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TWO GREAT TASTES THAT TASTE REALLY WEIRD TOGETHER! Tony Chu heads to Wisconsin in two all-new original tales by the creative teams of both critically acclaimed titles! A great jumping-on point for readers who've heard how damn good these titles are on their own, and a twisted delight for those already in the know!

Paperback

First published May 28, 2014

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About the author

John Layman

806 books582 followers
John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing Chew, published by Image Comics.

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
July 25, 2016
turns out, i'm an idiot. now, i know there are those of you who have been saying this for YEARS, but, me - being an idiot - well, i'm slow to catch on.

i burned through the entire Chew series earlier this year, and became really excited to get my hands on a copy of the comic i am right here reviewing: the Chew/Revival mashup (or, if you prefer, the Revival/Chew mashup, which is right here: Revival/Chew).

in this story, characters from these two wildly dissimilar series meet up to investigate a crime, and the artists draw both their own characters, as well as those from the other series.

in case you haven't read these series, here's an example of the artwork from Chew:

 photo IMG_4205_zpsl8fh15uh.jpg

and from Revival:

 photo IMG_4195_zpsxawapwky.jpg

so, it's quite exciting to see how a project like this will pan out, with such different illustration styles.

the Chew half of the story was reprinted in Chew, Vol. 11: The Last Suppers, but i wanted to read the other side, so i went on the internet and bought myself a copy.

turns out i had read the Revival side of things, which was included in Revival, Vol. 4: Escape to Wisconsin. now, way back in 2014 when i read it, i hadn't read any Chew, and it's a good thing i'd forgotten some of the details of the story, because in this crossover event, there is a major spoiler for Chew, Vol. 6: Space Cakes, which was volume that made me yell aloud when i read it, so i'm glad i got to have that experience pure and not rooned for me by some too-realistic-looking tony chu. of course, i remembered the story immediately when i flipped to the Revival side of the flip-n-read comic (yes, i read the Chew side first even though i'd JUST read it in Chew, Vol. 11: The Last Suppers because i was deferring the pleasure of this long-anticipated crossover event), but for some reason, it hadn't occurred to me that this would have been the connected story - for all i knew, there could have been multiple crossovers between these characters.

but nope. just this one.

the Revival half is much stronger in terms of story - it's actually one of my favorite things to ever happen in the Revivalverse

 photo IMG_4202_zpsc09cp3wo.jpg

however, i like the artwork better in the Chew half, but that's because it's always more enjoyable to see something realistic made cute:





than to see something cute made realistic:





okay, bad example, because that second one is definitely more awesome in "realistic" form.

in any case, i prefer my tony chu cartoony and angry

 photo IMG_4197_zpswnwwyaa7.jpg  photo IMG_4198_zps3whgpqkc.jpg

instead of realistic and - what is that? - a smile?

 photo IMG_4204_zpsjpv6lthp.jpg

that's not the tony chu i have grown to love. tony chu doesn't say "haha."

so, even though i'd (apparently) read them both before, i'm glad i have them in one volume now, because it's a special object, and doing the flippy-thing is fun and very good exercise.

however, i'm sad that colby didn't get drawn Revival-style. presumably he was off doing ... something else

 photo IMG_4200_zpsx09ggxgj.jpg

while tony was investigating, but i really wanted to see how his sexxy-robotish self would translate into more realistic-artwork.

but, there's one other nice detail - i have just started reading the Saga series, and there's actually a Saga nod here in the form of a visual reference:

 photo IMG_4201_zps7maaobnu.jpg

so this is more like an orgy where all worlds collide than a crossover event and i feel especially nerdy right now.
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
July 25, 2016
turns out, i'm an idiot. now, i know there are those of you who have been saying this for YEARS, but, me - being an idiot - well, i'm slow to catch on.

i burned through the entire Chew series earlier this year, and became really excited to get my hands on a copy of the comic i am right here reviewing: the Revival/Chew mashup (or, if you prefer, the Chew/Revival mashup, which is right here: Chew/Revival).

