Starve, Vol. 1

Starve #1-5

by Brian Wood, Danijel Žeželj (Artist), Dave Stewart (Artist)

Once the world's most famous chef, Gavin Cruikshank's been in a self-imposed exile for years. His little foodie television program has since evolved into STARVE, an arena sport that pits chef against chef for the pleasure of their super-rich patrons. It's a stain on a once-noble profession, and Chef Gavin is ready to go to war to stop it. Two things stand in his way: his arch rival Roman Algiers, and his adult daughter Angie, who probably just wants her dad back and acting normal.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dystopia, Fiction, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Food

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2016

About the author

Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Reviews

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gavin Cruikshank started the show Starve when he was at his prime. It was a bit of travel, a bit of food and a bit of pure show.


Now he has exiled himself and has been living off the proceeds of the show without really knowing what was going on with it. His very bitter ex-wife is pretty much in charge of it and is not happy when her ex-husband shows back up to finish his 8 shows.
Gavin had came out of the closet when they were married and she absolutely hates him. She has kept their daughter away from him and the world has changed. Gavin is returning to a show that pits chefs against each other to please the wealthy.


Note: some of the secret ingredients are gruesome.



Gavin is trying to win back his daughter and save his show.

I kept picturing Gavin as this guy.

See why?


It did seem to wrap up at the end a bit too nicely for such a dark story. I'm interested to see where this series goes.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.


Scott (GrilledCheeseSamurai)'s review for this book is top notch. Check out his review also.

[ScottIsANerd (GrilledCheeseSamurai) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a cook for a living. I never really thought that I would be interested in a comic book about cooking.

I was wrong.

I can very happily report that the kind of work I do day to day is nothing at all like the kind of life and work chef Gavin Cruikshank encounters day to day.

I am also kind of relieved. And yet, at the same time, it would be pretty fucking cool to be Gavin Cruikshank. At least for maybe an hour.

This story is dirty. I feel grungy after reading it.

It's a story of redemption and forgiveness. It is a story of trying to make heads or tails of a real shity situation. Mostly, this is a story of relationships.

Cruikshank isn't a very nice guy. But he wants to change all that. He wants to make things better. But first he has to make amends. He has to make everything better. To do that he has to win back a show that he created. A show called Starve. Once he was the hero of that show. A reality cooking show that swept the nation. After a prolonged absence from the spotlight, and the show itself, he has returned. And he wants it all back.

And that's what this comic is about.

Only it's so much more.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was like...post-apocalyptic Anthony Bourdain meets Hell's Kitchen on crack. I dig it. The art style was a bit rough for my usual tastes but it fit the feel of the story so I'm not going to dock it for that. To be honest I wasn't sure from the beginning if this would be something I continue with but I'm intrigued and will surely be keeping an eye out for the next volume.

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel is set in the not so distant future, after environmental warming and other climate changes have devastated ocean life, and made the remaining land masses more difficult to live in. There is a distinct class system - the very rich living in towers, eating rare foods (bluefin tuna); and then the very poor, living in squalor and much less tranquil settings. It's kind of like Top Chef goes post-apocalyptic. I give it 3.5 stars.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iron Chef at its extreme. The story was engaging and even though the main character should be unlikable, you find yourself rooting for him. Daniel Zezelj's dark, stylistic art fits the tone of this story perfectly.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Scarlet Cameo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ese incomodo momento en que descubres que goodreads ha borrado tu reseña



Pronto volveré a hacer un reseña :'(

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between a 3.5 and a 4. I mean it didn't blow my mind, but I was engaged when reading a book about a cooking contest...yes...I know.

The artwork is the hardest thing to get in to for me. I love it sometimes, some people are drawn wonderfully, others this ugly disgusting look (which I assume is on purpose) but the major issue is trying to understand everything that is going on. Sometimes the art makes it hard to follow what the hell is happening.

I do love the pacing. It progressively gets more and more engaging. Especially seeing our hero come back into his old life, reuniting with his daughter, and dealing with his psycho of a wife. I think it just keeps building, and in a good way, and the ending leaves it open for the next volume in the best way.

Is it amazing? No. Is it very interesting? YES. And that's something special about something I normally wouldn't bother reading it. So I'm going to go with a 4 simply because it's something new, and that's special.

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was a book by Brian Wood.

It's a Brian Wood comic. What else do you want to know? It's a nice fast-paced story with solid plotting and dialogue. It features hip characters and has a background of post-capitalist disaster lets-criticize-economics.

