Weekly Comic Book Review

by John Layman (Writer) and Rob Guillory (Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Chew is definitely something special. There just isn’t anything even remotely like it on the stands right now. Uniqueness can only get something so far though. Thankfully, Chew’s got enough personality and cool ideas to earn an easy recommendation from me. That said, the series certainly isn’t going to be for everyone. The characters are odd, the language is quite rough, and the basic concept is as grim as it is bizarre.

The Story: Tony Chu and Mason Savoy bust a chicken smuggling ring, rescuing Chow Chu in the process. A splash of blood changes everything, however, as Tony Chu discovers he has much to learn about his partner Mason Savoy.

What’s Good: After a few strange twists last month, I worried that John Layman was going to steer Chew into a ridiculous direction that would, sooner than later, make me long for the days before Chew #4 hit stores. Thankfully though, Chew #5 quickly gets the series back on track and sets the stage for things to come. The conclusion of “Taster’s Choice” is funny, full of action, and satisfying not only because of how it wraps up the arc but also because of how it proves that Chew has the legs necessary to keep readers hooked for the long-term.

The latest issue of Chew features the creative team’s best work yet. And that’s saying something considering what an impression the team made with the series debut. While Chew #5 feels very “indie” as a whole (as it has since the series started conceptually, artistically, and as far as the dialogue is concerned), there’s a level of polish to the book that simply can’t be ignored.

Writer John Layman’s storytelling style and clever plotting keeps Chew #5 moving at a fast pace without ever allowing the characters to take a backseat to the action. From the likeable asshole Tony Chu’s insistence on being by the book to the wordy, sophisticated Mason Savoy’s sense of confidence in the greater good, Layman’s characters are just a lot of fun to follow. Also worth mentioning is how great Layman’s scripting is as far as revealing information is concerned. While I like to avoid spoilers, I will say what’s particularly impressive is the way that Layman has Tony Chu discover the truth about his partner, Mason Savoy. The scene and the eventually confrontation that follows it really pulls everything that’s so great about the series into one violent, funny, somewhat disgusting string of events. A string of events that, visually, is executed extremely well by artist Rob Guillory.

Guillory’s colorful, lively style is as offbeat as Layman’s story. As a result, Guillory’s work proves to be a perfect fit for the series. While I’ve enjoyed Guillory’s artwork in every issue of Chew so far, his style really shines in Chew #5. The violent action is satisfyingly brutal and blood-soaked, the body language of the characters effortlessly compliments the emotions on display, and the vivid color work elevates every single panel and various bits of dialogue. Special mention must be made of Guillory’s design for Mason Savoy. The character manages to somehow be a jolly, menacing badass in every scene he’s in. Thanks to Layman’s dialogue and Guillory’s design, Savoy is quickly becoming one of my favorite new characters.

What’s Not So Good: While there is a whole heck of a lot to like about Chew #5, it happens to be a bit rough at times. Layman tends to dump a lot of dialogue onto the page at times in order to drive the story forward and Guillory tends to cut corners here and there visually. Neither issue really takes away from the overall quality of Chew #5, but flaws are flaws.

Conclusion: Chew’s first arc definitely ends on a high note creatively. If you haven’t been following Chew, be sure to pick up the “Taster’s Choice” trade when it hits stores. You’ll quickly see why the series is quickly gaining quite the following.

Grade: A-

-Kyle Posluszny