By: John Layman (writer & letters), Rob Guillory (art & colors)
The Story: The USDA, FDA & NASA team-up to catch a vampire.
Review: Chew is so fun. This is one of those series that I somehow missed despite the fact that I’m usually pretty liberal about sampling new Image #1s. But, thanks to digital comics, I was able to catch up a couple of months ago during one of Comixology’s 99-cent sales. It’s an amazing series…..all my friends were right on the money when they said I should read it.
This issue really embodies everything that Chew does so well. The biggest selling point of the series is its wicked and unrelenting sense of humor. Whether it is the sight gags that Guillory puts into just about every panel, the recurring jokes or the inventive food-based superpowers, this is one of the only comics that actually makes me snicker while reading it and attempt to explain (poorly) the jokes to spouses and co-workers.
Probably my favorite of those are the recurring jokes: the sweat-stains on Tony’s boss’ armpits, the boss’s amorous feelings for Tony’s partner, the visual of two post-coital characters curled up in bed, or–my favorite–Agent Valenzano trying to figure out how he knows Tony’s sister. Before now, we’d just known that they hooked up at a party when they were both smashed. Now we know that it’s happened more than once. My goodness. It was funny as hell the first time it happened a few issues ago and we got to see her squeamish embarrassment but to see that it’s happened more than once and that he’s still like, “Sooo…..I know I know you from somewhere. Was it the office Christmas party?”
Guillory is an absolute master. I love his cartoony style that allows him to really play up the jokes and I love that he never mails in a panel. There is something clever and inventive in 99% of these panels. Even in a drab and dull panel, he’ll put a little sign on the wall with a funny saying to spice things up, like seeing that the nurse’s computer monitor says, “How to drug a dude…”
Conclusion: Chew is one of those comics where the overall story doesn’t really matter. It’s more like watching a good stand-up comedian than reading a comic book.
Grade: A-
– Dean Stell
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Conclusion