Review #28 - Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts

Authors: Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose

Illustrators:

Issue #1 - Alberto Ponticelli, Vanesa Del Ray, José Villarrubia, Paul Pope

Issue #2 - Mateus Santolouco, Leonardo Manco, José Villarrubia, Paul Pope

Issue #3 - Paul Pope, José Villarrubia, Karen Berger

Issue #4 - Francesco Francavilla, Irene Koh, José Villarrubia, Paul Pope

Editors:

Issue #2 - Karen Berger

Issue #3 - Sebastián Cabrol

Rating: ★★★★

When a renowned chef like Anthony Bourdain goes into horror fiction writing containing food - I must say, I was not expecting a lot. The reason is simple - most celebrities (actors, chefs, etc.) venture into fictional/ non-fictional writing to give readers subpar content, and it is only a method of earning more money from another line of business. Or so I believe.

So when I came across the Hungry Ghosts series, I was not expecting a lot, but was also somehow drawn to the aspect of a food horror story. I can say this with immense surprise and content, I was not let down at all.

Set in the scene of a Russian Richie Rich having got the best chefs from all over the world together for a one night feast only, he invites all of them to a daring game 100 candles - a samurai game, where each person has to tell a terrifying story involving ghosts, demons, etc. - and to survive the challenge by the end of the stories.

The twist - these horrific tales should contain the element of food.

Seems a bit unrealistic? Well trust a Japanese legend and the food maniac to achieve this impossible feat. Because of the stories being short, no story feels repeated, or prolonged. They're gripping and to the point. The illustrations are fantastic. Gory, disturbing - but that's what horror is supposed to be. At least when it involves delicious food, which anyways while eating proves to be messy, so you can imagine what it can be in the horror scenario.

You can say in some way they also deliver some sort of morals by the end. Not all the stories, but some do. How? Read the books to find out.

#horror #comics #manga #foodanddrink #fiction #sequentialart #graphicnovels #fantasy #shortstories #art