Never believe the menu … always ask your server for a recommendation.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Shawn Gabborin
Artwork: Babisu Kourtis
Colors: Fran Gamboa & J.C. Ruiz
Letters: Fabio Amelia
What They Say:
Hired to work in the kitchen of an upscale restaurant for the city’s elite, a young man is dragged into a world he’s barely ever glimpsed… in more ways than one!
Content: (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
Jake was an ordinary busboy working at the exclusive restaurant Bella, cleaning up after customers enjoyed their meals, however everything changed one night with a chance meeting. Mr. Cartwright, one of the establishment’s regular customers called the boy over and complimented him for his hard work, after which he graciously gave a generous tip. While sous chef Steve immediately demeaned the guy for getting his first gratuity, server Jake reassured him his spite was all out of jealousy. However during the next night and with his favorite client’s return, the old man had heard a rumor of Jake quitting culinary school, but this failing did not deter Mr. Cartwright. After many denials from the boy, he calls head chef Andre over to his table and through insistence is determined to have the dropout prepare his dish, and he will not take no for an answer.
After all of Mr. Cartwright’s bluster and a successful conversation, the busboy was now in charge of preparing a meal for one of the restaurant’s most influential customers. While Chef Andre has his doubts, he allowed Jake to proceed and warned of his customer’s peculiar tastes, afterwards allowing Steve to help in the preparations. Although the assistant kept heckling the stern novice, this did not deter him, calmly considering the dish until its prompt completion. The dish smelled delectable and it was a complete success, however when server Cole tried to taste the leftovers, the sous chef exploded and told him not to touch anything in the kitchen. However the repercussions of that night did not take effect until the next day, with Chef Andre calling Jake into his office and offering a spot in the kitchen. While he was thrilled by the new position, head server Callie also tried to praise him but could not, since she was too busy with Cole never showing up for his shift. While he was worried about his missing friend, it was not until after closing by which Jake noticed something strange – Steve was now wearing a watch which looked exactly like Cole’s. Although he tried to brush off the comment by stating it was very similar, the coincidence was too strange for his convenience. What happened to his buddy and why did he skip out on work, something which he had never done? Something strange is going on behind the scenes of this restaurant … but what could it be?
In Summary:
While I do admit the underlying premise of this issue is nothing new, writer Shawn Gabborin does offer it with an intriguing twist by presenting the protagonist as unsuspecting, only to show the gruesome truth at the end, even if at times the facts are shown almost at a painfully slow pace. This allows the reader to become distracted by Jake’s success, only to fall into the same pitfall he does, all the while not understanding the full truth until it is too late. This type of revelation is different from cinematic examples like Eat the Rich or Delicatessen that kept the secret veiled to most of the actors and the comic book series Transmetropolitan, which accepted the need as a cultural truth. These themes may be rejected by a majority of society, but this narrative also shows it can be accepted within small groups with a cult standing, allowing only the chosen to dine on specialities, until the chef is exposed to the real ingredients, and either accept or rejects them as a new norm. At the same time, it is strange the cook never noticed the unusual taste when compared to what he was expecting … did he not sample his own food as he was preparing it? Perhaps a special marinade was done without his knowing, but whatever reason, it makes us wonder who was really in charge of the meal – Jake or the diner?
However what helps to communicate the rational sanity of this story were the grounded artistic efforts of outstanding illustrator Babisu Kourtis and the organically rich colors of Fran Gamboa and J.C. Ruiz. From the start we are presented with a seemingly ordinary progression of events, all within the lusciously furnished Bella, which is ironic since the name is Italian for beautiful, all considering what was happening within the location. This place on the surface is disarming, allowing the reader to delve within the hectic atmosphere of an upscale eatery with gentile customers dining on fine cuisine, all while not knowing the dirty secret which the staff hides, from or with the clients. The elegance of the environment, need for reservations in advance for the uninitiated and acceptable dress code all point toward this being an another high scale restaurant, all hiding reality within a veil of civility. This is where Kourtis, Gamboa and Ruiz help to anchor the realism of the issue, displaying something which seems more suitable to be in a television reality cooking contest instead of a horror comic, only splattering enough gore to accent those important moments with a wink to the reader, while hiding it from Jake. To be able to depict such convincing moments while keeping the pages anchored within a warped normalcy are what make this tale so chilling, the sedate build up allows us to accept a passive time line, but once the facts are gathered and finally revealed, we are as shocked as Jake, much to his pitiful acceptance of the circumstances.
The calm demeanor for this issue of Grimm Tales of Terror is disarming in its graciousness, bringing the reader into the pages of what appears to be a languid story, seemingly out of place for the title. However as we delve deeper into the hostility of employment security and staff competition, it is only then do we see how cut throat chefs can truly be, compared to their delicate dishes. With revelations revealed painfully slow, it is only once the secret menu is revealed do we recognize the true depravity of civilized society … and hopefully the Special of the Day does not turn out to be Soylent Green.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: July 11, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
