Space Battle Lunchtime Volume 2

KIRKUS-In this graphic-novel sequel, a human chef must battle herway out of a murderous intergalactic cooking show.Diving right in wherepredecessor Lights, Camera, Snacktion! (2016) left off, this sequel findsPeony, an aspiring white earthling chef, double-crossed and kidnapped from thecooking show Space Battle Lunchtime. She's dropped onto the set of theirsinister competitor, Cannibal Coliseum, where the contestants couldliterally become lunch. On the set, Peony meets one of her challengers, the verypink, wide-eyed, manga-styled, and adorably vicious unicorn Ariella Magicorn. AsPeony tries to stay alive in the cutthroat kitchen, her friends from SpaceBattle Lunchtime-including the quietly intense, blue-skinned Neptunia, whoseaffections for Peony have now blossomed into a relationship-must save her beforeit's too late. Riess' candy-hued charmer is like a recipe that incorporatesmyriad ingredients: there's sci-fi elements, comedic action, a tentative andsweet queer intergalactic romance, and, of course, the culinary aspect. In lessdeft hands, this seemingly arbitrary assemblage could fall as flat as a droppedsoufflé, but Riess' offbeat sensibility and inventiveness shine. Heavilyawash in a spectrum of bubble-gum pinks, this is a fun, fierce, and inventivetale that will appeal to those seeking read-alikes for Noelle Stevenson'sfan-favorites Nimona (2015) and Lumberjanes.Agenre-buster, for sure, and a delightful mashup at that. (Graphic sciencefiction. 12-adult)