in this story, characters from these two wildly dissimilar series meet up to investigate a crime, and the artists draw both their own characters, as well as those from the other series.

in case you haven't read these series, here's an example of the artwork from Chew:

 photo IMG_4205_zpsl8fh15uh.jpg

and from Revival:

 photo IMG_4195_zpsxawapwky.jpg

so, it's quite exciting to see how a project like this will pan out, with such different illustration styles.

the Chew half of the story was reprinted in Chew, Vol. 11: The Last Suppers, but i wanted to read the other side, so i went on the internet and bought myself a copy.

turns out i had read the Revival side of things, which was included in Revival, Vol. 4: Escape to Wisconsin. now, way back in 2014 when i read it, i hadn't read any Chew, and it's a good thing i'd forgotten some of the details of the story, because in this crossover event, there is a major spoiler for Chew, Vol. 6: Space Cakes, which was volume that made me yell aloud when i read it, so i'm glad i got to have that experience pure and not rooned for me by some too-realistic-looking tony chu. of course, i remembered the story immediately when i flipped to the Revival side of the flip-n-read comic (yes, i read the Chew side first even though i'd JUST read it in Chew, Vol. 11: The Last Suppers because i was deferring the pleasure of this long-anticipated crossover event), but for some reason, it hadn't occurred to me that this would have been the connected story - for all i knew, there could have been multiple crossovers between these characters.

but nope. just this one.

the Revival half is much stronger in terms of story - it's actually one of my favorite things to ever happen in the Revivalverse

 photo IMG_4202_zpsc09cp3wo.jpg

however, i like the artwork better in the Chew half, but that's because it's always more enjoyable to see something realistic made cute:





than to see something cute made realistic:





okay, bad example, because that second one is definitely more awesome in "realistic" form.

in any case, i prefer my tony chu cartoony and angry

 photo IMG_4197_zpswnwwyaa7.jpg  photo IMG_4198_zps3whgpqkc.jpg

instead of realistic and - what is that? - a smile?

 photo IMG_4204_zpsjpv6lthp.jpg

that's not the tony chu i have grown to love. tony chu doesn't say "haha."

so, even though i'd (apparently) read them both before, i'm glad i have them in one volume now, because it's a special object, and doing the flippy-thing is fun and very good exercise.

however, i'm sad that colby didn't get drawn Revival-style. presumably he was off doing ... something else

 photo IMG_4200_zpsx09ggxgj.jpg

while tony was investigating, but i really wanted to see how his sexxy-robotish self would translate into more realistic-artwork.

but, there's one other nice detail - i have just started reading the Saga series, and there's actually a Saga nod here in the form of a visual reference:

 photo IMG_4201_zps7maaobnu.jpg

so this is more like an orgy where all worlds collide than a crossover event and i feel especially nerdy right now.
Profile Image for Sam Quixote.
4,771 reviews13.4k followers
June 30, 2014
I say this with complete love because I’m a huge fan but Chew might be the weirdest comic being published at the moment. It’s been an odd series since the beginning but if you saw how Volume 8 ended, you’ll know just how bizarre things get and how far John Layman and Rob Guillory have departed from “odd” and leapt into a new category of weirdness.

In yet another strange move, Chew has crossed over with another Image series, Revival, for a spin-off comic, Chew Revival. It’s a double issue printed back to back so once you finish one comic and get to the middle, you flip it over and read the other, with stories from the respective creative teams set in Revival’s Wisconsin.

In the Chew issue, Tony and John to investigate the foodie-related crime of dismemberment and meet Officer Dana Cypress, who fills them in on the whole reviver-phenomenon. FDA-whackiness ensues, and it ends on what Chew readers will know is an ongoing visual joke. The Revival issue follows Dana and Tony as they investigate a case of grave-robbing and lost love.

