When you were a child, you were probably told never to play with your food. But writer Jordan Alsaka and artist Vivian Truong are here to tell us that the “Cooking with Monsters” series is okay.
The first Cooking with Monsters book, 2023’s Beginner’s Guide to Cooking Combat, featured Gourmand Culinary Combat Academy student Hana Ozawa. In addition to learning how to “fight monsters and turn them into delicious meals,” Hana also tackled regular high school classes, such as defeating rivals and keeping up her grades. (Are there any actual homework assignments?) The first Cooking with Monsters book was so delicious, in fact, they’re publishing refills.
Cooking with Monsters: Harm-to-Table follows Hannah, Olivia, Bobby, and the rest of their second year at Gourmand. Not only do they struggle with “new monsters, new techniques, and new recipes,” they also contend with the dual threat of attacks on local livestock and the Gourmand’s “culinary crime syndicate.” In the midst of this, the gang is splitting up. This second volume cements Cooking with Monsters as more than just a silly YA manga, but rather a solid book about friendship, growing up, and confronting the strangeness of the world. Ah, a really solid side dish technique.
Volume 2 of Cooking with Monsters will be released by IDW on October 22nd. Ahead of that, we reached out to both Alsaka and Truong to discuss all things Cooking with Monsters. This includes the development of two books, a concrete commitment to diversity, Monsters I Want to Eat, an ongoing collaborative process, and even the possibility of a third book, Cooking with Monsters .
Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: What should people know as they move from Volume 1 to Volume 2 of Cooking with Monsters?
Jordan Alsaka: As you would expect from a sequel, this book takes the characters on a big adventure into the wider world of Gourmand. In the first book, the action stayed close to school as Hana and her friends got through their first year of school. They will now go on their first field mission, exploring the depths of the country and discovering new monsters and threats. At the same time, we focus first and foremost on the relationships between the characters as we explore a messy love triangle and past tragedies that rear their ugly heads in the present.
Vivian Truong: Harm-to-Table introduces a new set of crazy monsters and big muscled villains over the course of several days. We also finally learn about the incident that Olivia discovered from her grandpa at the end of the first volume, and how it affected our beloved senior characters. On top of that, the main trio will have more comedy, action, and romantic twists. Don’t miss it!
AIPT: How did the collaborative process develop while working on this story?
JA: Now that we’ve created over 500 pages of art together, I can say that Vivian and I have developed both the shorthand and the trust in each other that has made us an incredible creative partnership. My scripts are much less formal because I write them to her sensibilities, and she knows she has the freedom to flesh out the world with great background details and jokes. Additionally, Megan Brown and Jake Williams come on board as lead editors for this book, striking a nice balance between honoring what we’ve already created and further developing ideas that we’ve probably gotten a bit used to. He took it for me.
Courtesy of IDW.
VT: It was an easy process for me. Jordan and I have worked together for many years, so we trust each other’s vision and feel like we can always discuss new ideas. Our editors, Megan and Jake, always gave us flexibility and allowed us to create the best book possible. I have to give a big shout out to my flat artist Damali, who I loved working with. Her apartment has made my life so much easier. Whenever I sneak in a cameo for a character, she always takes the job. Finally, IDW collaborated with a talented letterer who blended seamlessly with the artwork for great results. Overall, it’s a great pleasure to work with this team.
AIPT: Similarly, as we enter this “year two”, do you have any favorite characters or other aspects that you like to write/draw?
JA: We have a wide cast, but since the first volume focused on the main trio, we didn’t really have a chance to delve into the backstories and personalities of the rest of the cast. Therefore, the highlight this time was being able to write about Tom’s home life, Leila’s problems with the Karmas nation, and the friendly relationship between Anne and Aldo. Beyond that, I had a lot of fun writing the perfect villain in this book.
VT: What I love about sequels is seeing how the characters progress and trying to reflect that in the art. I usually go the manga route where the characters wear the same clothes, so when I can change height or hairstyle, that’s just exciting for me.
AIPT: I like the mix of diversity and character design, at least in the first book. How do you develop strong characters that feel authentic and organic?
VT: Since this is set in a fantasy world, I want to reference the real-life culture that the characters are based on, but stylize it in a way that reflects the tone of the book. Asking questions about the characters can be very helpful. “What kind of background do they come from?” How do they express themselves? Are they sociable or withdrawn?
