Food. You know it. You love it. You’ve probably eaten some in the past few hours. I just had sushi. From ShopRite. DON’T JUDGE ME.
But if you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered if any of your favorite comic creators have any good recipes to share. Like MarkWaid-a-roni and cheese or Chicken a la Tom King or Fettuccine AlanMoore-fredo.
Well, wonder no more. A new graphic novel/cookbook, which just launched a campaign on Kickstarter, has literal dozens of creators sharing stories about food AND recipes.
Organized by Chuck Satterlee, Jason Michalski, Carmelo Chimera and Austin Allen Hamblin, with a foreword by Michael Avon Oeming and an afterword by Toadies drummer Mark Reznicek, Pots & Panels features 50 food-themed stories by Steve Niles, Tim Seeley, Steven Grant, Phil Hester, Ron Marz and many more.
Two of those “many mores” are Brad and Lisa Gullickson, the co-hosts of the podcast Comic Book Couples Counseling, who have written their first comics story, “The Vegetable,” with artist Gerald von Stoddard.
ComicsXF talked with Brad and Lisa about their story in Pots & Panels and … y’know … food stuff.
CXF: Before we dive into the Kickstarter, congrats on the big news: Y’all are hosting the Harvey Awards at New York Comic Con! How?
Lisa Gullickson: I know, right? We feel so honored. We’re asking ourselves the same question. It’s one of those things where they were considering hosts, and we’re lucky enough that someone thought of us. “Someone” being Alex at ReedPop. We follow each other on social media, and have met at cons and stuff. He’s a cool guy. Then we had an interview with the coordinators, including Nellie Kurtzman, and we’re super grateful we made a favorable enough impression. It really is a special event, and part of Harvey Kurtzman’s legacy, so we are putting a lot of energy into it in order to do it right. Hopefully, we can pull it off.
Brad Gullickson: This is an excellent opportunity to encourage folks to seek out Kurtzman’s comics. You can’t go wrong with any collection, but I’m currently reading and loving the Fantagraphics anthology “Corpse on the Imjin! and other Stories by Harvey Kurtzman.” I want to soak in his many contributions to comics as well as all the incredible Harvey Awards nominations this year before we step on that stage.
CXF: OK, on to this food comic. What is each of your culinary expertise? Is one of you a grill master? Expert baker? Salad … shooter?
Lisa: At home, I’m the person who cooks. What?! I know! She’s so domestic! Haha, not really considering I do literally no other housework.
Brad: I don’t cook, but I do the dishes and the laundry.
Lisa: I am a really good baker, when I have the time, and I even briefly had a Great British Bake Off blog where I was trying to do the technical bakes. But like many of my hobbies, it was just a flash in the pan. We are both BIG cooking competition show dorks, though. I got Brad hooked on them during the pandemic. We literally watch them all — Top Chef, Master Chef, Great British Bake Off, Crime Scene Kitchen, Baking Impossible, Cutthroat Kitchen.
Brad: We’re obsessed.
CXF: What is the most obscure instrument in your kitchen drawers? Something you’ve never used or maybe used only once or twice and now you’re like, “Why do I have this?”
Lisa: I don’t know if we have anything necessarily obscure – I do have multiples of things that people generally have one of because when I have the perfect tool, I need one of every size. Because of the GBBO endeavor, I do have baking pans in every imaginable dimension. I also hoard sieves, strainers and colanders in every shape and form. I’m constantly sifting, rinsing and draining.
Brad: We do have a switchblade comb in the drawer to the left of our stove.
Lisa: You like to look good while not cooking.
Brad: While doing the dishes!
CXF: How did you get involved with Pots & Panels?
Lisa: Honestly, Brad, I have no idea.
Brad: One of the project’s overseers, Jason Michalski, emailed us randomly and asked if we might have a story idea for the anthology. I wasn’t sure at first, but Lisa thought of one almost immediately.
CXF: How long had you been looking to write a comics story?
Lisa: Collaborating on things has always been our love language. We like a project, and we’ve talked for years about doing a comic, but we also are very deadline-motivated, so nothing really took shape before. Should we tell them about Pants and Tiny Uterus? Probably not, right?
Brad: Uh, no. That comic strip idea we’re taking to the grave.
CXF: As the hosts of a popular comics podcast, you’ve talked to dozens of creators about the intricacies of the medium and the industry. What’s something from those conversations that helped you when it came time to write your own story?
Lisa: It’s funny; our conversations with creators on Comic Book Couples Counseling are rarely process-based; they’re always story and theme-based, but it helped us drill down on the stories that we like to read. We like stories where the characters are trying to solve a mystery that is within themselves: Why am I like this? Can I be different? Do I want to be different? Do I want to make my world different? We knew we wanted to have a story where someone realized something about themselves in a way that makes their life clearer if not better.
CXF: What is your favorite comic about food BESIDES this one you just made?
Lisa: My personal favorite is Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savannah Ganucheau. It’s a YA graphic novel about a kid whose family owns a bakery, and his dad wants him to take over the family business, but he wants to go off and make something of his own — go to a big city, be in a band, that sort of thing. So he takes it upon himself to find his replacement, and this cute boy who went to culinary school applies, and they start baking together. … Romance ensues. It’s extraordinarily sweet. For me, it’s a story about forgetting what you think your coolest version of yourself would want and doing what actually makes you happy.
Brad: There are so many that we’ve enjoyed and, of course, I can’t really think of them now. I will say that the way quiche is depicted in Jeff Smith’s Bone makes my mouth water every time I read it. For weeks afterward, I’ll search for a quiche that looks as tasty as what Jeff Smith draws.
CXF: Had you been familiar with your artist, Gerald von Stoddard?
Lisa: Not at all, but we’re huge fans now! The Pots & Panels people set it up for us.
Brad: I would recommend his Immortal Coil comic. The second issue is also about to launch on Kickstarter. Gerald has a gnarly horror style, which fits perfectly with the panic/phobia aspect we’re trying to explore in our story. However, he’s also truly skilled in landing the sweet moments in the book, too.
CXF: This is a huge book (more than 400 pages) with more than 80 creators, including folks like Ron Marz, Steve Niles and Tim Seeley. What’s it like being included in the same work as them?
Lisa: We don’t know yet, because we haven’t seen it! But it’s crazy to wrap our minds around. It’s still pretty unreal.
Brad: And, you know what? Not many of them have been on the podcast yet. Neil Kleid? He may be the only one. That has to change. We’re humbled to be on a table of contents with them.
CXF: Each story includes a recipe from the creators. Was there any debate about what recipe you wanted to use? Was it something you’ve made often?
Lisa: There was no debate, because (1) Brad doesn’t cook –
Brad: We’ve established that, no need to rub it in.
Lisa: – and (2) it’s central to our story. It’s a dish that we’ve ordered at restaurants a good deal, to mixed results, but I had never thought to make it at home. I did do research, though, and created my own recipe. I tested it more than once and everything. Brad can attest, it is really yummy.
Brad: Delicious.
CXF: What would you say is the biggest thing you learned from this experience?
Lisa: The biggest thing we learned is that we could get it done, and really enjoy the process from start to finish. We buzzed talking about the concept while going on walks or on long drives, and then when we finally felt the heat of the deadline on us, we had genuine fun knocking the script out. And getting the pages from Gerald! Whoo! That was a thrill.
Brad: It wasn’t until we saw Chuck Maly’s letters that it sank in for me. “Hey, I’m reading a comic that we wrote!” That’s beautiful.
CXF: Now that you’ve got the first one under your belts, are either of you looking to work on your next comic anytime soon?
Lisa: Of course, we would love to! We just have to survive New York Comic Con first!
CXF: Last question: You’ve been hired as a judge on a reality cooking show. Before you are three contestants and their signature dishes. The rat from Ratatouille presents his ratatouille. Carmy Berzatto from The Bear presents one of his Italian beef sandwiches. And the ghost of Anthony Bourdain presents his Macau-style pork chop sandwich. Who’s got you yelling, “Yes, chef!”
Lisa: Hmmmm … it’s weird that we’re the judges, and we’re yelling, “Yes, chef!” Do we have to then work for the chef we choose or do we yell it in a more ecstatic, Herbal Essences sort of way? Or are they giving us bossy instructions on how we should eat their dish? Because, in that case I think Ghost Bourdain would be the most bossy about how we eat his sandwich. If I’m picking my favorite dish of the three, it’s going to be Remy’s ratatouille, hands down, because I’m not a big meat sandwich guy. Also, we’ve yet to watch The Bear. All of the seasons of Hell’s Kitchen we’ve watched, but have not found time for The Bear.
Support Pots & Panels on Kickstarter.
Dan Grote is the editor-in-chief of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Winston Wisdom.
