Summer of Manga 2019 Review: 2nd Serving

For readers with an appetite for over-the-top competition, 2nd Serving hits the spot. Our #summerofmanga2019 reviews continue!

“I’m in shape! Round is a geometric shape!” Just the premise of 2nd Serving had me laughing before I even started reading–as someone on the heftier side myself, I definitely have felt this way more than once in my life. While our main character, Tom Bready, is the son of Olympic athletes, his passion lies not in traditional competitive sports, but in eating. Now, he has a chance to win $9,000 in a burger-eating contest and will have to face tough opponents like Paris “Iron Jaw” Stilton, a Major League Eating pro, to get there!

The funniest thing about 2nd Serving is how it riffs on common sports manga tropes, like being true to yourself, fighting for your friends, and facing zany opponents who all have their own unique specialty–except in the context of a burger eating contest at a local bar. The toughest opponent Tom faces is Iron Jaw, whose power comes from sheer intimidation and determination in spite of her small size.

The art style for 2nd Serving is textured and frenetic, lending itself well to the tension of Tom’s struggle to prove himself as more than just a couch potato. The short story arc builds on and plays with these tropes in an exciting countdown to see if Tom’s Olympic heritage is enough to help him go toe-to-toe with a professional eater, or if he’ll end up eating crow instead.

Q: Who are you? Introduce yourself!

My name is Michael Beaumont and I am from Philadelphia. My screen name is MonitorComics. I currently attend Lehigh University pursuing a degree in Graphic Design. I currently work as a videographer for one of my university’s centers.

Q: What’s something you learned while working on #summerofmanga2019?

Drawing manga was something I’ve been doing as a kid. So for me this was more of a battle against time. This was my first time drawing out an original one shot, so I experimented a lot with my storytelling. I am thankful to have had my work presented alongside several other talented artists.

Q: What are the challenges of making a one shot story compared to a continuous manga comic series with multiple chapters?

It is much easier to present your ideas with a series. This is mostly due to the fact that you can spend as much time as you want pacing your plot. That said, with a one shot, you may have only 20 pages to tell a complete story. The biggest learning curve for me was figuring out how to tell a compelling story in a short amount of pages without it feeling rushed.

Keep an eye on our Summer of Manga and Saturday AM tags–more reviews and announcements coming soon!

Author: C. Smith

C. Smith is a lifelong fan of comics and manga whose primary interest is in webcomics.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary