Chew nº 04/12: Flambeado

Chew

by John Layman, John Layman

These are strange times for Tony Chu, the cibopathic federal agent with the ability to get psychic impressions from the things he eats. Strange writing in extraterrestrial script has appeared in the skies of Planet Earth - and stayed there People don''t know if the end days are upon them or not, but they don''t seem terribly concerned about the laws of the FDA, and what was once the most powerful law enforcement agency is rapidly descending into irrelevancy. So where does that leave the FDA best agent, Tony Chu?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy, Mystery, Comic Book

121 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2011

About the author

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

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

blah blah blah this is all the same:

i burned through all ten published volumes of this series in a matter of months, and while i managed a fairly coherent review of the first volume, i am overwhelmed by the thought of going back and reviewing volumes 2-10, trying to recapture that innocent mindset that didn't know what happened in subsequent volumes and trying to stay within the lines of the volume i'd be reviewing.

my hat is off to you serial comic book/graphic novel reviewers who are able to consistently churn out smart, comprehensive, and entertaining reviews that manage to discuss the book itself as well as its place within the larger universe of the series or character's existence.

i can't do that. i read these so compulsively and so quickly - like jamming cookies into a mouth that was already crammed with cookies - that it's just too much road to backtrack and too many metaphors to mix and since i have so many other books that i have to review, i'm going to take a totally cheap opt-out review path and just post pictures from each book that i enjoy for reasons pertaining to the plot, or just cuz i like the damn pictures.

and maybe now that i have to wait a couple of months until volume 11 comes out, i'll be able to do that one proper review-style, but right now - too full of stress and anxiety and just wanting to make this stack of books needing reviews go down LGM.

















again - i love toni.











come to my blog!

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Migdalo Daniel is a voresophic, the more he eats the smarter he gets... see where that one's going?Gallsaberry is a fruit... it tastes just like chicken, and exactly like chicken when cooked, believe me this is a huge story maker :D Sadly this is the weakest volume yet as the main mystery is a bit all over the place and the dark comedy slightly tipping over to slapstick at times. As with the other volumes, the art, constructed reality and concept still reigns high, but the linear characterisations and character interplay are beginning to cover this series with a dark cloud. 7 out of 12 - Three Star read.

[Dan Schwent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chu and Agent Valenzano go looking for a missing voresophic named Daniel Migdalo, a man with super genius intelligence while he's eating. What does Migalo's disappearance have to do with the mysterious alien writing burning in the sky?

Here we are, the fourth entry in the Chew series. Chew, Colby, and sometimes Valenzano go up against an enormous man, a kid named Peter Pilaf, and team up with the USDA. More of Chew's family history is explored and the secret of the writing in the sky is revealed.

Until the last issue in this collection, I was thinking about this being the last issue of Chew I read. The pace is soooooooo slooooooooooooooooow. I like all of the double dealing and family secrets and whatnot but the chicken conspiracy plot has barely advanced.

However, I do intend to continue. Layman is good at timing his twists, as the end of this collection showed. Also, a chicken restaurant called Mother Cluckers is hilarious. And I'm glad Chu didn't have to eat a dirty diaper. I plan on continuing the series but my enjoyment is waning.
3 out of 5 stars.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is already extremely bizarre, and it just got much weirder really quickly! Sometimes when stores go off the rails and into left field, I start to lose interest. With this series I expect to spend my time out in left field!



Aliens, anti-egg religious zealots, ticked off ninja chickens, and all manner of people with weird side effects when they eat. Irreverent and hilarious - I continue to be extremely entertained!



Also, I continue to love the kooky artwork in this series. Often times the artist of a comic series will change partway through. I don't think that is possible with this series - this art IS Chew! If it ever does change, no matter how good the story is, I think I will likely stop reading.



If you like graphic novels, need some humor in your life, and haven't read Chew, you really should change that!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What the fuck was that?"
"Concentrated mayhem. Feathers, rage and hate. POYO!!!"

Now this was one hell of a rollercoaster ride, and I still have no idea what the main plot was (maybe there wasn't one?). I feel like this volume was just a couple random - and VERY weird - cases all thrown together. But it was still enjoyable and hilarious, and I live for randomness so yes, another solid volume of Chew!

