Customer Reviews

Chew Volume 1: Tasters Choice

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.

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.

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)

This attractively priced trade paperback collects the first five issues of writer John Layman's and artist Rob Guillory's critically acclaimed "Chew" from Image Comics. Protagonist Tony Chu gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. In the aftermath of a bird flu pandemic, Chu moves from the Philadelphia police department to the powerful US Food and Drug Administration. The plot and backstory are revealed in a quick and entertaining manner throughout the five issues. Guillory's cartoonish art serves the occasionally silly and/or gory subject matter well. The backgrounds include some hidden jokes: for example, an "N" in McBeefy's "Come Dine With Us" marquee is missing. Chew was one of 2009's top new comics and won the 2010 Eisner and Harvey Awards for best new series.

As subscriber and an avid fan of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead series, also published by Image, I was inspired by some promos for Chew that ran in a couple of issues. The premise of Chew seemed interesting: a guy named, you guessed it, Chu can get a feel of past happenings in any living thing's life simply by, you guessed it, "chewing" on it. This works on anything that is living or was living (fruits and vegetation included) with the exception of beets. That's right...beets. I hear beets live pretty boring lives so Chu probably wasn't missing anything. Anyway, folks that can chew on something to get a psychic impression are called cibopathics, but you probably already knew that.

So imagine the value to law enforcement of a guy that could, oh, let's say, chew on a decomposing body or even body part to learn just how the body in question became a victim of a suspicious death. Invaluable I believe would be the word. As I said, sounded like a pretty interesting storyline, but for me it all went a bit awry when it turns out that Chu and his cast of characters live in a surreal world where chicken is a smuggling-cartel's product of choice versus drugs, and the country is run more by the FDA than the Federal Government that we're more familiar with. Chu is introduced to his partner/mentor Mason Savoy who is silly and just not a believable character. Their task is to track down and investigate the great Chicken Cartel, when out of nowhere things start getting even weirder when vampires from space get thrown into the fray.

You just said, "What?!?", didn't you? I found myself saying that a lot as I read through Chew: Volume One Tasters Choice. I'm a big sci-fi/fantasy fan, but Chew was a little over the top for me. So you'll not be seeing reviews from me for Chew Volume 2 or Chew Volume 3.

Please sign the waiver before ordering rare meat and dine at your own risk.

I have to say that I was skeptical about the series. I remember walking into my local comic shop and seeing the first issue on the shelves. I'm usually turned off by the start of a new series. It's just the way I am. I thought to myself as I looked over at the issue, "Chew? Who does this comic think it is? People eating other people? Cops?" No thanks.

Flash forward to issue 12 or so. I had a couple of extra dollars to spend, and I was looking for something new to read. So I picked up the trade of Taster's Choice, flipped through it, and decided it might be worth $10. I didn't read it right away, I flipped to the end where the extra crap is, looked it over and set it down. After about a couple of days of collecting dust, I decided to read it. After reading it with doubt in my mind, I came to one conclusion. This book is awesome.

The story is crazy, completely original. One word to describe John Layman's unbelievably great story telling would be continuity. There might be something that you just pass over, but later on it becomes a huge part of the story. Rob Guillory's artwork is far past fantastic. I never saw an artist that draws sequential art as good as Rob can.

Tasters Choice is a story that introduces the reader to the character Tony Chu and his ability, a post bird flu chicken prohibition U.S., and the crazy police force of the F.D.A. This volume collects the first 5 issues of series. That's everything you need to know.

I promise you that you will never read a story similar to Chew (unless it comes out years later, which you will probably be able tell that it's ripping off Chew). Chew Taster's Choice is highly recommended to anyone who reads.

Picked up this book at the local comic book store just as something to read it was cheap and looked pretty entertaining. Now that i have read it i have to say I am hooked! The artwork is nice, and the concept I feel is really orginal and cool. Only downside i wish it was longer as you quickly read this book and am left wanting more. Which the second volume should be coming out soon so should no longer go through my chew withdrawals. I do not want to spoil anything in this book as it is best going in with a clear mind. I think this series is great and anyone who thinks the concept of eating something and then getting all the history of what you ate, including meat of all kinds(dont want to spoil with what kind exactly) should pick this up. Enjoy this tasty book, it goes down nicely.

Meet Tony Chu. He is a cibopath, which is a fancy name for his ability of getting psychic impressions when he eats things. For instance when he eats an apple, he sees where it was picked, what pesticides were used on it, what tree it came from, etc. You can probably see why he doesn't like to eat meat, considering what he would see with every bite. The only food that doesn't leave a psychic impression is beets. After being caught eating a serial killer that killed himself instead of confessing his crimes, Tony was roped into working for the FDA, investigating some of the most bizarre crimes. This isn't the FDA of today; it has become the most powerful government law enforcement organization. This is because there was a bird flu that killed literally millions of people. This, of course, means that chicken is outlawed. Many people, including Tony's brother, believe this flu is just a cover for government nastiness. Will Tony stumble onto the truth behind the flu? Will he be able to restrain himself from killing his horrible, horrible boss?

I really love this graphic novel. I first heard about it from a friend a while ago and was intrigued about the cibopath concept. I had no idea that it was actually a dystopic story. (I am such a sucker for those.) The story starts off in a very funny way. Tony and his idiotic police partner are staking out a chicken speakeasy to capture a murderer. The fact that chicken is outlawed really cracked me up, until later in the book when you find that they probably killed millions of people. There were so many things that made me laugh and were also very dark. If you have a twisted sense of humor, this is definitely a read for you.

This novel was a mixture of so many things: crime drama, futuristic dystopia, romance, comedy, and action. This mix really makes this graphic novel stand out about most others that I've read. The story moved fluidly and I read it in about an hour. The art of Rob Guillory really complemented the story very well. It was surreal and cartoony, while still being beautiful and surprisingly detailed. The book ended with a surprising revelation. I can't wait until the next book comes out!

Chew is one of those comics you tell your friends about when convincing them that comics aren't all capes, fantasies, and buxom women in leotard. It's not for kids, either. Chew covers the story of a Tony Chu, a Ciopath- A person who can basically feel what his food has experienced. The FDA is basically the government, especially because a pandemic of bird flu killed several million people. Chicken is outlawed, and the American public must find ways to get around it. The story manages to take the silliness of the premise and make it believable. The arc is engaging, and does a great job of balancing the seriousness of the story, while still having fun. The twist and the end had me caught me by the neck. Never saw it coming, and hopefully, neither will you.

Besides the fantastic story, it's the little things that make Chew all the more enjoyable. We have an Asian protagonist, one who does not fall under stereotypes (in fact, some of the sketches in the back reference how they specifically went out of their way to make Tony a real person, not Ching Chong Chinaman). The plot, which sounds silly, is looking to give a real message. The art is beautiful. Also, it's only ten dollars, which threw me (comics tend to be expensive, so I'm kind of hoping that Image Comics continue with this kind of pricing).

I liked Chew a lot. There's a reason Chew sold out and went into second and third printings. Absolutely worth the five stars.

What if a bird flu pandemic wiped out a good part of the population and led to all poultry products being banned? Then the FDA investigators would suddenly become more important as people still tried to get their chicken fixes from somewhere. Enter investigator Tony Chu, who also happens to be a Cibopath meaning that when he eats things he gets memories off of the former living thing (he can do it off living things, too). He and his mentor are but a handful of such people in the world. What seems to be a simple investigation for Tony turns out to unsurprisingly lead to something bigger. Along the way he falls in love with a food journalist who has a special power of her own in making people feel the taste of eating good (and bad) food. There's a nice scene in the middle in which Tony's love interest uses her special powers to make some armed terrorists puke up their previous meal. The artwork is more than just impressive they actually use it to add additional layers to the story. Moreover, if you look closely at some of the frames you'll see more is happening in the backgrounds at times. This is arguably one of the better non superhero graphic novels in some time. Volume 1 was on the NY Times Bestseller List. It sold out after multiple printings.
ARTWORK: A minus to A; STORY/PLOTTING: A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; EXECUTION OF CONCEPT: B plus to A minus; WHEN READ: December 2011; OVERALL GRADE: A minus.