I keep hoping Wood will infuse his stories with some more information/knowledge. But he seems content to just say, hey the 1% people suck, capitalism is going to collapse, global warming is a thing. (this is all fine in itself, but super light weight).

Can't say I'm excited for volume 2. It's a nice, easy read. Bonus star for that.

[Valéria. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hell of a good story, dark, dirty and bloody with a unique concept. I'm not a big fan of cooking shows, wait, I can't think of any I watched.. Maybe I never did. Anyway, this was great. Interesting challenges, well-written characters and the whole story of the main one and his family and friends. It is engaging more and more as you continue reading, the end has some (a bit predictable) twists. It's not for everybody who likes cooking, really, there are pages where the dog is cooked and eaten, pigs are slaughtered, etc. Zezelj's art is brutal and amazingly paired with Stewart's coloring. I'm looking forward to vol. 2! Hope to read it soon.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Chef Gavin was once a world famous chef with a show called Starve, he drops out of the show, exiling himself to Asia after getting a divorce and becomes more interested in drinking and drugging his way through the rest of his life.

His once small show has now evolved into an arena style blood sport that pits chef against chef. He is now called back by the network to work out his remaining contract. Old wounds are re-opened, rivalries are back in play as he goes back to try and win the show. His bitter ex-wife, a rival chef and his estranged daughter are all caught up in the ongoing mess as he tries to put his past to rights.

This has an interesting premise, it's set in the near future and appears to be set in a time where there has been global economic devastation resulting in the poor becoming poorer and the wealthy becoming even richer. Starve serves merely to entertain the rich, they want to see chefs producing decadent dishes that only they can afford, using ingredients that are scarce, taboo or expensive.

The plot was more than enough to keep me interested although I found the end of the volume to be somewhat abrupt with not enough tied up at the end of it. I also wasn't really a huge fan of the main character, I'm not sure why I just didn't find him that engaging or sympathetic. I'll definitely be looking out for volume 2 though, especially as the art was pretty amazing, very dark with heavy outlining and bold block colours used in the panels.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling and readable, although a few more recipes would have worked wonders.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I picked this up for a simple reason: The main character's name.

It's a mish mash of Anthony Bourdain, Chopped, Iron Chef, and the sort of dystopia where everyone is starving. (Which is most of them.)

There wasn't really a whole lot of distinction with the artwork and a lot of the time it was difficult to tell who was talking or being pictured unless someone said.

Celebrity chef who creates a very Anthony Bourdain-ish travel/cooking show, drops out of his life, comes out of the closet, and disappears to the other side of the world. When he comes back it's to find an almost adult daughter (who is drawn much more late 20s than "not quite 18"), his vindictive ex-wife, his rival who has turned the show into something much more like Iron Chef/Chopped where the judges are the richest 1%ers, and a goal of finishing out his contract for another full season.

It's about getting his show back, his daughter back, and his money back (not necessarily in that order), but it all just sort of fell flat to me. The art, the way the story played out in this volume, and even the whole late in life out of the closet thing. It felt like it was trying really hard for some shock value at times, but maybe I've just spent too much time with dystopians?

It just wasn't for me, but that's not to say it won't be for you. Personally it was just a miss.

[Michelle Morrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starve, the epitome of reality cooking television, was the baby of famous chef Gavin Cruikshank. Was, as he left everything behind to live in anonymity and a drug haze on the other side of the world. Now forced back into the arena, he has a chance to make things right and win back the affection of his daughter and indeed, the whole world.

Set in a not-too-distant future, masses are starving and fresh meat is a delicacy. In comparison, the excesses of Starve are even more glaringly horrible than the dog carcass that is the first challenge. But there is hope, as Gavin cooks his way into a revolution. If he can survive the next round.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love 'Come Dine with Me', 'Masterchef' and other cooking shows and so I really wanted to read this when I saw it on NetGalley.

And I had a great time.

Chef Gavin Cruikshank was once the world's most famous chef. He created the cooking competition show 'Starved' in which chefs compete against each other.

Four years later despite the ongoing success of the show Gavin is washed up and living on the other side of the now environmentally damaged world spending his days drinking and forgetting. Alchohol makes him forget his years of marriage to a woman even though he is gay and the daughter he abandoned and left behind but things are about to change.

Gavin is dragged back from oblivion because he has eight episodes remaining on his contract. His ex-wife is doing her utmost best to destroy him, a rival is running his show and his daughter is now 18 and on the cusp of adulthood. Now he has to confront his past and compete at the same time but does he still have it in him?

