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Chew Omnivore Edition #6
Chew: The Omnivore Edition, Vol. 6
The final story arc of Tony Chu, the cibopathic federal agent with the ability to get psychic impressions from what he eats. Mysteries are solved, secrets are reveals and lives are lost. Many, many lives. This is the end of the line for the New York Times Best Selling, Harvey and multiple Eisner Award-winner series about cops, crooks, cooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants.
This gorgeous oversized edition collects the eleven and twelfth storylines of the New York Times Best Selling, Harvey and multiple Eisner Award series, as well as DEMON CHICKEN POYO, CHEW/REVIVAL and REVIVAL/CHEW.
This gorgeous oversized edition collects the eleven and twelfth storylines of the New York Times Best Selling, Harvey and multiple Eisner Award series, as well as DEMON CHICKEN POYO, CHEW/REVIVAL and REVIVAL/CHEW.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published November 23, 2016
5 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
John Layman
806 books583 followersJohn 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 - 30 of 41 reviews
March 10, 2021
I love this series but I feel like this volume could of been combined as just one volume. I feel like they should remove those Revival issues. I didn't care about those issues and it didn't do anything for the story. The best part of this volume is how great the characters were developed. I still love this series and will continue to keep it on my shelf.
February 20, 2020
It's not usually fair to review a series based on what it isn't, but in the end, the giant overarching arc of this series never really feels like it hung together. It's too over the top, too goofy, and yet in many ways, too earnest and desperate to be taken seriously. Or if not seriously, then at least emotionally legitimate. But it's never emotionally legitimate. It's too absurd and regularly built around moments of psychadelic weirdness or cartoonish bufoonery. Which isn't inherently bad, but I'm not going to mourn the death of a major character if the next page is a cutaway featuring a rooster fighting Godzilla.
I liked this book better when it felt like food-based X-Files. I liked it less when it was Space Jam with cannibalism.
I liked this book better when it felt like food-based X-Files. I liked it less when it was Space Jam with cannibalism.
July 6, 2017
Ended Chew, a comic i have been reading for years. Not a bad last book at all, but a little strange ending. Endings are hard , especially for comics that run for multiple years, like Y the last man, or DMZ, all books that i loved and are very high on my all time favorites list, but all have a not to satisfying ending in my opinion... But dont hold that againts you to check this series out, i guess i am just a little send that i ended it...🙄
July 9, 2017
I reread the whole series again ahead of this last omnivore edition and it's still amazing. A tremendous achievement in daffy world building where the characters have weight despite the craziness and the deaths are meaningful despite their ubiquity. Uncompromising up until the final frame, Chew is one of the greats.
May 27, 2019
I was kind of disappointed by this ending. I know they’ve planned it this way since the beginning, but it felt like there was a lot of build up for an ending that seemed abrupt and anticlimactic. Overall, loved the series with its fascinating world, colorful characters, and distinct art style, but wished for an ending that felt more complete. Instead, I’m left wanting something more.
August 27, 2021
The worst Poyo story yet and the weak conclusion for 'signs in the sky' arc. All the characters do stupid stuff here that they doesn't have any reason to do (yeah, it more jarring than the final season of Game of Thrones). So the series just ends after it overstayed its welcome for at least 20 issues.
May 14, 2020
Some of my plot-related qualms still remain(see review for vol.5) but ultimately, it was a very fun read.
March 25, 2020
I've been wanting to read the last ten issues of true since they dropped, but my love of the series made me want to re-read the whole thing start to finish to see how it all holds together. Hence the now.
Unfortunately, this didn't really end up doing what I needed it to do.
I'm not exactly sure... why. Like... I understand why it got to where it was going, but as the story got closer and closer to the end it was clear that Layman's interest and love of the book was not where my interests and love were. Part of that is down to Poyo being a major factor (the backup material features pages and pages of guest art of Poyo) when it's clear that was something Layman found around issue ten and kept getting more and more obsessed with... Not that Poyo's a problem, simply a symptom of the larger issue of Layman following his proclivities.
All of this is to dance around the main problem here, which is that... this felt way more bitter than the bittersweet I think he wanted it to be. Based on what the end of the "Big Bad" is, there's a hell of a cost to solve the big thing that Chew needs to save the world from. The problem is, the cost, at a certain point, feels overly sadistic.
