Bizarre and Wonderful Books Part 1

Parental Advisory! These books may discuss some controversial themes. You have been warned!

Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand new post! I’ve wanted to discuss this topic for a very long time, and I thought that today would be a good place to start. Throughout the years, I’ve read some absolutely bizarre books. When I discovered “Bizarro Fiction” for the first time, it was like a match made in heaven! This genre is insane, and covers some of the most mind-blowing stories I’ve ever read. I see it as the “Abstract Art of Literature”. It has different meanings depending on who reads them, and isn’t afraid to touch on some offensive subjects. If this post makes you interested in this wonderful genre, then I’ve done my part. Now, let’s dive into the amazing world of Bizarro Fiction!

• John Dies At The End by David Wong 2009 Genres: Bizarro Fiction, Horror, Humor, Science Fiction  464 Pages Age Rating: 17+ (Strong Language, Gore, Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Drug Usage) 

I’ve talked about this book multiple times in the past, and I still love it to death. The story is about two college kids that fight the paranormal occurrences in their undisclosed town. It also has to do with an absolutely insane drug known as “Soy Sauce”. The book was made into an equally awesome film, and spawned two sequel novels which are just as crazy.  Unlike most Bizarro Fiction books, this one can be found at local bookstores and libraries. I highly recommend checking this book out, and would love to hear what you think of it in the comments’ section below.

• Zombies and Shit by Carlton Mellick III October 17th, 2010 Genres: Bizarro Fiction, Horror, Survival, Punk, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Fantasy 312 Pages Age Rating: 17+ (Gore, Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Shocking Imagery, Cultural Issues) 

What is there to say about Carlton Mellick III? He easily is one of the godfathers of Bizarro Fiction. His crazy look and explosively intriguing books make him standout in the crowd of literature. I first discovered him when I was researching books that were similar to the one mentioned above. The crazy artwork alone pulled me into the rabbit hole, and there I stayed. This particular novel is one of his coolest and most fascinating. It literally is what would have happened if you were to put Battle Royale, Mad Max, and Dawn of the Dead into a blender. If you like survival novels, you will adore this book. It is equally humorous and tragic with an excellent blend of hardcore punk. The twenty different characters are also very unique, and the story has many ridiculous plot twists throughout. Once again, I highly recommend picking up this book because it is one hell of a unique ride. (Zombies and Shit can be purchased on Amazon for $13)

 

The main picture on this post is of the “Godfather of Bizarro Fiction” himself, Carlton Mellick III.

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Censored Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards

Hello fellow Duelists, and welcome to a special post! Censorship in the Yu-Gi-Oh card game has been a huge thing in North America. Many cards are changed completely from the original Japanese art. Some of them are understandable, while others leave me shaking my head. This post will be covering some of my favorite cards that Konami of America decided to censor.

• Fiend Comedian Type: Normal Trap Current Artwork: A cute, comical duo of a green fiend and his yellow toothed assistant. 

This card barely saw play when it was released, however it’s used quite frequently in today’s meta. It has many synergies with mill decks, and the large card removal is more useful than people give it credit for. This, however, isn’t the original artwork, and the changes made were completely necessary. The original card looked like something straight out of a Japanese Horror film! The green fiend is now covered in throbbing veins, and has a very long tongue. The pink fiend, on the other hand, is completely screwed up! He has bulging eyes, is licking a large blade, and for some reason, has an afro. 

• Parasite Paracide Type: Insect Earth Effect Appearance: A fearsome looking parasite with many tentacles and sharp fangs.

This card is not only one of the more annoying things in the game, but is also one of Insector Haga’s (Weevil Underwood’s) key cards. No other card can shuffle itself into the opponent’s deck, and literally “infect” its monsters. I do enjoy the international artwork of the card, but the Japanese original is a brilliant homage to body horror. It depicts an absolutely horrified knight with the titular card crawling out of his face. This is totally something that John Carpenter would make, and I love it for that.

 

More Awesome and Obscure Board Games (Every Other Wednesday)

Hello fellow Board Game Enthusiasts! It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means! Yes, it’s time for us to take a look at some more fascinating board games. Now, let’s play!

• Food Chain Magnate (2015) Published by: Splotter Spellen Artists: Iris de Hann and Ynze Moedt Designers:  Jeoren Doumen and Joris Wiersinga Players: 2-5 Playtime: 120-240 Minutes Ages: 14+ Type: Strategy Categories: Industry/Manufacturing and Economic Mechanisms: Modular Board, Deck/Pool Building, Card Drafting, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Route/Network Building 

Description: This is a very unique heavy-strategy game that focuses on building a fast food chain. This is done through a card-driven management system. Each player tries to best the other through sales, marketing, and purchasing. They also try to find key staff members on the job market.

 

• 5-Minute Dungeon (2017) Designer: Connor Reid Artist: Alex Diochon Publisher: KOSMOS Players: 2-5 Playtime: 5-30 Minutes Ages: 8+ Type: Family Categories:  Real-time, Fighting, Card Game, Fantasy Mechanisms: Hand Management, Cooperative Play, Variable Player Powers

Description: This is a fast-paced card game that has players race to escape a dungeon in five minutes. Players must use survival and cooperation skills to find the easiest path to the goal. You are equipped with special cards and skills that will help you defeat all the monsters and bosses in your way. The game is won when the players defeat all  5 of the bosses, and escape.

