A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the town like crime lords and people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurants, a bloody culinary war is raging.On one side, the Internationalists, who blend foods from all over the world into exotic delights. On the other, the "Vertical Farm," who prepare nothing but organic, ve A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the town like crime lords and people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurants, a bloody culinary war is raging.On one side, the Internationalists, who blend foods from all over the world into exotic delights. On the other, the "Vertical Farm," who prepare nothing but organic, vegetarian, macrobiotic dishes. Into this maelstrom steps Jiro, a renegade and ruthless sushi chef, known to decapitate patrons who dare request a California Roll, or who stir wasabi into their soy sauce. Both sides want Jiro to join their factions. Jiro, however has bigger ideas, and in the end, no chef may be left alive! Anthony Bourdain, top chef, acclaimed writer (Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw) and star of the hit travel show, No Reservations, co-writes with Joel Rose (Kill Kill Faster Faster, The Blackest Bird) this stylized send-up of food culture and society, with detailed and dynamic art by Langdon Foss.
Get Jiro!
A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the town like crime lords and people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurants, a bloody culinary war is raging.On one side, the Internationalists, who blend foods from all over the world into exotic delights. On the other, the "Vertical Farm," who prepare nothing but organic, ve A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the town like crime lords and people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurants, a bloody culinary war is raging.On one side, the Internationalists, who blend foods from all over the world into exotic delights. On the other, the "Vertical Farm," who prepare nothing but organic, vegetarian, macrobiotic dishes. Into this maelstrom steps Jiro, a renegade and ruthless sushi chef, known to decapitate patrons who dare request a California Roll, or who stir wasabi into their soy sauce. Both sides want Jiro to join their factions. Jiro, however has bigger ideas, and in the end, no chef may be left alive! Anthony Bourdain, top chef, acclaimed writer (Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw) and star of the hit travel show, No Reservations, co-writes with Joel Rose (Kill Kill Faster Faster, The Blackest Bird) this stylized send-up of food culture and society, with detailed and dynamic art by Langdon Foss.
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Sam Quixote –
Set in a bizarre futuristic Los Angeles, food is the only surviving culture - arts, sports, everything has gone! Chefs are the new power and LA is ruled over by two chef warlords: Bob, a French chef, and Rose, an organic farmer, whose sides are bitterly at war with one another. Then a mysterious chef called Jiro opens a small sushi joint on the outskirts of the city and quickly proves he is as skilled at filleting people as he is the fish he serves. And in making himself a useful commodity to Bo Set in a bizarre futuristic Los Angeles, food is the only surviving culture - arts, sports, everything has gone! Chefs are the new power and LA is ruled over by two chef warlords: Bob, a French chef, and Rose, an organic farmer, whose sides are bitterly at war with one another. Then a mysterious chef called Jiro opens a small sushi joint on the outskirts of the city and quickly proves he is as skilled at filleting people as he is the fish he serves. And in making himself a useful commodity to Bob and Rose, he’s pursued by both to join their sides: Get Jiro! Except Jiro has other plans... I really liked this comic when it came out a few years ago but re-reading it today, it’s somehow even better than I remembered! Get Jiro! is easily one of Vertigo’s best releases of the last few years. World-renowned chef Anthony Bourdain and co-writer Joel Rose produce a fun, entertaining, fast-moving and engaging comic with outstanding artwork from Langdon Foss. The supporting team is a who’s who of the best in the field: Jose Villarrubia and Dave Stewart on colours and Todd Klein lettering. Quality throughout! The tone is set in the opening pages as Jiro decapitates a boorish customer who doesn’t know the etiquette for eating sushi (fish side down, no soy sauce/wasabi - sushi is as much about the rice as it is the fish) and the police look on, nodding that this was the right thing to happen! It’s a very violent comic but in a Hong Kong action movie kind of way where it’s so over the top you can’t take it seriously and it’s also kinda funny too. I like that it’s a concentrated story and that Bourdain/Rose don’t try to do too much and over-egg the book. We don’t know much about Jiro besides he has an elaborate gang tattoo and plenty of money, as well as being an efficient killer and skilled sushi chef, hinting at a dark past, but that’s all we see. It’s all we need to know about his character. Instead the book is about Jiro overturning the LA scene, taking down Bob and Rose and democratising good food so everyone can eat well if they choose, not just forced to eat cheap and foul fast food. I’m definitely a foodie fan so seeing so many delicious dishes lovingly rendered by Foss was wonderful. But everything is drawn beautifully with a high level of detail reminiscent of a Geof Darrow comic. Coupled with Villarrubia/Stewart’s colours and you have a stunning visual feast in your hands! Love love loved Get Jiro! Superbly drawn and written, I couldn’t put it down and wanted more as soon as I’d finished - the mark of a quality book. Thankfully a sequel is due out in a month so I won’t have to wait long for seconds! The extreme focus on food and violence is a wacky combination but, like great fusion cuisine, unexpectedly works so well. Get Jiro! is a delightful and brilliant comic, the literary equivalent of a Michelin three star restaurant - don’t miss it!