This is a problem I feel like I see a lot, where people take the "torture your heroes" axiom to an absolute extreme in order to push the main character to the utter brink. And sure, to get to where Tony Chu in the final issue (indeed on the final page) was going to take some serious trauma, but the pounding pounding pounding of it through this last ten issues still felt excessive. Needless.
It's also... I understand that Layman had the ending for the series, that last image, in his head from at least the point where he drunkenly pitched it to Rob Guillory*, but it's a great case of like... just because you know what a final image is doesn't mean that it's a good ending, or that it means anything except "oh shit". There's a difference between a gloriously ambiguous ending (Inception) and an ending that isn't really an ending (here). An ending that leaves me going "oh!" and then "okay..." and then wondering what happens next isn't really an ending so much as it is a cut-off mid-sneeze. And knowing like... the stakes of what Layman laid out here to get Tony to his emotional and psychological state going into the ending... It is a foolish ending, not nearly the impact that I think Layman wanted.
(Don't get me wrong, the reveal of that punchline of what it is that caused all of this is hilarious...)
And it reflects poorly on Chu. I know that Chu has had anger issues throughout the entire series, but I don't know why I care that it ends where it does. The only reason Tony is there is because Layman tortured the shit out of him for the last ten issues, which is just a great case of God being an asshole and then his pride-and-joy being rightly pissed off because of all the needless torture that character suffered.
It's a bummer that this book stumbled this hard at the finish line, and it leaves such a bad taste in my mouth because endings are both difficult and important. I'll always love those that 40 issues of this series, but as for wanting to read it again... The journey is important, but the destination has to at least be something you want to look forward to. If it isn't, then it makes you look at the journey, no matter how good and diverting and wonderful, as a more or less waste of your time.
*Who is still fantastic. For all of the issues I've been having with this ending, Guillory is really a fantastic find and we're blessed that this series gave him a massive kickstart to his career. I've always loved his art and would definitely be interested to read other things he's attached to just so I can see all that wacky. Love Guillory. Love love love.
Unfortunately, this didn't really end up doing what I needed it to do.
I'm not exactly sure... why. Like... I understand why it got to where it was going, but as the story got closer and closer to the end it was clear that Layman's interest and love of the book was not where my interests and love were. Part of that is down to Poyo being a major factor (the backup material features pages and pages of guest art of Poyo) when it's clear that was something Layman found around issue ten and kept getting more and more obsessed with... Not that Poyo's a problem, simply a symptom of the larger issue of Layman following his proclivities.
All of this is to dance around the main problem here, which is that... this felt way more bitter than the bittersweet I think he wanted it to be. Based on what the end of the "Big Bad" is, there's a hell of a cost to solve the big thing that Chew needs to save the world from. The problem is, the cost, at a certain point, feels overly sadistic.
This is a problem I feel like I see a lot, where people take the "torture your heroes" axiom to an absolute extreme in order to push the main character to the utter brink. And sure, to get to where Tony Chu in the final issue (indeed on the final page) was going to take some serious trauma, but the pounding pounding pounding of it through this last ten issues still felt excessive. Needless.
It's also... I understand that Layman had the ending for the series, that last image, in his head from at least the point where he drunkenly pitched it to Rob Guillory*, but it's a great case of like... just because you know what a final image is doesn't mean that it's a good ending, or that it means anything except "oh shit". There's a difference between a gloriously ambiguous ending (Inception) and an ending that isn't really an ending (here). An ending that leaves me going "oh!" and then "okay..." and then wondering what happens next isn't really an ending so much as it is a cut-off mid-sneeze. And knowing like... the stakes of what Layman laid out here to get Tony to his emotional and psychological state going into the ending... It is a foolish ending, not nearly the impact that I think Layman wanted.
(Don't get me wrong, the reveal of that punchline of what it is that caused all of this is hilarious...)
And it reflects poorly on Chu. I know that Chu has had anger issues throughout the entire series, but I don't know why I care that it ends where it does. The only reason Tony is there is because Layman tortured the shit out of him for the last ten issues, which is just a great case of God being an asshole and then his pride-and-joy being rightly pissed off because of all the needless torture that character suffered.
