Hungry Ghosts #1

I'm a chef and not only do I love to cook and teach culinary, I am also an avid collector of comic books. Today's post combines those two passions of mine as I take a look at Dark Horse's newest horror anthology miniseries Hungry Ghosts as well as the man behind it, Chef Anthony Bourdain.

Anthony Bourdain.

If the celebrity chef is not a household name, he is a name known in professional kitchens everywhere. The New York chef has a bad boy image that was made famous in his tell-all book about New York's food industry Kitchen Confidential. He carried that persona over to a number of TV shows such as No Reservations, The Layover, and currently Parts Unknown on CNN. 

When it comes to Bourdain's on screen persona, he rubs me the wrong way. In front of cameras, the chef is like a Speedo full of rocks and sand. But as a professional Chef, I am very much in agreement with a lot of his views.

Bourdain is very much an advocate for peasant food, it's role in modern cuisine, and the importance of preserving time honored recipes. He feels that Food Network has done more harm than good in promoting the next generation of chefs and culinary students. Plus, he feels than Hispanic immigrants are the underappreciated backbone of the culinary industry. I would argue with that one to say that immigrants as a whole are the backbone, especially since analysts believe that people of Asian descent such as Thai, Vietnamese, and Indians will surpass Latinos in the restaurant workforce within another 15 years. But that's for another venue.

Food and Comics Meet

My students as a whole love Anthony Bourdain. Thus as a culinary instructor, I find it necessary to research projects of his to be better in tune with my pupils. I love comic books, especially horror titles. As a collector, that signaled a little light in the back of my brain to seek out this new title. So when I heard about Dark Horse coming out with a limited series by Anthony Bourdain, I felt like I really needed to check this out both professionally and leisurely.

The four-part Hungry Ghosts seems a natural fit for Anthony Bourdain, as he is quite fond of Asian culture, especially Japan. Oddly enough, this isn't Bourdain's first foray into comics. In 2012 he along with novelist Joel Rose, penned a Manga-influenced graphic novel called Get Jiro about an apprentice sushi chef in Los Angeles. A couple of years later, the duo crafted a sequel title Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi.

Hungry Ghosts seems to be a much different type of comic project for Bourdain. This is an anthology horror series that combines Japanese culture, food, folklore, and parlor games. The story starts off with a wealthy Russian host having just finished a lavish dinner. The chefs who prepared the meal were won by the Russian in a charity auction. To end the night, the host has all of his guests along with the cooking staff stay for cognac, cigars, and a few scares.

Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai

The premise is for the guests to participate in an ancient game called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, later Kaidan for short. In this practice, a room would be filled with 100 candles. A person would take turns telling a ghost story and then blowing out a candle. As the room got darker, the storyteller would look in a mirror to see if they had become possessed with one of the spirits that they had just invoked. Known as a samurai test of courage, by the time the 99th candle was extinguished, many participants would drop out of the game, letting the darkness of the room get to the better of them.

Issue #1 of Hungry Ghosts only goes on to reveal two ghost stories. First a restaurant owner finds out the hard way not to refuse to help a hungry beggar find something to eat. Then in a tale set during the days of pirates, a woman is rescued from the sea. On a ship filled with horny buccaneers, the woman is looked upon as a carnal feast. But there just may be something to her appetite that might make the average man squirm.

Expectations

Hungry Ghosts began as I expected an Anthony Bourdain story too kick off. The beginning is full of grumpy chefs, lots of F-bombs, and sleazy customers. But the ghost stories were actually pretty good. They were kinda short. But I think the first issue had to spend a few pages explaining the Kaidan concept. If ever a first issue could have used 12-20 extra pages, this would have been the one to bestow that bonus upon. 

The artwork duties were carried out by Alberto Ponticelli and Vanessa Del Rey. Ponticelli has some experience drawing scenic Japan in the IDW series Godzilla: Gangsters and Golaiths. Most fans of Del Rey will recognize her from the acclaimed Bitch Planet series. Both invoke a sort of ethereal look at the Land of the Rising Sun. On top of that, we get an amazing cover by Batman 100's Paul Pope.

I'm all for many things: comic books, horror comics, food, and Asian cuisine/culture. This book combines all four. It's got a lot of promise and I think the remaining 3 issues should be full of more creepy tales from Japanese folk lore and myth. Especially since the Kaidan premise has been fully established. I'm really excited to see what Anthony Bourdain has planned for the second course!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.