Algernon (Darth Anyan) –
[5/10] This comic is like lukewarm, leftover soup - recycled ideas with a little garnish on top to make it look like something new and fresh. I didn't know anything about Anthony Bourdain beforehand, and only picked his album up based on some earlier recommendation here. You can't win them all, and I did get some thrill out of the artwork and the colouring, which were professionally done. I do have a bone to pick with the unoriginality of the plot and with the ultra-violent presentation of the subj [5/10] This comic is like lukewarm, leftover soup - recycled ideas with a little garnish on top to make it look like something new and fresh. I didn't know anything about Anthony Bourdain beforehand, and only picked his album up based on some earlier recommendation here. You can't win them all, and I did get some thrill out of the artwork and the colouring, which were professionally done. I do have a bone to pick with the unoriginality of the plot and with the ultra-violent presentation of the subject. A stranger comes to a mob controlled town and stirs up trouble between the two leading gangs, fanning out the hatred and the suspicions until the two criminal organizations go at each other's throat. If it sound familiar, it is because it is the exact same story from the classic noir "Red Harvest" by Dashiell Hammett, the same book that inspired Kurosawa in "Yojimbo" and Sergio Leone in "For a Few Dollar More". The only contribution of Bourdain is to make the two mob leaders haute-cuisine chefs, with the sushi cook Jiro cast in the role made famous by Toshiro Mifune and Clint Eastwood, and to build his scenes around the dinner table (sushi, French, vegan, fast-food, etc) The idea might have worked, if it went into more detail about our unhealthy eating habits and if the dialogue were made to sound less stilted, contrived. Personally, I felt it was only a cash grab on the popularity of a TV personality, catering to the appetite for violence of all teenagers (myself included in retrospect). I am not interested in reading the sequel, but I might check out more titles from the graphic artists responsible for the presentation of Bourdain's fan-fic.
Jenny (Reading Envy) –
Once I was finally able to stomach watching my unwatched episodes of Parts Unknown, I decided to try Tony's genre fiction, starting with his graphic novels. Get Jiro! and Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi are the only two graphic novels in this series, and between the two the world building seems to have changed or flipped or ceased to matter. I really noticed it because I accidentally read the other volume first. In this one, the setting is near future Los Angeles where two rival chefs run the city of L Once I was finally able to stomach watching my unwatched episodes of Parts Unknown, I decided to try Tony's genre fiction, starting with his graphic novels. Get Jiro! and Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi are the only two graphic novels in this series, and between the two the world building seems to have changed or flipped or ceased to matter. I really noticed it because I accidentally read the other volume first. In this one, the setting is near future Los Angeles where two rival chefs run the city of Los Angeles, controlling food production, supply chains, and careers. They are brutal and unafraid to take a life along the way, creating a foodie mobster culture. Okay, that's cute. Jiro is a sushi chef outside the controlled inner ring, and he kills one of the idiots who dares to dip his sushi rice in soy sauce. Both chefs try hiring him and he pits them against each other (one is traditional cuisine but with cheaper ingredients; one is all "local" hippie food but both will stop at nothing to dominate.) Outside the ring is another chef who secretly feeds people with good food (I think this guy might be modeled after José Andrés, if Andrés were suddenly plopped into a dystopian food dessert where he had to cook in secret (and apparently, based on the art, never showers.) I don't know. This isn't the most masterful graphic novel I've ever read. The mixed storylines of foodies/chefs and the mobster stuff almost works, but the extra element of the future LA doesn't really, and the attempts to worldbuild are pretty weak. But I think people who cook probably will enjoy seeing themselves in a comic book world. And I assume Tony did it for fun to start with, to poke fun at the worlds he has always criticized for taking themselves too seriously, for valuing celebrity and pretention over just making decent food.
Gabrielle –
In a near-future, vaguely dystopian Los Angeles, food culture is everything: chefs are the new rock stars, getting a reservation at a hip restaurant is like winning the lottery. Two cooking "families" have replaced the mob: the more traditional haute-cuisine guys vs. the slow food flexitarians... Somewhere on the outside of this scene is Jiro, a sushi chef with a tiny restaurant but a huge reputation. Jiro takes his work extremely seriously, and if you are dumb enough to mishandle your chopstick In a near-future, vaguely dystopian Los Angeles, food culture is everything: chefs are the new rock stars, getting a reservation at a hip restaurant is like winning the lottery. Two cooking "families" have replaced the mob: the more traditional haute-cuisine guys vs. the slow food flexitarians... Somewhere on the outside of this scene is Jiro, a sushi chef with a tiny restaurant but a huge reputation. Jiro takes his work extremely seriously, and if you are dumb enough to mishandle your chopsticks or drop rice into the soy sauce, he won't take it very kindly. He inadvertently brings the attention of the two food factions on himself when he dispatches a crass customer who turns out to have been an important supplier, and both the traditionalists and the hippies will go to great lengths to try get him to join their side of the culinary war. For an insatiable Bourdain fangirl like myself, this was just pure fun: I'm sure chopping up customers (who got sushi etiquette wrong) or line cooks (who wanted to garnish their veal blanquette) into little pieces is something Bourdain actually fantasized about. And obviously, the all-organic-all-local-hippies are not depicted in a very flattering light (their leader Rose is a painfully obvious caricature of Alice Waters)... While there is violence and bloodshed galore in those pages, the story is fun and engaging (with a not-so-subtle criticism of the food industry's most damaging practices and nod at the small independent restaurateurs struggling to stay alive in that cut-throat world), and the artwork is stunning. You can also see Bourdain's love of food and cooking shine through, in the way characters talk about their boudain noir and enjoy foie gras. But really, he is just having fun here, writing about things he loved: organized crime stories and sushi. Cheeky as hell, I just loved it!