I say that crossing Chew with Revival is a strange move because the two series are kinda polar opposites, and this crossover really highlights this. Chew is a fun, gleefully over the top and utterly silly comic - Revival is a dead-sober, horror-centric one. When reading these stories back to back, the difference in tone between them is actually quite jarring.

I read the Chew issue first and loved the usual craziness especially the way John Layman’s lighthearted take on placing Tony and John in the Revival world really worked. He played it for laughs and pulled it off.

Flip over to the Revival side and immediately you can tell something’s wrong: Tony looks different. I’ll only accept Rob Guillory’s Tony and seeing his infinitely more realistic depiction by another artist was really off-putting. My expression was like Dana’s on the same cover.

Tim Seeley’s comic focuses on the tragedy of love lost, the intensity of that love transcending life and being warped by whatever caused the revivers to come back. There’s lots of sadness, violence and gore. Tony goes from being the hero of Chew to another bland detective character in a bad cop show.

I’m a Chew fan, not a Revival one, and this crossover didn’t win me over to Revival. In fact, it underlined why I read Chew every month as opposed to Revival, and it’s not just tone, but just how original Chew is - there is no comparison to this series, it’s doing something totally unique and enjoyable.

But comparing this Chew comic to the regular series stuff? Unfortunately it falls short, and I’m putting that down to the Revival element that’s mixed in. People coming back to life in Wisconsin just isn’t very interesting, at least not in the way it’s done in Revival, and sending in Tony and John to investigate that doesn’t make it more so.

As a Chew fan, I enjoyed part of this comic even if I feel it’s not as good as the 100% Chew monthlies, and I felt ambivalent at best towards the Revival stuff. Maybe if you’re a fan of both titles you’ll get more out of this. For me though, this was a crossover that seemed like a fun idea on paper and quite a mediocre one in execution.
Profile Image for Andrew✌️.
321 reviews22 followers
December 31, 2017
I am a fan of the Chew comics and when I discovered this volume I couldn’t resist. There are two stories: the first in the style of Chew, where Tony and John are traveling to a small town in Wisconsin, where Revival takes place; the second is designed from the point of view of the Revival’s characters and Tony Chew is only a guest.

First Story
People that follow the series know what levels of strangeness and absurdity has reached, even taking into account that the story is set after the volume "Chew, Vol. 7: Bad Apples" and from then we have seen even more.

It's an interesting crossover between the two series, even though I've never read Revival, with the usual artwork that I love and the humorous jokes of John .

The fact of being in a place where the dead come back to life for one day a year, doesn’t seem to upset Chew and his colleague.

The story is a bit too short, but pleasant and has the advantage of bringing the attention of the reader on the Revival series that, for those like me who have not yet started, it promises to be interesting.

Second Story
As mentioned above, I have never read "Revival", the drawings are well made, the characters well built, the plot is intriguing, there is not much space for humor, but there is an atmosphere halfway between X-Files and Supernatural.

Unfortunately, the presence of Tony Chew, although it provides a strange element with which the characters have to confront, I don’t really like it. It is probably due to the fact that in this new role, it is not the Tony Chew that I followed for 12 volumes. The character is different, too peaceful, no outburst or shootings with bizarre enemies.

But anyway, Revival is definitely a series that I will start, as soon as possible.
Profile Image for Tawfek.
3,681 reviews2,212 followers
January 2, 2023
Glad john layman got his wish and made a cross over comic with chew.
That revival world looks pretty interesting i might read it sometime in the future.
The art styles were very different between the two comics that made the characters look like not themselves.
The incorrigible colby did it again this time with a reviver lol.
Profile Image for Ria.
2,450 reviews35 followers
June 15, 2014
"You've got a cybernetic rooster meeting a lie-detecting alien cat. How's that crossover supposed to work?"

"It's fun and it's cool. So that's all that matters. It's what comics are for. DUH."