It's a bummer that this book stumbled this hard at the finish line, and it leaves such a bad taste in my mouth because endings are both difficult and important. I'll always love those that 40 issues of this series, but as for wanting to read it again... The journey is important, but the destination has to at least be something you want to look forward to. If it isn't, then it makes you look at the journey, no matter how good and diverting and wonderful, as a more or less waste of your time.
*Who is still fantastic. For all of the issues I've been having with this ending, Guillory is really a fantastic find and we're blessed that this series gave him a massive kickstart to his career. I've always loved his art and would definitely be interested to read other things he's attached to just so I can see all that wacky. Love Guillory. Love love love.
June 11, 2023
(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
A little bit of a mixed bag to end this one. The ending itself, when it was all said and done, was rather poignant, if a little overly complicated. I had come to resent ever so slightly the continual introduction and overuse of the culinary powers. People popping up left and right with new and increasingly ridiculous powers to assist the narrative at the time. The quirky little comic about a strangely gifted detective had grown increasingly absurd the longer it went along. It's just that its crimes didn't outweigh its charms. It didn't here either, though it pushed its luck on more than one occasion.
The double issue Revival crossover was utterly unnecessary, and despite being entirely skippable within the story, and included for completists, I still couldn't help but feel it tarnished the ending somewhat. Likewise the Poyo one shot. Again, entirely skippable, but scuppering the read regardless. I may be one of the few people who doesn't give a rat's hat about this chicken. Though the greatest offender here is the final issue. You can kinda tell the creative teams reluctance to count it as the story proper, with the conclusion at the end of issue 59 claiming 'Chew End'. And this is absolutely where it should have been left. The final issue reeks of overstaying your welcome, overplaying your hand just that wee bit too much, yet it costs you dearly all the same. One final "and stupid' look at the remains of these characters decades later, completely undoing the emotional thrust of the true final issue, #59.
I'd be interested to know what its reception was like on its actual release in singles all those years ago. I'd like to think people would have been pissed at it, but I suppose it's all done and dusted now. This consistently enjoyable series is over. It's ending, a mixed bag. mostly good. Sometimes awful, occasionally great. It was my least favourite of the deluxe editions, although I'll still leave this series with fond memories. But it will be a cold day in hell before I read issue 60 again. God only knows what they were thinking with that one. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
A little bit of a mixed bag to end this one. The ending itself, when it was all said and done, was rather poignant, if a little overly complicated. I had come to resent ever so slightly the continual introduction and overuse of the culinary powers. People popping up left and right with new and increasingly ridiculous powers to assist the narrative at the time. The quirky little comic about a strangely gifted detective had grown increasingly absurd the longer it went along. It's just that its crimes didn't outweigh its charms. It didn't here either, though it pushed its luck on more than one occasion.
The double issue Revival crossover was utterly unnecessary, and despite being entirely skippable within the story, and included for completists, I still couldn't help but feel it tarnished the ending somewhat. Likewise the Poyo one shot. Again, entirely skippable, but scuppering the read regardless. I may be one of the few people who doesn't give a rat's hat about this chicken. Though the greatest offender here is the final issue. You can kinda tell the creative teams reluctance to count it as the story proper, with the conclusion at the end of issue 59 claiming 'Chew End'. And this is absolutely where it should have been left. The final issue reeks of overstaying your welcome, overplaying your hand just that wee bit too much, yet it costs you dearly all the same. One final "and stupid' look at the remains of these characters decades later, completely undoing the emotional thrust of the true final issue, #59.
I'd be interested to know what its reception was like on its actual release in singles all those years ago. I'd like to think people would have been pissed at it, but I suppose it's all done and dusted now. This consistently enjoyable series is over. It's ending, a mixed bag. mostly good. Sometimes awful, occasionally great. It was my least favourite of the deluxe editions, although I'll still leave this series with fond memories. But it will be a cold day in hell before I read issue 60 again. God only knows what they were thinking with that one. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
January 11, 2021
So Chew is done for me. I'm a little sad, but it had done it's dash and it couldn't really go on any further. This final volume collates The Last Suppers and Sour Grapes, which deal with the fallout from the death of the Collector and switch focus to the remaining story arcs- the mysterious fire writing in the sky, gallsaberries and the avian flu. These plot lines, which had faded into the background a little while the story followed Tony Chu's rivalry with The Collector, come to a satisfying resolution. Included with the main body of work are two one-shots- a Poyo adventure, of sorts, and a Revival flipbook.
