Natalie Riess

Collecting the first four issues of Natalie Riess's delectable series, SPACE BATTLE LUNCHTIME! Earth baker Peony gets the deal of a lifetime when she agrees to be a contestant on the Universe's hottest reality TV show, Space Battle Lunchtime! But that was before she knew that it shoots on location... on a spaceship... and her alien competitors don't play nice! Does Peony really have what it takes to be the best cook in the Galaxy? Tune in and find out!

Lights, Camera, Snacktion

Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 1

Nessa Luna

3.5*

This was cute and I like the art style. Ended way too abruptly, though I get why it ended there. Will probably pick up the sequel asap!

It's almost time for the season finale of Space Battle Lunchtime, and finalist Peony (the only Earth contestant) is nowhere to be found! That's because she's been kidnapped and taken to the set of Space Battle Lunchtime's biggest rival, Cannibal Coliseum, where chefs compete to cook... each other. Up against some of the most dangerous aliens in the galaxy, will Peony even make it to the end of the show? Stay tuned!

A Recipe for Disaster

Space Battle Lunchtime Volume 2

Maggie Gordon

So adorable, but not as strong a volume as the first. Space Battle Lunchtime features Peony, a dessert chef who gets dragged into space to compete in a cooking contest. At the end of the first volume, Peony is kidnapped, and now she's thrust into a new cooking competition... one that requires you to cook the other contestants! I see that other reviewers are quite concerned about the level of violence. You do see one character slice another in half, and that is possibly a bit much for a book aimed at younger readers. My biggest beef is that the comic felt rushed. The scenes didn't feel that fleshed out, and then it all suddenly ended. Perhaps there will be more issues in the future that help flesh things out, but it felt like the author had to end things quickly.

Mahogany Skillings

A cute short story about a human girl, Peony, who is whisked (ha ha) away to a cooking show in space. Can she become the top chef?

Peony has been kidnapped! She's been taken to Cannibal Coliseum and must keep her wits about her to survive - and cook an amazing dish. How will things shake out?

Lauren Sullivan

Oh, this is so adorable! There’s two things my family has been doing a lot more of during quarantine: watching TV baking shows (Great British Bake-off is a favorite) and reading. This graphic novel perfectly combines both so of course we loved it!

After a strange frog-like person visits the bakery she’s working at, Peony suddenly finds herself agreeing to take part in an intergalactic cooking competition. Her fellow chefs are quite the interesting cast of aliens. Some of them are more friendly than others (looking at you, Melonhead) but they’re all delightfully different. Despite her shyness, Peony quickly makes friends with some of the show’s crew, and there’s even a sweet burgeoning romance between Peony and one of the other chefs.

The artwork is colorful and vibrant. Each page is full of interesting and creative details, from the aliens to the dishes they’ve created. And, oh, the food! From Peony’s cupcakes to floating jelly blobs to what looks like a pair of socks on a rock, everything is gorgeous. And it’s just plain cute!

This volume ends on a cliffhanger, which of course led to my kids immediately demanding we pick up the next one from the library. Overall, if you’re a fan of cooking competitions and graphic novels, you’ll love this adorable book!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an advanced review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mahasin S Ameen

This was a great read with really fun illustrations. If you liked Chopped but want to read a graphic novel, pick this one up. It's really clever and I recommend it highly.

Nora 

"Space Battle Lunchtime cooks up a delightful queer cosmic adventure." — AV Club Peony may have come in second place on the mega popular cooking show Space Battle Lunchtime, but with a girlfriend and a royal catering gig for a space empress, she's on top of the world! Until she finds out her old rival, Melonhead, is catering the same event. But that's a picnic—she's dealt with Melonhead before. What she hasn't dealt with is her girlfriend Neptunia's mysterious past, which comes to a head when Nep's sister turns out to be the empress's bodyguard. And what Peony absolutely can't deal with is an attempt on the empress's life—especially when she's the prime suspect! All this cutthroat culinary sabotage was supposed to be over when Space Battle Lunchtime ended... but in the competitive world of catering, there's always someone ready to stab you in the back.

Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 1 Lights, Camera, Snacktion

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