Some stories just won’t die. Whether studios or publishers churn out sequel after sequel, or wait a few years to simply reboot the thing, some franchises have been going on for ages in our current media landscape. Then there’s archetypical stories and legends that are so old and well-known that they’ve been adapted into countless versions, sometimes only having a tertiary connection to the source material. And of course, there’s the nostalgia factor; reviving long-dead (or dormant, I suppose) media to serve it up to a new audience, or, more realistically, to recapture the old one and have them get their children into it.

Let’s start with an enduring tale: The Legend of King Arthur. Even if you’ve never read or watched any media that has its basis in this legend (however loosely), you’ve likely at least heard of the guy who pulled a sword out of a stone. Or was it given to him by some watery tart? Apparently, there are different versions of the legend, and even Excalibur wasn’t always Excalibur. Here though, I’d like to highlight a classic retelling of the tale, and a more modern follow-up that plays with the formula in an interesting way.

For the classic telling, it’s The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Set in the mythical realm of Camelot, the book follows the young Arthur as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery under the guidance of the wise wizard Merlin. And that’s Wizard with a capital W. (Not Wizzard, though, thankfully. I don’t think Rincewind would have made a great mentor). Magic is very much a part of this telling, unlike some takes on the legend. As Arthur matures, he grapples with complex moral dilemmas, pulls a sword from a stone, gets another sword from the Lady of the Lake, and unites his Knights of the Round table in a quest to use might to make right, and create a utopian kingdom. T.H. White’s entrancing narrative and vivid characters weave a magical tapestry, rendering this epic an essential sojourn for those yearning to be captivated by a fantastical adventure of ages past.

For a more modern take with a very different vibe, let’s look at Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. Given that The Arthurian Legend is about the founding of Britain, the characters and stories tend to be predominantly, or exclusively, white. Deonn’s YA novel, the first in a trilogy in which book two is already out, takes the Arthurian tale into modern times, in which a group of descendants of the original knights are locked in a secret battle with invading demons. This group, though, is all white and deeply racist. Cue Bree Matthews, a black teenager discovering their order, and her own connection to it, while searching for clues about her mother’s death. Someone tried to wipe her memory of that, but it doesn’t stick. Deonn’s fresh take on the Arthurian legend brings diversity and new relevance to the age-old narrative, weaving magic and mystery into the tapestry of a new generation of heroes.

Moving away from legends (though I probably could do an entire post on King Arthur… Though I warn everyone in advance that Monty Python will be sprinkled liberally throughout that), how about a franchise that just keeps going that’s also technically a reboot of an earlier series. Mission Impossible. I haven’t been following the more recent movies, but I know there’s one in theatres right now, and imagine my surprise when I look up the title to see that there’s a “part one” tacked on to the end: Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One. I can’t help you watch the current release, but if you want to see where the movies began, we have the first one in the catalogue. We also have where it truly all began: season one of the Mission Impossible TV series. And since I’m throwing in a bunch of links at this point, have an earworm. The movies may have changed the characters around and become more focused on action and Tom Cruise’s stunts than the TV show, but they kept the iconic music. Oh, and while I linked the first movie to follow Ethan Hunt’s impossible missions, we do have the rest of them as well, so if you’re looking to re-watch them all before checking out Dead Reckoning, all you’ll need is your VPL library card.

Now for something sitting squarely in the nostalgia bracket: Animaniacs. The original show (which we sadly do not have in the collection, other 90s kids hit up that suggest a title page!) premiered in 1993 and, while being great for kids, still had plenty going on for adults watching too. I’ll refrain from linking more of the innuendos, but searching “Animaniacs goodnight everybody” on youtube will give you plenty of options to start exploring that rabbit hole. Beyond that, the show satirized other popular or significant media and took pot-shots at, mostly American, political figures from both sides of the spectrum. It also produced the spin-off show Pinky and the Brain, in which a megalomaniacal genius lab mouse and his ditzy cage-partner embark on nightly quests to take over the world. Both the Warner Siblings and Pinky and the Brain return in the 2020 reboot and with the series still being produced by Steven Spielberg, it’s a welcome return to the Warner animated world. Just the trailer got fans excited, and the show managed to capture the energy and zaniness of the original. Sadly the revival lasted only three seasons before Hulu cancelled it. Still, the first two seasons are in the catalogue, so enjoy them without needing to pay for yet another subscription service.

I’m running a bit longer than I thought I would here, so I’ll save my final topic for next months’ blog. Which will hopefully give me a chance to play at least part of the original pair of games. Though Tears of the Kingdom is still dominating my playtime. Aaaaaand now I think I have to add a Legend of Zelda post to my topic list. Would anyone be interested in reading about that? Are my readers aware that there’s Zelda Manga? Or that Hyrule Historia is a thing? Not linking them here to save them for the eventual post, but what’s one of my posts without a bit of rambling?

See you all next month!

Oh! One more thing! Footnotes or parenthesis? I can’t write without my little side (snide?) comments, but I can change the format I use for them. Footnotes are perhaps less intrusive but take longer to format, while parenthesis makes them more immediate and harder to ignore when I decide to eat my readers’ time with TVtropes links. If you’ve got a preference for one or the other, let me know in the comments.