Written by Guest Contributor: Jordan North If I had a quarter for every time a man was beaten to death with a carrot in a comic book... I’d have one quarter, and that makes me very sad. Chew finds a way to show me things I didn’t even know I wanted to see, but I really, really do.
Tying up the "Bad Apples" storyline Chew #35 follows an ever more kickass Tony Chu as he subjects all sorts of criminals to all sorts of hilarious violence and pursues the looming threat of The Vampire who he always seems to be one step behind. Men die and cyborgs sleep with old people as the stakes and the mystery of events surrounding our beloved Agent Chu escalate.
Oh and did I mention Tony’s daughter wears a Lying Cat shirt in this issue? And not just like they kind of drew Lying Cat so you get what they’re going for, no, this is the real deal, s'got the Brian K. Vaughan/Fionna Staples stamp of approval right on the title page. Chew, it’s like you read my diary or something.
This issue is a fun one that really just tries to make sure we have a good time (which this book has never executed any less than flawlessly) and makes sure some big plot points get tied up and then goes ahead and raises a few new questions while it’s at it.
Savoy finally gets caught in a satisfying turn where Chu’s partner Colby, whose been in cahoots with the villain for some time now, decides to do what’s right and cracks that bastard over the back of the head. Serves him right for wearing a twerk'in hat, about which all hip, young people know that the cut off age for wearing is 25. The Vampire continues to build his already impressive set of abilities by consuming the skills of various persons trained in combat and Tony does his part to reconcile with his daughter (who, let’s be honest, if her judgement was good enough in the first place to purchase a Lying Cat shirt she’s probably pretty well off without her old cannibal pops hanging around). Our agent is confronted in some weird eating-other-guys-bodies super-power induced hologram by the high priestess of the Divinity of the Immaculate Ova, who tells him he’s destined to be a chicken centric Neo spinoff. Oh, and maybe Tony`s sister is still alive! Hoorah for big toes! (Just read the issue)
If you’ve followed my reviews (admit it you all do) then you’ll know my opinion on the art in this series. I think Rob Guillory is one of the best out there. Period. He seems to have a masterful understanding of his craft and the art of cartooning in general, managing to draw character’s faces, bodies and the environments in a way that consistently has you thinking, “man, I seriously can think of a way that could’ve been done better.” I’m impressed every time. The colors and the style make the perfect companion for the writing so much so that I really couldn’t imagine this thing handled by any other two guys.
Another thing that keeps me so turned on to these books is the humor. It’s all great, it’s all ridiculous and dumb and it has to be produced by some goofy S.O.Bs. I feel a particular connection to these stories for that reason. The note left under the phone on Agent Colby’s desk by one (because there are two) of his elderly lovers, “Colby, I heart you in a totally gross kind of way.” the Fidel Cancero Cuban cigar box. All this stuff is shit I get drunk and talk about in my friend’s basement while watching Regular Show reruns. Say that about another comic on the shelf.
Score: 5/5
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 7/10/13