THE BIG TOURNAMENT

In this French import, a budding chef beats the odds to qualify for the great intergalactic cooking tournament on planet Tamaris…but has she bitten off more than she can chew?

The daughter of a humble broccoli farmer, pale-skinned, red-haired Magda looks like a long shot to get through her home planet’s qualifying contest—until her locally sourced three-course entry wows the tough judges and sends her on to the big time, vying for a prize powerful enough to alter worlds. Dialogue balloons compete for space with a large cast of humanoid figures of diverse hue in the relatively small panels. Still, the art contains witty details aplenty to reward careful examination—like the running gag (so to speak) involving a massive glob of snot that hangs from the nose of Magda’s brown-skinned roommate, Hector. Alert readers will notice that the glob would be the only animal-based ingredient used by anybody here…were it not snorted up just before it touches any food he’s preparing. Along with capturing the drama, suspense, and stylized commentary of real cooking shows, this interstellar culinary romp showcases one tempting dish after another, capped by three recipes at the end; the dishes are vegan throughout, and alternative earthly ingredients are suggested for the exoplanetary ones. An abrupt close just as the main event is about to begin will leave readers salivating for the next course.

A delicious kickoff that combines haute cuisine with sky-high stakes.