Amal El-Mohtar –
After reading this review on Tor.com (and discovering that I've been eating my nigiri sub-optimally for years), I decided I had to read this book, with its tongue-in-cheek premise and the promise of revealing to me the secrets of sushi etiquette. The result was less than I'd hoped for, but still very enjoyable. The art is amazing, and as a love letter to food and the people who prepare it, the book works very well. On a plot-and-character level, it leaves something to be desired. Besides not pass After reading this review on Tor.com (and discovering that I've been eating my nigiri sub-optimally for years), I decided I had to read this book, with its tongue-in-cheek premise and the promise of revealing to me the secrets of sushi etiquette. The result was less than I'd hoped for, but still very enjoyable. The art is amazing, and as a love letter to food and the people who prepare it, the book works very well. On a plot-and-character level, it leaves something to be desired. Besides not passing the Bechdel test, I was annoyed by the use of non-speaking female characters to illustrate the villainy/heroism of male characters. I also didn't like how the rival food gangs were supposed to be painted as equally villainous, but in fact we get one gang being devoted to extravagant food experiences at all costs, and another gang being devoted to an array of conflicting ideals they're always half-betraying and half-enforcing in a manner presented as two-faced, inconsistent, irrational, and hypocritical. Guess which one's headed by a woman? I would have loved to see more world-building, as this futuristic food dystopia based on extravagance instead of scarcity is fascinating; I would have loved to see a plot more complex than "Jiro Heroically Screws Everyone Over." Still, I enjoyed it very much, and will be sure to rereaad it a few times before heading out to my next sushi experience.
Sesana –
An odd future, where foodies rule the world and chefs lead the warring gangs that are in control. If you know Anthony Bourdain, you know what to expect: digs at everyone from vegans to foodies and lovingly rendered food, with more than a smattering of ultraviolence. It's basically a fun read, and Joel Rose does a great job with his panels focused reverently on food. But Jiro himself is kind of a dull character, and he doesn't really carry the story.
christa –
The first mistake the dudes make is reaching for the soy sauce. They load it up with gobs of wasabi. Then one has the audacity to ask the calm cool genius sushi chef at the center of Anthony Bordain’s super fun graphic novel “Get Jiro”: “Hey chef, got California Roll on the menu?” That’s when Jiro first shows off his knife work, separating the dude’s blue-tooth adorned head from his body. This isn’t the first time Jiro has gotten swipe-y with his blade. When the foodie 5-0 arrives on the scene, The first mistake the dudes make is reaching for the soy sauce. They load it up with gobs of wasabi. Then one has the audacity to ask the calm cool genius sushi chef at the center of Anthony Bordain’s super fun graphic novel “Get Jiro”: “Hey chef, got California Roll on the menu?” That’s when Jiro first shows off his knife work, separating the dude’s blue-tooth adorned head from his body. This isn’t the first time Jiro has gotten swipe-y with his blade. When the foodie 5-0 arrives on the scene, they briefly acknowledge that this is the third time this month the parking lot is going to have to get swabbed down. Then they ignore the headless man, speak to the virtues of good rice and ingredients, and are on their way. The story is set in a futuristic version of Los Angeles after the fall of Hollywood and the music industry. Just the food biz remains and the top dogs are Bob, a celebrity chef and big box restaurant owner, and Rose, a vegan locavore who runs the kitchen like a hippie cult. The mysterious Jiro owns a small Japanese restaurant in an out-of-the-way strip mall next to a porn shop and a taco cart. He’s a well-kept secret until he kills the diner -- a guy with underground connections to produce. Now that Jiro’s on the radar, both Bob and Rose want Jiro on their own team. Jiro never sweats any of this and finds a way to foil both sides until something like a food civil war erupts. It has Bourdain’s colorful words and the kind of snarkiness he shows when he plays judge on “Top Chef” and refers to a dish tasting like “doll heads.” No one is safe from getting knocked down a few pegs: Not guys who wear a blue tooth, not people who make reservations years in advance for that special restaurant, not people who like things super-sized, not people who like to eat locally-grown food, not vegans or freegans, not the Japanese mafia. No one. He also takes a scene from his own life, a rare dining experience he wrote about in his memoir “Medium Raw” and turns it into a blood bath. (He frames the vegans by making sandal prints in the blood). The art, by Langdon Foss and Jose Villarrubia, is super fun and busy and you can spend a long time looking at a panel for all of the funny little ticks. I’ve been checking on the status of this graphic novel since it was first announced. It’s the random pairing of two things I really dig: Bourdain’s words and graphic novels. Plus, it has Japanese-style horror elements. It is a total blast.
