wrote it off as time passes and fashions change. The Original style from Dave Alvarez is fun and cartoonish with plenty of emotion expressed while James Silvani brought more of a Muppet style that wouldn't look out of place if they were acting this out on their show. Each has their charms and thankfully they were both better then what I saw from Armand Villavert, Jr. who worked on Muppet Robin Hood (there is a sample at the end of the book along with several other Disney related books.
All in all the combination of humor, art, and wierd story has marked this as one of my favorite Muppet adaptations so far. I hear the Peter Pan one is good too so I am hoping for the best. :)
January 6, 2018
It was a pretty good mash up of Muppets-meet-Arthurian-legend, but I think a lot of the humor wold go over kids' heads, and a lot of that humor is going to get dated quickly. Overall, just OK.
February 12, 2012
I'm loving Boom Comics Muppet comic books right now. They started last year, and while I haven't been able to pick up each issue of the comics as they come out, I've been reading the trade paperback collections of each story. The trade paperbacks are 112 pages long, and usually collect four issues of the comic book. The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson and On the Road were both enjoyable collections of The Muppet Show Comic Book, and the first classic adaptation I read, Muppet Peter Pan was wonderful. So I had high expectations when I picked up Muppet King Arthur.
Those expectations weren't met. I love the Muppets, and I'm fine with them playing other characters. I think of them as a troupe, and so if they're going medieval or into the future or wherever, I'm fine with it. If it's good. Here, writers Paul Benjamin and Patrick Storck deliver a mess of puns (bad ones) and attempts at wordplay that just don't ring true. The best Muppet comics are ones where I can imagine the stories actually playing out that way with the "real" Muppets--here, the story stumbles across the written page.
Kermit the Frog is King Arthur of course, and Miss Piggy is the sorceress Morgana. That leaves Gonzo to be Lancelot, Camilla to be Guenevere (will there be poultry adultery? maybe!), Fozzie as Percival, Animal as Gawain, and Rowlf the Dog as Merlin. Janice makes for a groovy Lady of the Lake, and Kermit's little nephew Robin is Arthur's little nephew Mordred.
The writers put most of the basic plots of the story of King Arthur into the one book, from the Sword in the Stone to the founding of the Round Table (Septagonal, here), to the Holy Grail to Mordred's challenge. And I'll admit that they do shoehorn in those moments well. It's the clunky dialogue, the too-clever asides, and the already dated pop culture references (Susan Boyle? Randy Jackson?) that bog this adventure down.
It's not entirely the writers' fault: the artwork is uneven, with the first issue tackled by Dave Alvarez, and the remaining three chapters by James Silvani. Alvarez' work is stylized to the point that it's distracting, making the Muppets so cartoony that they don't even seem to exist in any kind of reality. Silvani's work is better, but still nowhere near as good as Amy Mebberson (Peter Pan) or Roger Langridge (The Muppet Show).
If you're a die-hard fan of Arthurian Legend (I'm not) you might like this, but for everyone else, I can't recommend this book. I slogged through it, but it wasn't the outing with the Muppets I was hoping for.
Those expectations weren't met. I love the Muppets, and I'm fine with them playing other characters. I think of them as a troupe, and so if they're going medieval or into the future or wherever, I'm fine with it. If it's good. Here, writers Paul Benjamin and Patrick Storck deliver a mess of puns (bad ones) and attempts at wordplay that just don't ring true. The best Muppet comics are ones where I can imagine the stories actually playing out that way with the "real" Muppets--here, the story stumbles across the written page.
Kermit the Frog is King Arthur of course, and Miss Piggy is the sorceress Morgana. That leaves Gonzo to be Lancelot, Camilla to be Guenevere (will there be poultry adultery? maybe!), Fozzie as Percival, Animal as Gawain, and Rowlf the Dog as Merlin. Janice makes for a groovy Lady of the Lake, and Kermit's little nephew Robin is Arthur's little nephew Mordred.
