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Wonton Soup #1-2
Wonton Soup: Big Bowl Edition
James Stokoe's crazy space trucker cooking epic returns to print bigger and badder than ever before! Join Johnny Boyo and Deacon as they cruise the intergalactic superhighways in search of legendary ingredients and amazing adventure. Collects WONTON SOUP VOLUMES 1 and 2.
392 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2014
14 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
James Stokoe
147 books85 followersJames Stokoe (born September 4, 1985) is a Canadian comic book artist who is known for his work on such titles as Wonton Soup, Orc Stain and Godzilla: The Half-Century War.
Along with Corey Lewis, Brandon Graham and Marley Zarcone, he's a part of a studio/collective called "Yosh Comics".
Along with Corey Lewis, Brandon Graham and Marley Zarcone, he's a part of a studio/collective called "Yosh Comics".
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 11, 2022
I'm a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It reminds me of Chew crossed with underground comics. Stokoe's linework is great and he actually knows how to draw for the black and white medium. In fact, I think the art here looks better than his color artwork found in Godzilla: the Half Century War.
February 26, 2017
The first time I read Wonton Soup I really enjoyed the first volume but disliked the second. I'm not really sure why I had that reaction. Reading both volumes here together I think they are both of the same quality.
There's a lot of raw creativity here combined with beautiful artwork. Its an absurd space opera with lots of interesting designs, but the story doesn't end up going anywhere important. Its a fun romp while it lasts though.
There's a lot of raw creativity here combined with beautiful artwork. Its an absurd space opera with lots of interesting designs, but the story doesn't end up going anywhere important. Its a fun romp while it lasts though.
November 20, 2018
It was hard to rate this a 3 or a 4, but ultimately a 3. I enjoyed the adult humor this book has to offer in relation to its revolution around outer space cuisine. Holistically, not really my type of book and it didn't really move me the way book in my personal collection do, but still had some good laughs and WTF moments with this one.
January 11, 2016
This is the second work of James Stokoe's I have had the pleasure of reading. Unlike most reviewers my first exposure to his art was with IDW's Godzilla: Half Century War, which amazed me. This one has nearly the same level of complexity in every panel, with a bit more stylistic flair. If I could judge Wonton Soup on the art alone it would earn a solid 5 stars for its incredible vividness and wild creativity. However, if we break down the comic as a whole it would go something like this:
Art: 6 stars (out of 5)
Story: 3.5 stars
Writing: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
This is a bit of my own personal taste, but I don't relate at all to pot culture humour, and there was a lot of that here. Another reviewer brought up how the characterization was a bit "bro-y" and I have to agree. There were some glimpses of genius in the story in Vol 1, but Vol 2, though interesting at times and imaginative, lacked focus and failed to address some of the interesting plot points brought up in Vol 1.
Pick this up if you want something weird, fun, and different.
Art: 6 stars (out of 5)
Story: 3.5 stars
Writing: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
This is a bit of my own personal taste, but I don't relate at all to pot culture humour, and there was a lot of that here. Another reviewer brought up how the characterization was a bit "bro-y" and I have to agree. There were some glimpses of genius in the story in Vol 1, but Vol 2, though interesting at times and imaginative, lacked focus and failed to address some of the interesting plot points brought up in Vol 1.
Pick this up if you want something weird, fun, and different.
July 28, 2015
Between a 3 and a 4. At first the story came off a little bit bro-y for me. But then it settled into itself. It is a story about a space bro (whose last name is "Boyo")and his bro who mostly talks about having sex. There's one girl character, but she has her own stuff going on, and there's mega silliness and gross food adventures and space! So I ended up liking it. It has a mood of cheerful stupidity but it's not dumb.
February 24, 2022
The other Canadian truckers! At least these ones don't block the border.
As always, Stokoe's are is intricate, weird, and intriguing. It holds this book up together and I'm glad to have read it if only for the art.
