Belzebubs (Vol 2): No Rest for the Wicked

Hilarious and irreverent. While the family is loveable, and the situations within the realm of normal, the presentation is wildly funny and smart. I think I smiled the whole time I was reading this.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

No matter the circumstances, family is family. Even if you’re the frontman of a Satanic metal band, there’s always room in your black heart for your loved ones. JP Ahonen’s web comic Belzebubs has becoming something of a phenomenon, spawning albums, virtual concerts, and even cute plushies. It’s easy to see why in its second collection of comics, as No Rest for the Wicked shows why love and black metal conquers all.

The family of Sløth, Lucy, Lilith, and Leviathan tackle it all as a family. Internship woes, band practice, Satanic rituals, the works. Yes, they’re quite unconventional, but as readers will come to find, even their struggles are relatable. But as their daily lives are showcased, this black metal-loving family will take on everything life tosses their way. Of course, it helps that they’ve got some literal Hellspawns to protect them when shit goes haywire.

Why Belzebubs works as a comic is showcased gleefully in this second volume. The mixture of affection and debauchery that splatters these pages is a combination that creates beautiful chaos. Sometimes it leads to a joke, like Lucy emerging as a literal demon when coming to Leviathan’s defense during a school meeting. Other times, it’s a silly school report about Sløth that leaves the black metal frontman teary-eyed.

Ahonen’s knack for character evolution is strong, and No Rest for the Wicked presents that in stride. This is shown especially when it comes to Lilith, who is in a relationship with the normal boy Sam. Although he’ll slap on the metal makeup to appease his beloved, Lilith’s means of showing that she loves him the way he is can be genuinely heartfelt. The same goes for Sam, who loves Lilith for all she is. (That includes her god-slaying farts.)

But it’s Sløth who is the star of Belzebubs. Even when dealing with band financial woes or difficult guitar licks, he always fits in time to be a great dad. So much so, that it even benefits from his current temp job, one that I’m certain most black metal-loving folks would be turned away from in an instant. Yet he marches on with gusto, bringing in dough and shockingly moral lessons that those within and outside the comic can take a cue from!

Even the blackest of metal cannot defeat parental mannerisms. Whether it’s tutoring a suspended son, making horrible food puns in public, or comforting those who have terrible nightmares, being good parents is the most important thing in the lives of Sløth and Lucy. Although their style is not of the norm, it does bring the same results: strong independent kids who’ll do what’s right, even if it requires a literal sacrificial sheep.

You don’t have to be a lover of Satan or black metal to see what makes Belzebubs great. It’s funny, earnest, and filled with more love than any Family Circus strip could even fathom. Vol. II: No Rest for the Wicked demonstrates this with the same tenacity as a Sunn O))) guitar solo. It’s loud, fast, in-your-face, and — most of important of all — a beautiful work of art that your senses cannot deny.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher IDW Publishing Top Cow Productions for an advanced copy of this collection about a family that is strong in their love for each other, and their dreams of trying to make domestic bliss, and their father's dream of being a superstar in the death metal scene.

I have loved comic strips fora long time, but I haven't found many that I enjoy or even find interesting anymore. Most are single joke, or lack heart or full of tired jokes and a meanness that seems to taint everything. Seldom do I laugh while reading these, even more seldom do I remember that they exist or look for them again. There are exceptions, but they are few and far between. It has been a long time since I have been excited by a comic strip. And even longer that I ordered the first collection of a comic strip, and pre-ordered the second to be sure I get it. Even odder I did this all in the first quarter of the book. I was that hooked. In fact I called and left a rambling voice message with a friend I haven't talked to in a while, which was probably a no-no, she hates phones. I said I have read something that is so good, and so much like you I am sure you already know about it, because you are cool like that, but I can't take the chance you might miss this. I told her the title and added please don't kill me. Belzebubs (Vol 2): No Rest for the Wicked is that good, I broke etiquette laws for it. And I would do it again. Written by Finnish cartoonist, J.P. Ahonen this series sounds big overseas, and probably Japan, and Hail Satan I hope it becomes just as big here.

Sløth once had dreams of being a Death Metal God with his band, but life got in the way. Life as in his daughter Lilith, who he had with his wife Lucy. Lucy went to work for Limbo, the premiere advertising firm, and Sløth became a stay-at-home Dad, for his daughter and soon his son, Leviathan. Sløth is quite good at being a Daddy, and works nights and weekends trying to get his band, that is currently between labels going. As in any family there are problems. Lucy is thinking of starting her own firm. Lilith is acting out at school, killing a sheep in class leading to a suspension, and dating the new young drummer in her father's band. Leviathan has typical problems dealing with demons appearing, the usual kid stuff. As money gets tight, Sløth returns to the work force doing what he is best at, working at a day school, and teaching the preschoolers how to put their face paint on.

This was so much fun. Foxtrot for Cthulhu, Blondie for the metal heads. What sounds like a one-joke idea is something so much more. This is a story about a family that loves each other. Sløth and his wife support each other, love each other and pick each other up when feeling down. Sløth's dreams might have been derailed by children, but he doesn't blame them, they are the best things in his life, and he lets them know. Sure the daughter is feeling things, but in the end she still loves her parents. Cheap jokes don't exist here, the humor is real, sometimes dealing with Satan, sometimes dealing with a minor situation. The heart, the love, the emotion though is real. Shown not only in the writing but in the art. Some is cartoony but never in a bad way. This is really a epic work, like a great guitar solo that wasn't stolen from Iron Maiden. I really enjoyed this quite a bit, and want to sing it's praises in a blasted out church somewhere.

There is a lot of adult talk, so probably not for young kids, teens though will get it. And like it. One can't help but like it. Every panel has heart, hope and acceptance. Something rare in the world. Sløth and Luck might seem foolish, but don't mess with their family. The Old Ones owe them favors. I can't suggest this enough, and I can't wait to read more by J.P. Ahonen.