By Dustin Cabeal

The plot for this second issue was lost on me. It seems to be manufactured to bring Brianna and Suzan together on a united front, but the biggest question that the series has presented continues to go unanswered. Is Brianna breaking the “monster rules” and cooking with flour and sugar and other things that make food tasty?

The entire issue it feels as if no food is served, but orders are taken over and over. There’s some kind of problem with an oven, but then why continue to be open and not inform the customers? The only other thing that happens outside of Brianna and Suzan fighting and being brought closer by Kevin, is the appearance of the mysterious Madame Cron. Cron reiterates her disdain for humans, just like the end of the first issue. There’s only one big thing set up by the end of the issue, and it ties into the question that remains unanswered. Something tells me that it’s not going to be answered in the next issue either.

The character development came across superficial and accomplished too quickly. Kevin just says a few level-headed words, and suddenly Brianna does an 180 and defends Suzan in front of a customer. Then they’re besties. There’s no sense of a real build up, and after both characters were harped on the entire issue, it doesn’t exactly scream believable. The black smoke of doubt continues to be terrible and distracting. It adds absolutely nothing to the story, nor does it seem to do anything other than say the horrible things on Brianna’s mind which are easily deciphered by looking at the artwork.

That’s the annoying part, the art is great, the emotion the character emote is fantastic, believable and clear as day. You get all the dread, the fear and the anger that Brianna is feeling while getting all of the annoyance and doubt that Suzan is feeling. The black smoke ends up feeling like overkill when the art is conveying the same message and better. By far, the art is the best part of the comic. The character designs at times have some familiarities to them, but otherwise, it’s like hipster monsters and yuppie skeletons, which is great.

With this being a mini-series, this is the point of deciding if you’re going to get off or keep going. It’s not a terrible series by any means, but it’s weaknesses are glaring, while its strengths continue to be a bit hidden. If you weren’t enjoying the series, to begin with, you'd likely continue to feel the same about this issue, but vice versa if you were enjoying it. The next issue needs to deliver something either to the main plot or the subplot because there are not enough issues to make everyone friends in the end.

Score: 3/5

Brave Chef Brianna #2 (of 4)
BOOM! Studios