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Graphic Novel Review: Belzebubs by J.P. Ahonen

Belzebubs by J.P. Ahonen

Top Shelf Productions, 2019

ISBN: 9781603094429

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, comiXology edition, special editions with full album and band merch

The life of a metal band can be challenging, especially trying to balance time with family and religious obligations to fulfill. Called a “trve kvlt mockumentary”, Belzebubs, which started out as a webcomic,  gives us a glimpse of the life and times of a black metal band, complete with home life, raising a family, young love, and a healthy dose of the occult. The band is struggling with staying afloat after a lengthy hiatus. With their new line up– Sløth on vocals and guitars, Hubbath on vocals and bass, Obesyx on lead guitar, and new member Samaël on drums– they are ready to take on the world… and the underworld. Oh, and everyone wears corpse paint, even Grandma.

Since there is a lot of content relating to Sløth’s family life, it would be terrible of me not to include the female characters in this review. Lucyfer, Lilith, and Grandma are all compelling characters. Lucyfer, Sløth’s wife, is a stay-at-home mother, and her interaction with their children is loving and hilarious. Lucyfer finally gets the baby to sleep, but when she turns her back, baby is floating in the air and muttering incantations. Lucyfer and Sløth are a devoted couple, and will do anything to protect their kids from harm. When Leviathan wakes his parents up to complain that God is watching him, Sløth wastes no time in chasing an old man with a long white beard, and wearing a robe, out of their yard. Their daughter, Lilith, is a particularly compelling character. She’s a teenager with hormones everywhere, falling in love with a nerdy boy in class who compliments her on her choice of headphones, and doing everything she can to give him the hint. Her methods are unconventional, but relatable at some level. Then there’s Grandma. She’s a fairly recent widow, but will not let Grandpa go… literally.

There is also plenty of Lovecraftian and demonic activity going on in this series: Grandma makes the kids’ favorite meal, Soup Niggurath; Leviathan accidentally leaves a portal to another dimension open and demons get in the house; and Sløth and Lucyfer even take a relaxing vacation to Hell to get away from it all.

I highly recommend Belzebubs to fans of black metal and Lovecraft. It’s funny, irreverent, and, in its own weird way, heartwarming. The fact that the band has a website with their album, band merch, and music videos makes it all the more interesting for me.  Highly recommended.

Music video link for Cathedrals of Mourning: https://youtu.be/SkdkZN1rduo

Music video link for Blackened Call: https://youtu.be/sxzb00dqNg4

Contains: a little bit of nudity

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on June 23, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Cats vs. Robots: This Is War by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson

Cats vs. Robots: This Is War by Margaret Stohl and Lewis Peterson, illustrated by Kay Peterson

HarperCollins, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-0062665706

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

Cats vs. Robots: This Is War is a rare treat at a time when things have gotten pretty serious and scary, and there is a lot of anger and misunderstanding out there. The technologically oriented Wengrod family gets caught in the middle of an intergalactic race between a robot empire and an empire of cats, to acquire the “Singularity Chip,” , which could lead to immortality. Twins Max and Min are nothing alike: Min loves school, order, and inventing robots, while Max hates school and loves videogames and the neighbors’ cat. Despite knowing his parents and sister hate cats, Max rescues two kittens and brings them home, only to discover that their inventor parents have taken off on a work trip to China, leaving them in the care of their cousin Javi, who is willing to give the kittens, a source of chaos, a tryout. Obi, the elderly neighborhood cat, is an agent of the cat empire, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to survive long enough to thwart the robots and acquire the chip, so he sends the kittens on a mission, but being kittens they primarily create chaos, and they manage, unknowingly, to damage the robot Min has been building (it’s pretty awesome to see Min at work– there should be more science- and coding-loving girls in fiction). In the meantime, the robot empire has managed to subvert the electronic system that controls the house, which tries to convince the Wengrods’ early robot creations to stop the kittens and find and retrieve the Singularity Chip, invented by Max and Min’s parents and hidden from thieves. In the midst of all this, Max and Min have to make peace with each other, and both robots and cats have to accept that not all of them share all the same traits.

Javi, while not a main character, plays an important role in a couple of ways. First, they are the first nonbinary character I’ve seen in a middle grade book, and Stohl and Peterson take the time to explain it in a way kids should be able to understand (Stohl has a nonbinary child). Second, Javi, knowing what it is to not fit inside a single box, is both understanding and encouraging in trying to make peace between the robots and the cats. Stohl and Petersen do a nice job of making Javi a part of the story without making them the focus.

Stohl’s characterization of both cats and robots made me grin. She takes their most common traits and exaggerates them to the point that I had to laugh, but at the same time shows individuals who display differences. This is a funny book and a fast read with a serious theme and plenty of action and wackiness that is perfect for engaging readers of all kinds, in a time when it seems people can find nothing to bring them together.  Highly recommended.

Posted on October 29, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: True Fiction by Lee Goldberg

True Fiction by Lee Goldberg

Thomas & Mercer, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1503949188

Available: Hardcover, Kindle, audiobook, MP3 CD

 

Lee Goldberg is a skilled screenwriter who has written for hits such as Monk and Diagnosis: Murder, among others. He has written 15 Monk tie-in novels, each filled with the humor that made the show rock; and readers have figured out that Goldberg is one hell of a storyteller. In True Fiction, already a best-selling thriller, Goldberg spins a wild tale about a novelist caught up in a real-life plot that he penned himself. The writing and wit are razor-sharp, and the characters will keep readers laughing throughout.

Ian Ludlow, author of the Clint Straker novels (cheesy thrillers that are included within the text via hilarious snippets), once worked with the CIA to dream up scenarios for the agency to solve in global disasters. When a plane crashes into a Honolulu hotel, he realizes that he wrote about that exact event during a retreat with several of his contemporary thriller writers. He discovers that one by one, the writers who participated are dying off, with Ludlow himself surviving an assassination attempt that led to a broken arm.

While on a book tour, Ian and Margo, his author escort (who also works as a dog walker) find themselves on the run from those truly behind the attacks. Margo serves as a perfect foil for him as they escape together in the most improbable ways from enemies who can see their every move.

True Fiction is a wild, fun ride that doesn’t let up until the final page. Goldberg tells a masterful, fast-paced story with a perfectly balanced mix of humor and action, as the novel straddles the line between the thrilling and absurd. Highly recommended for fans of Goldberg’s shows, great storytelling, or simply a rollicking, good read. This would make a great film and thankfully, is planned to be a series of books.

Posted on March 29, 2018 by , Reply
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