Chumble Spuzz is a comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 series created, written and illustrated by Ethan "Eef" Nicolle

Ethan Nicolle

Ethan Nicolle is an American comic book creator, artist, and writer. He created the Slave Labor Graphics comic Chumble Spuzz which has been released as two graphic novels so far...

, and published by Slave Labor Graphics

Slave Labor Graphics

Slave Labor Graphics is an independent American comic book publisher, well-known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.-Company history:...

. The series started in January 2008 with the first volume entitled "Kill the Devil". The series name Chumble Spuzz originates from a nonsensical Calvin & Hobbes quote.

Plot

Volume 1 - "Kill the Devil"
When two idiots named Gunther and Klem enter a pig race at the local carnival, neither of them realize that the pig they've won is possessed by the Dark Lord Satan

Satan

Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

. They consult with Reverend Mofo, a foul-mouthed Southern Baptist preacher monkey who concludes that the only way to repair the possessed swine is to go straight to the source. Calling upon the help of the trigger happy General Woodchuck and his sidekick Kernel Corn Nut, the gang heads into hell to Kill the Devil.

Volume 2 - "Pigeon Man & Death Sings the Blues"
Gunther and Klem return in two new tales from the warped and endearingly disturbed world of Chumble Spuzz. In their first adventure, Pigeon Man, Klem befriends a man who was raised by pigeons,but Gunther sells the pigeon man out to a local zoo for Feral Humans to buy himself a new robot. When Klem discovers that the zoo is only a cover for an illegal underground feral-human fighting operation, he'll do anything to rescue his new friend from the inhumane zoo's cruel death matches. Also included is the tale Death Sings the Blues, starring the Grim Reaper himself. After a conversation with Klem about his recently deceased pet sea monkey, Death realizes all of the pain and suffering he has caused the world through taking away life, and he can't bear the pain anymore, so he kills himself. When Death commits suicide, everything that has ever died begins to reanimate. Can Gunther and Klem stop the massive outbreak before the world expires from zombie overpopulation? With the help of Reverend Mofo, General Woodchuck, and Kernel Corn Nut, they'll try their damnedest.

Reception

"Kill the Devil" has received numerous positive reviews highlighting Nicolle's good sense of humor as well as artistic talent. Wizard Magazine dubbed "Kill the Devil" as an "Indie Must-Read for 2008". The series was nominated for an Eisner Award

Eisner Award

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...

 for Best Humor Publication in 2009.

ComicMonsters.com states that "The comic world needs guys like Ethan Nicolle. This book is a blast!". Some reviewers, such as the Broken Frontier, have gone as far as saying "Chumble Spuzz is amazing. I don’t think anyone who’s read it has walked away believing otherwise."

After reviewing the title, Project Fanboy

Project Fanboy

Project Fanboy is an American website that publishes news, interviews and reviews about the American comic book industry. In addition, the site is host to comic-book fan voted awards...

 interviewed the author, where in response to those who view his work as an attack on religion, he was quoted as saying,

"My book wasn't made to bash religion. I poke fun at it, sure, but that's because I think that religion is great source material for comedy, especially with the cultural dogmas each generation adds to it."

"...I am not saying that I think religion is a waste of time, as many people seem to think. I just think there's a lot to laugh at."

There has also been notable support from acclaimed comic-book artist Doug TenNapel

Doug TenNapel

Douglas Richard "Doug" TenNapel is an American musician, animator, Eisner Award-winning artist, author, essayist and Christian. He is best known for creating Earthworm Jim, a character that spawned a famous video game, cartoon series, and toy line.-Early life:TenNapel was born and raised in the...

. TenNapel provided the foreword for "Kill the Devil" where he speculates that character Reverend Mofo seems like sort of a sideways tribute to what he is a caricature of, which author Ethan Nicolle confirms in the previously mentioned ProjectFanboy.com interview.

External links

• Zink Watoom Gazork: An Inter-Review of Chumble Spuzz - Part 1, Broken Frontier, May 29, 2008