Voracious: Diners, Dinosaurs & Dives

Voracious (collected editions) #1

by Markisan Naso, Jason Muhr (Artist), Andrei Tăbăcaru (Artist)

Haunted by the death of his sister, NYC Chef Nate Willner has lost his desire to cook. Forced to move back to his tiny hometown in Utah, Nate’s life is quickly becoming a dead end. But when he unexpectedly inherits a time travel suit that takes him to the age of dinosaurs, Nate’s passion for cooking is reignited!

With a little help from his knife-wielding Grandmother Maribel, and friends Starlee and Captain Jim, Nate opens a restaurant that secretly serves dinosaur meat. Can he survive long enough to make it a success and turn his life around? Collects issues #1-4 of the hit Action Danger Zone series, VORACIOUS.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Animals, Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2016

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sounds so ridiculous, but I absolutely loved it. Jason Muhr's art is clean and concise. You can see it getting more detailed with each issue.

Nate, a NYC chef, moves back home after a family tragedy. While there he receives an inheritance from his uncle which turns out to be a time machine. Nate goes back in time and has to kill a dinosaur. That's when he discovers they taste delicious and he gets the wacky idea to open a new restaurant serving dinosaurs. Soylent Green is dinosaurs! Sounds really dumb, but it is a blast! I've already read the first 2 volumes and anxiously waiting for more.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This concept was so ridiculous that I just HAD to read it. It's a fun story, and I liked the characters and artwork. There's a LOT of potential here. I'll continue reading this series for sure!

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sounded a little bit too ridiculous at first, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. I mean it IS ridiculous but it definitely works and I knew I was gonna love Nate from the second that he gets a mysterious inheritance and says "Oh, of course, it's a secret house with a mysterious note. Wouldn't want to spoil that horror movie plot." I definitely liked how they poked fun at the genre throughout because I feel like if they tried to take this too seriously it wouldn't work. In the next volume I'd love to see some more drama about where the meat comes from [maybe with some hilarious NBC Hannibal style puns] and I really hope the love triangle isn't going to take up too much of the plot.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise is fantastic. Time travelling for... getting delicious dino steaks! That's crazy.... but clever and fun. The art is pretty neat with perfectly matching, bright colours and the story here is so much fun! Well, it's not completely perfect. Some dialogues and scenes could be easily left out, and for the simple premise it gets really complicated really fast. So actually the mentioned premise is just the spark for the other story.
Anyway, very good, well thought story with more than decent art.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blaaaaaaaaaaa. This is such a great story idea, but it was not well executed. At all. Really badly executed. But it's such a good idea!!!!!!!!! That's why I'm struggling here.

There are like five main characters in this comic and only half of one entire character is developed well enough to not be called a cardboard cutout by me.

The rest of the characters (4.5 of them) are basically walking pieces of plywood, I s2g. Half of Nate is interesting. Half of him is plywood. Idk guys. I'd love to see this story handled by a completely new creative team.

[Devon Munn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars

Unique concept, nice art and a "omg wtf" plot twist that took me by surprise

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

47 is mentioned gratuitously. It's the best kind of mention - not forced, not pivotal to the story. The author could have chose any number, but went with 47. I love it. Also most jokes are genuinely funny, as far as I'm concerned. All the sarcasm is tickling my funny bone in just the right spot. The story is light and fun, with plenty of stuff building up to a dangerous situation for the main character. It seems to be the type of story that ends on a high note, but you never know. This volume ends on a cliffhanger with many threads in the air, so it's not an independent story arc.

Nate Willner wasted his promising career as a chef in New York after a fire. He returned to his home town of Blackfossil to a dead end job in a cafe. Good news comes when he inherits a house and a small fortune from an excentric uncle who passed away. Upon visiting his new house, Nate discovers why his uncle lived an isolated life - he was an inventor and he created a time machine. Nate decides to use his uncle's suit to travel in time and finds himself 70 million years in the past. He gets attacked by a dinosaur and kills it with the flamethrower built into his time travel suit. Upon tasting the cooked meat he gets inspired into opening a diner.

Nate is helped by his former coworker Starlee whom he invites to become a partner in the diner and by his grandma Maribel. The diner is a smash hit, but the main ingredients - dinosaur meat - are kept secret from everyone. Jim 'Captain' Hand, a close friend of Nate's family, finds out about Nate's secret by accident and joins him. Jim's military training makes their hunting trips together a breeze.

