There’s nothing else like Rare Flavours, Ram V, and Filipe Andrade’s foodie comic about a demon seeking to make a documentary. Having just written those words, I’m certain there is nothing like it. The series has been mysterious yet introspective about what life is all about. In a world where demons live among us, one of which eats us, what does it all mean? With each issue, a new recipe suggests the meaning is in the food itself.
There’s an unmistakable warmth in Rare Flavours #4, which tells a story within the story and finally gives us Rubin’s backstory. At the start, we see Mo, the documentarian, and Rubin walking to a small food stand. Andrade’s art is simple and peaceful, with no dialogue to be read. They are taking in the moment after a wild night.
After a brief argument, we cut to the night before, where the demon had been captured by two men who intended to take him out for good. It’s then that the story moves to Rubin telling Mo where he came from and what he learned along the way.
The recipe in this issue is for Daal fry, Dhaba style, which is intercut with Rubin’s backstory. This flashback is excellent and told mythically, which suits Rubin’s origin as a monster defeated by someone likely from the Gilgamesh era. As he tells the story, the time jumps, and Andrade does a great job capturing different historical eras. As the story progresses, Rubin relates himself to the dish, detailing the burned bottom necessary to make the food taste as good as it does. In this metaphor, Rubin points out he is a necessity in this world.
A quiet moment.
Credit: BOOM!
Along the way, we learn of Rubin’s inability to curb his indulgences, but over time, he learns kindness and maybe even getting a bit of a family can make all the difference. As the story progressed, it was difficult to see Rubin’s perspective or at least empathize with him. Like a wild animal, it seems Rubin has a nature and, at a certain point, realizes he has to be himself or die trying.
This brings the issue to a solid cliffhanger as the strange men continue to chase our main characters. Ram V loops the narrative back beautifully to food and in a succinct reminder that there is another timeline occurring in the future with the documentary complete.
Mo ends up being a bit too much like a bystander in this issue. That’s due to Rubin telling his story, but even when Mo breaks Rubin out, the scene is so quick it’s hard to fathom how he escaped. I suppose that’s for the reader to decide. Even still, aside from Mo having nothing else, some remarks from him might have helped bring him into the issue a bit more.
Andrade’s art suits the whistful nature of this issue, especially with the storybook-style backstory. As if carved into stone, some of these panels feature the massive arms of Rubin in interesting ways. It’s as if he is part of nature itself, and that goes for the scenes in the future with Mo. He’s massive but also quite comfortable in his skin. A nice touch is the sky and how it changes from beginning to end. At the start, its mid day, and by the end, Andrade draws a sunset like no other.
Rare Flavours continues an epic journey of life and its deeper meaning through food. This issue will satisfy you greatly with a helpful backstory and a stronger sense of what it all means. It’s a thoughtful reminder we must slow down and savor life.
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