Belzebubs is a Finnish webcomic and fictional black metal band created by JP Ahonen. [1]
The webcomic centers around the daily lives of a family that has a stereotypical black metal aesthetic and the black metal band of Sløth, the family's father. [2] [3]
The webcomic was first launched by JP Ahonen, a freelance illustrator from Finland, in 2016 after finding inspiration in a sketch he made for an Inktober challenge. [4]
In 2019, a full-length album was released under the Belzebubs name, entitled Pantheon of the Nightside Gods. Produced by Century Media and Edge of Sanity vocalist Dan Swanö, the names of the participating musicians has not been officially released. [5] [6] That year, the first Belzebubs book was also published. [7] [8]
In 2020, Finnish animation studio Pyjama Films and Finnish public broadcaster YLE began making a TV series based on the webcomic. [9]
On February 15th, 2024 they released their long-awaited "360° Hexperience" — crowdfunded Virtual Concert. [10]
The webcomic has received a positive reception, with some reviewers comparing it to Calvin and Hobbes. [11] Comics Beat reviewer John Seven stated that the comic "is a bit like the Addams Family transposed into the 21st century with more current references." [12]
William Boyd Watterson II is an American cartoonist who authored the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. The strip was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson concluded Calvin and Hobbes with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium. Watterson is known for his negative views on comic syndication and licensing, his efforts to expand and elevate the newspaper comic as an art form, and his move back into private life after Calvin and Hobbes ended. Watterson was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The suburban Midwestern United States setting of Ohio was part of the inspiration for Calvin and Hobbes. Watterson lives in Cleveland Heights as of January 2024.
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