Belzebubs

by JP Ahonen

Overview

Juggling work and family can be... hell. Calvin & Hobbes meets Call of Cthulhu as the sensationally popular heavy metal webcomic Belzebubs comes to print in a grim, goofy, and gorgeous hardcover.

Belzebubs is a "trve kvlt mockumentary" focusing on the everyday challenges of family life: raising kids, running a small business, and making time for worship. Except the kids are named Lilith and Leviathan, the business is a black-metal band, and the worship... isn't exactly aimed upstairs.

In a few short years, what started out as improvised social-media doodles has now become a wildly successful webcomic with hundreds of thousands of fans. The irresistible cartooning of JP Ahonen (Sing No Evil) combines relatable slice-of-life humor with over-the-top occult antics and references from metal music to Lovecraftian horror, making Belzebubs a devil of a good time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603094429
Publisher:	IDW Publishing
Publication date:	03/19/2019
Series:	Belzebubs
Pages:	120
Sales rank:	489,215
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 6.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

JP Ahonen is the author of two Sunday newspaper comic strips published weekly in his native Finland. He also appeared in Kazu Kibuishi's Flight anthologies #4-8. His debut graphic novel Sing No Evil, co-written with KP Alare, gathered wide critical acclaim and has been published in seven languages.

After spending his teenage years immersed in making music and comics, Ahonen continued to the University of Lapland to study graphic design in the Faculty of Arts. Today, JP works as a full-time comic book artist and teaches classes in schools and universities. He lives in Tampere, Finland with his wife and kids.

He is the guest of honor of the 2018 Helsinki Comics Festival, held September 1-2, 2018.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/21/2019

This collection of one-page webcomics weaves slice-of-life drama and mockumentary-style humor into a pentagram of laughs, relatable moments, and a love for black metal. Sl0th is a black metal band frontman; his devoted wife, Lucyfer, gets turned on by Exorcist role play; and everyone from Grandma (who cherishes Grandpa’s decaying corpse) to kids Leviathan and Lilith (who speculate about whether Satan Claus is actually dad in a horned mask) to three-headed pup Lupus is devoted to a gloomy, spiky aesthetic. Though the usual issues come up—keeping the spice alive in marriage, adolescent social angst, getting a baby to go to sleep—they’re given new twists: tween Leviathan’s rebellious phase involves distressing his parents by scrubbing his face clean of makeup, tying his shaggy hair into a neat ponytail, and saying grace before dinner. Eschewing metaphor and complex plot for comedy, the series relies on the strength of its humor and fourth-wall-breaking presentation in a way that is as twisted as it is sidesplitting. Each of the strips is further brought to life with densely shaded cartooning that emphasizes the characters’ highly expressive faces (even through the starkness of black face paint) and the absurdity of the ever-present need to keep things metal—Lilith even reads Gothmapolitan. With a niche aesthetic and tongue-in-cheek charm, this collection of strips takes the humor of family life to a fantastic extreme. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

As twisted as it is sidesplitting… [Belzebubs] weaves slice-of-life drama and mockumentary-style humor into a pentagram of laughs, relatable moments, and a love for black metal.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This webcomic has become a cult sensation... it’s a silly, Addams Family-esque family comedy with a perfect cartoony style." — Barnes & Noble (Best of the Month)

"Pure joy… the whole book works as a loving parody of all the idiosyncrasies that make the black-metal scene both wonderful and ridiculous." — Brett Calwood, LA Weekly (Book of the Week)

”Belzebubs strikes that delicate balance between adorable and totally f***ing metal.”—Steven Seigh, Talking Comics

"Belzebubs takes the blueprint of the modern nuclear family and gleefully twists it into a counter-culture extravaganza that would make Charles Addams and Al Feldstein grin with delight and throw the horns high... one of the funniest, most instantly relatable and charming books it has been my pleasure to read in many a year." — Tim Cundle, Mass Movement

"Even if you're not a black-metal-loving, corpse-paint-wearing kind of goth, this comic is still for you... Of course, if you are full-on goth (corpse paint or no), you will die laughing... I know I did!" — Sheena McNeil, Sequential Tart

"Belzebubs are your favorite cartoon black metal band." — Kerrang

"They’re like Gorillaz, except cooler and more kvlt." — Decibel

"While this can be read and enjoyed at face value, it is also an interesting take on the concept of an outsider and sub culture and portrays this as a happy loving family who in their own way are totally well-adjusted." — House of Prog

"Hilarious, inventive, and original, it’s a hard read to put down… Belzebubs brings a really new viewpoint and take on a genre known for taking itself too seriously." — Spill Magazine

From the Publisher