The writers put most of the basic plots of the story of King Arthur into the one book, from the Sword in the Stone to the founding of the Round Table (Septagonal, here), to the Holy Grail to Mordred's challenge. And I'll admit that they do shoehorn in those moments well. It's the clunky dialogue, the too-clever asides, and the already dated pop culture references (Susan Boyle? Randy Jackson?) that bog this adventure down.
It's not entirely the writers' fault: the artwork is uneven, with the first issue tackled by Dave Alvarez, and the remaining three chapters by James Silvani. Alvarez' work is stylized to the point that it's distracting, making the Muppets so cartoony that they don't even seem to exist in any kind of reality. Silvani's work is better, but still nowhere near as good as Amy Mebberson (Peter Pan) or Roger Langridge (The Muppet Show).
If you're a die-hard fan of Arthurian Legend (I'm not) you might like this, but for everyone else, I can't recommend this book. I slogged through it, but it wasn't the outing with the Muppets I was hoping for.
December 31, 2015
I loved the Muppet Parody movies: Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. To my mind, the Muppet movies are the strongest when the company are playing other characters.
So, it was with this hopeful expectation I waded into this re-telling of the King Arthur legend. However, I was disappointed.
While somewhat sympathetic to the authors' social and political views, I was perturbed by the choice to use Sam Eagle as the antagonist and the subsequent American political references this afforded. Resting heavily on the current political context for much of its humor, this book took me precisely into the mental space I wanted to avoid when reading the Muppets.
All was not lost. Some of the funniest parts were references to Monty Python's work on the same subject. And the Lady of the Lake was fantastic. But in the end, I just set it aside.
I understand this book is a collection from the current Muppets comic book which tackled other parodies including Peter Pan, so I may give those a look.
Two stars.
So, it was with this hopeful expectation I waded into this re-telling of the King Arthur legend. However, I was disappointed.
While somewhat sympathetic to the authors' social and political views, I was perturbed by the choice to use Sam Eagle as the antagonist and the subsequent American political references this afforded. Resting heavily on the current political context for much of its humor, this book took me precisely into the mental space I wanted to avoid when reading the Muppets.
All was not lost. Some of the funniest parts were references to Monty Python's work on the same subject. And the Lady of the Lake was fantastic. But in the end, I just set it aside.
I understand this book is a collection from the current Muppets comic book which tackled other parodies including Peter Pan, so I may give those a look.
Two stars.
July 26, 2010
This series was on notice. I didn't love Muppet Peter Pan and went into reading this latest installment with a critical mindset. Is this series worth keeping up with or is the quality on the way down? Thankfully, the answer to the first question was a resounding yes. This was another humorous, Muppet-take on a famous piece of literature. I smiled quite a few times and even laughed to myself once or twice. I was surprised and a little let down they once again let so many cultural references in the book. Would Jim Henson have ever referenced Lost or its equivalent at the time? My only other big complaint was the art for the first issue was not good! The backgrounds were bare and the artist's style was too exaggerated and unMuppet-like. If only they would have kept the artist from the last volume! Ah well... I guess you can't have it all!
October 24, 2011
This may well be my favorite of the Muppet "parody" series/GNs. The art, particularly in the first to chapters/issues, is a lot more "cartoony" than the other parody series, but I kind of liked it once I got used to it (it changes into the more complex style anyway in the later chapters). I think the thing I liked the most about the book, though, was the running gags. There's the constant cameos from the "Mahna Mahna" character, the "Why is it called Camelot?" gag in one issue (LOVE that payoff!), the "plot device" gag that you don't even realize is a gag until later, and the way nobody seems to be able to understand the word "Grail" correctly. They're reminiscent of the "myth" gag in The Muppet Movie; very Muppety. And of course the Monty Python references are in there in several places, but particularly in the last chapter. The whole book is a lot of fun!
June 27, 2010
I just picked this up today and read it. I am familiar with the legend of King Arthur but the Muppets definitely twist it.
Kermit is Arthur the page of Sir Sam the Eagle when he is sent to retrieve a new sword and pulls Excalibur out of the stone, becoming the King of the Britons.