It will then help you to line it up with other characters to see how well it matches your lineup and if you can diversify your silhouette further.
Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: This second book promises “new monsters, new techniques, new recipes.” Is there something specific you can tease about (like a delicious appetizer)?
JA: In the first book, many of the monsters, like the cockatrice, were drawn from real-world mythology. This time, we’ve gone to the other end of the spectrum and fully embraced the thieving crustacean-like pun called “Snatchin’ Crabs.” That allowed for a lot more ingenuity in the types of monsters we came up with, right up to the huge threat the teens face at the end of the book.
VT: We have so many new fun monsters we want to tease… If I had to choose one, I’d choose the macaron raccoons, which I’ve named “Racaroons.” It looks so cute (and delicious) that I just want to eat it.
AIPT: This book shares some important points with the always excellent Delicious in Dungeon. Do you lean towards such comparisons or do you try to avoid them?
JA: Like Vivian, I avoided reading Delicious in a Dungeon for a long time because I didn’t want it to affect my cooking, but now I absolutely love it. And really, I think we’re lucky with our release schedule and how Delicious has exploded in growth over the past year as part of an uptrend rather than following a trend. It’s obvious that people like the idea of mixing monsters and cooking. So if we can be the next book that people pick up because they want to know more about that flavor profile, I think that’s a good thing. And, as Vivian pointed out, we are different enough that this comparison is more of a starting point than an unflattering comparison.
VT: I love Delicious in Dungeon, but I intentionally avoided reading it until recently because I didn’t want to be too “inspired” by it. Now that I’ve read it all the way to the end, even though they have the commonality of eating monsters, the stories are quite different, and Cooking with Monsters is its own story, so there’s nothing to worry about. If you’re a fan of “Delicious in Dungeon,” and you like the fun and thoughtfulness of manga, I think you’ll like our series as well.
Courtesy of IDW.
AIPT: The core group (Hannah, Olivia, Bobby) will face some challenges this year, including a (brief?) split. Is it difficult to handicap them given the love you have?
JA: Having characters go through difficult times can be unfortunate, but ultimately it’s a necessary part of the storytelling to ensure they grow and evolve. This is a coming-of-age story, so it’s very important to make sure everyone has a chance to face challenges and see how they react. We’re still trying our best to find lots of upbeat moments that let our characters have a good time and just enjoy being teenagers.
VT: We want our characters to be loved by our readers as much as we, the creators, love them. However, sometimes facing difficult challenges means having to make difficult decisions, and our characters don’t always make the same decisions as we do. That’s the hardest part about writing about your favorite characters. But without these obstacles, you won’t see how much your character has grown (or not), so it’s worth pushing through it in the end, even if it’s as difficult as possible.
AIPT: If you had to eat one monster from either book, which would it be and why?
JA: I recommend the Basilisk Ramen that Hana makes at the end of Volume 1. As written, it should be a very nice dish, and it’s great to share the main character’s culinary heritage in such a direct way.
VT: You were already spitting into the Lacaron River earlier. I would also like to try the first book, Narwhal. I may not have been able to tell you this already, but I have a huge sweet tooth.
AIPT: Is there any chance that there will eventually be a third book? What would that mean?
JA: I’m happy that the third book is coming soon. Readers are lucky to have an even bigger story to tell that continues the themes and plotlines introduced in the second book. This is the biggest story I’ve ever told as a writer, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on such a large canvas.
Courtesy of IDW.
VT: Yes! The script for the third book has already been written. From the second book onwards, the story progresses and even more dangerous monsters appear that may pose a greater threat to Gourmand.
AIPT: What else should we know about Cooking with Monsters, comics and art, food, life, etc.?
JA: If you love food, martial arts, teen dramas, and raunchy comedy, you should give Cooking with Monsters a try. In two books, Vivian and I have developed a world where both we love creating and telling stories. I hope the audience feels the same way. We want to follow these characters on their journeys to wilder, more dangerous places. So I hope they let me cook for as long as possible, both literally and figuratively.
VT: We’ve been working on Cooking with Monsters for a few years now, and we’re very lucky to be able to create this trilogy. I can’t believe how much has changed since we both started working on this comic.
We love the world of Cooking with Monsters so much that in the future we’ll explore more of the legendary monsters, expand the stories of other characters, and continue to create fun new dishes everyone can dream of. I hope you can.
