M.P. Johnson

A boys pet pig is butchered for meat. He then takes the ham and runs away. Adventures ensue.

I never realized that there is a genre called bizarro. If this is an example of bizarro, then I am a fan. The story was crazy and weird. Also laugh out loud funny in parts. I loved it all, right up until the very end. I'm not sure I liked the ending. It was so out there and really just seemed like a random afterthought. I would definitely pick up more from this author and from this genre. It was super fun to read.… (más)

Sick Pack
By MP Johnson
JournalStone
Reviewed by Karl Wolff

Fabulo has a great life. He models for romance books and admires his finely sculpted abs. Men and women worship his abs. Along with living in sunny Los Angeles, Fabulo is living the dream. Then one day, he becomes subject to a magical curse. The curse frees his abs and unleashes a monstrous abomination on his stomach. The monstrous thing has finger-shaped teeth, a bad attitude, and orders Fabulo to get him donut frosting.

Meanwhile, each of Fabulo's six abs engage in a person journey. One becomes an actor, one a meth-head, and another becomes part of someone's ass. The ex-model Fabulo takes a swift dive into the psychological abyss, hitting rock bottom, becoming obese, unhygienic, and depressed. But Fabulo won't give up without a fight. He hires a female bounty hunter with robot hands who specializes in finding missing body parts.

The rough outline above belongs to Sick Pack by MP Johnson. The multi-talented Johnson is the author of several pieces of bizarro fiction. He also helms the 'zine Freaktension along with being a B-movie extra and amateur drag queen. (See Dungeons and Drag Queens, a novel that revolves around the everyday dilemma of a Midwest drag queen suddenly thrust into the fantastical realm of mutants, monsters, and barbarian women.) Despite the outrageous nature of bizarro, Sick Pack is a fascinating exploration of human consumption and desire, along with an individual's desire for self-realization. When the abs are on their personal adventures and discovering who they are, Johnson makes it simultaneously ridiculous and touching.

On a personal level, I would rate Sick Pack very high, but bizarro fiction isn't for everyone. Although if you like the cinematic visions of Ed Wood, John Waters, and David Cronenberg, you would probably like bizarro fiction. Johnson masters this outrageous genre by going beyond simple shock and disgust. (But there is plenty of that in Sick Pack, don't you worry.) He gives each ab a touching story and Fabulo's existential crisis tugs at the heartstrings. It's the literary equivalent of a Trailer Park Boys episode. The Canadian mockumentary has a lot of gun play, drug use, and swearing, but in the end, the viewer still cares for Bubbles, Ricky, and Julian. Just because Sick Pack is gross and ridiculous doesn't mean it is without literary merit. As the old cliche goes, "Drama is easy, comedy is hard." Not too many works can be insanely cartoonish in execution and emotionally compelling at its heart.

Out of 10/8.5 and 9.5 for fans of bizarro fiction.

http://www.cclapcenter.com/2015/11/book_review_sick_pack_by_mp_jo.html… (más)

Dungeons & Drag Queens
By MP Johnson
Eraserhead Press
Reviewed by Karl Wolff

Sleazella LaRuse wakes up cuffed and chained in a dungeon only to discover she has been betrothed to Houmak, the serpent god of a strange fantastical realm. The former MC of Green Bay's Bar Belle and fierce drag queen now finds herself embroiled in the strange affairs of sorcerers and magic in MP Johnson's latest novel, Dungeons & Drag Queens. Despite its ridiculous title and equally ridiculous premise, Johnson gives the reader an enjoyable quest narrative. He also delves into the biography of Sleazella (nee Todd McKinney), a lonely kid growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. One day he discovers Dina Dee's music video "I Bleed Pink" and Sleazella was born.

In the book, Sleazella escapes the clutches of Dravor and the mighty Gaktal. They seek a bride for the powerful serpent god Houmak. Unbeknownst to them, Sleazella isn't exactly the queen they are looking for. Sleazella admits she is the fiercest queen in the universe, but not necessarily the exact fit when it comes to producing heirs. After her escape she encounters the horrific slavwolves and the brave Blada Femma. Since this is a bizarro novel, the beasties and the barbarians aren't your usual color-by-numbers epic fantasy elements, unless your Dungeons Master is seriously weird. The slavwolves have multiple nipples that reveal mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth and the Blada Femma have a means of combating their enemies that is more Hard-R than PG-13.

One of the wonderful things about Dungeons & Drag Queens is its sly subversion of body horror. Body horror is a common element used in bizarro fiction, except in this case Sleazella is the most normal character in the entire book. While sophomoric humor is in abundance, Sleazella is treated as a sympathetic character. Amidst all the terrifying creatures and strange cultures she encounters, one wishes could get back to the Bar Belle and MC at her fiercest. Johnson's addition of biographical information adds the necessary human element. (Those accusing Johnson of homophobia either haven't read the book, or having read the book, simply don't know how to read. The charges are unjustified and rather ridiculous. You are laughing with Sleazella, not at Sleazella, a fine distinction. This is the exact opposite of "Gays are icky.") The grossness involves lots of fluids with blood, puke, and guts aplenty. Similar to David Lynch's treatment of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen as a floating disease-ridden personification of pure evil in his Dune movie. Among the grotesque and depraved surroundings, Sleazella, no saint by far, comes across as the most dignified. Her enemies may consider her nothing more than a "he-wench," but she knows she's the fiercest queen in the universe.

Bizarro fiction is an acquired taste. Dungeons & Drag Queens is violent, childish, gross, and weird. Depending on your own individual tastes, these are either positive or negative attributes. I enjoyed reading the book, but I also enjoyed reading the drag queen-centric novel, Our Lady of the Flowers, by Jean Genet. About the only thing similar between the two is that they have a drag queen main character.

Eraserhead Press, the publisher, has published works like The Baby Jesus Butt Plug by Carlton Melnick III and Ass Goblins of Auschwitz by Cameron Pierce. I give Dungeons & Drag Queens a lower score because it is part of such a niche genre. As I said before, bizarro fiction is an acquired taste and not for everyone. On a more personal note, I really enjoyed the book and had a fun time reading it.

Out of 10/8.9; much higher for fans of bizarro literature.

http://www.cclapcenter.com/2014/08/book_review_dungeons_drag_quee.html… (más)