The vampire Olive Yo survives by buying expired synthetic blood while watching on television as chef Chamomile dismembers vampires in public. The curious thing is that Olive falls in love with someone who despises her own species. The graphic novel The Cannibals, by Tinguu, explores consumption as an act of intimacy superior to sex, culminating in the total absorption of a person's life and social status.
The mechanics of desire in a dystopian ecosystem 🩸
Tinguu builds a system where expired synthetic blood functions as a metaphor for limited resources in a hostile world. The relationship between Olive and Chamomile develops through tactile exchanges: shared cigarettes and the invitation to the bloodbag, a sexual act that transforms both of them. The graphic narrative uses literal consumption as a driver of change, where devouring does not destroy but rather transfers power and memory between characters.
Bloodbag: Tinder for emotionally hungry vampires 🍽️
Olive has the typical luck of someone who buys expired milk on sale: she falls in love with a chef who literally cooks her own people. But hey, at least they share a cigarette. The bloodbag is the equivalent of a romantic dinner, only here you drink your date. Good thing Chamomile is not the type to ask to split the bill, because Olive couldn't even afford the discard blood.