Performance and Taste in Comics Cookbooks

Recipes in comics, and cookbooks that are comics, imply a tripartite relationship between 1) the comics text, 2) a specified set of material objects, and 3) the reader, who through their interaction with the other two elements is pushed explicitly into the role of a performer. In this role, the reader is expected to ‘carry into effect, fulfil, discharge, carry out what is demanded or required’ by the graphic narrative, and thereby to complete the work through the production of a material outcome and the sensory experiences that accompany it. To do so, the performer must negotiate between a set of words and images implying a “correct” action or state, and a set of materials that may enable that action to be carried out or state to be achieved. This paper will explore this negotiation, looking at the types of relationship that exist between images and actions, as well as how the comics cookbook brings into effect notions of “success” for comics readers/performers, and how the visual components of comics work (or don’t) to enable the production of tastes in ways that differ from written or video equivalents.

References
Perform (v.). n.d.. Available from https://www.etymonlin.com/word/perform (accessed Feb 1, 2025).