Blasfamous - Mirka Andolfo - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Mirka Andolfo

SERIES: Blasfamous , #1-2

GENRE: Graphic Novel

PUBLICATION DATE: October 8, 2024

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A satirical graphic novel that combines evangelical zealotry and celebrity worship culture into a zany plot. A dark plot that left me speechless, for various reasons. Mindblowing illustrations. Cliffhanger ending!! ☹

Plot Preview:

Clelia is the reigning queen of pop, but not in the way you would imagine. Her is a world where pop stars are divine and can bestow miracles on their fans. Managed by Father Lev, Clelia has to ensure that her performance is top of the charts in every way, so that devotees continue attending her concerts and bow to her in veneration. But the situation is threatened by two new factors: a mental health issue that causes Clelia to self-harm, and a newcomer who seems to be endowed with more prowess (musical or otherwise) than Clelia. The battle for religious dominance this begins, and no one knows how the fight will end. This is angels vs. demons, with a dash of pop music.

This graphic novel contains the first two comics of the Blasfamous series.

Frankly, I didn’t know what I was getting into when I requested this ARC. I completed this book six days ago. And I still have no idea how to review this. I’m just taking a deep dive now, penning whatever comes to my mind. In all honesty, had I known exactly what the content contained, I might have refrained from reading this. But that stunning cover lured me in and I couldn’t resist grabbing it.

Is this a bad book? Not at all. But it was probably not my kind of book as well. Then again, do I want to read the next issue? Heck, yeah!!!

Bookish Yays:

✔ The creepy prologue – what a beginning!

✔ The whole twist on the Faustian “deal with the devil” premise. Angels vs demons isn’t an uncommon premise in fiction, but the treatment of it here is almost innovative.

✔ The intelligent plot, that takes two extremely zealotic themes: evangelical Christianity and celeb mania – and combines them into one “hell” of a storyline. I’m speechless at the way this combination was so seamless!

✔ The main character Clelia, whom we can see on the cover – such a complex persona with depths yet to be discovered. I still don’t know whether to root for her or not. But she was a great protagonist for such a storyline.

✔ Some of the secondary characters, especially Dorothy Blaze, Father Len, and the challenger. All complicated characters that have yet to reveal their agenda in detail but captivating nonetheless.

✔ As a satire on organised religion and celebrity culture, the book depicts the worst of the blind faith humans have in religion and celebrities. The religious manipulation, the fake “miracles”, the cult-like fervour for all the wrong reasons at religious gatherings, the variation between what is preached and what is practised, the tendency of using celeb status for fake advertisements, the trend of following or mimicking whatever celebs/influencers do– all points come out strongly.

✔ I appreciate how the book doesn’t take sides. The flaws of both the supposedly “blasfamous” and the self-declared pious are highlighted without judgement, thereby showing us that moral corruption can affect anyone, even those who consider themselves holy. (In fact, the most blind are usually those who consider themselves the only sanctimonious ones, irrespective of which faith they follow.)

✔ This line: “Sexy sells. Sexy is good. Sexy, but not sex. Sex is so terribly immoral.” Perfectly represents the two-facedness of humanity!

✔ The punny title – perfect for the book!

Bookish Mixed Bags:

⚠ I am not the kind of Christian to be offended by books like ‘The Da Vinci Code’. My faith is strong enough not to be easily triggered by fictional writing. But, for the first time ever, this demarcation between fiction and faith was threatened. I know the elements in the book were strictly meant to be satirical, and not at all deliberately or directly offensive. But the use of one particular religious icon was almost blasphemous to me. This might not bother non-Christian readers, but conservative believers might find it tough to stay calm.

⚠ Some clever word play such as “Holywood show” and character names such as ‘Clelia’ (which means ‘glorious’) But the name of the new challenger (I won’t reveal her nomenclature) was simultaneously clever and sacrilegious. The way she was sketched was also borderline impious.

⚠ The story has an intriguing queer relationship, but the arc is somewhat undeveloped, especially as this connection forms the foundation of the events but is yet to be revealed in its entirety. I hope this is settled properly and without gaps in the upcoming issue.

⚠ The illustrations: the only word I can think of to describe the awesomeness of the graphics is ‘majestic.’ The panels come together like a phantasmagoria of horror and wonderment. But I never did figure out why one character was drawn in the nude for no rhyme or reason.

Bookish Nays:

❌ CLIFFHANGER ENDING! AARGH!!!! When the comic series has only three books, why release a graphic novel containing only the first two books? So unfair!

❌ So many incomplete arcs even other than the cliffhanger. The last book has a lot of cover-up to do. And it better handle it well!

All in all, the reader in me was dazzled at the premise. But the Christian in me was horrified at some of the profaneness. The book made me go ‘Oh My God!” multiple times in every emotion possible, but mostly in awe and horror. That said, I can’t deny the imaginative genius of the story. This is a fictional work, and a satire at that, so I’ll approach it with leeway though some of my religious sensibilities are shaken.

I read this along with my elder daughter, who was amazing company to have in sharing the surprises and the shocks. We had so many discussions about the content, and I am happy + relieved that we ended up with the same feelings about this. She wrote a mini-review for this book, which I share below as I am so proud of her honesty:

“While I am somewhat undecided where I stand on my faith – I do believe, but how much do I believe? – I still thought this is pretty blasphemous. This is an amazing fictitious work of art, a masterpiece in many ways. But I also understand why conservative Christians might blow their fuses after reading this as it tiptoes the line between creative liberty and sacrilege. If people thought The Da Vinci Code was bad, they’re in for a shocking ride with this one. I still adored the book. The pseudo-satanic reinterpretation of Christian elements blew my mind with its creativity. I think people should only read this if they are mature enough (like me, haha) to distinguish between the fictional (albeit scandalous) embellishments of this story and the faith they truly believe in.“

Initially, I had no idea what star rating to give this because parts of it left me quite uncomfortable. But there’s no denying that the book stayed in my head for a long while after the last page, so it was a memorable experience for good and bad reasons. I look forward to the next (and hopefully final) issue because I want to see how all the cliffhangers are resolved.

I won't make an outright recommendation. Please read the above analysis and decide if this suits your taste. Strictly for mature readers. (And I mean ‘mature’ in all its meanings, not just calendar age.)

My thanks to Diamond Book Distributors for providing the DRC of “Blasfamous” via Edelweiss+. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.