Clownfellas: Tales of the Bozo Family

Mario Puzo meets Barnum & Bailey in this neon nightmare of interconnected bizarro stories. In a world where comedy has been outlawed, clowns control the illegal humor trade, dealing in illicit jokes and running underground comedy clubs. The powerful Bozo family controls the area known as Little Bigtop, but they face opposition from the brutal Carnies and the French organization Le Mystère. They face the same problems as any Mafia family: the top capo must keep his boss’s violent son under control, an associate wants to marry the underboss’s daughter but is suspected of being a snitch, a veterinarian with a fear of clowns must operate on Don Bozo’s pet lion while his family is held hostage, and so on. Mellick carries the conceit to absurd lengths, with killer mimes, clown strippers with honkable breasts, and massive amounts of mayhem and violence. The writing is a little simplistic, and the stories often end on grim notes, but the blend of genres is like watching two clown cars crash: you just can’t look away as the ridiculousness escalates. (July)