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A review by bookishrealm
Brave Chef Brianna by Sam Sykes, Selina Espiritu
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Yike's ya'll! I really wanted to like this one, but it didn't do it for me. I remember reading the single issues and really enjoying the first two which explains why I enjoyed the first half but the not the second. This had food and monsters which I thought was going to be an interesting mash-up. But alas, no. CW: self-deprecation
Brave Chef Brianna seems to be a single volume comic that centers around Brianna who is competing against her brothers to acquire whatever her father is leaving behind related to his cooking business. Each of them is required to start a business and the person with the most successful business wins. The premise seemed really interesting and the art was fun; however, I was not pleased with the execution. There were so many plot holes. When Brianna makes it to Monster City she struggles a lot with self-doubt/self-hatred. What's weird about this self-doubt is that it manifests itself into this dark creatures that only Brianna seems to notice. THIS IS NEVER EXPLAINED. I don't know what purpose they served, whether it was an indication that Brianna was part monster, none of it made sense. It also felt as though Brianna wasn't fully developed as a character. She had some serious things that she needed to work through and it didn't feel as though she truly ever worked through those things. Then there was the fact that Brianna came to Monster City and felt as though it was completely and totally appropriate to disregard the rules and regulations set forth because she needed to make money. IF THERE WAS A RULE FOR THEM NOT TO EAT SUGAR, FLOUR, OR MILK WHY DO YOU FEEL JUSTIFIED IN DOING SO?!? It was obvious that there was a cultural reason why this rule was in place and the writer felt like it was okay to send the message we can go against peoples cultural values if it's for our benefit. There was also some failed character development with the antagonist who appears to be "out" to ruin Brianna's business; however, she has some good reasons as to why she doesn't trust humans and those reasons were never fully explored. That was particularly disappointing. Let's not fail to mention that this character was also darker in skin tone than the rest of the characters (I'm so tired of people subtly attempting to use skin tone as a way to denote good and bad -- it's gross). This character went through some pretty traumatic experiences related to being a monster and having to deal with humans, BUT as a result she's made to be the villian. It doesn't make sense and I'm not really sure what the author was intending, but it didn't add up when it's all said and done. I usually enjoy comics like these, but I don't know how it started so well and ended up going down hill. The comments related to culture and discrimination were not good and I'm not sure if the publisher or the writer even realized the message they sent out by publishing this.
Brave Chef Brianna seems to be a single volume comic that centers around Brianna who is competing against her brothers to acquire whatever her father is leaving behind related to his cooking business. Each of them is required to start a business and the person with the most successful business wins. The premise seemed really interesting and the art was fun; however, I was not pleased with the execution. There were so many plot holes. When Brianna makes it to Monster City she struggles a lot with self-doubt/self-hatred. What's weird about this self-doubt is that it manifests itself into this dark creatures that only Brianna seems to notice. THIS IS NEVER EXPLAINED. I don't know what purpose they served, whether it was an indication that Brianna was part monster, none of it made sense. It also felt as though Brianna wasn't fully developed as a character. She had some serious things that she needed to work through and it didn't feel as though she truly ever worked through those things. Then there was the fact that Brianna came to Monster City and felt as though it was completely and totally appropriate to disregard the rules and regulations set forth because she needed to make money. IF THERE WAS A RULE FOR THEM NOT TO EAT SUGAR, FLOUR, OR MILK WHY DO YOU FEEL JUSTIFIED IN DOING SO?!? It was obvious that there was a cultural reason why this rule was in place and the writer felt like it was okay to send the message we can go against peoples cultural values if it's for our benefit. There was also some failed character development with the antagonist who appears to be "out" to ruin Brianna's business; however, she has some good reasons as to why she doesn't trust humans and those reasons were never fully explored. That was particularly disappointing. Let's not fail to mention that this character was also darker in skin tone than the rest of the characters (I'm so tired of people subtly attempting to use skin tone as a way to denote good and bad -- it's gross). This character went through some pretty traumatic experiences related to being a monster and having to deal with humans, BUT as a result she's made to be the villian. It doesn't make sense and I'm not really sure what the author was intending, but it didn't add up when it's all said and done. I usually enjoy comics like these, but I don't know how it started so well and ended up going down hill. The comments related to culture and discrimination were not good and I'm not sure if the publisher or the writer even realized the message they sent out by publishing this.