This was great and I really enjoyed seeing Gavin ducking and diving through the various obstacles and challenges. The dark artwork suits the dystopian nature of the story with people scrabbling to find food but rich people having surplus amounts of wealth and food. Gavin comes into this driven to redeem himself from the past and from the hurts he inflicted upon his family but he also decides that he needs to recover his lost passion for cooking and to do so he needs to win the competition.

This was great and combines our familiar cooking shows with a dark, dystopian edge. I sank into the story, the punchy dialogue and the dark edgy graphics only to suddenly come to an end just at a crucial point. I will definitely follow this series to the end.

Great fun, good read with a dark humorous edge which I really enjoyed.

Copy provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Robert Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME!
A unique concept for a graphic novel. A world famous chef returns to challenge in a cooking competition show, and at the same time, try to repair his broken family. That may sound like a lifetime original movie, but this is like if Chopped mated with Ultimate Fighting Champion and they had a baby called Starve! is the cooking show we all wished someone would really make.

I need Volume 2 right now!

(Full disclosure: I won a copy through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review, which this is. I honestly loved this book!)

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know everyone seems to love this book. I even like watching cooking shows but I just didn't think this was that great. The main focus of this seems to be the drama between Gavin and his wife. That's about it....I can see how this would spin out soon.

[It's just Deano · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's another one ticked of the Halloween reading pile!

I was actually under the impression that this was a horror series, after all, it does say this is a dystopian horror book on the back cover. Not the case. But that's not a bad thing...

It does take place in a dystopian near-future with the plot centering around Gavin Cruikshank, a washed up celebrity chef who created and stared in a shocking reality TV series called, Starve, that has now been taken over by the television network and become something far more unethical.



As mentioned, there's not really anything here for horror fans. It's tense, sure. But I wouldn't say this is horror. The first volume does give the impression that come volume two things are going to get a lot more freaky, but the story actually does a 180 and becomes something of a tale about making amends and doing right by people. Looking around at other reviews I can see that this switcheroo irked a few folks, but I actually liked it and thought it brought a bit of depth to the series.

There's a political undertone to this book also. The emphasis is on a societal rich and poor divide and the statement of doing good rather than choosing the entrapments of money and fame was done quiet well for such a short series. The scratchy and grungy artwork suit this tone perfectly, with an almost stencil like style making NYC look vibrant yet suitably bleak. Visually it's definitely not something you see very often and definitely adds to giving the book a unique feel (there are even recipes included!).

Overall, Starve definitely wasn't what I was wanting or expecting, but it turned out to be a really good read regardless. In fact it was better for it.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Wood is my favourite comics writer. I’ve never been let down as I’ve followed him from DMZ to Briggs Land, The Massive, Black Road, Rebels, Northlander and beyond. Zezelj is pretty great too on Days of Hate and few issues of DMZ. What we get here is a horror/dystopian concept of a cooking show competition taken to extreme. It’s really a deep commentary on how far blown western civilization has descended into decadence. On air butchering, endangered species sushi, chef battles with fists rather than spatulas, all with a twist of father/daughter relationship tension and drama. It’s Wood. For me, it’s great stuff.

[Kdawg91 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a life long comic reader, I learned TO READ with comics, so I decided to dip into some comic reviews for a change.

Lately, I have kind of gone against my usual grain, reading things I don't like. Several young adult books, a horror book, and although I loved Starve, I am not a Brian Wood fan, more on that later.

Starve is what happens when you lock No Reservations, Iron Chef, the Hunger games, and bleak ass future in a mixer and hit puree'. The chef Gavin Cruikshank, is kinda in my mind what Anthony Bourdain would be today, wild, gives no shits whatsofuckingever, and without a doubt, the baddest man in the room. He created a show Starve which is the cooking show to end cooking shows, but left and went into exile.

Now you are wondering, Kevin..you dangerously into spoilerville and you don't do that shit..so I'll stop you right there.

I am not a Brian Wood fan because he tends to be preachy, I agree pretty much most of what he "preaches" I don't like having stuff rammed down my throat, that being said. Starve works on all accounts, it is a story of redemption, a tale of the have and have not's, and a man living the way he wants and getting his shit together and making things right. Who doesn't love watching "the man" get it in the end.

(not tooooooooooo spoilerish)

The art isn't your typical comic art, dark and gorgeous and I love the covers, if you are a comic fan GO BUY.