I, unfortunately, couldn't latch onto the story. The characters were funny. The situations were funny. But I found myself flipping through just to look at the art. It felt like the text meandered until it ended. I kind of wish there was some kind of overarching story because, as it stands, this was more or less a spattering of scifi cooking on top of random events and interesting looking aliens and locals.
Story wasn't great, 2 stars. Art was great, 4 stars.
As always, Stokoe's are is intricate, weird, and intriguing. It holds this book up together and I'm glad to have read it if only for the art.
I, unfortunately, couldn't latch onto the story. The characters were funny. The situations were funny. But I found myself flipping through just to look at the art. It felt like the text meandered until it ended. I kind of wish there was some kind of overarching story because, as it stands, this was more or less a spattering of scifi cooking on top of random events and interesting looking aliens and locals.
Story wasn't great, 2 stars. Art was great, 4 stars.
August 8, 2023
Wild crusty space jaunt! Cool to see Stokoe’s progression from the first half to the second. Probably the closest thing to manga that I will read.
August 17, 2017
James Stokoe makes the kind of comics that make me wish I could draw. His comics are so obviously created with a deep love of the medium that I can't help but enjoy them. From the description of this book I'd never have guessed that I would like it so much: a couple of space truckers fly to different planets, eating weird food and getting into goofy, often food-related adventures. Sounds ridiculous.
But of course that's part of what makes this book so fun. My old pal and colleague Drew Hayes (1969-2007) once described his favorite working position for drawing his comic Poison Elves: he would lie on the floor, propped up on his elbows, feet in the air, and draw page after page, making the appropriate sound-effects noises as he drew characters punching, shooting, swinging swords, whatever. Though I doubt Stokoe approaches his craft in the same way (Drew was a bit of an oddball), I wouldn't be surprised if this were his method, too. There's a spontaneity to Stokoe's pages. Not just in the writing but in the penstrokes as well. This guy's having fun, and that fun rubs off on his readers (or this one, anyway).
That said, I did enjoy the second part ("Soft Served") slightly better than the first ("Space Trucker Opera"). Whereas the first part has weird sentient food, deep space ninjas ("doing nothing but floating around for 3 years [waiting to attack passing ships] tends to make you a complete pussy"), a return to Plaxos (where Johnny Boyo's girlfriend Citrus Watts is still attending the culinary school from which Johnny dropped out), and an epic cook-off between Johnny and the Twin Twingos, the second part starts off with Johnny and Deacon getting high on Eltyuktuks weed, which distills "a thousand millennia of peaceful memories in a pipe." This scene is amazing, and very funny. Then Deacon tells us a story from his past, involving, well, a sex bear. I won't bother to try to explain this. Suffice to say it's hilarious. Then Johnny and Deacon eat Vellanian Pookapples, which spawn micro-civilizations who go to war in the stomach lining of whoever eats the fruit. (The civilizations who set up residence in Johnny's stomach, by the way, remind me of something out of Vaughn Bode's work.) Then Johnny and Deacon fight some Gow monsters. The end.
So Wonton Soup doesn't have anything resembling a plot, and nothing in the way of character development (Stokoe even includes a joke about this in the set-up to Deacon's sex bear story), but that's OK. It's well-told, well-drawn, and funny. I might even like this better than Orc Stain.
But of course that's part of what makes this book so fun. My old pal and colleague Drew Hayes (1969-2007) once described his favorite working position for drawing his comic Poison Elves: he would lie on the floor, propped up on his elbows, feet in the air, and draw page after page, making the appropriate sound-effects noises as he drew characters punching, shooting, swinging swords, whatever. Though I doubt Stokoe approaches his craft in the same way (Drew was a bit of an oddball), I wouldn't be surprised if this were his method, too. There's a spontaneity to Stokoe's pages. Not just in the writing but in the penstrokes as well. This guy's having fun, and that fun rubs off on his readers (or this one, anyway).
