The Kitchen #1
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The Kitchen #1

Writer: Ollie Masters Artist: Ming Doyle, Jordie Bellaire Publisher: Vertigo Release Date: November 12, 2014 Cover Price: $2.99 Critic Reviews: 14 User Reviews: 6
8.1Critic Rating
7.2User Rating

New York City, late 1970s. Times Square is a haven for sex and drugs. The city teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, while blackouts can strike at any moment. This is the world of THE KITCHEN.
The Irish gangs of Hell's Kitchen rule the neighborhood, bringing terror to the streets and doing the dirty work for the Italian Mafia. Jimmy Brennan and his crew were the hardest bastards in the Kitchen, but after they're all put in prison, their wives - Kath, Raven and Angie - decide to keep running their rackets. And once they get a taste of the fast life and easy money, it won't be easy to stop.
THE KITCHEN takes one of the most popular genres more

  • 10
    Comic Vine - Mat 'Inferiorego' Elfring Nov 12, 2014

    THE KITCHEN was a surprising hit from Vertigo, a company that hasn't offered anything this intriguing in quite a while. This book has a great story and this is one great opening issue. Masters, Doyle, and Bellaire present not only an interesting story but a period piece that feels like a period piece. THE KITCHEN flew under my radar, but I'm incredibly happy I picked this one up. If you're looking for something a bit different this week, you need to check this issue out. Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    Weird Science - Daniel Stransky Nov 19, 2014

    The Kitchen #1 is a dark and gritty crime comic put together by a fantastic team. The book is littered with violence and foul language so I wouldn't suggest picking up this one for the kids. If mob-based crime is your type of story, or you enjoy books with a strong femaleprotagonist, this is one book I candefinitelyrecommend picking up. Read Full Review

  • 9.5
    Graphic Policy - Brett Schenker Nov 18, 2014

    I really can't gush enough as to how much I enjoyed this issue. I love this first issue, it nails everything I'm looking for in this type of story, and very well might be my favorite first issue of the year. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    AIPT - Jordan Richards Nov 12, 2014

    The Kitchen #1 is a very promising start to this new crime thriller. While most of the characters need some more development, the story and character work we did see here was completely superb. The writing and the artwork were solid as well, making this perhaps one of the best debuts Vertigo had with a mini-series all year long. If you are a fan of crime stories, this is right up your, ahem alley and should not be missed. This could be the beginning of a real great and gritty tale. Read Full Review

  • 8.8
    Geeked Out Nation - Jess Camacho Nov 14, 2014

    Masters and Doyle have set up something incredibly special here and I'm excited to get deeper into “The Kitchen”. This is the making of something great. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    Comicosity - Matt Santori Nov 12, 2014

    A strong start to a series that seems to be trekking over new ground in the mafia-themed literature genre, The Kitchen is a book Im eager to continue on with. Where Masters and Doyle are taking us, Im fairly uncertain, but wherever it is, its guaranteed to be a bumpy ride getting there. Read Full Review

  • 8.4
    Weekly Comic Book Review - Minhquan Nguyen Nov 17, 2014

    A compelling premise that'll require a good amount of craft to follow through credibly. It's unclear from this first issue if Masters has that craft, but he offers a solid start. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Newsarama - Draven Katayama (loudlysilent) Nov 13, 2014

    If you like the gritty tone of the movie Drive or the show The Americans, this creative team has your pick. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Comic Spectrum - Bob Bretall Nov 19, 2014

    Issue #1 of The Kitchen introduces the scene, Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s; the players, Kathy, Raven and Angie; and the situation, their gangster husbands are in jail and they're going to step up to the plate and run the family crime racket in their absence. If these women don't want to be messed with they're going to need to lay down their own law, seeing how this plays out in the context of 1970s gender politics will be fascinating to watch. I'm hooked. Bring on #2! Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Dark Knight News - Eric Joseph Nov 13, 2014

    To help make this book appeal to Batman fans, I'll say this: fans of Gotham's Fish Mooney will certainly love the character of Kath. They're not identical, but you'll see why I draw the comparison once you read this. She's really the alpha of the trio. This concept would also make for a good television series on a network like FX. Batman fans looking for a gritty series without capes should take note. Read Full Review

  • 7.6
    IGN - Jeff Lake Nov 13, 2014

    As far as first issues go, The Kitchen does a solid job of getting its premise off the ground, even if its way of doing so feels a tad abrupt. Read Full Review

  • 7.5
    Multiversity Comics - David Harper Nov 13, 2014

    And for everyone involved. Masters delivers characters with built-in depth from the start, introducing us to years of history between Kath and Raven with a simple question about dinner. Doyle's character work superbly shows the building confidence in Kath throughout the big scene at the end. Bellaire adds to the ferocity of it with small color flourishes in the right spots. This is a total team effort, and a team delivering a very interesting debut with a whole lot of potential going forward. "The Kitchen" is off to a strong start, and I'm excited to see if Kath, Angie and Raven find the respect their imprisoned husbands had and that they deserve as we go along. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Comic Book Resources - Jennifer Cheng Nov 14, 2014

    The twist at the ending is perfunctory and expected. The story's only real twist is that the women are filling their husband's shoes like Rosie the Riveter, but in another kind of war. It's weirdly feminist in that Kath may be capable of being a loan shark, but that doesn't change the right and wrong of her actions. Masters and Doyle have succeeded in creating a vivid setting and strong pacing in "The Kitchen" #1, but only further issues will reveal if the characters and the plot will develop more substance. Read Full Review

  • 4.0
    Comics Bulletin - Jimmy Cupp Nov 17, 2014

    This series could very easily be turned into an HBO series or Lifetime Original Movie; if that happens, I would probably watch it because I love strong, take-charge female leads. As a comic though, it falls a little flat. Thankfully, there are only 8 issues to this story arc. Read Full Review

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