Starve

Starve Vol 2 was not at all the book I was expecting. What started as a gritty messed up celebrity chef coming back home to face his loved ones and take revenge ended as a book about making amends. It was not as suspenseful as a cutthroat cooking competition, but actually really quite satisfying. What does someone have to do try and heal the hurt that they have caused? We don't talk about what it really takes to fix big mistakes a lot, and it was refreshing to see a graphic novel take on such a difficult topic. So no, not a big exciting conclusion, but one that ended up feeling earned.

A review of Starve in bullet points: - Muddy art, so edgy - A man who ran away from his troubles is dragged back - Except this time he's kinda old and gay. That's new, right? - His arch nemesis is his ex-wife who is obviously overreacting and being a crazy #$@*^ - But his lovely 17 year old daughter still loves him utterly and completely despite him disappearing for years with nary a word - So why is he back? COOKING SHOW! He's a master chef and this used to be his show, and now it is competitive and he needs to win. Or something - Did I mention the world is dystopic? I mean, we get told it is dystopic. I have no idea how it is actually dystopic - Well, chefs have knife fights because reasons, and blue fin tuna is almost extinct, and everyone says there's crazy inequality, but we don't actually SEE that - Why the fuck is his daughter enamored with him? Why is her mother boringly evil? All these characters are frustratingly shallow - Ugg... so much man pain - THE ART IS DARK LIKE HIS SOUL - Brian Wood, you are better than this

I admit, when I first started Starve I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it. The premise captured my attention, but the art wasn't something I was sold on. Until, that is, I started diving deeper into the story. Suddenly, the way that Gavin and his gritty world were drawn made perfect sense. By the time I reached the end of this, you couldn't have pried it out of my hands. I'm sincerely disappointed that I'll have to wait a while for the next trade. Brian Wood's story is captivating. He brings to life a world famous chef, Gavin Cruikshank, who has gone off the rails a bit. He's made himself disappear, to a place where no one knows who he is or what he used to be. I didn't like Gavin at first, but that's because I didn't understand him. As his story unfolded, and I saw what his once loved profession had become, I understood. In a world where the elite live in excess, and the poor starve, Gavin is almost a monster. Which, I soon learned, he ends up owning. I actually really enjoyed Gavin once I got to know him, prickly personality and all. As I mentioned, the art style here takes a little warming up to. I'm used to solid lines, and vivid colors, so the illustrations felt a little unfinished to me at first. Once I was further into the story though, they just became a part of the whole package. Gavin's life isn't solid. It isn't vibrant, but rather full of shady business, violence, and gross excess. I loved this art after a while, and I'm eager to see where things go next. Long story short? This is a solid series! I'll be impatiently waiting for more.