I recommend this graphic novel to lovers of weird and funny stories that probably won't make a lot of sense. 4.25

[Lindsey Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'M OBSESSED!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume Chu finds himself working with an old partner who used to pair up with Mason Savoy, Chu's former mentor turned nemesis. USDA agents, similar to the one in the second volume, show up but this time in great mass. I found some of the humor to be spot on with their characters and man do they love their special pets. Chu's sister makes a more substantial appearance this time, introducing us to Area 51.

We also get to know two new types of characters: A Voresoph becomes smarter the more he eats. Daniel Migdalo is a Voresoph. A still partly unidentified power is to control people through food. Peter Pilaf has this power.

From this point on this review will be somewhat similar to my review of the previous one in the series so be warned.

As usual the tale is action packed, zany in humor at times and complex. I love how the panels have main things taking place but looking in the background reveals more. Now, as far as some of the special terms go here's a bit of a list: (1) a Saboscrivner can write about food so accurately that people get the sensation of taste when they read about the food. Amelia Mintz is a Saboscrivner; (2) a Cibopath can take a bite from anything and get a psychic sensation of what has happened to that object. The only thing it does not work on is beets. Tony Chu, Toni Chu, Olive Chu, Mason Savoy, and The Vampire are Cibopaths; and (3) a Cibolocuter is able to communicate through food, and can also translate written works like plays, poems and operas into their food. Fantanyeros is a Cibolocuter.

In March 2011 it was revealed that Showtime is going to turn this into a half hour comedy series. The first three issues of Chew have all sold out multiple printings with the first issue receiving four printings as well as being reprinted in black and white in The Walking Dead #63. The first issue was so popular that it was called one of Image's most acclaimed titles, and was reprinted again in the first wave of the Image First line. Critical reception has been mostly positive. IGN gave the first issue a 9.5 out of 10 and the subsequent issues 9.0, 9.1 and 8.8 respectively. Chew Vol. 1: Taster's Choice[29] and Chew Vol. 2: International Flavor have both been on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Chew ended up on several Best of 2009 lists, including IGN's Best Indie Series of 2009 (beating The Walking Dead and Bad Dog) and MTV Splashpage's Best New Series of 2009. Chew was also #4 on ComicBookResources.com's Best 100 Comics of 2009 list. On July 23, 2010, Chew won the Eisner Award for Best New Series. Chew also won two 2010 Harvey Awards (Best New Series and Best New Talent)and was nominated for, but did not win, two 2010 Eagle Awards (Favourite New Comicbook and Favourite American Colour Comicbook).

WHEN READ: February 2012; STORY/PLOTTING: B plus to A minus; CHARACTER/DIALOGUE: A minus; EXECUTION OF IDEA: B plus to A minus; ARTWORK; A minus; HUMOR: B plus; OVERALL GRADE: B plus to A minus.

[Kosta Voukelatos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and easy going continuation that further expands on what was set up in the previous volumes. I will start reading volume 5 straight away!

[Jedi JC Daquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, this is the weakest arc yet of Chew. Chew volume 4 didn't sell to me as much as the previous three volumes. The fun and the wit are still there, though in a less cohesive story. It serves mainly as a thick teaser on what will happen in the next issues.

The space letters are now gone and nothing has been revealed that can explain their appearance in the first place. Although Savoy might have some clues about it. On the other hand, our duo Chu and Colby pursues other cases which are somehow (but not relevantly) connected to the sky writings.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series keeps getting crazier, weirder and better.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Volume 4 in this wacky series and once more we're following Tony Chu. I read this as a part of the #Rainbowthon and I am very glad that I added it in to break up some of the longer reads and keep me motivated and excited for the first day.

This volume didn't quite compare to the third one (which is so far my favourite) but it still had a few interesting developments and as always the artwork is fun. The story follows Chu and his co worker as they try to investigate the strange appearance of some big floaty letters in the sky (aliens??). They story is good and it's easy to follow, and we also get to see the 'bad guys' in this volume too which means we have a bit more of a broad understanding of what's happening, but overall it's not quite as exciting as Volume 3.

The characters are certainly becoming more developed as the Volumes go on and I feel like we know Tony and some of his friends and family pretty well by this point. I did like that we are always meeting new people and people with new talents because that keeps things a little fresh, and overall I think that it's really easy to follow who's who and who's talking.

