Brave Chef Brianna #1 Review

Brave Chef Brianna #1

Creator/Writer: Sam Sykes
Artist: Selina Espiritu
Colorist: Sarah Stern
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: KaBOOM!

A review by Insha Fitzpatrick

This perfect gem came out of nowhere and I couldn’t be happier with its beginning!

Brave Chef Brianna focuses on Brianna, a chef who wants to make it big, but doesn’t know where to start. She creates the yummiest of dishes, but the little voice tells her that she’s not good enough to do what she’s the best at. One day, her father calls all of his children around the table. Sven was a chef who built a huge legacy and wants to pass it down to his children. He issues a challenge, he wants them to venture off into different cities and build their own business and success. Whoever achieves success in their business inherits everything from their father. Brianna tries to find the city that will help her on her journey, so she heads over to Monster City and she starts her restaurant, but there’s a bit of a problem. The monsters aren’t allowed to eat anything with sugar or flour. It’s up to Brianna to figure out the best way to get her sweet success in a new city that clearly has its own rules.

Brave Chef Brianna is incredible. That’s the first thing I will say before I explain why. It’s a very small and cute concept, but it’s a story that a lot of people can relate to. Sam Sykes’ writing is not only relatable, but funny and realistic. I’m happy a character like Brianna exists. She’s funny, ambitious, insecure, and creative. She doesn’t take no for an answer even though that little voice is telling her that she definitely can’t do it. Brianna works hard and wants to achieve something that she’s probably not able to do, but she’s a go-getter. The one thing that really got me was the parts where the voice tells her that’s she’s not good enough, she’s a liar, etc. That speaks true to a lot of people who set out to do something great, but that little voice in the back of their head keeps beating them down. I’ve never seen that in a comic before and Sykes is fantastic for bringing that to the front.

Selina Espiritu brings you into the world of Brave Chef Brianna with open arms. I never talk about style within someone’s illustrations, but Selina’s style is super friendly and inviting. Paired with Skyes’ writing, Espiritu’s illustrations draws you in immediately and makes you feel like you’re taking this journey with Brianna and helping her in her challenge. That’s kind of the best feeling in the world. The one thing I love about Espiritu’s illustrations are the hilarious facial expressions that the characters display and the character design for everyone, especially the monsters of Monster City. Sarah Stern’s colors give an even bigger wow factor to the visuals. A comic with great colors will keep your eyes dancing from panel to panel and that’s what Stern’s colors do for me. Again, it’s realistic and lovely. These girls work together in such harmony with Skyes’ writing and I just love this little comic so much!

The Verdict
Buy it! I’m excited to keep up with Brave Chef Brianna. I know I used the word realistic all over this review, but I’m gonna keep using it because that’s exactly what it is. Brianna is one of those characters that you can easily relate to in the best of ways. I’m excited to see where this journey will take her and if the challenge will get the best of her. I don’t even care if she wins the challenge by the end of the run. I just want to give her a hug and tell her it’s gonna be okay!