All PostsToday is 24 Hour Comic Day. I am not that ambitious, but I wanted to do something. So, I made an 8 page comic in 5 hours. It’s my first “comics recipe” about making miso soup (which I did last weekend for another project that will soon see light of day).
Comments appreciated. Naturally, its a little rough, as I basically drew it while I wrote it.
October 3rd, 2009
Fantastic, Derik! The turnip chopping panels were particularly effective as it’s tough to describe that exact method and size with words. Actually, when you think about it, recipes seem particularly well-suited to the comic book format. I could imagine a whole book of recipes like this one.
I agree with Marc – I think this comic functioned really well in conveying how to achieve the recipe through its drawn panels – whenever I attempt to teach my culinary challenged friends it’s usual the processes – the precise means of cutting etc – that challenge them the most…
Actually it’s curious to reflect that all the cooking manga I’ve read in English *don’t* do this – most practical cooking instruction you find as an appendix to the manga proper, and largely in text, rather than images. Presumably there must exist a subsection of cooking manga that remains untranslated that does try to provide practical instruction, though…
Actually, in thinking of the comic from a functional perspective- perhaps the one thing that might not be clear to the novice cook is that you are meant to dispose of the kombu after you’ve used it* – the fact that you luxuriate somewhat in how the kombu swells up after removal might suggest to a novice that it holds some importance for later on in the recipe – if a straight-foward utilitarian comic is desired, this kind of pause to observe can perhaps distract from its intended goal. Does this strike you as me being too pedantic?
*of course, if you’re being frugal, you’ll want to reuse it…
Thanks, guys.
I’ve been wanting to do something like this for years, so I’m glad to get some positive response.
Agreed on the kombu issue. There are a few places that could have been much clearer. I was writing it as I drew it (and doing so quickly) so it was only later that confusion became noticeable (for example, where I wrote “broth” into a panel because I forgot to explain what “dashi” is).
[...] you like to be pointed to even more comic treasures, keep your eye on Comics Bento. Maybe Madinkbeard’s 5 Hour Recipe Comic will be featured there someday. I’d also like to see Ben Towle’s take on a famous [...]