That said, I did enjoy the second part ("Soft Served") slightly better than the first ("Space Trucker Opera"). Whereas the first part has weird sentient food, deep space ninjas ("doing nothing but floating around for 3 years [waiting to attack passing ships] tends to make you a complete pussy"), a return to Plaxos (where Johnny Boyo's girlfriend Citrus Watts is still attending the culinary school from which Johnny dropped out), and an epic cook-off between Johnny and the Twin Twingos, the second part starts off with Johnny and Deacon getting high on Eltyuktuks weed, which distills "a thousand millennia of peaceful memories in a pipe." This scene is amazing, and very funny. Then Deacon tells us a story from his past, involving, well, a sex bear. I won't bother to try to explain this. Suffice to say it's hilarious. Then Johnny and Deacon eat Vellanian Pookapples, which spawn micro-civilizations who go to war in the stomach lining of whoever eats the fruit. (The civilizations who set up residence in Johnny's stomach, by the way, remind me of something out of Vaughn Bode's work.) Then Johnny and Deacon fight some Gow monsters. The end.
So Wonton Soup doesn't have anything resembling a plot, and nothing in the way of character development (Stokoe even includes a joke about this in the set-up to Deacon's sex bear story), but that's OK. It's well-told, well-drawn, and funny. I might even like this better than Orc Stain.
August 17, 2014
I really wanted more from this one. I was hopeful for a sweet story about a space-hopping chef, and only kind of got that. The rest is a sort of stream-of-consciousness style story that meanders without ever really doing anything. The first volume is stronger than the second in terms of plotting, while the second half is stronger artistically, but muddled by goofy visuals and the lack of any intrigue.
Wonton soup is neat, and good fun, but the off the wall plotting and self-aware nature kept me too far away to really get into it. Stokoe is an awesome artist, and he has some excellent ideas, but there's not a lot going on here narratively. That said, I'd love to see more. There are some really strong potential characters here that could really work to round this gonzo-universe into something bigger.
Wonton soup is neat, and good fun, but the off the wall plotting and self-aware nature kept me too far away to really get into it. Stokoe is an awesome artist, and he has some excellent ideas, but there's not a lot going on here narratively. That said, I'd love to see more. There are some really strong potential characters here that could really work to round this gonzo-universe into something bigger.
August 11, 2016
This collection includes volume 1 and volume 2. Having never read anything by James Stokoe, I found the first volume to be funny, creative, and especially weird. He obviously knows how to give oddball characters dry humor and deadpan deliveries, and at times they had me laughing out loud.
Volume 2 had more of an underground comix vibe but too many gross-out jokes and I felt he kept breaking down the fourth wall to the point where it was no longer funny.
I'd definitely recommend checking out the first volume to discover his unique style and humor, but volume two could easily be skimmed or skipped altogether.
Volume 2 had more of an underground comix vibe but too many gross-out jokes and I felt he kept breaking down the fourth wall to the point where it was no longer funny.
I'd definitely recommend checking out the first volume to discover his unique style and humor, but volume two could easily be skimmed or skipped altogether.
November 20, 2025
James Stokoe is perhaps most famous for his vibrant colors and “shit, son” sense-of-scale battle sequences in books both licenced (IDW’s Godzilla: The Half-Century War) and creator-owned (Image’s D&D cum Dio song-comic Orc Stain). But before he wrote/drew those, there was Wonton Soup, an everything but the kitchen sink “space trucker cooking opera” told in two volumes published between 2007 and 2009.
Wonton Soup isn’t Stokoe’s earliest published work, but the real value in this new edition, collecting both volumes for a low price, is the opportunity to watch Stokoe’s development as a storyteller. The premise of Wonton Soup is familiar by design; culinary prodigy-turned-slacker Johnny Boyo and dreadlocked, sex-craved sidekick Deacon Vans carry exotic freight across the galaxy, stumbling into adventures and generally trying to put some distance between them and their respective home worlds. The book exists in the background of universes like Dune or Alien; it’s Star Wars if The Empire Strikes Back spent its run time following that Ice Cream Machine Guy in Cloud City instead of Luke and Leia.