Another solid instalment in this food-related and highly insane (but awesome) series. 4*s :)

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a casual reader of comics and have a vague interest in this story but haven't really started to read it, or if you've just stumbled across this by chance, stop reading this review and pick up the first volume, "Taster's Choice", trust me, I'm doing you a favour `cos I might just spill some spoilers in this review.

That's right, a new volume of the best damn original comics series going at the moment is out and that means one thing for a review about it - load up the superlatives! Fantastic storytelling, pitch perfect writing, gorgeous artwork, and an utterly compelling and wonderfully realised world in which these funny, clever, and downright brilliant stories take place in - that's the least I could say about "Chew".

Where last we left our heroes, mysterious flame writing had encircled Earth, we'd been introduced to Tony Chu's family, Mason Savoy was still on the loose, and the mystery of the gallsaberry was still unanswered. Well, not to give too much away but this isn't the volume that answers all of those questions. Really it teases out these storylines hinting at a larger, more intricate structure to follow in the future books.

Instead, we are introduced to a voresophic (you'll find out) with a massive secret, Tony Chu's daughter Olive witnesses a bizarre hostage taking at her high school, Tony and his sister Toni go to Area 51, Tony and John infiltrate a strange cult based around the flame writing in the sky, and a cover mission to China results in a callback for a brilliant character in past books making another appearance.

The stories are all great fun to read, not least because John Layman is a terrific writer who seems to be loving the writing of this series, each issue seems to have an energy and inventiveness to it that throws everything into the mix to create something volatile and interesting. Rob Guillory's art gets better with each book and "Flambe" is the best example of his work yet. His style is instantly recognisable but so natural, he flows from comedy to action to drama to mystery with ease. Kudos also for coming up with a genius way of laying out a phone conversation in comic panels, it's so simple yet I've never seen it done this way before.

The only bad thing I will say about this is that one book isn't enough, it just whets your appetite for the next book which will likely be out in 8-9 months time. And that's what sucks about discovering an amazing series like this while it's still being written - the waiting! If only I'd found this when it's done 9-10 books (as I'm sure it'll go) then I could've sat down for a sublime 10 course meal of these books. Oh well, at least I found it, and so did you if you're reading this! Another fantastic addition to this series, "Flambe" doesn't disappoint, read it, love it, great comic book, keep cooking them up guys!

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Invader Zim need to get on this. Foodies and the food-movement people need to get on this. Anyone who likes fun... needs to get on this. Like now.

If you don't know what Chew is, "it is a story about an FDA Agent who solves crimes by getting psychic impressions by eating things, including people."

Chew has been CONSISTENTLY the best graphic novel series I have read in the recent-times. Now, I love my Fables to bits and bits. And I love Rick Grimes and The Walking Dead. But, every so often... they can disappoint me: they can fall into ruts of boring redundancy (The Walking Dead - yes, yes, this terrible, gray zombie-infested hell, I know.); or, they can take a character that you love and stomp all over her with dog-poop shoes (Fables - I'm thinking of you, Snow White, and all those good storylines they took you out of so you could go be a mommy? yawn.).

But, Chew! It is laugh out loud funny. Every time. Chew has fabulous characterization. Chew has amazing artwork.
Just like Jhonen "Johnny" Vasquez of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee, and Nickolodeon's Invader Zim, John Layman hides easter-eggs-of-fun all over the place: the brand names, commercials, advertisements; the background characters; even the goddamn post-it notes. John Layman & Rob Guillory are truly fucking serious about being sillies. And I love it.

Why give Chew Volume 4: Flambe 5 stars, and not 4 like all the other Chew TPBs I've read this year? Because this was the clincher for me. This volume spoke to me, like so: "Srsly, Rhiannon? 4 Stars? Did you see all the goodies we put in just for you in this volume? C'Mon, unleash that 5th Star and stop stringing us along. You know you love us teh mostest."

Was it the Fringe references? Yes!


Was it the fact the Olive Chu and I have the same Threadless T-Shirt? Yes!


Was it the fact that this woman is reading Female Eyepatch Monthly? Yes!

(sorry these are phone pics!)

