Space Battle Lunchtime, Volume 1: Lights, Camera, Snacktion!

by Three Speed, Three Speed (Artist)

Overview

Collecting the first four issues of Natalie Riess's delectable series,
SPACE BATTLE LUNCHTIME! Earth baker Peony gets the deal of a lifetime when she agrees to be a contestant on the Universe's hottest reality TV show, Space
Battle Lunchtime! But that was before she knew that it shoots on location... on a spaceship... and her alien competitors don't play nice! Does Peony really have what it takes to be the best cook in the Galaxy? Tune in and find out!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620103135
Publisher:	Oni Press
Publication date:	10/25/2016
Pages:	120
Sales rank:	122,762
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	GN370L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

Editorial Reviews

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.)

Publishers Weekly

"Natalie has really outdone herself here. Space Battle
Lunch Time is absolutely, 100% my favorite comic about space baking." - Ethan
Kocak (Black Mudpuppy)

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE --
In this graphic novel, contestants from all over the galaxy compete on a cooking show. Readers will watch as, for the first time ever, a contestant from Earth, Peony, joins the competition. Peony is spunky and determined to do her best (even though she mostly just made cupcakes in the past-though none of the alien judges really know what cupcakes are). Of course the competition is intense and some of the other competitors are downright evil and cunning; so not only is Peony's chance at winning in question but her very life is at stake. The illustrations are a good mix of sweet for Peony (her chef's jacket has hearts on it after all) and oddly quirky for all the unknown aliens and their alien cooking ingredients. However, readers who really want to know the whole story will need to look for further installments. This particular book ends on quite the dramatic cliffhanger-like almost every good television show might. This is a good graphic novel for those who love quirky cooking reality shows and aliens all mixed together.

"If somehow “intergalactic cooking competition” by itself doesn't do it for you, Space Battle Lunchtime is also full of wonderfully-designed characters, great cartooning, and beautiful coloring. Don't miss it." - Ben Towle (Oyster War)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL --
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."

"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)

"A feast for the eyes and fantastic first course!" -
Mairghread Scott

From the Publisher

In this graphic novel, contestants from all over the galaxy compete on a cooking show. Readers will watch as, for the first time ever, a contestant from Earth, Peony, joins the competition. Peony is spunky and determined to do her best (even though she mostly just made cupcakes in the past—though none of the alien judges really know what cupcakes are). Of course the competition is intense and some of the other competitors are downright evil and cunning; so not only is Peony’s chance at winning in question but her very life is at stake. The illustrations are a good mix of sweet for Peony (her chef’s jacket has hearts on it after all) and oddly quirky for all the unknown aliens and their alien cooking ingredients. However, readers who really want to know the whole story will need to look for further installments. This particular book ends on quite the dramatic cliffhanger—like almost every good television show might. This is a good graphic novel for those who love quirky cooking reality shows and aliens all mixed together. Reviewer: Joella Peterson; Ages 12 up.

Children's Literature - Joella Peterson

Peony is a girl from Earth, but her cooking skills are heavenly. With a little encouragement, she decides to compete in the TV show “Space Battle Lunchtime.” She will be representing Earth, and she will be up against some strong competition from chefs from other planets as they run a gauntlet of cooking challenges. But there is skullduggery about. One of the judges comes down with food poisoning, and it looks like a contestant might have planned it on purpose. Peony begins hearing disturbing rumors about the fate of the previous chef contestant from Earth—and she wonders what lies ahead for her. Using the framework of the popular cooking challenge television shows, the author sets her story in space and embellishes it with strong characters and humor. Those characters move and carry the action along in the illustrations; the color is good and the costumes are inventive. Colored dialog balloons are also a nice touch. Back matter includes character sketches and bonus features about the art of writing comics. There are some drawbacks, however, stemming from the fact that the four chapters in this book were originally published as issues one through four in comic book format; the reader is left hanging in the “to be continued” mode. Nevertheless, this is a thoroughly enjoyable space adventure with a girl as the heroine. Hopefully, this series will continue; and the new book will be an original graphic novel, rather than a reprint of already published comics. Reviewer: Leona Illig; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Leona Illig

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

School Library Journal

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)

Kirkus Review