The Sixsmiths: Volume One - Softcover

Jason Franks is the author of the McBlack and Left Hand Path series, the occult rock-n-roll novel, Bloody Waters, and the short story collection, Ungenred. He has twice been nominated for an Aurealis Award. Franks lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he is renowned for his ability to chew gum and worship Satan at the same time. J. Marc Schmidt is the creator of comics such as Egg Story, Test Your English, and All You Bastards can go Jump off a Bridge. His work has been published in three languages. He currently resides in Timber Creek, in the Northern Territory where he daylights as a teacher. As well as comics, he is also the author of the essay, “Socio-Political Themes in the Smurfs” which was later republished in the collection of essays, “Secrets of Popular Culture.”.

Given that Dad has been laid off, the kids have to transfer to a public school and contend with new pressures, and Mom frets that the situation is taking a greater toll, you could easily mistake this Australian import for a standard family drama. But when Dad is fired from his next job for deflowering a virgin in the copy room, Mom seeks advice in a sexual encounter with the church vicar, and the kids are growing bored of sacrificing bread-product effigies of babies at church every Saturday, you realize youre blazing a new trail into heavy-duty social satire. Although the Sixsmiths are Satanists, they often seem to be the most well-adjusted people in their neighborhood, and the fact that theyre so relatable gives power to the underlying dig at the social conventions that communities tend to promote (and destroy). Droll art pushes the banality of the Satanic lifestyle further still, and although an incongruously sober ending throws the proceedings slightly off kilter, this graphic novel overall offers an enjoyable and insightful commentary. --Jesse Karp