On his website, Mike Thaler is referred to as "America's Riddle King." After reading his Black Lagoon Adventure series I suspect this is a self-appointed title because, although his books clearly revolve around word play, "Riddle King of America" is a a bit of a stretch.
In the spirit of The Dumb Bunnies or Ameilia Bedelia, Black Lagoon Adventures relys partly on situation comedy, but mostly on puns, double entendres, rhymes and alliteration to get a laugh. Sometimes it worked and made me crack a half-hearted smile, but mostly, for me, it fell flat. For instance, in book #3, The Class Election, the main character, Hubie, campaigns for class president with the slogan, "Don't be a Booby, vote for Hubie." (Keep in mind I am an English teacher, and probably more critical than the average 7+ year old).
I will give Thayer credit for his energetic approach to humor--he does try to be clever and create a dynamic plot--but much of the word play made me go, huh? The off-beat illustrations by Jared Lee lend strength to the series and are integral to the jokes, but even they don't always put the punch in punch-line.
Overall, it's not a horrible series. It's kinda cute and kinda witty, so I guess I'll kinda recommend it.
In the spirit of The Dumb Bunnies or Ameilia Bedelia, Black Lagoon Adventures relys partly on situation comedy, but mostly on puns, double entendres, rhymes and alliteration to get a laugh. Sometimes it worked and made me crack a half-hearted smile, but mostly, for me, it fell flat. For instance, in book #3, The Class Election, the main character, Hubie, campaigns for class president with the slogan, "Don't be a Booby, vote for Hubie." (Keep in mind I am an English teacher, and probably more critical than the average 7+ year old).
I will give Thayer credit for his energetic approach to humor--he does try to be clever and create a dynamic plot--but much of the word play made me go, huh? The off-beat illustrations by Jared Lee lend strength to the series and are integral to the jokes, but even they don't always put the punch in punch-line.
Overall, it's not a horrible series. It's kinda cute and kinda witty, so I guess I'll kinda recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment