Bizarro

What is Bizarro?

Bizarro is weird. If it isn't weird, it isn't Bizarro. The titles, like the content, usually include components that range from border-line pornography, historical people, babies/fetuses, curse words, and even made up words. Just to name a few. 'Strange' would be the keyword when describing this subgenre. A David Lynch movie is a good example. It is where cartoon logic applies to reality. In the Bizarro universe, pigs(and babies)can fly. Unlike experimental and post-post-modern books, the sentence structure and verbosity maintains its normalcy. Anything can happen in the story when Bizarro is the genre, mostly surreal and disturbing things.

Characteristics of Bizarro

Level of Characterization

High amount of characterization. The characters in Bizarro are weird as hell. In most cases, the protagonist isn't an everyman

Level of Plot Complexity

Level of Supernatural

High amount of supernatural elements. This subgenre is the exact opposite of realism.

Level of Scary

Moderate to high amount of scary. While all Bizarro books are downright weird, some of them have moments of genuine creepiness.

Level of Violance

High amount of violence. Although it isn't always constant blood and guts, violence is a staple in Bizarro.

Typical Setting

The settings are usually grounded in reality, but the reality is extremely warped and hellish. The perilous factors are the norm in the settings.

Related Fantasy Sub-Genres

Cthulhu Mythos is related to Bizarro because H.P. Lovecraft was a pioneer in very weird stories.

Like Bizarro, shady characters are found Neo-Noir. Creatures from the Supernatural subgenre often live in these stories.

Bizarro Isn’t For You If You Dislike

Extremely weird and graphic stories.

Popular Bizarro Books

1. We Live Inside You, Jeremy Robert Johnson. A short story collection that defines the meaning of "weird horror."
2. Gutmouth, Gabino Iglesias. A man has a mouth for a gut and lives in a world where cockroaches are kleptomaniacs and spontaneous mutations are no big deal.
3. Broken Piano for President, Patrick Wensink. A binge drinking musician finds himself working as a double agent in the midst of a war between corporate fast food giants.
4. TV Snorted My Brain, Bradley Sands. A retelling of the The King Arthur myth, if it happened in your TV. Artie journeys through the various channels of TV Land and recruits knights along the way to help him overthrow his uncle and bring anarchy to the land.
5. A Pretty Mouth, Molly Tanzer. Part novel and part short story collection. For fans of historical fiction, Victorian pornography and Mythos horror.
6. Ass Goblins of Auschwitz, Cameron Pierce. Ass Goblins, a fascist race of aliens, run a prison camp called Auschwitz and abduct children.
7. Cuddly Holocaust, Carlton Mellick III. Toys have fought back and taken over the world. Julie, a human, undergoes surgery to become a stuffed animal and infiltrate enemy lines to save her family from the toy death camps.
8. Starfish Girl, Athena Villaverde. Ohime has a starfish growing from her head and must fight for her life against lecherous crabmen, piranha people, and a yellow algae that is causing humans to mutate into fish.
9. By The Time We Leave Here, We'll Be Friends, J. David Osborne. A thief named Alek Karriker must escape a Russian prison camp or get acquainted with death.
10. Jimmy Plush, Teddy Bear Detective, Garret Cook. Includes a teddy bear detective, prostitute furries, cannibal cops, and warehouse-sized mob bosses. A pulp satire.