Cooking Comically

November 15, 2013

Part cookbook, part graphic novel, this creative concoction from freelance graphic artist Capps is targeted at those with limited culinary experience. Based on the author's website (cookingcomically.com), the volume breaks down each recipe into a series of comic book-style panels, photographically portraying the ingredients and the process and illustrating not only what meals should look like at completion but along the way as well. The book is infused with the author's zany, off-the-wall sense of humor, as a mischievous, endearing black-and-white stick figure character capers, struts, and shimmies its way through each recipe, dishing out cooking tips and pop culture-laced commentary. Capps is all too aware that beginners may become easily overwhelmed and provides plenty of words of encouragement ("You could almost be asleep and do this"). While the recipes on offer are on the simple side (burgers, macaroni and cheese, scrambled eggs, chicken parmesan), they're ideal for novices looking to build confidence before moving on to more complicated meals. VERDICT Perfect for college students or twentysomethings making their first tentative forays into the world of cooking. [See Q&A with the author on p. 112.]--Mahnaz Dar, Library Journal

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