Nate unknowingly has a great deal to worry about, though - the sheriff is looking into his finances, his on-and-off girlfriend is on her way to visit him, Maribel has a seizure, the dinosaur from his last trip releases an egg from its lifeless body, Jim makes an upgrade to the suit which the computer claims will make the trips interdimensionally (into a world ruled by dinosaurs with futuristic tech, no less). It's going to be a chore for Nate to juggle all this stuff at once. You just know some of them will not end well.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate Willner was living the dream working as an associate chef in NYC when tragedy strikes killing his sister Sara and driving him into a yearlong funk during which he moves back to his childhood home of Blackfossil, Utah. Shortly after, an uncle Nate barely knew died and leaves his home and a ton of money solely to him. When Nate goes to check out his reclusive uncle’s home, he discovers the man was a scientist working on a time travel device that transports a person back and forth to the Cretaceous period. When Nate tries it out and sees what it can do, he is suddenly inspired to start a new restaurant that would allow him to bring back meat using the time travel suit and cook it for meat-loving patrons.

The second I read the cover of this book, I knew I had to read it even though I’d never heard of it. Just an accidental happening upon at the racks of my LCS. It was everything I wanted it to be with an interesting twist at the end I never saw coming. I’m going out ASAP to pick up volume 2.

[Agnieszka Czoska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voracious to bezczelnie idiotyczny pomysł na komiks: pewien kucharz dziedziczy po wujku wehikuł czasu, dzięki czemu otwiera własną knajpę z potrawami z dinozaurów. Trochę to wszystko szurnięte, mieszają się tu wątki ukochane przez pulp fiction i popkulturę różnych lotów, a bohaterowie cytują Power Rangers (i nie tylko). W każdym zeszycie znajdziecie też co najmniej jeden przepis na porządny mięsny posiłek z prehistorycznego gada, do zastąpienia kurczakiem lub innym osiągalnym dla zwykłych śmiertelników zwierzęciem.

więcej tu: https://nietylkogry.pl/post/recenzja-...

[Robert Bussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with any art medium there is redundancy. Superheroes, post apocalyptic, mutants, and zombies are just some of the many tried and true plots used over and over in comic books. Some work well and others fall flat. Time travel is one of those redundant comic book themes, however time travel to kill and serve dino meat in modern times adds an unusual and welcome take on the theme. Add in some humor and a bit of what could be a romance triangle and this book is a great read with a really clean art style.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant start to this series. I can't wait to read more! With all the crazy time travel, science fiction elements to the story, it maintains its focus on the human characters. I never thought I'd be able to relate to a time/dimension travelling chef, but here we are. The artwork is equally compelling, similarly presenting a grounded approach to the human characters while maintaining the style one would expect from a comic book.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engagingly silly. Nate, a chef, is burned out when he returns to his Colorado hometown and discovers an uncle he didn't know he had left him a time gateway. Next thing you know, he's serving up prehistoric meat to customers amazed how good these steaks and brisket are — what's his secret?
Lightweight but engaging.

[Aaron Ambrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing but not deep. It's a fun concept - inheriting a time travel suit will definitely help shake one's depression - but it suffers a bit from checklist plot points and occasionally juvenile dialog.

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 2 out of 5]

Μαρτύρησα να το τελειώσω, αν και αφορά τρία πράγματα που αγαπώ πολύ: το φαγητό, την παλαιοντολογία και την λαογραφία των ιθαγενών. Πραγματικά δεν ξέρω τι με απωθεί, είναι βαρετό, είναι αργόσυρτο είναι κακογραμμένο; Δεν ξέρω, μπορεί και τίποτε από τα τρία.

[Adam Hebeisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dinosaur art is stunning

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this comic up on a lark— it is very different from what I usually read and a lot of fun. Not sure I’ll pick up the second volume but am glad I tried something new.

[Markisan Naso · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This book has quickly become one of the best books of the year and possibly one of the best books I have ever read … period."
-TheBrokenInfinite.com

"I always try to compare a comic I review to something else so readers know what to expect. I can’t do that with Voracious. Which is the biggest compliment I can give to this comic. Voracious is the breath of fresh air I have been looking for in comics. It’s uniqueness makes it stand out among an ocean of comics this industry has become. Check it out, you will not be disappointed. Plus, the cliffhanger at the end of Volume 1 will blow your mind."
-Geekadores.com

"Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr have created a story that after four issues has reminded me of why I love comics. A series you absolutely need to read."
-GraphicPolicy.com

"I highly, highly recommend this comic."
-Mark Waid (All New, All Different Avengers and Black Widow)

"If you're not familiar with the first VORACIOUS series, you owe it to yourself to check it out! It's beautifully written and drawn high concept sci-fi."
-Ed Luce (Wuvable Oaf)

"If you haven’t read Voracious yet, you better get right on it. The first four issues are fantastic, well drawn, have a really interesting storyline and best of all – a surprise in Issue 4 that we never saw coming! And that’s just the first four issues. The Sci-Clops crew love Voracious!"
-Sci-Clops.com

“I absolutely love this book. The artwork is fantastic and it’s a fresh new take on classic time travel story. Please don’t miss out on this book. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”
-Blindboxcomics.com

"This is a gem of a book – a unique premise with amazing execution of the concept."
-TMStash.com

"I highly recommend Voracious and feel it has something for everyone, a little something for even the more discernible pallet."
-ap2hyc.com

"This is a fantastic example of a creative team picking up its ball and running like hell with it. Great work, all around."
-ComicBastards.com

"What we get to see and feel through these pages is [Nate] enjoying part of living again. It feels wonderful."
-FirstComicsNews.com

“This is a really great series about a small town guy putting his life back together in a really big way."
-Comicwow.com

“Voracious is definitely a unique read. It is easy to get into and offers some great entertainment. This is creativity at its finest.”
-fortressofsolitude.co.za

"You know, you should never judge a book by its cover. I’m sure glad I didn’t because I was in for a surprise."
-OutrightGeekery.com

“Pretty dang fun. Writer Markisan Naso has a great voice, delivers some engaging characterization, and sets up a really well paced plot. Jason Muhr delivers art, lettering, and designs and the book has a crisp visual voice that really helps deliver the scripts."
-TrustyHenchmen.com

“What more could you ask for in a comic?”
-comicsalliance.com

"A bold new take on culinary storytelling."
-SnapPow.com

"This got way crazier than I could have ever imagined, and that is fantastic to be surprised that much"
-Geekorama.com

"Buy! This is a really fun book."
-TalkingComicBooks.com

"This book is awesome, and everybody should check it out.”
-Ultimatecomics.com

“Voracious is a comic I plan to continue following. It's quirky and I appreciate that it's trying to do something different.”
-Prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com

[Eric Piotrowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun -- but not very deep -- tale that kept me entertained without addicting me. The plot is very straightforward: Guy goes back in time, gets dino meat, serves in his restaurant. This leads to two very basic problems for the storyteller:

#1: How do you cover the boring backstory ("How does he get back to dino times?") -- which everyone already knows about, given the marketing -- without boring the reader to sobs? Fortunately, that's handled well in the first few pages. It's not original and it's not too exciting, but the design work and the dinosaur imagery is visually engaging enough.

#2: What happens when people ask "Yes, but what kind of meat is this?" Alas, this is constantly glossed over with lines like "No, I won't tell you where I get the meat -- chef's secret!" Pretty unsatisfying, especially since some conversational gymnastics could be amusing to watch.

Along the way we're treated to fairly standard tales of long-distance relationships, family loss, friendzoning, and the Painful Secrets of Older Relatives, spooned out in teeny-tiny doses. Oh, and there's an Overly Protective Brother and also a Vet Dealing With The War. I'm not sure if these things will get me to chase Volume 2 -- I actually haven't decided yet -- but if I do, I'll use the library instead of the bookstore.

The art is clean and clear, but it's amusing how often the early pages feature solid colors or boring gradients, suggesting the artist(s) didn't have the time or interest to actually draw the scenery. This improves in later chapters, but there's nothing too breathtaking on the visual side. Good but not great.

This is another example where I kinda feel bad, because obviously some people put a lot of love and effort into this, but the stories and the finished product in general just don't blow me away. Worth reading for a chuckle, but don't run over pedestrians to buy a copy.

[Ushnav Shroff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuck me sideways, this is delicious art. The plot is crazy good but too ambitious towards the end.