Cooking competitions have been ratings juggernauts for decades. Some of them, especially those hosted by Gordon Ramsay, can become cutthroat. Comic book writer John Allison has taken the cutthroat idea to the extra mile in “The Great British Bump-Off” with artists Max Sarin and Sammy Borras.
On the “UK Baking Tent,” one of the contestants is poisoned and taken into intensive care. One of the contestants, Shauna, tells the producers she’ll find out who did the poisoning. That is on top of focusing on baking for the competition.
It’s a crazy idea with some potential for hilarity, but so far, the story has been OK. We are introduced to a cast of colorful characters which do represent the typical contestants on these shows. There’s the student, the granny, the egotistical asshole who is 100% he’ll win, the artist and the person whose parents were hesitant about him having a culinary career. Even the host is out there wacky. Of course, these characters are more caricatures of British baking competition contestants which will leave some non-British confused. The more comedic tone may turn off some readers wanting it to be more serious but with a plot like that the comedic tone seems to fit better.
The artwork is super colorful and looks more like a cartoon than a comic. Even though there is a mystery and someone did almost die, this lighthearted style fits with the tone of the comic much better since the comic has more of a comedic tone than a serious tone.
The first issue of “The Great British Bump-Off” does a fine job of introducing the story and characters but the story may be too silly for some people wanting something serious. The artwork helps with the comedic tone of the comic which is a plus since, again, the story does not need to be serious despite someone attempting to murder people.
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