Written by: Eliot Rahal
Illustrated by: Jorge Fornes
Letters by: Taylor Esposito
Cover by: Jorge Fornes
Published by: AfterShock Comics
From co-creators Eliot Rahal and Jorge Fornes comes a new monthly series which is sure to grip you. It is unclear from the first few pages and cover art what this comic was about and I was hesitant about it considering the near accidental cannibalism in the first few pages but after that I was enthralled with a tale of organised crime and a sandwich company. But it is not as ridiculous as it sounds.
In general the comic is fast paced, moving from one thing to another with great ease albeit some mild confusion but that is to be expected with a new comic with original characters as there is a stumbling block in find the balance between telling the story and making sure the reader knows who these people are and why they should care about them.
I found that Rahal and Fornes hit this balance quite well, and even avoided the trap of over-explaining. My confusion in the opening pages was quickly cleared up by the interesting way of showing the past of the family involved in this comic book, the Khoury family, in the form of a school presentation about family history. Thankfully, they didn’t do into further detail leaving me curious about this family and wanting to read more.
The art style from Fornes is perfectly fitting this gritty story of gangsters and revenge plots focused around this sandwich shop. Nothing is too bright and vibrant leaving no room for a misjudgement of tone, this is a comic that is meant to be taken seriously.
Needless to say that I am interested in seeing where this story may lead as Rahal left us with a great cliff hanger (which I won’t spoil!). So if you are looking for a more serious and gritty comic I would highly recommend Hot Lunch Special!
Overall: 8/10
Victoria Wilton spends the majority of her time writing and creating anything to do with comics, books and art and records her journey of being a wannabe comic creator on her YouTube channel, Twitter and Instagram (@toriteaturtle). In her free time Victoria enjoys comics, movies, video games, being outdoors as well as spending quality time with her partner and two pet rabbits.
