Chew Volume 1: Tasters Choice [Paperback]

John Layman (Author), Rob Guillory (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2009 | Series: Chew (Book 1)

Special Introductory Price! Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases. Collects CHEW #1-5.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Image Comics (December 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607061597
• ISBN-13: 978-1607061595
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Image Comics
  • #2 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Mystery
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Science Fiction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chu on This, December 4, 2009

By 

Dusty Bottoms is Dead & Gone - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chew Volume 1: Tasters Choice (Paperback)

"Chew" is easily one of 2009's best new on-going comic series. John Layman and Rob Guillory are masters of their craft. "Chew" is warped, offbeat, crazy, hilarious and above all.. brilliant. It's character-driven with a perfect balance of action, suspense and laugh-out-loud humor. The intersection of styles is rather self-aware; absurdity meets cop drama meets cannibalism. The series is well written, and the art is as splendidly unique and creative as the story's premise.

"Taster's Choice" is an introduction to the unusual world and people Layman and Guillory have created. "Chew" stars Tony Chu; he's a police detective and a "cibopath," meaning he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats, aside from beets that is. Chu is recruited by the FDA, which has now become the most powerful law-enforcement branch of the United States government, due to a bird flu pandemic that actually lead to the illegalization of all poultry. The FDA needs Tony to solve mysteries and murders with his special ability. Unfortunately for our protagonist, this usually involves eating incredibly gross things.

Tony isn't the only interesting character in the series, nor is he the only cibopath. Savoy, another agent for the FDA is also a cibopath, and he's Tony's new partner. He's also full of great surprises. Tony's new boss is a rather mean and hateful personality, who seems to only enjoy himself when giving Tony an extremely hard time. There's also a love interest, but this story arc is more focused on laying the foundation for the story and defining each of the character's role, so Tony's crush will have to wait.

Layman's writing style is quick, charming and a bit sarcastic. He uses an omniscient narrative and completely avoids the generic inner-monologue that has become standard for most comics. But don't worry, Layman puts the reader in Chu's shoes, and Tony's discomfort and pain is as easily felt as it is laughed at. There are several clever twists throughout, that further develop the story's illegalized-poultry sub-plot, but Layman's slow-burn reveal of the mystery surrounding the bird flu epidemic perfectly demonstrates the longevity this series is capable of. Layman starts the book out leisurely and lightheartedly, introducing the characters and setting, and then, out of nowhere, things go completely insane in a shower of gore and cannibalism. He finds new ways to laugh in the face of all social mores while simultaneously developing one of the more compelling and twisted narratives to be found on comic stands today.

And you can't praise "Chew" without ranting and raving about the wonderful art of Rob Guillory. His style provides a manic energy to every panel that defies any type of comparison. Additionally, the degree of detail and care given to the tiniest of background imagery demands second looks that offer further plot insights and even more laughs. His work is fluid, quirky, and cartoony, and it fits the story like a glove. Guillory's layouts are endlessly inventive and some of the most enjoyable bits of the book are Chu's mortified facial expressions after having eaten something particularly terrible.

I love "Chew". It's funny, witty and original. There's more to the plot than I described, but I didn't want to give away any spoilers. "Taster's Choice" ends with an unexpected and thrilling development that adds layers to the already dynamic plot and complicates things even more for our young and hungry Tony Chu.

Highly Recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So gross and so funny, May 7, 2010

By 

Kurt Conner (South Hadley, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chew Volume 1: Tasters Choice (Paperback)

This is a frequently nauseating and often laugh-out-loud hilarious comic book about a psychic and reluctantly cannibalistic detective who gets drafted into a position as a special agent for the FDA after a bird flu epidemic (which may be a government cover-up) leads to a prohibition on poultry. And that's the simple summary. The full story has many more complications, with likable and mysterious characters presented in cartoonish exaggerated figures to soften the ever-lurking violence and gore. See, Tony Chu has an unwanted psychic ability to know the history of anything he eats (except for beets, as one example of the book's charming quirkiness), so when he needs to investigate a case, he can just nibble on the corpse or a suspect, and he can get the information he needs. His boss can't stand him, his similarly gifted partner enjoys the macabre aspects of the job too much, and the love of his life has her own set of food-based quirks. I highly recommend it for fans of detective stories, even if they don't think they like comic books, as long as they don't have weak stomachs.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Escapism, January 6, 2010

By 

Michael Clayton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chew Volume 1: Tasters Choice (Paperback)

I got this trade because it is an extremely well reviewed comic and I wanted to see what all the hubub was about. I knew the basic premise: a detective eats things to solve cases. So I was expecing something silly, perhaps enjoyable, but ultimately getting by on being wierd and shocking.

What I read actually managed to make a detective in a world where chicken has been outlawed, who eats things and knows what his food experienced seem realistic (or at least made me feel like it took place in a world where it was possible).

The art was cartoony but full of gore. The art complemented the story so well that I don't think I would reccomend this comic nearly as highly if it hadn't had Rob Guillory's art.

Normally when a comic is the big indy hit of the year I find it mildly underwhelming, but in this case I found it deserves all the praise it has been getting.

Do yourself a favor and pick it up... you're in for a treat and plus it's on the 4-for-3 promotion so if you can find 3 more comics you're interested in an incredible deal. (you'd be hard pressed to beat 4 new trades for $30)