I love Image comics. And now I need to read me some Revival.
Profile Image for Vikas.
Author 3 books177 followers
February 25, 2020
This mashup of Chew with Revival was simply awesome. With half part drawn as 'Chew's' cartoony style and then other half drawn in Rural Noir style of revival. The story is after the parts smuggling is discovered and Tony comes as the federal agent to check it.

I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bit, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
Profile Image for Marija.
210 reviews27 followers
August 4, 2016
I liked seeing the two styles, they are very different. And Revival seems like and interesting one.
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,068 reviews44 followers
January 22, 2018
5 Funny-Stars! ☆☆☆☆☆
Haha I was laughing so hard! Especially when the lady came back from the dead and started hitting John with her severed hand! Hahaha!

The whole concept of mixing two stories that technically are completely separate...somehow worked. I loved Revival and the zombies. It’s not like walking dead were they are the undead but reborn in a sense. They still have memories and personalities. I liked that Em still walked around the living as one of them and nobody noticed.
Really cool read. I might give Revival a shot as my next series.

Thank you Andrew for another great recommendation and a new found comic series!
Profile Image for Václav.
1,115 reviews42 followers
December 28, 2018
Very short story split with The Revival (which is a good match). I read the Revival part with The Revival and I left the Chew part to the proper place. And that was a good thing because it has quite a big spoiler (but easily overlooked). The story is fun, for a bit more than a dozen pages.
Profile Image for Hikaoru.
931 reviews24 followers
July 1, 2022
I've not heard of both series previously.
And I've been making faces throughout the book. It actually gives iZombie vibe with more macabre drawing. It does make me wanna pick up the other issues to get what's all the fuss about.
Profile Image for Kane Vallance.
825 reviews2 followers
September 25, 2024
Does exactly what it intends to do: it reminded me why I love Chew and it made me want to read Revival more than I already did. It’s a fun filler story with great art on both sides of the book.
Profile Image for Keri B..
65 reviews
July 28, 2014
I actually really liked this crossover and I didn't know how it could work. I really wanted to get deeper into Chew but, strangely enough, the eating gross stuff kinda unnerved me. Even though I have vol. 2, it's been taking me awhile to get through it. Meanwhile, I'm a big Revival fan and wondered how they'd work together.

They work well, actually. The different angles based on which side you start on was a nice touch. There's a dark comedy with Chew that I really like, and a serious rural noir feel in Revival that's drawn me back month after month (It's the same reason I can't get enough of Sheltered, tbh). So getting to see the two different approaches to the same moment, one darkly humorous and one deeply serious, was kinda refreshing and innovative. And I really liked the different art styles (getting to see Dana and Em Cypress as Guillory figures was really interesting). A kinda Rashomon approach, y'know?

I look forward to reading more in this cross. Maybe I'll have to pick up Chew again... ^.^
602 reviews45 followers
July 14, 2015
An interesting crossover. Missed Colby in this one, but I'm sure there are Revival characters that its usual readers missed having around. I don't know if it would woo any of either comic's fans to the other, but it was fun to see Tony playing in other sandboxes and getting a more serious take on some of the Big Issues that Chew sometimes skirts around. (Also, Poyo vs. Lying Cat is one of the best ideas ever.)
602 reviews45 followers
July 14, 2015
An interesting crossover. I don't know if it would woo any of one comic's fans to the other, but it was fun to see Chew characters playing in other sandboxes.

(NB: added to the "queer" shelf because Colby. No actual queer content.)
Profile Image for Bert.
418 reviews
June 19, 2014
I still haven't figured out whether this is surprisingly great or plain old idiotic. It's a bit too "look at us aren't we quirky and special" for my tastes.
Profile Image for Anne.
49 reviews6 followers
August 28, 2016
Read CHEW before you read this!! There is a major series spoiler in here!!
Profile Image for Anne.
49 reviews6 followers
August 28, 2016
Read CHEW before you read this!! There is a major series spoiler in here!!
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