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Death By Chocolate: Redux
Agent Swete -- an unlikely hero comprised of organic chocolate and a member of the FBI's Food Crimes Division -- and his sharp-tongued partner, Anderson, investigate a series of bizarre, food-inspired crimes. Along they way they encounter a variety of characters including an extraterrestrial canine named Geoffrey, writer Ernest Hemingway, an organized crime lord intent upon finding the life-enabling 'eternity pasta, ' and an eerie, all-devouring trio known as The Metabolators.
120 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2007
4 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
David Yurkovich
35 books15 followersDavid Yurkovich is the 2017 Delaware Division of the Arts Fellow in the category of literature (fiction). David began writing in 1992 with a focus on graphic novels and comics. His first self-published comic was funded by a grant by the Xeric Foundation. As a writer and illustrator, his works include Death by Chocolate and Less Than Heroes (both published by Top Shelf Productions) and Altercations (published by Sleeping Giant).
In 2007 David wrote, designed, and published Mantlo: A Life in Comics, a benefit magazine to help aid in the medical expenses of Bill Mantlo (creator of Rocket Raccoon and numerous other Marvel properties). In 2016, David was among 10 prose authors statewide selected to attend the Delaware Seashore Poetry & Prose Writers’ Retreat. His short story, “The Last Day of Summer,” appeared in the 2016 anthology Beach Nights (Cat and Mouse Press). He has published two prose novels, Glass Onion and Banana Seat Summer, with two manuscripts in development. In June 2017, David provided an introduction to the second volume of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Omnibus, published by Marvel.
Most recently, David designed, edited, and contributed to Halloween Party 2017!, the first issue of The Milton Workshop Anthology Series, published by Devil’s Party Press. He and his family reside in historic Milton, DE.
David can be reached at davidyurkovich.wordpress.com
In 2007 David wrote, designed, and published Mantlo: A Life in Comics, a benefit magazine to help aid in the medical expenses of Bill Mantlo (creator of Rocket Raccoon and numerous other Marvel properties). In 2016, David was among 10 prose authors statewide selected to attend the Delaware Seashore Poetry & Prose Writers’ Retreat. His short story, “The Last Day of Summer,” appeared in the 2016 anthology Beach Nights (Cat and Mouse Press). He has published two prose novels, Glass Onion and Banana Seat Summer, with two manuscripts in development. In June 2017, David provided an introduction to the second volume of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Omnibus, published by Marvel.
Most recently, David designed, edited, and contributed to Halloween Party 2017!, the first issue of The Milton Workshop Anthology Series, published by Devil’s Party Press. He and his family reside in historic Milton, DE.
David can be reached at davidyurkovich.wordpress.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 27, 2021
I was not encouraged to read this volume, Death by Chocolate Redux, because of the overall Goodreads rating, which is very low. I was encouraged to read it because it is mentioned in a book I recently read on Hemingway in Comics, which mentions this work. It’s a collection of Death by Chocolate stories based in different genres, but it doesn’t announce itself as such, so it seems kind of incoherent, which may not be quite fair. It’s just hard to figure out what it s going on, and it’s hard to get the tone, which may be hard to keep consistent in that this series began with a Xeric application more than a quarter century ago. Artist David Yurkovich developed his chops over that period, so the styles sometimes seem inconsistent, even when we know that he revised much of it for this collected volume (thus redux).
Yurkovich says in the appendix that some folks christened him “The King of Quirky,” and this seems kinda right. I don't know about "king," but you know, it is quirky, and thus attractive for me in the largely predictable world of comics. But he’s a fine cartoonist, with an original (and quirky) (and not deeply developed) central concept: It features a guy named Swete who is composed of chocolate. No, we don't know why. But just go with it, Yurkovich says. Relax. Of course there are many books and series named Death by Chocolate, but in spite of that title its not all that much a food-related comic.
But it does have touches of humor in it throughout.
As Yurkovich says, he saw in the mid nineties that a lot of comics looked the same, and he was trying to find his own niche, and trying some different approaches to comics storytelling. But he doesn’t seem to have a deep overall purpose to the whole thing. He just likes to throw weird stuff on the pages of his stories to see if they stick, and some do.
