SLICED (COMIXOLOGY ORIGINALS)

Family businesses always challenge to adapting with times. This is especially true with family restaurants. In the case of Silvio Zampini and Pietro Pizzutti, their struggles have grown outside the kitchens. The two pizzaiolos have newer and devious competition entering their rivalry. Who will be the last one standing and serving?

Sliced by Rafael Scavone, Guilherme Grandizolli, Cris Peter, and Deyvison Manes (Comixology Originals/Stout Club) looks to deliver readers a fresh slice of drama.

Let’s take a closer look at how things shape up.

Sliced by Rafael Scavone, Guilherme Grandizolli, Cris Peter, and Deyvison Manes (Comixology Originals/Stout Club)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Scavone gifts readers with a very enjoyable tale of escaping legacy to find a future. Both Silvio and Pietro have grown up in the business. They both also have different paths leading them to this moment in time. With times becoming financially difficult, each struggle to move forward from the past their families have built.

With legacy, some aspects aren’t so nice and innocent. The reveal of Don Tommaso’s involvement gives readers a sharper perspective on the overall impact. There are two supporting characters that balance out the rocky times: Silvio’s daughter Sofi and Pietro’s mother Marta. Both play a part handling the growing threat looming over the businesses: new competition.

From this point, the story does pick up steam with another family entering the fray. Readers watch as the attack is blatant and unapologetic. It drives both rivals to have some clarity into what they should do now. This spirals into a very surprising mid and closing act. Scavone adds in a few more twists and turns before heading into the final pages. The result leaves readers with a satisfying end to quite an experience.

Grandizolli and Peter delve into the more emotional moments in the art. The side-by-side panels with Silvio and Pietro gave readers an instant message of the rivalry at hand. This played well off the family flashback sequences. With the switch in coloring, the panels reflect the uncertainty surrounding both families. This lays a solid foundation for where things lead into next.

“Wonder Pizza” comes across as the glitzy, hip new “thing” in its’ intro panels. From the opening night festivities to Sofi’s first visit, the art makes it seem out of the ordinary in comparison to the traditional pizza spots. “Showing” the pizza’s hidden magic pushes the story into its’ conflict of past vs. present. Once it settles back into gear, the art takes readers along for the ride. Each surprise is met with a big panel or page. None might be more impactful than the last one. In the end, the art leaves readers with a solid vision of what the future holds. It’s a perfect way to close the doors of a tough past and open a better tomorrow.

FINAL POINT: 8.4

In this line of family business, its’ either evolve or fade away. Scavone serves up a tale of finding a future overwhelmed by the sins of the past. Grandizolli, Peter and Manes cooks the emotion into an ever-changing tale with the art. It’s quite the enjoyable tale with many layers added to its’ piece.

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