PRIDE MONTH 2025! Way back in 2015 artist Jem Milton was one of our first intake of Broken Frontier ‘Six to Watch’ artists. In recent years their profile has seen a significant rise, with webcomic The Flying Ship being collected in print via Dark Horse (see our review of the first volume here) and another webcomic offering, Hungry Heart, also recently gaining a physical edition from Andrews McMeel. It’s much deserved recognition for an artist whose visual storytelling has continued to grow and evolve, and whose character-led comics hook the reader by making them feel so instantly involved with their casts.
Hungry Heart centres on two main players – food journalist Laurie Gayle is our entry point as we follow him on his big break to interview up-and-coming young chef Oryan Adjei, the next big name on the London culinary scene. The pair make an immediate, if awkward, connection and as time passes their relationship begins to shift from the professional to something more personal. But given their separate worlds, and Oryan’s need to come to terms with his identity, will they be able to take things to the next level?
Milton’s story is full of endearing foodie cutaways but the central queer romance is the main focus and it’s a beautifully depicted one. Indeed, there’s something quite delightful about the slow build of this story and the manner in which Milton invests us in the characters’ lives. Their art here is more obviously manga-influenced, underlining their ability to change and adapt their style to fit the needs of the story. It’s imbued with vivid visual characterisation as well as that manga speciality of contrasting realism with cartoony exuberance to depict differing emotional states. That latter technique is used to excellent effect here.
There are a lot of important themes touched upon in these pages – the pansexual journey, eating disorders, privilege and perception – but ultimately it’s the “Will they? Won’t they?” narrative that will more obviously capture readers’ imaginations. What the audience will most probably take away from Hungry Heart is a message about finding yourself. That’s something that’s echoed in Milton’s afterword and gives us additional context to the ideas they are exploring in these pages.
Jem Milton (W/A) • Andrews McMeel/Tapas, $18.99
Review by Andy Oliver