The basic schtick here is a kind of X-Files thing. Swete works with a woman named Anderson (and who is not chocolate) and they time travel in a chocolate car. Anderson and Swete work for the Food Crimes Division of the FBI, Anderson being roughly modeled on Gillian Anderson. Swete is not modeled on anything, except maybe a chocolate Matrix character, dunno.
Some quirky stuff in here:
*Eternity pasta?
*Hemingway makes a pretty significant appearance, for no apparent reason beyond what he says in the appendix, that Hem is his favorite author and he always wanted to put him in a comic! Hi appearance is completely random, such randomness probably being the reason so many people dislike this comic, but hey, I 'm relaxed here, going with it. In one section a (talking, obviously!) dog--an extraterrestrial talking canine named Geoffrey--asks Hem to teach him how to do creative writing, and Hem refuses, natch. Because why would Hem do that? It doesn't make sense to have him do that! (As if logic were the driving force of this plot).
*At one point in the appendix Yurkovich admits that he put a buncha cars in because he wanted to learn how to draw cars better. See? This is the problem with having literary types reading certain comics. We have all these plot and world-building expectations, and an artist just wants to learn to draw better, that's his motivation! Okay, we'll go with how YOU want us to read it, dude! Or I will, anyway. I think you lost most of us along the way with your King of Quirkiness.
*There’s a kind of Matt Kindt vibe to it, a sorta batshit pulpy narrative approach he sometimes seems to take seriously, and sometimes plays for obvious laughs.
I had very low expectations for this given the low rating and then didn’t end up disliking it. He's a pretty good cartoonist even here in his early stages of his doing the work. He admits he is trying to learn the craft from Will Eisner and others. It’s a genre blender: thriller, horror, crime, sc-fi. Have you ever heard anything quite like it? That in itself is almost enough to justify taking a look at it. I read it on Hoopla.
Yurkovich says in the appendix that some folks christened him “The King of Quirky,” and this seems kinda right. I don't know about "king," but you know, it is quirky, and thus attractive for me in the largely predictable world of comics. But he’s a fine cartoonist, with an original (and quirky) (and not deeply developed) central concept: It features a guy named Swete who is composed of chocolate. No, we don't know why. But just go with it, Yurkovich says. Relax. Of course there are many books and series named Death by Chocolate, but in spite of that title its not all that much a food-related comic.
But it does have touches of humor in it throughout.
As Yurkovich says, he saw in the mid nineties that a lot of comics looked the same, and he was trying to find his own niche, and trying some different approaches to comics storytelling. But he doesn’t seem to have a deep overall purpose to the whole thing. He just likes to throw weird stuff on the pages of his stories to see if they stick, and some do.
The basic schtick here is a kind of X-Files thing. Swete works with a woman named Anderson (and who is not chocolate) and they time travel in a chocolate car. Anderson and Swete work for the Food Crimes Division of the FBI, Anderson being roughly modeled on Gillian Anderson. Swete is not modeled on anything, except maybe a chocolate Matrix character, dunno.
Some quirky stuff in here:
*Eternity pasta?
*Hemingway makes a pretty significant appearance, for no apparent reason beyond what he says in the appendix, that Hem is his favorite author and he always wanted to put him in a comic! Hi appearance is completely random, such randomness probably being the reason so many people dislike this comic, but hey, I 'm relaxed here, going with it. In one section a (talking, obviously!) dog--an extraterrestrial talking canine named Geoffrey--asks Hem to teach him how to do creative writing, and Hem refuses, natch. Because why would Hem do that? It doesn't make sense to have him do that! (As if logic were the driving force of this plot).
*At one point in the appendix Yurkovich admits that he put a buncha cars in because he wanted to learn how to draw cars better. See? This is the problem with having literary types reading certain comics. We have all these plot and world-building expectations, and an artist just wants to learn to draw better, that's his motivation! Okay, we'll go with how YOU want us to read it, dude! Or I will, anyway. I think you lost most of us along the way with your King of Quirkiness.
