What to read, play, listen to, and watch this weekend
The book to read
Chris Ware, Monograph
“Cartoonist Chris Ware has helped push the comic book medium to new heights of mainstream popularity, and his passion for the art form is at the core of Monograph, a huge art book tracing Ware’s personal and creative development from his early years growing up in Omaha through his experimental early adulthood to his present-day success. Approximately a foot wide and a foot-and-a-half tall, Monograph’s size reflects Ware’s heightened status in both the literary and art worlds. The fact that someone is publishing a book this big dedicated to the philosophy, technique, and evolution of a living cartoonist highlights how celebrated Ware is as both a storyteller and formal innovator, and the project is even more impressive because it’s so personal.”
Read the rest of our review here.
The video game to play
Battle Chef Brigade
“It takes place in a food-obsessed world where the most revered master chefs don’t just prepare extraordinary dishes, they also have to hunt down the fantastical beasts they’re cooking. To become members of the Battle Chef Brigade, a collective of the most elite cooks around, hopefuls descend upon a single city and engage in rigorous culinary combat, gathering ingredients and combining them into intricate meals that meet the demands of esteemed judges—all within a strict time limit. Yes, it’s fantasy Iron Chef, presented with all the pageantry and ridiculous posing that implies, and yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.”
Read the rest of our thoughts on Battle Chef Brigade here.
The podcast to listen to
U Talkin’ U2 To Me? “24 Songs Of Experience”
“It’s been a while since the hilarious duo of Adam Scott Aukerman hit the Earwolf studios to record their haphazardly released absurdist musical appreciation show. Excepting the pair’s July episode recapping their trip to the Rose Bowl for the band’s Joshua Tree anniversary tour, the last time the show dropped an episode was its landmark sit-down interview with those ‘lovable lads from Liverpool’ themselves back in 2015. But the time off hasn’t dulled their sharp wits, and this time they have another big surprise up their sleeves: exclusive first-listen tracks from the new U2 record they unveil on the show.”
Read about the rest of the week’s best podcasts here.