This series has
1. cannibalism
2. avian flu
3. The FDA, the USDA, NASA
4. chicken-frogs
5. space-fruit called Gallsberry
6. vampires
7. so much more than i can number here

The characters can:
1. take a bite from anything and get a psychic sensation of what's happened to that object
2. write about food so accurately that people get the sensation of taste when they read about it
3. communicate through (or translate written works like plays, poems and operas) their food
4. become smarter the more that they eat
5. control people through food

I mean, the storyline goes all over the place! But, the characters are just so great. Just read this. For reals.

[Sanemsrgz · Rating 5 out of 5]

(2.) Bu dördüncü sayıyı hayranlıkla okudum, çok orijinal ve yaratıcı olaylar içerdiğini düşünüyorum. Çizgi roman o kadar farklı yerlere gidiyor ki insan şaşırmaktan kendini alıkoyamıyor. Çok ilgi çekici bilgiler edindik ve sonu merak uyandırıcı bir şekilde bitti. Chew serisini okumaya devam edeceğimi söylememe bile gerek yok diye düşünüyorum :)

(1.)Yine her zamanki gibi güzel ve eğlenceli bir ciltti. Karakterleri baya özlemişim. Bu sayıda yine bize parça parça bilgiler sunulmuş, sanırsam yararlılıklarını okudukça öğreneceğiz. Bana göre aradan çok fazla zaman geçirmeden okunması gereken bir çizgi roman serisi. Çünkü bazı detayları unutmuşum.

[Grissel · Rating 2 out of 5]

-2.75-

El que menos me ha gustado hasta ahora. Me aburrió un poco. Y buscaba algo entretenido y rápido para el fin de semana, así que mejor volveré a mis lecturas.

Y qué pasa con las mujeres de USDA que todas tienen los atributos de Sofía Vergara. Si una mujer dibujara esto, ¿Todos los hombres tendrían los atributos de Michael Fassbender?

[Say · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha!!! Who would have thought but Colby and Antonelle was my favorite here. They stood out in this volume. This might be my favourite so far. Good storyline and the secondary characters just stood out in this one, not so much Tony but hey that's ok. Enjoying this one a lot. =)

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

What else can I say? Corpse-eating Tony continues to astound and surprise in this 4th installment of his stories. As always, the artwork is astounding and the narrative sound, the humor funny and irreverant. A joy to read!

[Sv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yine çok hoştu ama biraz hızlı mı gelişti her şey?

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the occasional flashes to futures and alternate futures with stuff like "This will never happen". Experimental storytelling for the sake of a good gag. Nice.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moves pretty quick - has it always been this smooth and action-y? I think so but I thought it took more time to get from start to finish of previous books. Subtle intrigues are sprinkled throughout, which means I'm anticipating some sinister payoff in the future.

I enjoyed it but something felt a little disjointed - going back and forth through timelines this much was new, and we're now trying to follow multiple underlying subplots that may or may not converge in some point in the readers' future. As a series of loosely-connected one-off stories this is fun, but there's a trail they're following - just too indistinct for me to see quite yet - so it's not really just a set of one-and-done stories for pure joy.

I sure liked (a) the cameo by my favourite sci-fi TV show and (b) the Mounties joke. And the USDA team was over-the-top ridiculous, exactly what I expect from this book.

Something about this volume just didn't "take" for me - like I was reading it mechanically, and even smiling once in a while, but didn't feel really enthusiastic while reading. (If this was how I encountered the *first* book instead of the fourth, I probably wouldn't be the fan I am today.) I don't know what the difference is because others seem just as jazzed about this one as usual - maybe I'm just getting a little burnt out on graphic novels in general.

One thing I am still just as jazzed about is Guillory's fantastically expressive art - especially facial expressions. He's not from the uber-realistic school of art, but he's darned amazing at conveying the tone and temperature of the room.

3 stars for script, 5 stars for art.

[Andrew✌️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the final twist of the previous volume, the story resumes with more investigations full of mistery for the the F.D.A agent Tony Chu. This fourth chapter seems to be a tribute to science fiction, although some clues had already occurred in previous issues. Between secrets, mysterious written in the sky and a cult of eggs ‘s worshipper, Tony Chu and his colleague Colby will investigate several cases apparently disconnected.