Rebecca Huston –
A very funny, very satirical look at American food culture in an alternate reality. Not for everyone, certainly as it does get a bit violent -- well, very violent -- in spots. I had a hoot with it, but then, I'm a foodie. About four stars overall. For the longer review, please go here: http://www.epinions.com/review/Get_Ji... A very funny, very satirical look at American food culture in an alternate reality. Not for everyone, certainly as it does get a bit violent -- well, very violent -- in spots. I had a hoot with it, but then, I'm a foodie. About four stars overall. For the longer review, please go here: http://www.epinions.com/review/Get_Ji...
Jon Nakapalau –
You go AB! Channel the feelings you have suppressed all these years cooking and smack us in the face with your literary avatar!
Stephen –
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If you are going to make a food-based re-imagining of Last Man Standing/Yojombo, you really should bring something fresh to the table (see how clever I can be, cuz the writer is a cook, and I wrote 'table'...nevermind). In the foodcentric dystopia of Get Jiro, everybody wants Jiro making sushi for their side, even if they only want him so the other side can't get him. Well, that situation isn't new, so does Bourdain give us a creative new ending? No! The main character destroys both gangs (which If you are going to make a food-based re-imagining of Last Man Standing/Yojombo, you really should bring something fresh to the table (see how clever I can be, cuz the writer is a cook, and I wrote 'table'...nevermind). In the foodcentric dystopia of Get Jiro, everybody wants Jiro making sushi for their side, even if they only want him so the other side can't get him. Well, that situation isn't new, so does Bourdain give us a creative new ending? No! The main character destroys both gangs (which would seem to be impossible because they practically run the planet), allowing all the little independent restauranteurs to live happily ever after and retire to blowjobtown where everybody is happy happy like Hello Kitty. Yeah, that doesn't really satisfy. Coulda' dug a little deeper for a better ending, Bourdain. The art matched the insane-o intensity of the script, and it was okay. Overall, I can't recommend buying the hardcover. Save the extra $10 and wait for the trade paperback to come out if you really want this. This book did not meet my standards for getting into my permanent comic collection. I donated my copy to a local college library if that tells you anything.
Peacegal –
In the future, the movie and music industries have failed and eating remains the only form of popular entertainment. Chefs become religious icons and foodies break into warring factions of organized crime. The highlight of is its Get Jiro! illustrations. Lots of dynamic action and over-the-top samurai violence bring to mind a sushi-centered version of the Kill Bill series. Unfortunately, the storyline of this graphic novel reflects the values (or more appropriately, lack thereof) of the celebrity In the future, the movie and music industries have failed and eating remains the only form of popular entertainment. Chefs become religious icons and foodies break into warring factions of organized crime. The highlight of is its Get Jiro! illustrations. Lots of dynamic action and over-the-top samurai violence bring to mind a sushi-centered version of the Kill Bill series. Unfortunately, the storyline of this graphic novel reflects the values (or more appropriately, lack thereof) of the celebrity chef behind it. Anthony Bourdain is an asshole of towering proportions. His "foodie mobs" contain a loose group of vegans/locavores/"happy meat" fans who are highly unsympathetic and hypocritical flower children who are willing to murder at the drop of a hat. Bourdain's ultimate message is that the only thing that matters--not ethics, not money, not image---is the tastebuds. Of course, he has nothing but contempt for those who believe otherwise.
Monica –
Sometime in the dystopian future in LA, chefs are cultural heroes and a war is going on. Two gangs of food thugs led by Bob, the epicurean omnivore who owns dozens of junk food joints for the masses, and Alice, the militant bloodthirsty locavore, are battling for control of the scene. Jiro, a traditional sushi chef, is caught in the middle. He agrees to work for both of them and goes to work to pit them against each other. Of course there is blood, and lots of it. In the first pages, a group of Sometime in the dystopian future in LA, chefs are cultural heroes and a war is going on. Two gangs of food thugs led by Bob, the epicurean omnivore who owns dozens of junk food joints for the masses, and Alice, the militant bloodthirsty locavore, are battling for control of the scene. Jiro, a traditional sushi chef, is caught in the middle. He agrees to work for both of them and goes to work to pit them against each other. Of course there is blood, and lots of it. In the first pages, a group of guys walks into Jiro's place and starts committing high crimes against sushi - mixing huge gobs of wasabi and soy, ordering California rolls - The Horror! - and Jiro finally has enough and gets all knifey with them. The cops who show up are pretty nonchalant about the head rolling down the street, send in a cleanup crew and keep on discussing the finer points of sushi rice. It's awfully funny, if you like that sort of thing, and I do. And the graphics are great.