Awesome Places From Atlas Obscura (Every Other Wednesday)

Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand new topic! Atlas Obscura is one of my favorite books of all time, and it’s chalk full of wacky and wild landmarks from around the world.  I’ve decide to share some of my favorites with you guys. I hope you enjoy it, so, let’s begin!

• The Poison Garden Location: Alnwick, Northumberland Description: This dangerously gorgeous garden is home to some of the most lethal plants on the face of the Earth. The place is decorated with Skulls and Crossbones that worn THESE PLANTS CAN KILL! I have always wanted to visit this place because I’m a real fan of these plants. The garden is open from March to December.

 

• The Jellyfish Lake Location: The Island of Palau Description: This small saltwater lake houses about a million jellyfish that bob up and down, feeding on plankton. The jellyfish don’t sting, and they make the entire lake gorgeous and mesmerizing.

Even More TV Tropes

Hello fellow media lovers! It’s time for us to take a look at some more fascinating tropes. Now, let’s begin!

• Cordon Bleugh Chef: This is an extremely popular trope that’s used in numerous forms of media. The trope occurs when a chef or wannabe chef tries to combine ingredients that should NEVER go together. The result usually involves the consumer gagging, vomiting, or fainting. Some examples of this include; Soma’s devious combination of squid tentacles and peanut butter from Shokugeki no Soma. Soma is an amazing cook in the anime, with many of his dishes causing consumers to literally be in ecstasy. However, this dish causes the consumers to feel violated, and Soma brings this dish out when he wants to screw with people. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, cooking is a major part of the game. It not only is used to recover health, but some foods can even protect you from the harsh temperatures. Then, there’s the dubious food, a disgusting concoction that can be created if Link combines bugs and monster parts together. The result is a censored mix of disgustingness that only recovers one heart.

 

• Video Game Cruelty Potential: You’re an all around good character in a video game, and then you’re given a mission that completely brakes your moral compass. Some examples of this include; Scribblenauts, where you can use a baby with steak attached to it to attract lions. In the incredibly fun and challenging Oregon Trail, your party goes through hell to get to Oregon. Death is extremely common, dysentary happens often, colds can be lethal, and it’s almost impossible to get to Oregon with the full crew.

   

More Crappy Book Covers (Every Other Tuesday)

Hello fellow book lovers! It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means! Yes, it’s time for us to take a look at some more crappy covers. Now, let’s begin!

• Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein (October 17th, 2018) Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 258 

This is a Science Fiction novel about a group of school kids that go to Mars and have all sorts of crazy things happen to them. The cover is an absolute train wreck though. There are two ultra deformed people, presumably the students, and a bizarre looking alien. The faces are extremely off-putting, and could give anyone nightmares.

 AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

 

• At the Point of a Quarrel by Paul Telegdi (September 20th 2016) Genre: Unknown 

This is a book about war in France. The cover is actually quite pretty, well, at least the coat of arms is. Then, you get to the left of the cover, and see a hunchbacked solider with a knife in his mouth. He looks completely deranged and very off putting.

Halloween Week Day 2 Creepy Comic Book Characters

Hello fellow comic book fans! It’s time for us to take a look at some creepy comic book characters. I hope you guys are ready for a scare! Now, let’s begin!

• Vermin Real Name: Edward Whelan Status: Genetically Altered Human (Villain turned into Flawed Hero) Ht: 6’0” Wt: 220 lbs First Appeared: Captain America #272 (August 1st, 1982) Creator: Marvel Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, and agility, Heightened sense of smell, Claws and razor-sharp teeth, Mentally controls small animals

Edward was horribly abused by his father as a child. Fortunately for him, suppressing the torment melded the young kid into a incredibly successful genetic researcher. As an adult, he worked with the villainous geneticist, Armin Zola. Everything was going well, until he found out that Zola was using humans as test subjects. In an act of horrific experimentation Edward was transformed into a hideous Rat-Human hybrid called Vermin. Vermin fought with Spider-Man, and would’ve killed him if Kraven didn’t send him back to the sewers. Upon the second fight with the Web-Slinger, Edward was beaten, and sent to the Ravencroft Institute, a mental institution for the criminally insane. He soon was cured of his mental stability by the brilliant Ashley Kafka. Vermin then defeated Zemo, and now has joined the hero team known as the Thunderbolts.

 

• Doctor Destiny Real Name: John Dee Status: Supervillain First Appeared: Justice League of America #5 (June-July 1961) Creator: DC Power/Weapons: Dreamstone which brings people’s nightmares to life

John was a genius and frequent foe of the Justice League. During his time in prison Destiny invented the Materioptkion, a stone that has the power to manipulate nightmares. Before this invention, he created a chemical with the power to make dreams come true. Unfortunately, all of his test subjects died, so he decided to use the chemical on himself. He was soon thwarted again by the Justice League, who decided to hire a psychiatrist to stop his criminal activities. This seemed to work at first, but Destiny then lost his ability to dream. Upon leaving prison, his body was white and closely resembled a walking skeleton. Destiny then made it his goal to destroy the Justice League. He recreated the Dreamstone once again, and used it on the team to bring their nightmares to life. Despite these new powers, he was thwarted one more time by the team, and seemingly died at the hands of Darkseid.