Cooking with Monsters (Book One): The Beginner's Guide to Culinary Combat by Jordan Alsaqa

Fast-paced monster fights and burgeoning high school romances are both on the menu in this exciting young adult debut from Jordan Alsaqa and Vivian Truong.

Hana Ozawa is the newest face at the Gourmand Academy of Culinary Combat, a school that will teach her how to fight monsters AND how to turn them into delicious meals. Hana is a natural, but so are her classmates, and she struggles to keep up—she’s gotta stand out, especially if she wants to impress the warrior chef who saved her life as a child. Throw in a crush on a formidable lady rival and a dash of multicultural cuisine, and this unique and hilarious story is sure to hit the spot! 

Cooking with Monsters is Naruto with a cast of LGBTQ+ characters. It’s Percy Jackson or Harry Potter without a straight white man in the pilot seat. It’s perfect for every young reader out there who doesn’t feel like they get to see themselves represented in the fantastical adventures they read.

Jordan Alsaqa is a Palestinian-American comic writer from Charlotte, NC. Since the release of his first one-shot Terminal Protocol, co-created with Rem Broo and published by Scout Comics, Jordan has developed numerous projects, including five successful Kickstarter campaigns and several professionally published books. Jordan’s work includes the one-shots Finding Peace, Party of Your Afterlife, and We Have to Go Back, the ongoing horror-comedy Raise Hell!, and the rural horror miniseries Welderkin.

Vivian Truong was born in London, England and studied Computer Animation Arts at Bournemouth University. She is a self-taught artist, a natural storyteller, and an avid lover of cartoons and comics. Her first graphic novel City of Dragons has been an indie-bound top seller for several weeks and is a worldwide hit amongst reviewers. She has created comics with Riot Games, Your Comic Heroes and several anthologies.

Author Residence: Seattle, WA

Author Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Vivian Truong was born in London, England, and studied Computer Animation Arts at Bournemouth University. She is a self-taught artist, a natural storyteller, and an avid lover of cartoons and comics. Her first graphic novel, City of Dragons, has been an Indiebound top seller for several weeks and is a worldwide hit among reviewers. She has created comics with Riot Games, Your Comic Heroes, and several anthologies.

Illustrator Residence: London, UK

Illustrator Hometown: London, UK