Indie Initiative: “Lizard World” is A Crazy Ride

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In 2011, writer Terry Richard Bazes wrote a book full of satirical humor and body horror, Lizard World. The story follows a dentist searching for immortality in Florida, but finds far more than he bargained for after his car breaks down and he encounters the mysterious Fobrey family. Artist Louis Netter has brought the story to life in graphic novel form with help from Black Panel Press.

The Fobrey Family

After a short story about a grave digger and the strange delivery he had to make to an English nobleman with reptilian feet, we pivot to New Jersey dentist Max Nathan Smedlow. Smedlow is looking for immortality in southern Florida in the most logical way: with a map from explorer Ponce De León and the fountain of youth. What he finds instead is the Fobrey family. Smedlow agrees to accompany them after they offer to take him to a gas station, only to find himself brought instead to their home in Lizard World. Smedlow knows immediately that there is something off. As the story unfolds, the history of the Fobrey family is revealed while Smedlow becomes the latest subject of their experiments as a splicer.

The Creative Team

Terry Richard Bazes’s source material is well adapted here. The story spans centuries and shows not only the degradation of the family’s status through time but also its collective mental decline. There’s very much a Tales from the Crypt vibe here, with campy horror and sharp satire informing the story’s strange events. Beneath the absurdity is a critique of obsession, status, and humanity’s endless pursuit of permanence.

Louis Netter’s artwork feels like a cross between Ralph Steadman’s nightmarish interpretations of Hunter S. Thompson and the whimsical illustrations of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs artist Ron Barrett. It’s the right mix of beauty and weirdness for a story this strange. For all the horror on display, there is a surprising elegance to the visuals. My only complaint is the lettering, which relies heavily on caption boxes and feels like a missed opportunity to elevate the presentation another step.

Overall Grade 8/10

Bazes and Netter have come together to make a strange tale that combines satire, family decline and body horror. Lizard World is one of the strangest things I’ve read in a while. Its sharp, almost Jonathan Swift-like satire should make it a cult classic in literature, but because it is being released as a graphic novel, it may not get the attention it deserves. That’s a shame because this book has a lot to say in its one hundred twentyish pages and does so masterfully. Readers who enjoy EC Comics-style horror, absurdist satire, and grotesque body horror will find a uniquely unsettling experience in Lizard World.

Lizard World is available now through Black Panel Press.

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