Ahoy me mateys Captain Cats here! Today we have a guest reviewer, and our guest reviewer is none other than Kai, one of our Co-Host on The Captain Cats and The Nightrider Podcast! Here is his review on Anthony Bourdain’s last book Hungry Ghost.
Japanese Yokai (ghost, phantom, Ghoul) serves as the inspiration of lasts graphic book of the late great Anthony Bourdain catching and purposely tittle “Hungry Ghosts.” With Joel Rose and top comic’s top horror artist, i.e., Mateus Santolouco (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Alberto Ponticelli (Unknown Soldier), Vanesa Del Rey (Redlands) and Leonardo Manco (Hellblazer) presented a ghoulish stylized art that draws a lot from Japanese gothic folklore. It is not the first time these two have work together as the two created the graphic novel Get Jiro.
Stylized gore and grim unattractive characters make a fantastic stomach-turning horror meets working man genre. The artwork swell the horror component in each story with delightfully detail and surreal art of the yokai world. At The end a looming colors of orange bring a never before sense of fright as you never seen before. Orange is definitely the new black, well….or dark hellish prison.
The story, lie or untold truth centers on around a Russian noble hosting a feast. Until the night get tiresome, lackluster and much darker …until a “games of nerves” was introduce. A game of mirror and 100 candles and rich men sitting in a circle, and no! Not sadomasochism or any kinky weird cult like perversion…..just story telling or …so it seems.
Easy to read for casual reader until you get to the horse part! And no! Not sadomasochism or any kinky weird cult like perversion. Than a change of the tempo as one story ends and another begins, of course with human nature our ego get the best of us as the next storytellers tries to top the previous one. You will see that each story-teller, in a sense of grim inflection, has that ego or demon inside them or what is reflected only to the reader(hint)… don’t worry no spoilers, I wouldn’t tell you how or what happens.
Moreover, it is not the one of those long lengthy Homer’s epic story it’s a quick read people! Like Bourdain, it delivers us straight to the good stuff without waiting, that only a cheap thrill aficionado or devotee can love. A fine good read my friend, oh yes! A definite read. Also, note: In my head, I am using Bourdain voice narrative persona with at first factual backdrop in the beginning than eventually break in the segment and screw it! Here!
Author: Omega Kai:TGR
Let us know in the Comments below on what you think of this review and who would you like to see as a guest reviewer!
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Breaker
CastBox
Overcast
PocketCasts
Podbean
Radio Public
Stitcher
Recent Comments