about the book
Deep in the jungle, a feisty and tenacious lad hunts. He has his heart set on the prize and nothing, NOTHING, is going to stop him. What is that? There through the branches, the glint of metal! Could it be? Oh My!!! It is the magical Dragon Sword with its tip buried within a stone.
The lad snatches a tiny fungus growing on the hilt, the very rare Bell Top mushroom which grows only on artifacts. Just what he is seeking…when suddenly warriors surround him and the fierce female leader demands he back away from the sword. They have been hunting for the dragon-killing weapon for a long time! Since the lad just wants the mushroom, he’s glad to let them take the sword.
Soon the young lad, Rutabaga, is great friends with Winn the warrior leader, her companion Manny, and Beef, a burly lunk who guards them all. Rutabaga is an adventuring chef who gets into a lot of trouble but can cook his way out of it! Bored with regular ingredients, he has been scouring the world searching for the most unique tidbits which he cooks up in Pot, his magic caldron. He feeds everyone from the King to hoards of Vikings, ghosts, and creatures that only eat dream food! Someday he hopes to open his own restaurant and wow people with his Roasted Mud Leech or Poached Boggle Fish.
Joining the three quirky knights, Rutabaga sets out to find a tasty dragon, train a baby monster, and battle a crusty cook in an epic exotic veggie cook-off. No matter how the battle turns out, you know this story will be de-lish!
Throughout the book there are all sorts of instructions for making gourmet grub. Some of the ingredients may be a little hard to find. Is Dragon’s Claw available at the Piggly Wiggly?
about the author
Eric Colossal grew up watching cartoons and reading stuff like Mad Magazine and comics. He and his brother drew up their own cartoon magazine that they sold in middle school. When it was time to go off to college, Eric realized he liked to do two things—play video games and draw. Art seemed like the more logical career, so he headed to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Besides slacking off and watching more television cartoons, he spent the next four years drawing comics.
After graduating, Eric was thrilled to get a job at a game company! He worked there four years and is credited with contributions to Guitar Hero and Spiderman 3. In his spare hours, he drew more comics, cartoons, and indie game characters.
Eric watches a lot of food programs, usually around one in the morning. One thing he noted was that the chefs were always so enthusiastic. At the same time, Eric had been thinking about the creatures in comics, wondering if these monsters might be tasty! He started sketching, and suddenly Rutabaga was born. He’s is a short feisty kid constantly getting into trouble with dragons, demons, warriors, and wizards, and all he wants is to be a super good cook!
Eric worked up several comics and took them to a convention. He was amazed when someone asked Eric if he would like to publish them! He had to give up the game industry job to write comics full time.
Eric now lives in upstate New York in the city of Troy with his girlfriend, Jess Fink, another comic book artist. They have two cats, Juju and Bear. He is always looking for a doggy to pet and he never learned to drive!
Sources:
Rutabaga official website
Author interview: Word Spelunking
Author interview: All Over Albany
Also by Eric Colossal:
Feasts of Fury (Rutabaga the Adventure Chef, Book 2). Amulet Books. May 2016.
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