SpongeBob Comics was a comic book series based on the animated TV show SpongeBob SquarePants, published by United Plankton Pictures and distributed by Bongo Comics.  It was initially published every two months in the United States beginning in February 2011 and was published monthly from June 2012 to October 2018.  Originally, Stephen Hillenburg authored an educational comic book in 1989, called The Intertidal Zone, while he worked as a teacher of marine science at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California.  This comic book depicted ocean life through anthropomorphic sea creatures, as the character of Bob the Sponge, a natural sponge with sunglasses who would become the first prototype of SpongeBob SquarePants.  The universe of the SpongeBob SquarePants series is therefore directly inspired by The Intertidal Zone.  Following the launch of the SpongeBob SquarePants television series in 1999, Nickelodeon Magazine regularly published in its issues numerous comic stories from the series' universe.  In 2009, the first comics book compilation of SpongeBob SquarePants comics, Comic Crazy! was published, featuring various comic stories published in Nickelodeon Magazine.  A second volume is published a year later.  American distributor Tokyopop also adapted several episodes of the series into cine-manga comics.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob_Comics   

David Lewman is a children’s book author who has written more than 65 books starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, the Fairly Odd Parents, G.I. Joe, the Wild Thornberrys, and other popular characters.  His works include Batter Up!, Drop the Beat!, and The Knight Before Christmas.  View titles by David Lewman at https://prhinternationalsales.com/author/?authorid=185116   

Some people might associate Lake Erie with long vacation days on the beach, stunning sunsets, and “lake monster” Bessie, but fishermen see it as a treasure trove.  While there are many fish species to choose from, Walleye fishing on Lake Erie is phenomenal.  There are many reasons walleye is the absolute favorite catch on Lake Erie.  These big-eyed apex predators fight like no other freshwater species, and they’ve got the teeth to prove it.  There are millions of them in the lake, and a good number of them are trophy specimens.  Average walleye weigh from 3–7 pounds, but you could easily stumble upon 10–12 lb lunkers.  To get their attention, threadfin shad is a good choice since it’s their favorite food.  These clear-eyed fellas also can’t resist alewives, emerald shiners, or smelt.  The key, however, is in the presentation.  Walleye see very well, even in dark and murky waters–hence the name and the affectionate nickname ‘Eyes.’  The choice of technique and tackle is just as important as what’s on the hook.  Present your offering in the part of the water column where your prey lives or slightly above it.  These fish are ready to swim up to get their food, but they won’t bother going lower, to colder waters.  This species doesn’t shy away from tucking into other fish, especially yellow perch.    Their teeth are so strong that they can even tear into another walleye if need be.  In short, they’re apex predators through and through.  Written by Andriana   Read extensive article with pictures at https://fishingbooker.com/blog/walleye-fishing-lake-erie/   

The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces.  The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and specified combatant commands.  It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military.  It increases in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations, with DEFCON 1 signalling the outbreak of nuclear warfare.  Over DEFCONs are a subsystem of a series of Alert Conditions, or LERTCONs, which also include Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs.)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEFCON   

What is the origin of the phrase church key when referring to a bottle opener?  Apparently bottles, especially beer bottles, were once opened with heavy, cast iron openers that resembled the same type of key used to open church doors in Europe.  The name stuck even for today’s modern openers.  https://www.almanac.com/fact/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-3  Thank you, Muse reader!   

Author and illustrator Mo Willems has been awarded the American Library Association’s Caldecott Honor three times for his picture book illustration.  Additionally, he is the recipient of two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors for his Elephant & Piggie early readers.  Mo began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards.  His work has been exhibited around the world, including solo retrospectives at the High Museum in Atlanta and the New-York Historical Society.  Over the last decade, Mo has written three musical theater works based on his books, two of which were commissioned and toured by the Kennedy Center.  His papers reside at Yale University’s Beinecke Library.  https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/   

November 14, 2022  For the past month, in honor of its 125th birthday, the Brooklyn Public Library has been counting down its 125 most-borrowed books of all time, and today, Gothamist released the top five.  Overall, the list is as eclectic as you might expect for an enormous urban library system.  There are plenty of standard high school required reading titles (The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, and To Kill a Mockingbird all cracked the top 20), and there’s also a surprising (to me, at least) number of manga titles.  The majority of the places are held by children’s books.  Dr. Seuss books take up 17 places, and every Harry Potter book except the final one are on there (plus Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them).  Eric Carle, Ezra Jack Keats, and Mo Willems all appear multiple times, and though Maurice Sendak only features once, he makes it count:  Where the Wild Things Are is number one on the list.  Here are the top five books:  1. Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are; 2. Ezra Jack Keats, The Snowy Day; 3. Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat; 4. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol; and 5. PD Eastman, Are You My Mother? You can browse the whole list here.  And happy birthday to the Brooklyn Public Library!  Jessie Gaynor  https://lithub.com/here-are-the-brooklyn-public-librarys-most-borrowed-books-of-all-time/   

http://librariansmuse/blogspot.com  Issue 2592  November 16, 2022