Early in volume one, Johnny finds a hologram projector in his bowl of space-chicken wontons that begs for the help of a chosen one who can save a fledgling rebellion from a super-weapon. Johnny, of course, ignores this and finds his off-planet hotel. Stokoe doesn’t explore this meta-textual angle with much depth but it does play off nicely in a sequence in which Johnny and his estranged girlfriend Citrus hash out their relationship baggage while a colonial marine “history documentary” blares off the TV in front of them; lines like “DESERTERS WILL BE SHOT!” playing off of Johnny’s admission that “you know why I left.”
Taken as a whole, Wonton Soup’s weakness is that it isn't willing to commit to, well, anything. Stokoe creates a handful of pretty interesting and charming characters but places them in only in a series of vignettes. The first volume putters around until it reaches it’s (admittedly excellent) climactic Iron Chef face-off between Johnny and twin rivals from his former cooking school. The second volume goes for broke by opening with a prolonged space drug trip that ends up incorporating snippets of autobiography from Stokoe when he runs out of gas. Taken on their own, these stories are fun; read together they don't add up to more than the sum of their parts.
Where Wonton Soup succeeds is in Stokoe’s conceptual creativity. He tosses off ideas like a group of space-camouflage ninja thieves, star cruisers shaped like Buddha or sub-intestinal political assassinations. Many creators would build an entire book around stuff like this, but Stokoe just uses them for atmosphere. Science fiction often runs into trouble when it tries to hard to make its conceits seem real. No one cares what powers a lightsaber or a what a giant sandworm eats. In contrast, Stokoe’s explanatory sidebars, usually detailing Johnny Boyo’s intergalactic recipes, work because they revel in absurdity and add a little color and texture with lines like “If the lettuce is cut too thick and chunky, the CXL will realise they are being prepared wrong and will strangle the chef responsible.”
As this collected edition transitions between volume one and volume two, you’re stuck immediately by how much tighter Stokoe’s pencils have become in the intervening two years. The first volume’s loose drawings and speech bubble typos give way to a far more visually polished work. While the first installment occasionally shows off clever uses of negative space, Stokoe’s willingness to experiment shines through with inventive layouts (like the aforementioned tripping sequence that ends with a series of panels that multiply as they shrink). At the end of the day, Wonton Soup is an early effort but it’s an early effort from one of the best artists working today. While Stokoe doesn’t reach the ambitious heights of later works, there’s enough here to satisfy fans of his more recent comics or readers just looking for their weird-o sci-fi comics fix.
Wonton Soup isn’t Stokoe’s earliest published work, but the real value in this new edition, collecting both volumes for a low price, is the opportunity to watch Stokoe’s development as a storyteller. The premise of Wonton Soup is familiar by design; culinary prodigy-turned-slacker Johnny Boyo and dreadlocked, sex-craved sidekick Deacon Vans carry exotic freight across the galaxy, stumbling into adventures and generally trying to put some distance between them and their respective home worlds. The book exists in the background of universes like Dune or Alien; it’s Star Wars if The Empire Strikes Back spent its run time following that Ice Cream Machine Guy in Cloud City instead of Luke and Leia.
Early in volume one, Johnny finds a hologram projector in his bowl of space-chicken wontons that begs for the help of a chosen one who can save a fledgling rebellion from a super-weapon. Johnny, of course, ignores this and finds his off-planet hotel. Stokoe doesn’t explore this meta-textual angle with much depth but it does play off nicely in a sequence in which Johnny and his estranged girlfriend Citrus hash out their relationship baggage while a colonial marine “history documentary” blares off the TV in front of them; lines like “DESERTERS WILL BE SHOT!” playing off of Johnny’s admission that “you know why I left.”