There is some difficulty in following the various episodes, although Tony and Colby's investigations, combined with those of Savoy and Valenzano, reveal details that should outline a clearer mystery of the underlying (though for now we are far from finding all the answers).

I'm not sure whether to consider Savoy an evil, in the end he wants to know the truth, though he is willing to do anything to get it. But I have to admit that his dialogues are a great example of creative writing.

There are also a lot of absurd situations for example a joint mission between FDA and USDa, with Tony, Colby and the busty girls of the USDA sent on a nearly suicidal mission, with Poyo as a secret weapon, to be used as the last resource. Also here, the scenes are made very good by a fantastic artwork.

Very nice is the episode where Tony makes team with his sister Antonelle "Toni" Chu, in a story that remembers an episode of the X-Files series, with an investigations in the Area 51.

Always a great series, though I hope to see a faster evolution of the story in the next numbers.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a lot happens in this volume, it's all set-up for future plot, I'm sure. I feel like I should be taking notes, because I'm going to forget a lot of this.

Extra points just for this line:

Feathers, rage and hate. Poyo!

A deadly food-fight breaks out in Olive's school.

We learn about more food-powers: a "voresoph" is super smart when he's eating (but does he have to eat greasy junk food? couldn't he chomp on celery sticks or something? And how does he stay so skinny ... until he's not?), and another guy, Peter Pilaf, who can somehow control people through food, although that doesn't get a label. He may or may not be involved with the problems on the NASA satellite and/or the flame-writing (probably not? but who knows!).

Tony & Toni go on a super secret mission together - so secret that Tony has no idea what they are doing. Turns out Toni is a cibopath too! But of course she is, they are twins.

Supposedly the secret of the flamey sky writing is revealed, but I'm still confused on that front.

Tony's boss still REALLY hates Tony. I hope this gets explained at some point.

Mason Savoy is ready to take his nefarious plans to the next level, and that vampire-dude is still up to no good.

[Jaqueline Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta série é realmente bem disposta, no meio de toda a sua maluqueira. O Poyo é uma personagem que ganhou imenso destaque e eu adoro as cenas em que ele aparece.
Se querem algo leve e divertido, com um humor mórbido e sarcástico, esta é a série a escolher.

[alittlelifeofmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really like these but anxious to see where it's headed. A lot of filler in the last 2 graphic novels.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so weird.

[3.5 stars]

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying both the comedic situations and quirky art so much that I keep reading the CHEW series, even though one or two volumes should be sufficient. I"m getting addicted to the wackiness and randomness of this title, where secondary characters keep plopping up in new scenarios. Volume 4 is the most episodic of the collections so far, and most of the individual components serve well as stand-alone stories.
What's in store this volume? . . . . .Less importance assigned to the global avian flu and the chicken prohibition, although the laws are still in effect but law enforcement efforts are being pooled elsewhere - - - now that there is some flaming calligraphy in the sky that no one can decipher. A message from aliens? Isn't Mother Cluckers a great name for a fast-food chicken franchise? . . now on the wane because of prohibition. Before, chief inspector Applebee was assigning Tony Chu to cases where he would have to use his special abilities and consume the worst foodstuffs imaginable. Now, he's just trying to assign Chu and partner Colby to missions that might kill them.

[Alex Sarll]

As with the late, lamented Exterminators, Chew initially looked like a series whose high concept, brilliant as it was, might not be enough to sustain a long run. And then it chucked in bonkers idea after brilliant idea, all of them somehow nonetheless maintaining a consistency of tone, and even a certain warped logic. And unlike The Exterminators, Chew is selling very well. I'm glad.

[Sanaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5 Stars] This series keeps getting weirder and weirder... I like it though this was probably my least favorite out of the series so far because we don't get much explanation for anything. The meandering plot keeps meandering (though it straights up a little in later volumes)!

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Eh, it was alright. Funny at times but the way its laid out feels a but disjointed. I don't think I ever really paid too much attention the art but I definitely have a newfound appreciation for it. I will be continuing on with the series, either way.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Argh! The cliffhangers in this series! These are fun reads, but always feel like I want a bit more from it. I did like the Sci-Fi angle in this one. Good series that I'll keep on reading.