As always, the artwork impeccably complements the writing to create a humorous yet emotionally charged atmosphere. It's another really strong work. However, the epilogue chapter was a little disappointing. Although it was nice to check in with our key characters many years after the main events of the story, the events described therein are a little cheesy.
I'm going to miss these guys and will surely check in with them again some time in the future.
As always, the artwork impeccably complements the writing to create a humorous yet emotionally charged atmosphere. It's another really strong work. However, the epilogue chapter was a little disappointing. Although it was nice to check in with our key characters many years after the main events of the story, the events described therein are a little cheesy.
I'm going to miss these guys and will surely check in with them again some time in the future.
July 28, 2017
Ok, got the superhero stuff out of my system, I figured I get back to my favorite cannibal! Chew Omnivore Edition Vol.6!!! The final book to this human eating, weird fire sky writing, anti-poultry epic! After defeating the Vampire, Tony Chu now has to figure out what caused the writing in the sky that apeared before, and what it would mean to Earth. After some loooooong lectures from Mason, he finally figures it out, but in order to save the world, it would still entail a shit ton of deaths. Sacrifices must be made, but for what? Or, to better phrase the question, for whom? Meanwhile, in the near future, Olive is an agent for the FDA, with an immortal partner, and deals with more food-related crimes. As the world prepares for the arrival of an extraterrestrial being, what is Tony planning?
Albeit weird, this book brought the wonderful series to an awesome end! I do hope Layman and Guillory team up again for a crazy story. I'll be watching out for these two!
Albeit weird, this book brought the wonderful series to an awesome end! I do hope Layman and Guillory team up again for a crazy story. I'll be watching out for these two!
November 6, 2018
So. The main story about the Cibopath Agent Chu in the FDA after the chicken apocalypse is brilliantly absurd and super fun! Main characters are well written and the plot line is more or less in constant development.
Sadly the series as a whole is somewhat difficult to read due to psychedelic trips into nonsense.
The first 40ish isues of Chew are just excellent ranging from 4 to 5 stars - but around vol 8 the absurdist side stories about devilish cyberneticly enhanced fda animal agents takes the series a bit of a detour towards unreadable - maybe if you kick some of those psychedelic chogs you’d be able to keep up but alas - I didn’t have any available. Vol 11 / issues 49-55 remedy the nonsensical a bit and land on 3 stars but the last 10 issues are also marred with sporadic detours away from the center story about Agent Chu into Hell ect and land on 2 stars.
Sadly the series as a whole is somewhat difficult to read due to psychedelic trips into nonsense.
The first 40ish isues of Chew are just excellent ranging from 4 to 5 stars - but around vol 8 the absurdist side stories about devilish cyberneticly enhanced fda animal agents takes the series a bit of a detour towards unreadable - maybe if you kick some of those psychedelic chogs you’d be able to keep up but alas - I didn’t have any available. Vol 11 / issues 49-55 remedy the nonsensical a bit and land on 3 stars but the last 10 issues are also marred with sporadic detours away from the center story about Agent Chu into Hell ect and land on 2 stars.
August 12, 2019
Wow, Chew comes roaring back with a blood and beet-soaked, absolutely stupendous finale, in which all the sekrits, NASA conspiracies, and intergalactic plots are revealed, and global disaster is averted (but not without horrific price). Poor Tony, the FDA agent who always does the right thing, even amidst the heaping abuse author Layman throws at him, finally gets his revenge on the last pane. Now that's a way to end a series!
Again, the Omnivore Edition contains some nice bonuses, including a Demon Chicken Poyo!!! special issue (feat. Dick Cheney in hell!) and a crossover double-issue with the talented team behind the Revival comic.
Five outta five gallsaberries. I fell in love with this story and the over-the-top artwork, even if I had to learn early on not to read it after eating. :)
Again, the Omnivore Edition contains some nice bonuses, including a Demon Chicken Poyo!!! special issue (feat. Dick Cheney in hell!) and a crossover double-issue with the talented team behind the Revival comic.