Taken as a whole, Wonton Soup’s weakness is that it isn't willing to commit to, well, anything. Stokoe creates a handful of pretty interesting and charming characters but places them in only in a series of vignettes. The first volume putters around until it reaches it’s (admittedly excellent) climactic Iron Chef face-off between Johnny and twin rivals from his former cooking school. The second volume goes for broke by opening with a prolonged space drug trip that ends up incorporating snippets of autobiography from Stokoe when he runs out of gas. Taken on their own, these stories are fun; read together they don't add up to more than the sum of their parts.
Where Wonton Soup succeeds is in Stokoe’s conceptual creativity. He tosses off ideas like a group of space-camouflage ninja thieves, star cruisers shaped like Buddha or sub-intestinal political assassinations. Many creators would build an entire book around stuff like this, but Stokoe just uses them for atmosphere. Science fiction often runs into trouble when it tries to hard to make its conceits seem real. No one cares what powers a lightsaber or a what a giant sandworm eats. In contrast, Stokoe’s explanatory sidebars, usually detailing Johnny Boyo’s intergalactic recipes, work because they revel in absurdity and add a little color and texture with lines like “If the lettuce is cut too thick and chunky, the CXL will realise they are being prepared wrong and will strangle the chef responsible.”
As this collected edition transitions between volume one and volume two, you’re stuck immediately by how much tighter Stokoe’s pencils have become in the intervening two years. The first volume’s loose drawings and speech bubble typos give way to a far more visually polished work. While the first installment occasionally shows off clever uses of negative space, Stokoe’s willingness to experiment shines through with inventive layouts (like the aforementioned tripping sequence that ends with a series of panels that multiply as they shrink). At the end of the day, Wonton Soup is an early effort but it’s an early effort from one of the best artists working today. While Stokoe doesn’t reach the ambitious heights of later works, there’s enough here to satisfy fans of his more recent comics or readers just looking for their weird-o sci-fi comics fix.
April 22, 2018
I really wanted to love this; the futuristic space chef/trucker/traveller premise was intriguing and the artwork of characters and worlds were very immersive, creative and beautifully drawn.
What it lacked was:
An interesting story arc - There are flashes of great ideas (who doesn't like space ninjas??) that seem to end short and aren't really woven together. This won't have been helped by this book being an amalgamation of shorter stories.
Depth of characters/likeable characters - The weed/bro culture of this overtly masculine book was of no appeal to me, likewise the aloof and literally too-cool-for-school protagonist was not particularly believable or likeable. 'Fuckin tits I am thirsty' is about the depth of most conversation and there's an overreliance on crass 'jokes' about bodily functions. A long running graphic novel series would probably be required to do some of these characters justice, as many only survive for a few pages, but this would obviously require a long-term commitment from the author.
There are funny moments, like the protagonist getting repeatedly fwapped in the face by exploding meat during an innovative cooking lesson, or the gruesome fangirl monster fishing for careers advice. The world created definitely has potential for further exploration, but I feel it would require a team of creators to produce the volume of work to flesh this out sufficiently and greater emphasis needs to be placed on character and storyline development.
One positive is that it does make me want to put greater effort into creating new and novel recipes the likes of which the likes of which have never been seen before.
What it lacked was:
An interesting story arc - There are flashes of great ideas (who doesn't like space ninjas??) that seem to end short and aren't really woven together. This won't have been helped by this book being an amalgamation of shorter stories.
Depth of characters/likeable characters - The weed/bro culture of this overtly masculine book was of no appeal to me, likewise the aloof and literally too-cool-for-school protagonist was not particularly believable or likeable. 'Fuckin tits I am thirsty' is about the depth of most conversation and there's an overreliance on crass 'jokes' about bodily functions. A long running graphic novel series would probably be required to do some of these characters justice, as many only survive for a few pages, but this would obviously require a long-term commitment from the author.
There are funny moments, like the protagonist getting repeatedly fwapped in the face by exploding meat during an innovative cooking lesson, or the gruesome fangirl monster fishing for careers advice. The world created definitely has potential for further exploration, but I feel it would require a team of creators to produce the volume of work to flesh this out sufficiently and greater emphasis needs to be placed on character and storyline development.