Amber Lea –
It almost feels like what would happen if we replaced society's obsession with sex with an obsession with food. Okay, so, Anthony Bourdain is kind of a dick who he hates vegans. We already know this about him, so I don't really feel the need to address it like other reviews have. I think if you're reading this you know what you're getting yourself into. I see this as a window into Anthony Bourdain's brain. And I have to say, I'm amused. Now, if you're looking for great characters or a riveting plo It almost feels like what would happen if we replaced society's obsession with sex with an obsession with food. Okay, so, Anthony Bourdain is kind of a dick who he hates vegans. We already know this about him, so I don't really feel the need to address it like other reviews have. I think if you're reading this you know what you're getting yourself into. I see this as a window into Anthony Bourdain's brain. And I have to say, I'm amused. Now, if you're looking for great characters or a riveting plot, you're not really going to get that. The social/political/food commentary is the star. If you're not hip to food politics or issues of class or any of that, or you just don't know a lot about Anthony Bourdain, a lot of what is being said is going to be lost on you. It doesn't really stand on it's own. However, the art is fantastic, and I really appreciate the little details in the background, like license plates, signs, tattoos and t-shirts. The art really makes it.
Martyn –
Wow, that was disappointing. A graphic novel written by Anthony Bourdain about an authentic sushi chef, what a great setup huh? Unfortunately the overt exposition, painful dialogue, uncomfortably racist character types, confused and contradictory politics and thinly veiled sexism all add up to a big let down. The art, at least, is great. Sure it was funny in places, and I get that this is not high literature, but if you watch Bourdain's (fantastic) TV shows then you'll recognize a lot of the prej Wow, that was disappointing. A graphic novel written by Anthony Bourdain about an authentic sushi chef, what a great setup huh? Unfortunately the overt exposition, painful dialogue, uncomfortably racist character types, confused and contradictory politics and thinly veiled sexism all add up to a big let down. The art, at least, is great. Sure it was funny in places, and I get that this is not high literature, but if you watch Bourdain's (fantastic) TV shows then you'll recognize a lot of the prejudices on display here (we get it, you don't like vegetarians, but I don't believe for one second that ALL vegetarians secretly want to eat meat at the drop of a hat as you clearly do). It was bit like a book version of Tony's favorite food, meat in tube form - it seems like a good idea at the time and might hold you over for a bit, but then you feel regret and self-loathing afterwards. Read it, return it, move on.
Eric –
The artwork was beautiful and the premise -- food is the lone remaining form of entertainment, leaving chefs to rule "like crime lords" in the city -- piqued my interest. But the execution left a bit to be desired -- the introductory explanation of the dystopian future rang hollow, and the plot was disjointed and shallow. Also, the tone waffled between straight-faced and satire, leaving it too austere to be funny and too absurd to be taken seriously.
Elopez_nyc –
Our obsession with food and chefs has reached absurd proportions; cooking has become an spectator sport and everyone thinks they know how to talk about food even if they can't boil and egg. In a way, this comic destroys it all in a fun and beautifully drawn way. Recommended reading for all food lovers who hate the pretentiousness that's sometimes served on the side.
Abdul Rahman –
This is one of the best graphic novel I've read in a while. An original story with many references to other great stories, Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose is a must read for graphic novel fans. In a dystopian world ruled by the chef mafia, the story revolves around Jiro, a master Japanese sushi chef with a no tolerance policy for people breaking the rules of eating sushi. The two sides of the mafia is one the french high-end international style global capitalist mafia lead by Bob, and This is one of the best graphic novel I've read in a while. An original story with many references to other great stories, Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose is a must read for graphic novel fans. In a dystopian world ruled by the chef mafia, the story revolves around Jiro, a master Japanese sushi chef with a no tolerance policy for people breaking the rules of eating sushi. The two sides of the mafia is one the french high-end international style global capitalist mafia lead by Bob, and the other side is the local produce vegetarian but somewhat hypocrite mafia lead by Rose. The contrasting style of food philosophy not only makes for a good story, but also teaches the readers a thing or two about food, etiquette, and the cut-throat business behind it. The only weakness of this story is the plot is predictable and cliched, but it is to be expected, there is no such thing as a fully original story in this day and age. It is a fun story to read through.
Michael –
A pulp graphic story (novella?) set in a dystopian future where food & dining is the ultimate status & currency. It certainly opens well when our protagonist, Jiro (a laconic but highly qualified sushi chef)operates a sushi bar in a ramshackle part of town. Three douche bags sit down and after some moronic banter and heretical sushi bar behavior, they order California rolls and are summarily beheaded with gruesome precision by Jiro. We discover the city is run by two clans, one headed by Bob a c A pulp graphic story (novella?) set in a dystopian future where food & dining is the ultimate status & currency. It certainly opens well when our protagonist, Jiro (a laconic but highly qualified sushi chef)operates a sushi bar in a ramshackle part of town. Three douche bags sit down and after some moronic banter and heretical sushi bar behavior, they order California rolls and are summarily beheaded with gruesome precision by Jiro. We discover the city is run by two clans, one headed by Bob a chef tyrant and the other by Rose, a kind of scary version of locavore ethos run amok. The glib jabs at foodies is pretty funny, but there is not much story or characters about which to empathize. Superficial and frankly, pretty boring. It only takes 30 minutes to read so save your money and borrow it. I'll be glad to give it to you.
Athena –
This didn't work in the 'graphic' part of a Graphic Novel (e.g., nubile females distinguishable only by clothing, uninspired splash pages) and the plot was vapidly predictable, thus failing the 'novel' half of a GN. Basically, Tony Bourdain wants to tell Americans we're eating sushi wrong, and corporate cuisine is bad. I learnt how to eat sushi 'incorrectly' from Japanese in-laws so apparently a lot of Japan eats it non-Bourdain style also, or maybe just those terribly non-trendy Old People. Per This didn't work in the 'graphic' part of a Graphic Novel (e.g., nubile females distinguishable only by clothing, uninspired splash pages) and the plot was vapidly predictable, thus failing the 'novel' half of a GN. Basically, Tony Bourdain wants to tell Americans we're eating sushi wrong, and corporate cuisine is bad. I learnt how to eat sushi 'incorrectly' from Japanese in-laws so apparently a lot of Japan eats it non-Bourdain style also, or maybe just those terribly non-trendy Old People. Perhaps Bourdain will take out ads in Tokyo to school the masses? God knows if I were Japanese I'd relish the gaijin perspective on my own culture, almost as much as a root canal ... I'm guessing that as a strung-out junior chef he never thought he'd make a career out of being, gasp, Anthony Bourdain! Sadly for food writing, he has.
Tamahome –
Bizarre future world controlled by violent sushi chefs. Great detailed art. One writer is hunky chef Anthony Bourdain. I read it in 40 minutes; it had lots of silent panels. I got a few chuckles out of it. If you're a foodie, you might enjoy this more than me. Eat sushi correctly or die! Bizarre future world controlled by violent sushi chefs. Great detailed art. One writer is hunky chef Anthony Bourdain. I read it in 40 minutes; it had lots of silent panels. I got a few chuckles out of it. If you're a foodie, you might enjoy this more than me. Eat sushi correctly or die!
47Time –
While the characters are passionate about food and ruthless about dominating the restaurant business, they still seem bland and lifeless. The main character more than any other. Still, he is a revolutionary who brings tangible change to the status quo. The story features, as far as I can tell, some valid recipies and eating techniques alongside the more accessible gang war. It's not bad, but it doesn't really impress either because of its dullness. The Los Angeles of the near future is dominated While the characters are passionate about food and ruthless about dominating the restaurant business, they still seem bland and lifeless. The main character more than any other. Still, he is a revolutionary who brings tangible change to the status quo. The story features, as far as I can tell, some valid recipies and eating techniques alongside the more accessible gang war. It's not bad, but it doesn't really impress either because of its dullness. The Los Angeles of the near future is dominated by the food industry. The city is ruled by two warring chefs who own the two most popular restaurants: Rose and Bob. They control the distribution of produce which keeps the independent chefs waiting. Jiro is a talented chef and a new arrival in LA. His short temper when food etiquette isn't respected is known and overlooked by police. Decapitating a customer for this reason barely raises an eyebrow. Still, the event soon reaches the ears of both Rose and Bob. They both want to bring Jiro into the fold, but he wants their monopoly to end. Confronting them will bring Jiro to within an inch of his life, but he will never give up his passion. (view spoiler)[Jiro seemingly accepts both their offers. In reality he plays them against each other by single-handedly triggering open warfare between the two gangs. Bob finds out first and punishes Jiro severely. One of Bob's former employees saves Jiro and nurses him back to health. The independent chefs see the war as an opportunity to rise up together to liberate the produce distribution. They run Bob and Rose out of the city, allowing the two to get together and plan their revenge. For now the city is quiet again with Jiro back in business in a restaurant owned by one of his very few friends after the latter died protecting him from Bob. (hide spoiler)]
Melki –
Okay, so I accidentally read the sequel . . . er, prequel first. It got panned, and this one got rave reviews. BUT, I didn't see a whole lot of difference between them. Both had recycled plots - (view spoiler)[playing your enemies off against one another (hide spoiler)] has been done to death, and lots of violence, but I honestly think the prequel had a more cohesive story. That said, I did like the artwork featured in this adventure, and I would have happily read a sequel had Bourdain stuck aro Okay, so I accidentally read the sequel . . . er, prequel first. It got panned, and this one got rave reviews. BUT, I didn't see a whole lot of difference between them. Both had recycled plots - (view spoiler)[playing your enemies off against one another (hide spoiler)] has been done to death, and lots of violence, but I honestly think the prequel had a more cohesive story. That said, I did like the artwork featured in this adventure, and I would have happily read a sequel had Bourdain stuck around long enough to create one.
Ainaz –
I’m not particularly a comic reader (‘no reservations’, just never happened to read one), so my review might be a novice one. We lost (truly lost) Anthony Bourdain only yesterday. I came across the book when reading obituaries. If you love cooking, food, food culture, and significantly sushi, you will enjoy everything the book offers, the details in the drawings are profound. But, the book is also everything Bourdain; from the details prescribed to the food, from the weirdly amazing ingredients to I’m not particularly a comic reader (‘no reservations’, just never happened to read one), so my review might be a novice one. We lost (truly lost) Anthony Bourdain only yesterday. I came across the book when reading obituaries. If you love cooking, food, food culture, and significantly sushi, you will enjoy everything the book offers, the details in the drawings are profound. But, the book is also everything Bourdain; from the details prescribed to the food, from the weirdly amazing ingredients to the so-called antiestablishment attitude taking a stance beside the individual, independent restaurateur, the dive into the communities and the backstreet restaurants; everything is Him.
Jesse A –
Some odd but not dull fantasy fulfillment. 3.5 stars.
Jessica at Book Sake –
Graphic Novel Review (ARC) by Chris for Book Sake. So I guess Anthony Bourdain is a food snob and it really comes across in this book. People meet horrible deaths for not eating correctly. The food preaching is a little heavy handy. If we ignore that what we have is a well illustrated story about a rock and a hard place mixed with some David and Goliath struggles. The book is a bit on the violent side, maybe more then a bit. It kind of has the feel of a Tarantino or Rodriguez movie trying to be a Graphic Novel Review (ARC) by Chris for Book Sake. So I guess Anthony Bourdain is a food snob and it really comes across in this book. People meet horrible deaths for not eating correctly. The food preaching is a little heavy handy. If we ignore that what we have is a well illustrated story about a rock and a hard place mixed with some David and Goliath struggles. The book is a bit on the violent side, maybe more then a bit. It kind of has the feel of a Tarantino or Rodriguez movie trying to be a Guy Ritchie movie. So if you are okay with being made to feel food stupid and think that bloody sushi is a tasty treat, this is a book for you. Book Rating: 3/5 Graphic Novel Review (ARC) by Jessica for Book Sake. I freaking love sushi and I have watched a lot of Anthony Bourdain on television, so I was immediately attracted to reading Ger Jiro! The story started out being all about the food and the proper way to eat sushi, which I have learned from Bourdain’s No Reservations. Sushi is to be eaten with ones hands, not chopsticks. No dipping in soy sauce!! Granted, I don’t always follow either of those, but the point is – there is something educational here. Then came the violence. I was cool with that too – I can totally see where this story came from just from watching No Reservations. His characters are exaggerated versions of chefs he has met along his travels. This is a great example of writing what you know. Then came the political nature of the book. Ahh, yes, this is the Anthony Bourdain I can’t handle. If you love his show and love him for his snobby, snippy, better-than-thou attitude, you will love this. I for one only have bad words to say when he is talking smack about people. So, this portion left a bad taste in my mouth – but it was to be expected as he is once again writing what he knows. I think this story is best for fans of Bourdain’s TV shows who also love the politically violent stories out there. All of the sides within the story have merit and are blown up to make it a stronger basis for the storyline. If anything – you will learn not to order a California Roll at a sushi restaurant with Anthony! Book Rating: 3/5
Rob –
I was very excited when this comic was announced, being a fan of everything Bourdain does, but I remember reading quite a few bad reviews for it. Comics are expensive, so I do like to be selective, but having read it now, it was actually much better than I thought it would be. He didn't reinvent the medium or anything, but for a first time comic writer, it was an enjoyable story. This takes place in a future L.A. where the city is now ruled by chefs, essentially crime lords with nice knife sets. I was very excited when this comic was announced, being a fan of everything Bourdain does, but I remember reading quite a few bad reviews for it. Comics are expensive, so I do like to be selective, but having read it now, it was actually much better than I thought it would be. He didn't reinvent the medium or anything, but for a first time comic writer, it was an enjoyable story. This takes place in a future L.A. where the city is now ruled by chefs, essentially crime lords with nice knife sets. All forms of entertainment are now gone. There are no sport teams anymore and no performing arts. Food is society's main source of pleasure and extravagance. There are two main warring factions in power - one brings food in from around the globe to make specialty dishes and the other will only cook organic and local vegetarian food. Bourdain loves to take digs at the veggie crowd, which he gleefully does here, but both sides are equally demented. Jiro is a renowned sushi chef and both factions want him. He has to decide which side, if any, to join. If he turns down either of these chefs, they'll be after blood. The plot is silly, the characters aren't as interesting as they could have been, and the dialogue is a bit stilted, but it was a fun read. It's hyper-violent and amusing, and it both pokes fun at and shows reverence to different aspects of food culture. Worth reading if you find yourself with a copy, but I probably wouldn't run out to buy it unless you're particularly interested in everything Bourdain does. Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
Robert –
Well, I'll certainly give Bourdain credit for coming up with the most bizarre future scenario I've seen: an urban landscape dominated by warring gangs of chefs, each with their own turf, supply lines, and roving gangs of thugs weilding butcher knives and ladle spoons. Outside of these gangs, there are also numerous independent chefs, suffering under the tyranny of the rival chieftains. One of these independent chefs is the genius sushi artist Jiro, who is being wooed by both sides in the conflic Well, I'll certainly give Bourdain credit for coming up with the most bizarre future scenario I've seen: an urban landscape dominated by warring gangs of chefs, each with their own turf, supply lines, and roving gangs of thugs weilding butcher knives and ladle spoons. Outside of these gangs, there are also numerous independent chefs, suffering under the tyranny of the rival chieftains. One of these independent chefs is the genius sushi artist Jiro, who is being wooed by both sides in the conflict. After that setup, the story is actually pretty straightforward, and kind of dull, unless the reader is a serious foodie and understands some of the more subtle industry humor. The real treat is the artwork from Langdon Foss. I probably missed at least half of the in-jokes and other sly references on billboards, t-shirts and other background images. But the stuff I caught was clever. For example, the lieutenant of one of the rival chefs wears a bandolier across his chest. But instead of bullets, it holds wooden spoons for stirring sauces. Unfortunately, the subtler material is a bit overwhelmed by the ultra-violence overlaying it, and the main character Jiro isn't fleshed out enough for the reader to invest emotionally in him. I'll be generous and give this book 3 stars, although I would prefer to give it 2 1/2, because it's somewhere between OK and Like.
Bonnie G. –
I find Tony Bourdain amusing. He is smart, arrogant, funny, and that special kind of rich which involves focusing entirely on his authentic connection to the goodness and purity of the poor and disenfranchised. He also talks about food in ways I find exciting. This comic is such a great idea, but in it Bourdain goes from arrogant to insufferable and from underlying anger to Texas Chainsaw Massacre levels of violence. Seriously, you can't make fun of the pretension of vegans and locavores and the I find Tony Bourdain amusing. He is smart, arrogant, funny, and that special kind of rich which involves focusing entirely on his authentic connection to the goodness and purity of the poor and disenfranchised. He also talks about food in ways I find exciting. This comic is such a great idea, but in it Bourdain goes from arrogant to insufferable and from underlying anger to Texas Chainsaw Massacre levels of violence. Seriously, you can't make fun of the pretension of vegans and locavores and then justify the murder of people who eat nigiri incorrectly. I know it's tongue-in-cheek, but its important that tongue-in-cheek castigation be consistent to be amusing, and it also helps if the humorist learns to laugh at himself and not just at others. A side note: I have spent a lot of time in Japan in my life, and I have seen plenty of people eat sushi with chopsticks even at the most expensive restaurants and in the company executive dining rooms of several Japanese companies. Yes, the sushi soy dunk is purely American, but if you are eating run-of-the-mill sushi, its also pretty delicious. I look at it as fusion, but food miscegenation is clearly a bigger deal to Bourdain than it is to me.
Rafal –
Fantastic and surprisingly funny. Jiro is a sushi chef bent on protecting himself from the extremist factions in a dystopian food world. Both the vegan locavores and the mega-restaurant chain run by gastronomes were hysterical and horrifying and overall a bit too close to today's food scene. Overall the story and the characters were great if sometimes bordering on parody. The art and the writing were fairly good. My one qualm is that everything in this world is incredibly dirty and it is treated Fantastic and surprisingly funny. Jiro is a sushi chef bent on protecting himself from the extremist factions in a dystopian food world. Both the vegan locavores and the mega-restaurant chain run by gastronomes were hysterical and horrifying and overall a bit too close to today's food scene. Overall the story and the characters were great if sometimes bordering on parody. The art and the writing were fairly good. My one qualm is that everything in this world is incredibly dirty and it is treated as being both a positive and a negative. The writing is pretty great and the story clips along at a steady pace. There are definitely a few spelling errors with words in translation though i am not sure if they were intentional or not. A lot of the jokes in the book may not be funny to some readers. If you do not know what a caprese salad is and why it would be unheard of for a locavore to serve it in January, you may not get some of the jokes in this book. However, if you are a foodie you will enjoy the humor, if you are a foodie hater, you will enjoy the absurdism of the fervor of the characters in this book.
Saugata Mukherjee –
I am disappointed by this, I expected so much more. I was not able to buy in the premise of the book of master chefs ruling the town like crime lords and people literally killing for a seat at the best restaurants. Everything came up like convoluted improbability. I was never able to suspend my disbelief that much. Within the first 5 pages the protagonist Jiro established himself (at least to me) as a food snob. He is not established as a well developed character. We never get to know what ticks I am disappointed by this, I expected so much more. I was not able to buy in the premise of the book of master chefs ruling the town like crime lords and people literally killing for a seat at the best restaurants. Everything came up like convoluted improbability. I was never able to suspend my disbelief that much. Within the first 5 pages the protagonist Jiro established himself (at least to me) as a food snob. He is not established as a well developed character. We never get to know what ticks Jiro (other than table etiquette I guess), for example what is his motivation to save the sous chef of one of the chef lord. Beside the main protagonists the other characters are even thinly built. No body has any kind of depth here. The story is pretty straightforward and boring. At the end Jiro very easily wins against two very formidable opponents. The art is nothing spectacular but clean. All in all it is an avoidable book. I guess this one is not for me, but again I am not very sure about its target audience too.