Five outta five gallsaberries. I fell in love with this story and the over-the-top artwork, even if I had to learn early on not to read it after eating. :)
June 24, 2024
After giving us 60 issues that were this smart, this funny, this consistent, and this good, it's the kind of ending that Chew deserves. It is a strong ending to a fantastic series...the pages where Tony re-lives moments from the whole series, his whole life, are amazing. Its bittersweet to see any comic book series end, as it means we can no longer live in that particular story or world. By the time I reached the very last page, I was stunned and applauded once I processed it. Chew nails down a little bit of everything: action, moments of sadness, and humor with a conclusion that easily stands on its own as a few major loose ends are tied up. All good things must come to an end at some point in life. Layman and Guillory deserve to take a bow for one hell of a great series. Do yourself a favor pick it up, this is a great series to indulge in.
June 18, 2018
This is where it all ends, the fire-writing in the sky the chicken plague, the food-based powers, the battle of wills between Chu and Savoy, the good the bad the ugly and my God that final page. Extraordinary stuff, though there's a lot of filler here, a Poyo special and the Revival crossover. Not everything is tied up, but Chew has always been a chaotic narrative full of sprawling messiness that refelcts the character's lives and the world it's set in. Great read, though. Top notch comics.
July 1, 2017
An odd ending to what has been a roller coaster of a series. I found this volume almost felt unnecessary compared to the ending of the last volume. It felt at times like John Layman was stretching out an already thin premise for the sake of one more issue. Some loose ends are resolved others are not. Glad this series is finally over but I will miss the fantastic art!
July 7, 2017
And that was it for the Chewwww... What a journey.
Even though it had its ups and downs (like everything that stretches over so many years) it left me with such a good impression that i gladly put this on my all time favorite comics list. It's unique, strange and hilarious... Elements that are so much needed in the comic book industry right now.
Even though it had its ups and downs (like everything that stretches over so many years) it left me with such a good impression that i gladly put this on my all time favorite comics list. It's unique, strange and hilarious... Elements that are so much needed in the comic book industry right now.
July 9, 2017
Something happened here, we had more of everything, and that's not always good.
Chew is a crazy and messy throughout it's run, but the climax give us more and more of craziness, and it didn't work for me.
It was somewhat enjoyable, but as an ending for a very good series it was lacking.
Such a shame
Chew is a crazy and messy throughout it's run, but the climax give us more and more of craziness, and it didn't work for me.
It was somewhat enjoyable, but as an ending for a very good series it was lacking.
Such a shame
May 27, 2019
I could even got 4.5 stars on this one. The final volume (and thank you Layman for a series that doesn't just go on forever or until it is no longer profitable) does not disappoint. Sure, I'm annoyed personally because of one or two things that happened, but I also realized that those things really had to happen to make this as satisfying as it was.
November 15, 2018
I felt like this series lost steam as it went on. My favorite book was definitely the first one, but then the story got a bit too unnecessarily strange. I enjoyed the journey, but it was somewhat of a slog. Liked the last couple of frames.
January 31, 2022
What an ending!!
The afterword says the author knew how he wanted it to end from the very beginning!
What a fun, wild ride it's been.
I've been told there's a spin-off with Olive, so I'll be looking for those.
In this, I especially adored Amelia's and Colby's choices.
The afterword says the author knew how he wanted it to end from the very beginning!
What a fun, wild ride it's been.
I've been told there's a spin-off with Olive, so I'll be looking for those.
In this, I especially adored Amelia's and Colby's choices.
April 10, 2022
What a whacky and wild ride this series has been. The final volume wraps things up nicely and is a fitting end to what came before it. Revelations are made and events that transpired finally begin to make sense.
June 19, 2025
I think this final volume will be quite divisive as there's a big sudden tone shift, and then it just ends. I have had a great time overall with the cast of Chew and would still recommend this series overall.
May 13, 2017
Excellent end to one of my favorite comic series. Compelled a re-read as soon as I finished.
July 28, 2017
...Not a great ending to an otherwise great comic.
November 3, 2017
I waited a long time to finally read this. Great ending to a great comic.
November 13, 2017
Great ending to tony chew...good read
December 30, 2017
What a series! What an ending!
January 24, 2018
Chicken is doom...and doomed!!
March 8, 2018
Wow great ending for a great series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews