I never quite realized how much I enjoy a graphic novel where food plays a central part in the story.
Or maybe I did — I love Sara Varon’s Bake Sale and Lucy Knisley’s Relish and I dug Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds — and I never quite put all of the pieces together that stories revolving around food or cooking done in a visual format tick all of my boxes.
Although Andi Watson’s latest Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula won’t go down on my all-time favorites list, this is a weirdly charming and enjoyable read, perfect for middle grade readers through adults. “Weirdly charming” is a compliment, not a criticism.
Princess Decomposia is a busy and overworked princess of the underworld. She’s constantly being called on to take care of tasks, as her father, the king, is weak and ill. He’s not just weak and ill; he’s also particular and picky. When he decides it’s time to fire the chef, he puts it upon Princess Decomposia to hire a replacement. And, of course, this replacement has to be good. Or at least, the replacement has to be good enough to make Qwik Soup, which is the meals served to the king each day. He’s a health nut, following the latest fads, but he doesn’t seem to eat anything except that soup.
That is clue number one something is strange about this guy.
After a round of interviews and taste tests, Princess Decomposia hires Count Spatula to be the kingdom’s chef. He’s well versed in all manner of cooking, though he has a fondness and particular strength for baking sweets. That makes perfect sense for a vampire, of course. Where he hopes he showcase his talents, he’s met with resistance from Clove, one of the assistants; she tells him regularly that he doesn’t need to be doing more than making soup since the king doesn’t want anything more than that. Count Spatula doesn’t listen, though, and instead, he continues to tinker with ideas in the kitchen. He’s even brought out his special baking talents at important dinners.
This isn’t a story about his cooking, though. This is instead a story about the relationship that develops between Count Spatula and Princess Decomposia. She’s extremely overworked and over-pressured, and as he watches her stress out and take on more than her fair share, Count Spatula begins to wonder why she’s working so hard. What’s in it for her? More, as he watches the closeness of Clove and her family — depicted in extremely sweet images — Count begins to pry into Princess Decomposia’s life. Is she happy? Why does she feel like she has to take on all of this work, especially as her father isn’t keeping a close eye on her? As the princess and count grow closer, she begins to see the value in taking time for herself and exploring the passions she has.
In fact, she may even try to do something on her very own for herself and no one else. Perhaps she’ll even do a little delegation of responsibility.
It’s not going to be that easy though, and that’s because the king isn’t as sick as he’s making himself out to be. When he gets a whiff of what his daughter is talking about with Count Spatula and when he begins to suspect that things aren’t being done according to his orders, suddenly, there’s a very different king around. One who isn’t sick. One who wants to bring his daughter back under his total and complete control.
Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula does contain romance, and it’s done in a sweet way. I did stop and pause for a moment at the end of the book, wondering what the ages of these characters were, despite the fact they’re not rendered as humans. Decomposia feels very young, while Count Spatula feels much older — he is a chef, after all. But in the end, this budding romance didn’t run into any ick factors at all and since this is a graphic novel perfectly appropriate for younger readers, it’ll feel like a nice payoff, rather than a plot element shoe horned in to give the book more strength. There’s enough relationship development as is, and the romance itself doesn’t become apparent for a long time. Instead, it’s a sweet connection that circles the themes of growing up and understanding what independence and choice really are. There’s also a thought-provoking and rarely-explored look at the importance of not taking on too much work and using delegation skills to manage your time and energy. I can’t name a graphic novel that’s done that before nor done it in a way that doesn’t feel over-the-top or overwhelming. It’s not didactic at all. Parents don’t always know best, and Watson scratches at that topic while offering a why — however good it is — behind the king’s behavior and actions.
It’s the descriptions and depictions of food in this graphic novel that were the most enjoyable for me. The sweets are rendered as things bigger than what they are — the mud cake is depicted as a Mud Monster Cake, and Princess and her dinner guests have to “attack” it to enjoy. These creations are fun and silly, which enhances the story’s charm. The storytelling outshines the illustrations for me in this book, except in the food department. That’s where Watson’s creativity shines, with the story and the illustrations marrying together nicely.
Pass along Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula to readers who like off-beat stories, brimming with fun, eccentric characters. This is a very British comic, so be prepared to encounter some less-familiar food and language choices. Readers who have been charmed by Sara Varon’s work in the past will find this to be a good next read.
