Wonton Soup: A Space Truck Opera (Oni Press – Stokoe) – Oni’s description “Johnny Boyo could have had it all. Women. Money. Fame. As one of the premiere chefs in the galaxy, Johnny’s culinary skills could have made him a star. So with everything he ever dreamed of his for the taking, why would Johnny leave it all behind to become a space trucker? Not even Citrus Watts, the girl he left behind, knows for sure. With the sizzle of life in the kitchen behind him, things were going okay for Johnny. Now after years out of the catering scene, Johnny and his pal Deacon are about to find themselves in water hotter than anything they’ve ever seen before! Johnny will once again have to pick up the whisk and skillet, but will his eroded skills be enough to get them out of the craziest cook-off in the Universe? And what good is a spatula against space ninjas?” James Stokoe, in his debut solo book, shows the fanboy audience that he can write and tell a linear story with an almost perfect blend of satirical, offbeat, slapstick and over-the-top humor. While reading it, Wonton gives off more than a very friendly vibe. In a sentence, this graphic novel is a comic version of Harold and Kumar go to Space 🙂 . The art, also done by Mr. Stokoe, is fantastic! The enjoyable and almost cartoony nature of the pencils combined with great amount of detail given to each panel makes it a pleasure to read and made my eyes wander through a page, even after I read the content and ready to turn the page. This book is one example of how Oni Press is leading the way for the industry, making yet another book that a “non-comic person” would find accessible and enjoyable. At $11.99, this 200 page one-shot graphic novel is a perfect stocking stuffer for any teen or college student with a good sense of humor!
Grade: A-
Pullbox Second Opinion: totally agree with Eric on this one. I would call this half HAROLD & KUMAR and half IRON CHEF in space. The fact that our main character is a foodie was probably one of the most original ideas I’ve seen in comics for some time. This guy is more interested in finding good soup that he is finding a piece of tail. This is offset by his horndog trucker buddy. Hilarity ensues. Oh, and they have space ninjas! How cool is that?
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I totally agree with Eric on this one. I would call this half HAROLD & KUMAR and half IRON CHIEF in space. The fact that our main character is a foodie was probably one of the most original ideas I’ve seen in comics for some time. This guys is more interested in finding good soup that he is finding a piece of tail. This is offset by his horndog trucker buddy. Hilarity ensues. Oh, and they have space ninjas! How cool is that?
Second Opinion: A