One positive is that it does make me want to put greater effort into creating new and novel recipes the likes of which the likes of which have never been seen before.
June 5, 2018
I don't actually have a whole lot to say about this. It's a collected tale about a space trucker who took up that occupation because he wanted to eat all the various foods across the galaxy that he could, and to learn to cook them. The book is more episodic than plot-driven, and it has an appealing cast of gonzo characters, gonzo ships, and even more gonzo food. I didn't find anything earth-shaking here, but I enjoyed it.
October 20, 2018
Pure Imaginative Fun!
This is a really fun read packed with awesome visuals. The story is simple and quirky but the originality of the art brings so much depth the the reading experience. Highly recommended.
This is a really fun read packed with awesome visuals. The story is simple and quirky but the originality of the art brings so much depth the the reading experience. Highly recommended.
May 5, 2020
This was a fun read! It's fun to see how Stokoe's style has evolved, and see it at it's earlier stages, unrestrained by working through a preexisting property. Any roughness around the edges should be chalked up to it's punk rock attitude. Good stuff, this.
October 13, 2017
The art is very good and detailed but I just didn't like the story. I didn't enjoy the whole being weird for the sake of being weird, the silly names, just wasn't my style.
September 30, 2018
Cool visuals and a crazy space and cooking adventure.
March 31, 2019
Great art. Ok story. Want more
April 9, 2021
Not up there with Orc Stain, can see more of a Jamie Hewlett influence. Fun but a bit lightweight.
November 6, 2023
3.5 stars
Enjoyed most of the plot and storytelling. Did enjoy the characters and the worldbuilding but I think all in all this book was just way too bizarre for me.
Enjoyed most of the plot and storytelling. Did enjoy the characters and the worldbuilding but I think all in all this book was just way too bizarre for me.
March 17, 2025
A fun zip around the culinary galaxy. Enjoyed the little author interludes
April 27, 2014
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Stokoe is a genius. He might be an oxymoron because he's an angry Canadian but whatever makes him who he is, is a good thing for us.
Finally collecting all the adventures of Johnny Boyo and Deacon. Stokoe's distinctive style and attention to detail shows us that cooking could be so much more. So much more...
Vol 1: A Space Trucker Opera. AFter a fight with space ninjas, Boyo gets stranded in space. His sexual deviant partner Deacon finds a ride to a hellish rock which happens to be Boyo's old stomping grounds. Boyo reunites with an estranged love and pays his old culinary tutor a visit. In the process he is challenged to a cook-out. The charm of this is the ingredients are insane, and the cooking process is even more insane. It speaks of a creative force impressive enough to continue onto a sequel.
Vol 2: Cooking doesn't feature too much here but when it does, it's deeply deviant. The focus is on a drug they take that sends them to lala land for an indeterminate period of time. Stokoe must have lost hours of his life towards penciling and inking this volume. I can see why there hasn't been another sequel, but irony is, he went on to do Orc Stain and Godzilla, each of which are much more ambitious works in their respective ways.
If you're jacked into the weird, you won't be disappointed. In fact you'll be disappointed when you are left wanting after you quickly burn through Stokoe's entire body of work, which is unfortunately limited. Quality over quantity, don't you agree? If you're easily offended, read it anyways. I think that's the point.
Finally collecting all the adventures of Johnny Boyo and Deacon. Stokoe's distinctive style and attention to detail shows us that cooking could be so much more. So much more...
Vol 1: A Space Trucker Opera. AFter a fight with space ninjas, Boyo gets stranded in space. His sexual deviant partner Deacon finds a ride to a hellish rock which happens to be Boyo's old stomping grounds. Boyo reunites with an estranged love and pays his old culinary tutor a visit. In the process he is challenged to a cook-out. The charm of this is the ingredients are insane, and the cooking process is even more insane. It speaks of a creative force impressive enough to continue onto a sequel.