*There’s a kind of Matt Kindt vibe to it, a sorta batshit pulpy narrative approach he sometimes seems to take seriously, and sometimes plays for obvious laughs.
I had very low expectations for this given the low rating and then didn’t end up disliking it. He's a pretty good cartoonist even here in his early stages of his doing the work. He admits he is trying to learn the craft from Will Eisner and others. It’s a genre blender: thriller, horror, crime, sc-fi. Have you ever heard anything quite like it? That in itself is almost enough to justify taking a look at it. I read it on Hoopla.
Read
December 30, 2025El concepto de esta novela gráfica es interesante: un chocolatero cae en un contenedor con una mezcla de chocolate y partículas alienígenas y adquiere poderes, también relacionados al chocolate.
Sobre el argumento en general, se siente más como ideas aisladas que como una historia completa. Hay destellos de cosas increíbles y extrañas que podrían haber elevado la novela, momentos en que la premisa absurda y casi paródica funciona perfecto pero que se pierde de golpe.
Respecto al estilo visual es atractivo y contribuye a la atmósfera, pero no es suficiente para sostener el peso de la historia por sí solo.
Creo que es el tipo de libro al que podría volver ya sabiendo qué esperar, pero no en este momento.
---
The concept of this graphic novel is interesting: a chocolatier falls into a container with a mixture of chocolate and alien particles and acquires chocolate related powers.
Regarding the plot in general, it feels more like isolated ideas than a complete story. There are flashes of incredible and strange bits that could have elevated the book, moments where the absurd and almost parodic premise works perfectly, but it's quickly lost.
As for the visual style, it's attractive and contributes to the atmosphere, but it's not enough to carry the weight of the story on its own.
I think it's the kind of book I could return to knowing what to expect, but not right now.
Sobre el argumento en general, se siente más como ideas aisladas que como una historia completa. Hay destellos de cosas increíbles y extrañas que podrían haber elevado la novela, momentos en que la premisa absurda y casi paródica funciona perfecto pero que se pierde de golpe.
Respecto al estilo visual es atractivo y contribuye a la atmósfera, pero no es suficiente para sostener el peso de la historia por sí solo.
Creo que es el tipo de libro al que podría volver ya sabiendo qué esperar, pero no en este momento.
---
The concept of this graphic novel is interesting: a chocolatier falls into a container with a mixture of chocolate and alien particles and acquires chocolate related powers.
Regarding the plot in general, it feels more like isolated ideas than a complete story. There are flashes of incredible and strange bits that could have elevated the book, moments where the absurd and almost parodic premise works perfectly, but it's quickly lost.
As for the visual style, it's attractive and contributes to the atmosphere, but it's not enough to carry the weight of the story on its own.
I think it's the kind of book I could return to knowing what to expect, but not right now.
July 6, 2020
I think I wanted this to be more solid, based on what I'd been hearing about David Yurkovich. The parts of this book feel like snippets out of an unfinished story, rather than a coherent whole, and that's too bad. Some of the fragments are remarkably weird and interesting, but the complete story is one that I can appreciate without entirely enjoying it. The female FBI agent who is sort of a parody of the one from X-Files; the alien dog; the super-power involving chocolate; the weird living weapons with the powers and abilities of Matter Eater Lad...There's cool stuff here.
Maybe it felt like the author wasn't taking the audience seriously.
Maybe it felt like the author wasn't taking the audience seriously.
March 24, 2024
Ice cream for my inner Surrealist.
A black and white Graphic Novel about a living man made of chocolate (who can turn anything he touches into chocolate), a woman from the FBI named Anderson, unlicensed science run amok, unhuman creations, "eternity pasta," Time and Dimensional Travel, a talking dog from another world, and a visit to Ernest Hemingway in July, 1961. Who could ask for anything more?
A black and white Graphic Novel about a living man made of chocolate (who can turn anything he touches into chocolate), a woman from the FBI named Anderson, unlicensed science run amok, unhuman creations, "eternity pasta," Time and Dimensional Travel, a talking dog from another world, and a visit to Ernest Hemingway in July, 1961. Who could ask for anything more?
