Rare Flavours #1 Review

 

Writer: Ram V

Artist: Filipe Andrade

Colorists: Filipe Andrade & Inês Amaro

Letterer: Andworld Design

Cover Artists: Filipe Andrade; Rafael Albuquerque; Frany

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 25, 2023

 

Rubin and Mohan venture into the desert. Dilshan and Dilkush shadow the rakshasa and the filmmaker. How will this adventure shape Mo's documentary? Let’s dive into Rare Flavours #2 and find out!

 

Story

While their driver repairs his ramshackle lorry, Rubin takes out his notebook and continues his story. Less a letter than a book, he chronicles their journey. Into it, Rubin pours his longing for the café in Somarah and his concerns about Mo.

 

Rubin worries the filmmaker has lost his passion and wonders if the young man can reclaim it. Mo once made a powerful film that prompted Rubin to leave his place of safety and brave civilization. Since then, the old hunger has overwhelmed him. In taking others’ lives, Rubin put himself at risk. And for what? To find a young man who's dead to the world?

 

In Rare Flavours #2, Ram V further explores Rubin's passion for cuisine. The ageless demon adores the ingredients of traditional dishes. Their preparation becomes art, and consumption brings growth. While someone will pay for their desert excursion, Mo finally shares what soured him on life. The rakshasa seems unlikely to reform, but might Mo finds renewal?

 

Art

Filipe Andrade's wavy lines conjure a desert. Rubin and Mo share the cab with Manish. Despite his John Lennon looks, Mo's expression, posture, and movements suggest weariness. By contrast, Rubin's zeal shines through his eyes and unshakable smile. But even that palls beside their driver's glowing face. Panels provide glimpses into Manish’s experiences and ancestry. As they travel, their pursuers wear grim guises. Dilshan and Dilkush focus on the road ahead as they discuss the danger Rubin poses.

 

Bright colors give Filipe Andrade’s flowing shapes in Rare Flavours #2 a modern art appeal. Assisted by Inês Amaro, he shows their metal truck glowing with the sun’s radiance, Manish’s acclaimed ancestor, and a desert swathed in the Mathania Chilli. After their afternoon in the painted desert, a purple sky hangs over the travelers as they pause for an evening meal in a grassy field.

 

Bakasura’s commentary for Mansi fills scraps of light-beige parchment and yellow narrative boxes with black, italicized uppercase letters. Andworld Design’s attractive font also graces white dialogue balloons in Rare Flavours #2. Lowercase italics flow across panels showcasing ingredients and recipes. Vibrant lettering helps readers hear tassels blown by the wind, an engine coughing to life, and Rubin enjoying his meal while giant orange laughter explodes from a dialogue balloon.

 

Final Thoughts

Exploring the relationship between pain and purification, Rare Flavours #2 ponders what we lose when we exist solely for today.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.