Vol 2: Cooking doesn't feature too much here but when it does, it's deeply deviant. The focus is on a drug they take that sends them to lala land for an indeterminate period of time. Stokoe must have lost hours of his life towards penciling and inking this volume. I can see why there hasn't been another sequel, but irony is, he went on to do Orc Stain and Godzilla, each of which are much more ambitious works in their respective ways.
If you're jacked into the weird, you won't be disappointed. In fact you'll be disappointed when you are left wanting after you quickly burn through Stokoe's entire body of work, which is unfortunately limited. Quality over quantity, don't you agree? If you're easily offended, read it anyways. I think that's the point.
July 12, 2014
'Wonton Soup Collection' is a wacky, strange galactic adventure, and I have to confess I kind of liked how over the top it was. It reminded me of SF things I like such as the tv show Red Dwarf and the movie Dark Star.
Johnny Boyo and Deacon are space-faring dudes with their own ship. What they are doing with a ship is never made clear, but just go with it. The first episode has Johnny in search of a great bowl of won ton soup on a space station, and prime, exotic ingredients for something he is cooking up. Exotic being the key word here as the ingredients are an alien species that actually likes to be consumed, but only if prepared properly. We move from there to an extreme cooking competition at Johnny's old school ala Iron Chef, but much stranger. Also strange are the drugs that Johnny and Deacon take in a further adventure. An adventure that leaves their ship stranded and needing a fuel cell, but not to worry, the boys are up for the adventure.
It's all so crazy and good natured that I couldn't help but like it. Art and story by James Stokes feels like the best underground comics. I confess that I liked the first half better than the second half. The story of Deacon's origins might have been a bit over the top for me, but I still liked it overall.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Johnny Boyo and Deacon are space-faring dudes with their own ship. What they are doing with a ship is never made clear, but just go with it. The first episode has Johnny in search of a great bowl of won ton soup on a space station, and prime, exotic ingredients for something he is cooking up. Exotic being the key word here as the ingredients are an alien species that actually likes to be consumed, but only if prepared properly. We move from there to an extreme cooking competition at Johnny's old school ala Iron Chef, but much stranger. Also strange are the drugs that Johnny and Deacon take in a further adventure. An adventure that leaves their ship stranded and needing a fuel cell, but not to worry, the boys are up for the adventure.
It's all so crazy and good natured that I couldn't help but like it. Art and story by James Stokes feels like the best underground comics. I confess that I liked the first half better than the second half. The story of Deacon's origins might have been a bit over the top for me, but I still liked it overall.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
January 18, 2015
An original, quick-paced romp across space. Stokoe has a particular talent for organic designs, and the weird cooking theme of Wonton Soup really lets him shine. In terms of the art, though, what I found most striking was his superb composition, both within each panel, and within each page or pair of pages.
I give this four stars rather than five because there's a noticeable divide in the book (between parts one and two). The first part feels like the effort of a younger artist, and in some places the art plays it uncomfortably loose with perspective and scale; in the second part, the art feels more stylistically consistent and confident. On the other hand, I like the more cohesive storyline in the first half, where the second half feels a little more lighthearted but lacking direction or focus.
I picked this book up because I loved Orc Stain, so if you liked this, check that out.
I give this four stars rather than five because there's a noticeable divide in the book (between parts one and two). The first part feels like the effort of a younger artist, and in some places the art plays it uncomfortably loose with perspective and scale; in the second part, the art feels more stylistically consistent and confident. On the other hand, I like the more cohesive storyline in the first half, where the second half feels a little more lighthearted but lacking direction or focus.
I picked this book up because I loved Orc Stain, so if you liked this, check that out.
April 20, 2015
This was an extremely fun and extremely bizarre read.
The story of a young drop out from the most prestigious cooking school in the galaxy who travels through space looking for exotic new foods, recipes, and cooking styles is the basis for the story.