August 11, 2020
So fun! If you liked Twin Peaks you'll like this!
March 27, 2009
Death by Chocolate: Redux
is a bizarre collection of short stories. See, one day this guy was visiting an unusual chocolate factory when he fell into the vat ... and emerged as a man composed entirely of chocolate. And who can turn anything else into chocolate with a wave of his hands. Now he works as FBI Agent Swete with his partner Anderson ... for the FBI's Food Crimes Division.
Seriously.
It's an interesting read. On the one hand, it's definitely an early work in the career of someone who might become very talented someday; his art has an early, amateurish look to it - but the visual storytelling is near-faultless, and he eschews the experimental page layouts that most beginning artists unwisely attempt in favor of a (usually) nine-panel grid approach.
At the same time, his writing could use some work; one of the last stories in the collection starts in media res, then flashes back to the beginning of the tale, during which Swete & Anderson travel back in time, and then hear ANOTHER story told in flashback that lasts a dozen pages. This overly convoluted narrative structure is pretty much exactly what every book on writing tells you NOT to do. And yet this very story involves not only time travel, but a talking dog from an alternate-Earth full of talking dogs, who comes to our world and eventually sets off to find his favorite author - Ernest Hemingway - to teach him (the dog) how to write. Other stories involve government-funded all-consuming zombie-like beings called the Metabolators (the ultimate clean-up crew), and the secret of immortality cooked into a dish of spaghetti: The Eternity Pasta. With ideas as far-out as those, I'll give a LOT of leeway to a writer/artist who may still be perfecting his craft!
Death by Chocolate: Redux may not be the most polished graphic novel you'll ever read, but it makes up for its shortcomings by being an entertainingly offbeat experience.
Seriously.
It's an interesting read. On the one hand, it's definitely an early work in the career of someone who might become very talented someday; his art has an early, amateurish look to it - but the visual storytelling is near-faultless, and he eschews the experimental page layouts that most beginning artists unwisely attempt in favor of a (usually) nine-panel grid approach.
At the same time, his writing could use some work; one of the last stories in the collection starts in media res, then flashes back to the beginning of the tale, during which Swete & Anderson travel back in time, and then hear ANOTHER story told in flashback that lasts a dozen pages. This overly convoluted narrative structure is pretty much exactly what every book on writing tells you NOT to do. And yet this very story involves not only time travel, but a talking dog from an alternate-Earth full of talking dogs, who comes to our world and eventually sets off to find his favorite author - Ernest Hemingway - to teach him (the dog) how to write. Other stories involve government-funded all-consuming zombie-like beings called the Metabolators (the ultimate clean-up crew), and the secret of immortality cooked into a dish of spaghetti: The Eternity Pasta. With ideas as far-out as those, I'll give a LOT of leeway to a writer/artist who may still be perfecting his craft!
Death by Chocolate: Redux may not be the most polished graphic novel you'll ever read, but it makes up for its shortcomings by being an entertainingly offbeat experience.
April 20, 2010
I almost gave up on this one without finishing it, but finished it anyway, for the sake of, as my mom would say "finishing the last few potatoes on my plate."
It's not that there weren't interesting factors thrown in such as: a plate of Eternity Pasta, a talking time-traveling dog trying to convince Ernest Hemingway to give him writing advice the day before he kills himself; and things called "Metabolators" which eat every person, place or thing in sight, on command by the government.
The premise of these collected stories is fairly unique in its own right: a chocolateer on vacation, visits a chocolate factory--only to find out the factory's operated by the life essences of an incarcerated alien-life-form! The man, who sees too much, runs from security, who corner him and give him no other option than to fall five stories into a vat of boiling chocolate to his supposed inevitable death.
While in the vat the man connects with the alien-life-form, merges physiological life forces, and emerges from the vat--a chocolate fleshed super being, who can change anything into chocolate by the wave of his hands!