NOTICE: I didn't review the trade, I read individual issues but I intend on adding the trade to my digital library, and although I am sure the first story arc is issues 1 through 5, I would recommend story wise adding 6 to your reading, it rounds the tale out better in my eyes

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Starve, Volume 1' by Brian Wood with art by Danijel Zezelj tells a nasty tale of the dog-eat-dog world of celebrity chefs. While it takes place in a near future, the story strikes close to home.

Gavin Cruikshank was a famous chef, then he dropped out. He left his wife and daughter and turned his back on everything. Now they want him back to star in Starve, the show he created. His ex owns everything and his daughter is almost 18. His rivals want him to learn a lesson. Can he rise above it all?

The setting is a future where tides are rising, and there are even starker lines between the rich and the poor. The show flaunts the excesses of food that the rich have available in the most exploitve ways. Gavin uses it to shove it all back in thier faces.

It's a brutal comic and I loved every minute. I see in Cruikshank similarities with some current celebrity chefs. The satire is thick, but layered on just perfectly. It's a dark trip and it was worth it.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[DJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Rating Review for all the issues were first posted at MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape

Starve #1 - 4/5 Rating
I think this series could be a hit! (My Review)

Starve #2 - 4/5 Rating
Gavin is pretty badass. (My Review)

Starve #3 - 5/5 Rating
And the plot thickens!!! (My Review)

Starve #4 - 4.5/5 Rating
Now, it’s WAR! (My Review)

Starve #5 - 4/5 Rating
Multiple jaw dropping twists! (MyReview)

[Travis Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creative and fresh but rooted in good old fashion relationships. Starve is about a former Chef/reality show star that is dragged back into the spotlight. Gavin created a number 1 reality show about cooking but faded away and destroyed his family life with it. The story is about redemption and the writing is solid with a good flow, however it starts to get a little predictable. The art is rough and lacks details but I get the feeling they wanted it that way, but i wasnt a fan. Its worth a once over.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunger Games meets Top Chef.
I was wary of this odd theme at first but Brian Wood once again impressed me with his multifaceted characterizations. The art was beautiful and grim all at once, and conveys the feeling of the story accurately.

[Daniel Vlasaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot all about this book. Read this way back when it was originally coming out and I just found it while going through some of my old comic boxes.

I really dug it. Probably more now than on my first read.

Been thinking about Anthony Bourdain lately and this book hit the spot. It’s pretty much this: Starve is basically Anthony Bourdain in a weird (and honestly not that far from reality) dystopian cooking competition family drama hellscape.

[Mariano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelent and extreme.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this wasn't perfect, and I'm not really keen on the cover or the title "Starve," which is misleading and makes this seem like a weird survival dystopian comic (which it's not), but I really really enjoyed this one.

Starve is a weird amalgamation of over-the-top Japanese cooking show or competition cooking manga with a character-driven story at it's core. I suppose that some people might find it the cooking competition camp disconcerting, because it's juxtaposed with the very dark art, but I like it.

At first, Starve seemed a little too soapbox-ey to me, but after Brian Woods literally wrote Gavin, the main character, thinking, "This is some Brave New World stuff going on here, and I barely understand any of it. Class divide, I get. Environmental crisis, I get that. Reality television? Yeah, I get all that. But this is different. The waste and the abuse of food and talent, serving only to make the privileged feel privileged. When really, the seas are rising towards *their* ankles too," the heavy-handedness dissipates. I'm glad that the series encompasses those ideas, as well as highlights "regular" people trying to do their little bit to fight against all the "Brave New World stuff" but feeling trapped, just as Gavin feels trapped to continue filming the reality TV show "Starved" in the comic, as something that he hopes will untangle some of the problems in his life, even though in his head, he knows it's not that simple.

At it's core, Starve is character-driven story about people trying to find their way back to the good things, and repair relationships, but with silly celebrity chef TV show injected in it to make it more fun/less dreary.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital review copy.

[Burgoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say that this was a story that I hadn't read before. It's dark & not for everyone, but if you are open to violent dystopian cooking shows, give it a shot. It's like The Running Man, but with cooking!

http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2016/0...

[Periklis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transmetropolitan with cooking instead of journalism. GREAT near future science fiction blending reality tv, cuisine and social divide.

[amomentsilence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking brilliant, man! I need to get my hands on the next volume ASAP. What a crazy, wonderful ride. I'm excited to see where this all goes.

[Heather Iveson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dystopian future celebrity chef throw-down. Genius.