Never Had To Fight » Joey Comeau

Bible Camp Bloodbath

Adam M. Anklewicz — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:42:20 +0000

Last night I read Joey Comeau’s Bible Camp Bloodbath, a tale of murder and death. I’ve long been a fan of Comeau’s work with Emily Horne called A Softer World, but I’ve also enjoyed two of his novels, Overqualified and One Bloody Thing After Another.

One of my favourite parts of this novel, is the blurb on the back, which reads:

Bible Camp Bloodbath is a story about a boy named Martin. Martin is going to Bible Camp, and he’s going to make a lot of new friends. He’s excited, too, but that’s probably because nobody told him what the book is called.

The book isn’t as funny as his previous horror novel, but it’s still got a few laughs in there among the blood and gore. While the previous one was more of a proper novel, Bible Camp Bloodbath reads like a ’70s low budget horror flick. It’s definitely a worthwhile read, and you’ll blow throw it in a few hours.

One Bloody Thing After Another

Adam M. Anklewicz — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:00:42 +0000

Joey Comeau’s follow up to Overqualified is One Bloody Thing After Another. The previous was the tale of a man’s loss of his brother, as told through cover letters, while One Bloody Thing After Another is a comedy-horror.

Jackie is a teenager in high school. Her mother died, and she’s been haunted since. She wants to ask out her best friend Ann. Ann’s mother is transforming into a beast, and has been refusing food, unless it was still living. Then there’s Charlie, who along with his dog Mitchie are being haunted by a headless ghost who seems to leave a lot of blood in her wake.

While it’s a horror novel, it’s not scary, or maybe I’m just a cold-blooded asshole. It’s funny, and I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be funny. If you’re a fan of Comeau’s and Emily Horne’s webcomic A Softer World, you’d know what type of humour to expect.

Comeau had me laughing out loud, in public, only three pages into the book, in the prologue. Ann’s mother had just left an interview.

“That did not go well,” Jeff says.
He can joke because none of the blood landed on him.

The book is short, at only 165 pages, and its filled with over 50 short chapters. I breezed through the book in a matter of hours, and didn’t want to put it down. All the characters have an interesting history, getting the reader directly connected immediately, and the humour will surprise you.

March 2010, in review

Adam M. Anklewicz — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:00:26 +0000

Books I read (6/10) – 60%:
Overqualified by Joey Comeau | Originally published 2009:canadacry:
Fear of Fighting by Stacey May Fowles & Marlena Zuber | Originally published 2008:canadacry:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 4 Time Of Your Life by Jeph Loeb & Joss Whedon | Originally published 2009
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby | Originally released 2009
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 5 Predators & Prey by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z Geenberg, Jim Krueger, Doug Petrie & Georges Jeanty | Originally published 2009

Films I saw (28/52) – 54%:
In The Loop | Originally released 2009
Inglourious Basterds | Originally released 2009
Eastern Promises | Originally released 2007 :canadacry:
The Last Station | Originally released 2009
The Silent Partner | Originally released 1978 :canadacry:
Shivers | Originally released 1975 :canadacry:
Zombieland | Originally released 2009
Videodrome | Originally released 1983 :canadacry:
Weird Sex and Snowshoes | Originally released 2004 :canadacry:
Les Raquetteurs | Originally released 1958 :canadacry:

Albums I bought (23/52) – 44%:
Thrush Hermit box set :canadacry:

Shows I attended (11/52) – 21%:
Bitter City & Ramona @ Rancho Relaxo; March 25, 2010 :canadacry:
Thrush Hermit (w/ All Night Long) @ Lee’s Palace; March 26, 2010 :canadacry:
Thrush Hermit (w/ Attack In Black) @ Lee’s Palace; March 27, 2010 :canadacry:

Overqualified

Adam M. Anklewicz — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:46:52 +0000

Overqualified tells the story of a troubled soul. The protagonist loses his brother in an accident with a drunk driver. Then the remaining parts of his life seem to crumble around him. The narrative is told through over-informative and awkward cover letters.

The author, Joey Comeau, might be known to you as the man behind the words of A Softer World, an online comic known for its strangely depressing sense of humour.

Though the novel is short and only took me a couple hours to read, it’s wonderful. The dark humour is a great way to spend a sick day in bed.

I’ll leave you with another strip from A Softer World… you should be a fan.