Voyage de Gourmet from Mad Cave Studio’s Maverick imprint is a delicious graphic novel about reconnection. Funnily enough, Mad Cave asked me to review the press release for this a while ago. In today’s social media age, it’s all too common to look for connection in the wrong places. So what happens when a game show puts two former friends together where they assume the best and worst of each other?
Voyage de Gourmet: The Context
Paul Tobin writes this graphic novel’s background threat as the winner-take-all approach of modern media. In both reality television and social networking, the opportunity for another 15 minutes of fame can blur any attempts at real connection. Even when the intent and results aren’t a net negative, they can still leave people with a lot of baggage. This is best shown through Jang-Mi, who assumes both the best and worst out of Layne.
Readers see through the expressive art of Jem Milton that Layne isn’t unfriendly, but he’s awkward in executing connections. Like anybody else, Layne wants to be loved to relieve his loneliness. But a few bad influences like his parents has Layne focus on his followers. Which when looking at Layne’s texts these relationships are distant and shallow, including his neglectful parents.
Tragically, that’s the picture Jang-Mi paints of Layne after their fallout, valuing his skills and nothing else. In presentation, when Jang-Mi speaks, readers notice how small Layne looks, letting them know exactly how he feels. Because he does value Jang-Mi and losing their friendship hurts.
Don’t Just Follow The Recipe
Now let’s look at how the setting helps Voyage de Gourmet. Whenever the host, cameras, or the show’s producer are around, scenes feel like a performance. Even important plot developments feel like this. Like when Layne saves Jang-Mi’s dog Frog while being filmed without their knowledge. It’s transparently authentic altruism that can still be taken the wrong way. Sure it’s engaging for the audience, especially with juxtaposition potential. But there’s some baggage attached to it. Earlier Jang-Mi showed a level of the friendship lost between her and Layne and repeating the action here could engage readers even more. But this is for the gameshow and audience, not them.
It’s like this, Layne and Jang-Mi were driven apart because of something posted without consent. A positive version of that event can’t get rid of the baggage. Thankfully nobody brought this up.
Don’t Show Off Either
Ironically that’s also a bigger point of interest. When Layne speaks to the other characters, they aren’t direct about their opinions regarding Layne and Jang-Mi’s separation. Speaking from experience (and feedback) this can seem pretentious. There’s a reason that this has become a meme:
But Jang-Mi addresses how this way of communicating is why it’s so hard to reconnect with Layne. While Layne took down the videos that started their drama, so many people reacted to it with their opinions. The problem is people who want to be in someone’s corner make it about themselves. All of which echo of what caused Layne and Jang-Mi’s separation: turning something private into an opportunity for influence.
In this way, it’s telling the reader be aware of the conflict and hope for the best, but don’t make reactions if you feel it could’ve been handled better. These are personal matters by people you don’t really know.
Savor Voyage de Gourmet
Voyage de Gourmet is one of those engagingly creative stories that really get into the humanity about connections. Today’s social media age really puts characters at odds with transparency and authenticity. Amid all of eye-catching visuals that make watching these characters a thrill, there’s a lot of tension caused by things off-panel. The creatives really go the extra mile to successfully engage the real life audience, not just with a game show or personalities, but exploring why they have an effect on people.
So for something that really gets you to reread, think, and look at the world, this gets 10/10.
Thanks for coming the end and as always remember to look between the panels.