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Chew Volume 1: Taster's Choice |  | Authors: John Layman, Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image Comics
Category: Book
List Price: $9.99
Buy New: $5.55
as of 9/8/2010 02:30 CDT details
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Seller: thermite-media
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 16935
Media: Paperback
Pages: 128
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 11.2 x 7.3 x 0.4
ISBN: 1607061597
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781607061595
ASIN: 1607061597
Publication Date: November 25, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9781607061595 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
 Chu on This December 4, 2009
Dusty Bottoms (Redding, CA USA)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
"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.
Escapism January 6, 2010
Michael Clayton
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
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)
Tasty choice indeed May 4, 2010
Daniel Smith (morgantown wv)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
So gross and so funny May 7, 2010
Kurt Conner (South Hadley, MA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Hungry for more... December 23, 2009
Bryn Mawrtyr (Dallas, TX)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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