Muppetic chaos insues in the second chapter where Kermit holds a Briton's Got Talent to find knights for his septegonical table and he ends up with Fozzie's jester character and Gonzo's Lancelot who shoots himself out of catapults. Guinevere is a chicken, Miss Piggy is Morgan la Fey, Rolf is Merlin and Robin is Mordred.
Then there's a bit of a misunderstanding when Kermit and the knights go after the grail. Morgan thinks it's a "veil" and tries to stop them.
Kermit is Arthur the page of Sir Sam the Eagle when he is sent to retrieve a new sword and pulls Excalibur out of the stone, becoming the King of the Britons.
Muppetic chaos insues in the second chapter where Kermit holds a Briton's Got Talent to find knights for his septegonical table and he ends up with Fozzie's jester character and Gonzo's Lancelot who shoots himself out of catapults. Guinevere is a chicken, Miss Piggy is Morgan la Fey, Rolf is Merlin and Robin is Mordred.
Then there's a bit of a misunderstanding when Kermit and the knights go after the grail. Morgan thinks it's a "veil" and tries to stop them.
November 19, 2013
Hilariously punny! In true Muppets form, it was full of puns - especially at the end when King Arthur and Mordred have their "pun-off". I do think one has to be a true fan of the Muppets to fully enjoy this - I could hear each characters' voice in my head reading the lines, even the more obscure Muppets. I also thoroughly enjoyed the one issue where the original "ma-na-ma-na" Muppets popped in with their refrain every time someone said any word remotely close to "ma-na-ma-na" (such as phenomenon or promenade HAHAH). I was a little surprised they used some gags that have already become outdated (anyone remember Susan Boyle?), but those were very few. I can't wait to read the rest of the Muppets comics!
October 31, 2010
I love me my Muppets. Can't help but think that kids who are deeply DEEPLY into the show are going to be primarily interesting in this one, though. When young Arthur (Kermit) pulls the sword of Excalibur from the stone, he must face down fellow nobles, Morgan Le Fay (Miss Piggy), and even his own nephew Mordred (Robin) before claiming the kingdom of his own. If you are deeply into Muppet lore then you'll get all the in-jokes and characters. If you aren't, you may miss a lot of what's going on here. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just odd. - B
February 28, 2015
These Muppet books are harder to judge; if the Muppets are just playing the parts in a story, can they be said to be out of character? I think, in this case, they can be, at least some of them. Maybe it's just because I'm a Sam the Eagle fan, but I didn't think he would have been the antagonist for this story and the artwork (especially in the first issue) had Kermit all wrong, making him seem like a snarky jerk. There's some fun stuff in here no doubt, but it doesn't quite work for me.
February 7, 2016
This is King Arthur, as told by the Muppets. I absolutely adore their version! Not only because theirs is much funnier, but Gweneviere and Arthur find true love without any of that nasty adultery business. :-)
December 19, 2010
This comic book was given to me as a gift by my good friend who owns a comic book store and is(somewhat sucessfully) trying to hook me on comics by preying on my love of Kermit. This one is a LOT of fun.
July 22, 2010
I really enjoyed the awful puns in this muppet take on Arthurian legend. Not much more to say about it than that.
August 3, 2010
The tale of King Arthur as only Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Gonzo and the rest of the gang could tell it. Good clean fun for all ages!
October 24, 2010
Liked the story not the art
November 15, 2010
One Sentence Reviews: Not too shabby and definitely invokes the old Muppet Show of yore, though it could stand a little pruning here and there.
April 18, 2011
Laugh out loud fun take on the King Arthur story.
July 19, 2011
I you like reading puns that make your brain cry, read this. And any fan of the Muppets will enjoy this book.
February 13, 2012
Haven't read it ur it's about muppets so it gotta me good :)
November 9, 2014
There just wasn't as much there as the Peter Pan one. And this art style was heavy handed.
March 27, 2016
Stays pretty true to both the Muppets and Arthurian legends. A lot of characters make appropriate appearances and, while some jokes fall flat, it's mostly fun.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews