Pizza Tree is a comic by Chase and Mark Poulton, with art by Ryan Onorato. This father-son written comic came about when Chase (who was in the first grade, at the time of Pizza Tree’s publication) explained to his Dad how you can plant a slice of pizza to grow a pizza tree. (Duh, where else would pizza come from?) What came of that conversation is a charming 48 page all-ages horror comic about what happens when that tree turns out to be a little spookier than Chase first imagined!
Friday night means pizza night for the Poulton Family. However, when Chase plants a slice of pepperoni in their backyard, every night becomes pizza night after a mysterious Pizza Tree appears. The Poultons soon learn free pizza comes with a price. For those with a taste for horror, sink your teeth into the Pizza Tree!
We’re keeping this review spoiler-free so we won’t go over any plot details that will tell the whole story, but Pizza Tree’s narrative is a fun, spooky tale of what happens when Chase’s pizza gardening backfires on him, and his family has to deal with the aftermath of a pretty angry pizza tree in their own backyard! It’s thrilling without being too terrifying for any little ones who aren’t ready for a huge fright yet, and paints a beautiful picture of a fun family adventure that has the added bonus of a big, fun, unique monster character who’s also partly edible. All the characters are fleshed out and well-rounded in the fairly limited page space, and the dialogue is believable and, at times, also laugh-out-loud funny.
Ryan Onorato’s art and lettering fits the Poultons’ writing very well: it’s a bold style with a limited colour palette which isn’t too overwhelming but which is also visually interesting. Onorato is also great at background and character detail, which really helps to flesh out the world of Pizza Tree.
Overall, I’d recommend Pizza Tree as a fun all-ages adventure with a unique narrative and some bold, appealing artwork that’s an exciting OGN adventure that the whole family can enjoy. It’s also a comic that will really, really make you want pizza.
Pizza Tree is published by Arcana Studios and Artista Comics. It is currently available for purchase from a selection of retailers including the author’s own Etsy page. Mark can be contacted via Twitter @KoniWaves.
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