Reviews of Mr

Never has that been more evident than when I read the first issue of Mr. Satanism. I opened up the manila envelope the comic arrived in and sighed heavily. "Mr. Satanism? Good Gravy. Is it possible to have conceived a more moronic, pretentious or sillier title?," I muttered to myself as I hung my head. "I am sick and tired of faux-evil entertainment like Marilyn Manson. It's just a bunch of boring 'shock antics' to gain attention that were lame when Alice Cooper was getting his head cut off on stage in the '70s. I'm gonna hate this."

Mama Salmon taught her little boy that it takes a big man to admit he's wrong. Right now, I am the biggest 'tater-eating, Pepsi One-swilling man I know. I was wrong. Mr. Satanism isn't perfect. But it is savagely clever and sarcastically entertaining. And, gulp, I liked it.

Whoever the creative person or team is that brought Mr. Satanism to life created a heck of an enjoyable funnybook. The book starts out with the title character, who looks like the offspring of the South Park Grim Reaper, draped in smoking jacket, sipping a martini, giving us a brief background on the story that led to getting this little gem published. Though there are a few inside jokes in this two-page prologue that are lost to those of us outside of the Toledo, OH, comic-book community, Sibbersen still manages to toss in enough non-sequiturs for the rest of us to keep it out of self-indulgence territory.

The next story, "Mr. Satanism in: Life of S--t" was what reeled the Salmon in. Here, Mr. Satanism's real name is revealed as well as the fact that he has a little brother named Bartholomew Daniel. An affinity for changing your name runs in the family, because Mr. Satanism's little brother demands he be called "B.D." while Satanism crashes at their Mom's place. Though this story is filled with riotous adolescent humor, the funniest moment comes when Satanism chastises his little brother for listening to Marilyn Manson and reading Evil Teen. ("I can't believe you buy into that s-t. That proves you're a spaz.")

After a humiliating trip the convenience store to fulfill a promise to B.D., Satanism returns to his Mom's house to find it filled with his stoner friends and B.D.'s obnoxious little buddies screaming "We're gonna get trashed!" Reading this story transported me to those days in small-town high-school years when the Salmon's biggest concern was "who can we get to make a run for us this weekend?" Despite Satanism's immature bravado, he acts the way any older brother would when afraid his Mom's gonna find out about a party he shouldn't be having. He suddenly becomes the responsible one. He even displays concern when Bartholomew -- I mean, B.D. -- passes out in the bathroom and accidentally locks the door.

Later, Sibbersen shows a genuine skill for parody with "The Beach, The Girl, and The Mobster." The dialogue in this crime-noir pastiche is textbook for the lampooned genre. And "Mr. Satanism's Pocket Guide to Noir Dames (Clip and Save!)" is priceless. ("Noir dames love tragic alcoholics. Show up at 2 a.m. drunk with a bullet wound and watch the sparks fly.")

References to his hometown like when Satanism talks about Toledo's Chinatown ("two lousy restaurants and a used bookstore") is a perfect example of why Sibbersen's writing works. He injects what he knows into his writing, even when Mr. Satanism finds himself in a ludicrous true-crime detective serial. And the "surprise" ending had me going back over the story in order to catch the subtle "clues" I missed during the first reading.

The artwork is less than impressive. Most of the panels look like sketches Sibbersen started and got too bored with to finish. But this haphazard approach to the artwork just lends to Mr. Satanism's D.I.Y. charm. Besides that, the emphasis in this comic is on storytelling and dialogue. Sibbersen gets the story going and gets out of the way. (Something a lot of mainstream comic book writers could learn from ... ) He lets the story tell itself without a lot of annoying caption boxes that do nothing but slow down the story and spout the writer's hubris.

One thing about Mr. Satanism that could hurt it, is its overabundance of profanity. I know Sibbersen wants his colorful characters to appear real, and use what sounds like real dialogue, yet I wonder if it could still be done with a little less colorful language. Don't get me wrong, the Salmon swears at times like a sailor home on shore leave, but only to really, REALLY emphasize a point. An overuse of profanity can sometimes leave a person looking inarticulate rather than irreverent. With Mr. Satanism Sibbersen walks a fine line. Stay true to your art and limit your audience, or turn down the intensity a bit and possibly grow a larger fan base? I certainly believe Sibbersen can keep his credibility in the Alternative Comic community and make Mr. Satanism a bit more accessible to readers not comfortable with such a large volume of profanity.

Overall rating: * * * * (out of 5)

From Steven Grant's October 17, 2001 "Permanent Damage" article:

...MR. SATANISM #1 ($2.75) and 2 ($2.00). The art's simplistic, but that's not the show here: cantankerous former comic book star and rock idol Mr. Satanism, whether he's trying to score drugs or helping the Beatles dig up John Lennon's corpse, is a funny guy. Plus Sibbersen seems to have actually read things other than comic books...

Mr. Grant's entire column may be read here.

A review from the (now-defunct) Small Press website:

Mr. Satanism #1

[Overall rating 3 out of 4]

If you're into cheap and crass jokes about getting drunk and getting laid, then this is the 'zine for you. Based out of Toledo, Ohio, Mr. Satanism is about whatever the hell these guys come up with.

Their main character is a guy named Mr. Satanism, as if you couldn't tell, who just mooches off his friends, drinks beer, and lays about, among other things. In fact, that pretty much sums up the first story in this issue. Having mooched off one friend for too long, Mr. Satanism returns to the comforts of his mom's home, only to find out she's moved into her boyfriend's place and left his 15-year-old obnoxious brother alone in the house. Quickly taking advantage of the situation, Mr. Satanism makes himself at home, only to have the tables turned on by his brother. The second story is a spoof on the old crime noir novels like The Maltese Falcon, in which Mr. Satanism plays a drunk and pathetic PI who gets conned by the stereotypical dame.

Although the art is pretty simplistic and juvenile, it works just fine for the kind of sick and twisted humor of the stories involved. And those stories, they are just plain funny. If you like crass humor like that of South Park, you'll love this. I know I did. I laughed my ass off, and now I can't find it.

The Portal of Evil featured us as a selected site on 11/02/03 and had this to say:

The World of Mr. Satanism

Web site of a disgruntled, sub-par comic artist, whose humor and talent mirror those of a five year old.

That's good, right?

The World of Mr. Satanism was also reviewed in issue #15 of Zine World: A Reader's Guide to the Underground Press, a San Francisco publication. If anyone out there has a copy of this review, please let us know- we'll gladly trade a photocopy of the article for a couple of free comics. We're also looking for an old (c. 1997) Factsheet 5 review of the original stapled-together Mr. S zine. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to write a review for this ridiculous trash. It always makes my day to know that someone, somewhere, has just as much spare time as I do. Now buy some copies.

The World of Mr. Satanism #1 $3.00
(Includes Shipping)

The World of Mr. Satanism #2 $3.00
(Includes Shipping)

All original material on this site Copyright 1995-2008 Inept Concepts/Brad D. Sibbersen. All rights reserved. Other materials posted for archival or referential purposes are copyrighted by their respective owners; their use here does not constitute a challenge of said copyright. By moving your lips while you read this, you waived me of all legal responsibilities into perpetuity. Please do not copy original text or images, in whole or in part, without written permission. My lawyer thinks like Darrow and dresses like McBeal, so she will win. Now buy some merchandise, you little bitch.