Discovering things such as fruits with micro-civilizations, food that will attempt to kill you if not prepared properly, and bitter sweet story of a man and his sex bear are among the imaginative stories you will find here.
The Collected Edition being both graphic novels at 19.99 is a small price to pay for a glimpse into this world.
The only draw back and this will be vary in degree from reader to reader is the high amount of alien aka gibberish in the book. You can go multiple panels without being able to understand one word of dialogue.
I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different and are willing to take a trip down the Milky Way's culinary rabbit hole.
The story of a young drop out from the most prestigious cooking school in the galaxy who travels through space looking for exotic new foods, recipes, and cooking styles is the basis for the story.
Discovering things such as fruits with micro-civilizations, food that will attempt to kill you if not prepared properly, and bitter sweet story of a man and his sex bear are among the imaginative stories you will find here.
The Collected Edition being both graphic novels at 19.99 is a small price to pay for a glimpse into this world.
The only draw back and this will be vary in degree from reader to reader is the high amount of alien aka gibberish in the book. You can go multiple panels without being able to understand one word of dialogue.
I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different and are willing to take a trip down the Milky Way's culinary rabbit hole.
May 31, 2023
The first story arc gets five stars.
The second story arc gets zero stars.
The art is amazing. The premise, of "space truckers" who are obsessed with different cooking styles, is amusing. The characters have zero emotional depth, but the appearance of Boyo's ex-girlfriend Citrus halfway through Vol. 1, and their ensuing conversations to sort out their "long distance relationship", infuse the story with an adequate amount of warmth.
There's a connection between Stokoe and Brandon Graham's drawing style from old comics like "October Yen." Not just the art, but also the hipster characters, plotting, and sex appeal....
The second story arc gets zero stars.
The art is amazing. The premise, of "space truckers" who are obsessed with different cooking styles, is amusing. The characters have zero emotional depth, but the appearance of Boyo's ex-girlfriend Citrus halfway through Vol. 1, and their ensuing conversations to sort out their "long distance relationship", infuse the story with an adequate amount of warmth.
There's a connection between Stokoe and Brandon Graham's drawing style from old comics like "October Yen." Not just the art, but also the hipster characters, plotting, and sex appeal....
April 29, 2014
mixed feelings on this one.
The first half is an incredibly imaginative sci-fi story about a master chef turned space trucker trying to find direction is a wacky universe through a competition at his old culinary school. The visuals are amazing and the presentation of food and the act of cookery borders on synaesthesia in the best possible way.
The second half is just a bunch of stuff that happened. it's still gonzo cool but there's nothing holding it together.
The first half is an incredibly imaginative sci-fi story about a master chef turned space trucker trying to find direction is a wacky universe through a competition at his old culinary school. The visuals are amazing and the presentation of food and the act of cookery borders on synaesthesia in the best possible way.
The second half is just a bunch of stuff that happened. it's still gonzo cool but there's nothing holding it together.
May 21, 2014
This is the tale of Johnny Boyo and Deacon Vat, their many adventures out in the space lanes driving space trucks and all the food they encounter. There is a mix of extreme cooking, including an interesting gladiatorial cooking contest on a desert planet, way too much weed and the mundane adventures of deep space truckers. Enjoyable in an existential way.
October 6, 2016
I was lent this, but I'm never giving it back. A new tome to keep near and dear to my bookshelf.
As a chef and a sci-fi nerd, this satisfied me as much as a good meal and a Star Trek marathon, drinking good whiskey and watching Outlaw Star.
Highly reccommended. An interesting journey of low stakes fun.
As a chef and a sci-fi nerd, this satisfied me as much as a good meal and a Star Trek marathon, drinking good whiskey and watching Outlaw Star.
Highly reccommended. An interesting journey of low stakes fun.
December 11, 2014
Solid, fun, space weirdness from the kind of weird. Awesome artwork that gets better as it goes. Occassionally gets a little too off-kilter and random for me, but I'm a big fan of Stokoe's stuff and anyone who's in the same boat should certainly check this out.
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