To sustain his sweet, supple structure, the hero must then avoid melting from any exposure to heat, including prolonged idling in the sun, lamps, etc., and eat sweets: fudge bars, Yoo-Hoos, to maintain his consistency, otherwise, he hardens and becomes vulnerable to any jarring cracks to his delicate, physical constitution.
As interesting as the premise might sound, the writing and stories were a bit disjointed and meaningless. The illustration was fair, but mostly unremarkable. The characters were flat. And reading this book felt fairly inconsequential. Though, I may see chocolate somewhat differently now--for at least a day or two.
It's not that there weren't interesting factors thrown in such as: a plate of Eternity Pasta, a talking time-traveling dog trying to convince Ernest Hemingway to give him writing advice the day before he kills himself; and things called "Metabolators" which eat every person, place or thing in sight, on command by the government.
The premise of these collected stories is fairly unique in its own right: a chocolateer on vacation, visits a chocolate factory--only to find out the factory's operated by the life essences of an incarcerated alien-life-form! The man, who sees too much, runs from security, who corner him and give him no other option than to fall five stories into a vat of boiling chocolate to his supposed inevitable death.
While in the vat the man connects with the alien-life-form, merges physiological life forces, and emerges from the vat--a chocolate fleshed super being, who can change anything into chocolate by the wave of his hands!
To sustain his sweet, supple structure, the hero must then avoid melting from any exposure to heat, including prolonged idling in the sun, lamps, etc., and eat sweets: fudge bars, Yoo-Hoos, to maintain his consistency, otherwise, he hardens and becomes vulnerable to any jarring cracks to his delicate, physical constitution.
As interesting as the premise might sound, the writing and stories were a bit disjointed and meaningless. The illustration was fair, but mostly unremarkable. The characters were flat. And reading this book felt fairly inconsequential. Though, I may see chocolate somewhat differently now--for at least a day or two.
June 15, 2008
I was definitely disappointed in this one. I'd had only read Yurkovich's "Less Than Heroes" previous to this. That book impressed me by being much deeper than expected, especially at the end. This is just a dumb concept with an execution that doesn't pay off, save for a couple of threads.
The problem seems to be with the disjointed nature of the whole book since the different parts were created several years apart. They don't read well when composed together. I'm guessing that nostalgia had a lot to with anyone wanting the story finished and compiled into one volume.
I haven't given up on Yurkovich yet, though, as long as the Broccoli Agenda has some of the brilliant tone displayed with Less Than Heroes.
The problem seems to be with the disjointed nature of the whole book since the different parts were created several years apart. They don't read well when composed together. I'm guessing that nostalgia had a lot to with anyone wanting the story finished and compiled into one volume.
I haven't given up on Yurkovich yet, though, as long as the Broccoli Agenda has some of the brilliant tone displayed with Less Than Heroes.
May 20, 2016
Checked this out on hoopla during some period of boredom (and after having enjoyed reading the Sholay comics on hoopla). It's just about at the limit of what I can handle art and plot-wise for comics--too hard to tell characters apart, ridiculous premises, terrible yet self-congratulatory writing. In a comics store or library I probably would have picked it up and flipped through but then put it back; somehow the commitment of downloading it to the ipad made me push through to the end.
September 5, 2015
In the beginning, I thought this was a comic for children because I couldn't understand why this hero was lame. He wasn't on a league, he was made of chocolate, and his powers could destroy political enemies. As I read on, I realized it was a different take on comic and I really did like the artist's style. I thought it was a good and easy read.
December 20, 2007
The concept of this story was really good (love all the fun chocolate references and strange superhero origin story) but it just didn't seem thought-through all the way. I brought this back to the library without finishing it.
January 13, 2012
Here’s a nicely drawn but annoyingly goofy collection of modern-only-in-art comic books stories. The visual style does give the piece an edge and a certain unique atmosphere, but it carries only so far.
January 3, 2009
I didn't actually finish reading this so maybe my rating is unfair, however, it turned out that the title is the best part of the book. It was amusing, but not as funny as I thought it would be.
November 17, 2013
Amazing. It's great to see a guy's ideas come to fruition! Strange characters & sublime times~ a 'swete' black and white read!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews