Starve, Vol. 1

I admit, when I first started Starve I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it. The premise captured my attention, but the art wasn't something I was sold on. Until, that is, I started diving deeper into the story. Suddenly, the way that Gavin and his gritty world were drawn made perfect sense. By the time I reached the end of this, you couldn't have pried it out of my hands. I'm sincerely disappointed that I'll have to wait a while for the next trade.

Brian Wood's story is captivating. He brings to life a world famous chef, Gavin Cruikshank, who has gone off the rails a bit. He's made himself disappear, to a place where no one knows who he is or what he used to be. I didn't like Gavin at first, but that's because I didn't understand him. As his story unfolded, and I saw what his once loved profession had become, I understood. In a world where the elite live in excess, and the poor starve, Gavin is almost a monster. Which, I soon learned, he ends up owning. I actually really enjoyed Gavin once I got to know him, prickly personality and all.

As I mentioned, the art style here takes a little warming up to. I'm used to solid lines, and vivid colors, so the illustrations felt a little unfinished to me at first. Once I was further into the story though, they just became a part of the whole package. Gavin's life isn't solid. It isn't vibrant, but rather full of shady business, violence, and gross excess. I loved this art after a while, and I'm eager to see where things go next.

Long story short? This is a solid series! I'll be impatiently waiting for more.