Carlton Mellick III (via Wikimedia Commons)

No one possesses a larger or more renowned oeuvre in the bizarro community than Carlton Mellick III (or CM3). It was in fact his novel Satan Burger that catalyzed the genre in the first place. Putting out roughly three books a year since 2001, he has a bibliography of over 60 books. It was this last fact that gave me an idea.

What if I made it my goal to read every one of his books? It’s not as crazy as it sounds: his “little books” (as they often referred to) are for the most part under 200 pages, his style addictively readable. And in my experience, I’ve never read a bad one (though I’ve been told some are better than others).

The hard part will be in acquiring them as some are out of print. Bizarro author Andrew J. Stone gave the example of Mellick’s book Electric Jesus Corpse, going for over $100 on Amazon. Author Amy M. Vaughn suggested reading his complete works chronologically, to watch his style develop, but the difficulties in acquiring them may make that impossible.

I’m fully aware of the scope of such a venture, so I’m giving myself plenty of time: five years. With 60 books, that’s a book a month. Considering I’ve already read many of his books (I’m counting those), that number is even lower. A very achievable goal, in my opinion.

I would like to invite any of you interested to join me in the Carlton Mellick Challenge. Below, I’ve included a table to make it easy to check off the books you’ve read (though this list will grow as more books come out). I left out both Electric Jesus Corpse and Cancer-Cute, because as much as I enjoy his work, I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a single book.

If you decide to take up the challenge, tweet me with the hashtag #CM3challenge.

I really hope we can make this a thing. It’s a great way to celebrate such an amazing author.

Tchau,

Zé