Hunger’s Bite
Cartoonist: Taylor Robin
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Publication Date: February 2025
Neeta Pandey dreams of traveling across the world. This should be easy, as she’s the adopted daughter of the captain of the Lark, a luxurious trans-Atlantic passenger ship. Unfortunately, during her holidays away from boarding school, Neeta must remain onboard the Lark in the company of the captain’s shy and awkward son, Emery.
Neeta spends her quiet days on the Lark in boredom, which gives her ample time to notice something strange about Mr. Honeycutt, the ship’s new American owner. Neeta is suspicious of the man, and with good reason – Honeycutt is mind-controlling the Lark’s crew and forcing them to work without rest.
While Neeta has been keeping watch on Honeycutt, Emery is more concerned with the handsome and charming Warwick Farley, who has been getting a bit too chummy with Neeta. To Emery’s relief, Warwick is only interested in Neeta’s powers of observation. He’s a detective for an international agency tasked with protecting the mundane world from the abuse of magical powers, and he needs allies if he’s to save the Lark from being lost at sea.
Hunger’s Bite is an entertaining adventure filled with fantastic creatures, but it’s also a thinly veiled warning against the excesses of capitalism. The creator, Taylor Robin, writes that he grew up around yacht clubs, and that he “quickly became aware of the difference between the people who belonged to them, and the people who worked for them.”
Robin’s frustration with this inequality is palpable in the central conflict of Hunger’s Bite. As the members of the ship’s staff grow ever more exhausted, Honeycutt becomes maniacally gleeful. Instead of raising concerns, the first-class passengers take the situation for granted, and their callous state of mind catalyzes an appropriately monstrous transformation.
While younger readers may not understand the full extent of the allegory, it’s easy to identify with Neeta’s ambition to save the Lark. Neeta is an active heroine – clever and kind, but tormented by the unfairness of being allowed to pursue an education while her older brother is expected to work as a member of the Lark’s staff.
Emery’s character arc is less straightforward but equally compelling. He wants to support his friends and speak up for the rights of the ship’s employees, but he fears that challenging the ship’s owner will result in them all being fired and losing their homes and livelihoods.
With no change in the status quo, the villainous Honeycutt literally steers the ship in circles, but the dashing detective Warwick breaks the stalemate by showing the children that they’ll all be lost if they don’t take action. The plot of Hunger’s Bite moves forward at a brisk pace, especially as the story becomes more fantastical and the monsters begin to reveal their true natures.
Taylor Robin’s artwork is marvelously expressive. The character designs are all uniquely attractive, and their faces are creatively stylized to emphasize their emotions and motivations. It’s a pleasure to watch these characters move across the page, especially during the action sequences toward the end of the book.
As the narrative tension gradually builds, Robin uses bold and unexpected color palettes to set the mood and engender a sense of drama during key conversations. Every page of Hunger’s Bite stands on its own as a visually intriguing work of sequential art, but it’s also a treat to flip through the book and watch the palette shift and change.
I was surprised by the end of Hunger’s Bite, which is much more bitter than sweet. Although the characters manage to address the immediate danger, they still have the 20th century ahead of them. The foreshadowing that closes the story is ominous. Not every threat comes from literal monsters, after all. “Why is he still like that?” Neela asks after a member of the ship’s crew is released from mind control, and this might be the book’s most important question.
Hunger’s Bite is an engaging work of historical fantasy that indulges in fun steampunk tropes like plucky young heroes, cigar-smoking villains in sharp suits, and secret magical societies. At the same time, the artist handles the historical reality of the story’s 1920s setting with a critical eye and respect for its startling inequalities. Taylor Robin’s graphic novel will provide ample food for thought for more mature teens in the YA bracket, as well as readers of any age who enjoy period fantasy with a bite.
Hunger’s Bite is now available via Union Square & Co.
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