Welcome, one and all, to our weekly feature “So You Want To Read Comics”, where we take a look at various hobbies, interests, and fandoms, and then offer up some comic book suggestions based on those.
Whether you’re a professional chef, a home cook, a fast-food connoisseur, you run a food blog, or just like filling your instagram feeds with your latest dish, everyone has a relationship with food and the preparation of it. Now while seeing movies and TV shows based around cooking and food isn’t surprising; you may be shocked to know that comic books have strayed away from capes and tights and explored the culinary world from time to time.
With the into out of the way, here’s a couple of comic book suggestions for all you foodies out there. Bon appetit.
SECONDS
Writer: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Artist: Bryan Lee O’Malley & Jason Fischer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Probably more well known for his Scott Pilgrim series and the Micheal Cera movie based on it, BryanLee O’Malley’s foray into cooking, restaurant ownership, and magical mushrooms shouldn’t be missed. Seconds is about a young chef named Katie who’s about to open up her second restaurant and leave her first behind. Along the way she discovers a magical mushroom that allows her to fix mistakes in her past and alter her future. Which of course comes with consequences. While Seconds deals with similar themes as Scott Pilgrim like growing up, accepting responsibility, learning to think of others, and forming healthy relationships, it isn’t reliant on video game shorthand. It manages to tell an effective story simply with good dialog and art. Also, while the whole story doesn’t necessarily revolve around food and restaurants, there’s enough of it here to feel familiar to anyone who’s either worked in a restaurant or has more than a passing interest in the culinary arts.
CHEW
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image Comics
You can purchase this volume via comiXology
When you love something, whether it be another person or in this case food, you have to be willing to accept the ugly with the good, and this is definitely the ugly side of food. Chew revolves around Anthony Chu, a member of the special crimes division of the FDA, yes, the Food and Drug Administration. See, Agent Chu has a special power, he’s a cibopath, meaning anything he eats he forms a psychic connection with. Which means he can see everything that food saw on it’s way to him. In case of beef and chicken he can even see their lives and slaughters, which is why he mostly eats beets. This book is strange, weird, violent, and sometimes gross. One of the best parts of Chew is seeing all facets of the food industry get flipped on its head to resemble crime organizations and police, assuming you can have a sense of humor about where your favorite meal comes from. Honestly, the food puns alone are worth the read.
So, did these suggestions get you fired up and leave your comic book tastebuds watering? Or did they leave you unsatisfied and stale? Do you have some suggestions of your own? Let us know in the comments section below.
Dear Spoilerite,
At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.
At a young age, Jonathan was dragged to a small town in Wisconsin. A small town in Wisconsin that just so happened to have a comic book shop. Faced with a decision to either spend the humid summers and bitter winters traipsing through the pine trees or in climate controlled comfort with tales of adventure, horror, and romance, he chose the latter. Jonathan can often be found playing video games, board games, reading comics and wincing as his “to watch” list grows wildly out of control.