08/15/2016
Peony knows her way around a kitchen, especially where baked goods are concerned, but her experience might not be enough to help her when she’s conscripted to participate in an extraterrestrial reality TV show, Space Battle Lunchtime. Now, she’s making friends and whipping up desserts with foods she’s never encountered (and machines she can’t even turn on), but enemies are conspiring against her with deadly plans. Riess, creator of the Snarlbear webcomic, makes a highly promising print debut with a comic that will delight SF diehards and cooking show devotees alike. It has all the hallmarks of reality cooking competitions (“Time may be an illusion, but yours is up,” announces Zorp, the floating polyhedron that hosts the show) while balancing laughs, quirky characters, and plot developments, including a potential romance with one of Peony’s competitors, Neptunia. Riess uses a vivid palette to emphasize the unfamiliarity of the alien environment Peony finds herself in, keeping readers as off-balance as she is. Part Top Chef, part Doctor Who, it’s a thoroughly entertaining start to this space drama, and the dire cliffhanger ending will have readers eagerly awaiting volume two. Ages 8–up. (Oct.)
“Chefs have to think on their feet and react quickly, especially when they're in competition-ESPECIALLY when that competition is in SPACE! With fun characters and delicious dishes, this space adventure fits right in to the young chef's menu.” - “Chefs have to think on their feet and react quickly, especially when they're in competition-ESPECIALLY when that competition is in SPACE! With fun characters and delicious dishes, this space adventure fits right in to the young chef's menu.” - Lucy Knisley
(Relish: My Life in the Kitchen)
"A feast for the eyes and fantastic first course!" -
Mairghread Scott
"Natalie Riess delivers a comic that lives up to its exciting name, Space Battle Lunchtime! With gorgeous layouts, unique character designs and an intriguing premise, I am excited to read the next installment and find out who will be the toughest cookie in this tasty new series!" - Sarah
Graley (Rick and Morty: Lil' Poopy Superstar)
"Space Battle Lunchtime is incredibly charming and fun! It's an exciting peek at a well-developed cast of characters and an exciting, upbeat Space Bake-Off. I can't wait to read more!" - Carey Pietsch
(Lumberjanes, Adventure Time: Marceline Gone Adrift)
"Natalie has really outdone herself here. Space Battle
Lunch Time is absolutely, 100% my favorite comic about space baking." - Ethan
Kocak (Black Mudpuppy)
"Sweet but filling, Space Battle Lunchtime has given us a fantastic opening issue which leaves you wanting more." - Mairghread
Scott
01/01/2017
Gr 3–5—Peony, a talented Earthling baker, is beamed up to space to compete in Space Battle Lunchtime, an intergalactic cooking contest broadcast all over the universe. Peony is up for the challenge against five aliens, but something terrible may have happened to the chef she replaced. In spite of fierce competition, Peony finds joy in concocting new dishes out of unfamiliar ingredients like Mars Goop and Moon Butter, and she discovers the importance of friendship over feuds. The delicate, almost scrawled line drawings and handwritten lettering resemble dreamy doodles. A colorful but light, washed-out palette reflects the gentle tone: this is a story about finding friends, not enemies. This quirky mix of outer space and cooking contests not only entertains but also provides insight into the importance of friendly competition. VERDICT Give to fans of cooking comics such as Eric Colossal's "Rutabaga the Adventure Chef" and Takashi Hashiguchi's "Yakitate!! Japan."—Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library
2016-08-02
An Earth pâtissière is beamed up to an intergalactic cooking competition reminiscent of Iron Chef. With oversized glasses, light skin, and a hairstyle reminiscent of Lucy’s from “Peanuts,” Peony spends her days whipping up culinary delights at the bakery where she works. However, one fateful day, she is visited by a bespectacled frog who invites her to participate in a competition to find "the greatest chef in the galaxy." Suddenly, Peony finds herself on Space Battle Lunchtime, a televised show staged in an out-of-this-world kitchen with alien ingredients (literally) and odd appliances unlike anything she’s ever seen. Undaunted by her exotic surroundings, Peony finds that her relentless optimism and cooking know-how help her persevere and woo the extraterrestrial judges. Threatened by her success, her ET opponents are not above sabotage, and Peony soon discovers the lengths some of them would go to ensure she does not win. Will Peony survive, or is this just the way her cookie crumbles? Riess' series opener is highly imaginative and enjoyable, with strong worldbuilding working joyfully alongside bright and humorous illustrations. An odd yet well-spun mixture of food fiction and space tales, with a dash of pop culture, this unusual charmer defies genre conventions and seems to revel in its own sheer individuality and campy wonder. Delicious fun that’s out of this world. (Graphic science fiction. 7-14)
