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kristenbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Edit: 7.5/10
Right now, I think this is going to get 8/10, because I feel like it deserves a 4/5, but not much higher. Overall, a really interesting start to the series.
Right now, I think this is going to get 8/10, because I feel like it deserves a 4/5, but not much higher. Overall, a really interesting start to the series.
6pminhell's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jurassicreads's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like there were a few too many sub-plots that distracted from the coolest part of the book: he eats things and sees what happened to them! I'm going to continue with the series, but hopefully some of these things tie off quickly because I want a bit more focus on his abilities, not just how he's being exploited for them.
ihateprozac's review against another edition
5.0
I'm going to recap each issue and this may be spoileriffic and quite long, so feel free to skip the spoilers and go straight to my actual thoughts on the comic.
*****SPOILERY PLOT OVERVIEWS*****
Chapter 1: In the world of Chew, chicken has been outlawed after a bird flu epidemic kills millions. We're introduced to cops Tony Chu and John Colby as they stake out an illegal chicken restaurant. They're stopped in the midst of busting a known chicken dealer by a jolly bear of an FDA Agent called Mason Savoy. The dealer is an FDA informant and untouchable. Savoy gives them leave to partake in the chicken restaurant's wares.
Tony Chu happens to be a cibopath, getting psychic readings from whatever he eats. In this case he flashes onto the extracurricular activities of the cannibalistic serial killer chef, who spilled a few drops of blood in the soup. They try to take down the chef, with Colby taking a meat cleaver to the face. The killer takes his own life to avoid being arrested, but Tony has a good old nom on his corpse to get his victim's names. Chu is both commended and reprimanded by his boss, then recruited by Savoy to the Special Crimes Division of the FDA.
Chapter 2: Tony Chu and Mason Savoy are brought in to investigate after a severed finger is found in a McBeefy's burger. It belongs to missing health inspector Evan Pepper, and we learn that Savoy is also a cibopath. The McBeefy's manager bought some black market chicken which is linked to Sushi Ono, a restaurant that serves as a Yakuza front.
Chu is quickly found out when he's sent to investigate said restaurant, and Savoy takes down the Yakuza members with swords and ninja throwing stars. The chapter concludes with a Pulp Fiction Jules-esque character informing his boss of the situation, who puts a bounty on Chu's head. We're also introduced to Tony's love interest, and his boss Applebee who haaaaaaates him.
Chapter 3: In this issue we learn that cibopathy isn't the only ability in the Chew universe as we're introduced to Amelia Mintz, a saboscrivner. She can write about food in such a way that the reader can taste the food she's describing. Lately she's only been writing about unsanitary restaurants, consequently making the whole city sick. Applebee sends Tony Chu in to fire her, only to get caught up in a hostage situation with a radical anti-FDA group.
Amelia saves the day by making the radicals sick with her restaurant review from that morning. Tony falls in love with her, only for her to disappear with a tiny man with a mysterious fruit in a box. Chu spends the chapter telling "Colby" this at the hospital, only to find out he's been telling his life story to another bandaged patient.
Chapter 4: Chu and Savoy venture to the Arctic circle to investigate the death of a US Senator. There they find an observatory filled with drunken debauchery, instead of heavens-gazing (for the record, they're meant to be observing a habitable planet called Altilis-738). Several Russian prostitutes and their co-conspirator blow up the observatory, with one surviving and trudging off half-naked into the snow. She supposedly serves some "vampire" and we learn that Altilis actually exploded 24 years ago, but that visual has taken 24 light years to reach Earth.
Chapter 5: Chu and Savoy tag along on an FDA raid where Chu discovers his beat-up brother Chow (who used to be a famous chickyn chef before having an on-air meltdown). Chu is confronted by the guy who chopped off Evan Pepper's finger, with Savoy taking a bullet for Chu. Chu gets a reading off the blood from the scene and realises that Savoy actually killed Pepper. Savoy reveals that the bird flu epidemic was a hoax, and he's been using his position at the FDA to find the truth. They fight and Savoy leaves with Chu's ear to ensure he never tells anyone - if he does, Savoy will dine on the ear and learn all of Tony's secrets.
*****END SPOILERY PLOT OVERVIEW******
I like that Chew takes the piss, with Colby and Chu blatantly and respectively introduced as the loose cannon cop who plays it by ear, and the stickler for rules. There's also a scene where Colby says "lock and load baby" while cocking his gun, and Tony chides him for resembling a bad action movie. The writers know that these are somewhat stereotypical characters and make fun of that. Chew also manages to be funny without resorting to corny or OTT comedy. The comedy mostly lies in Chu's discomfort or Applebee's blatant torture and hatred of him. Chu's puppy love over Amelia was also quite cute and funny.
And how can I review Chew without mentioning the fucking awesome concepts that are cibopathy and being a saboscrivner?! I've read stories where characters glean the history of an object by touching it, but never by eating it. I'm fascinated by the whole beets-blocking-his-psychic-impressions thing, I hope this is investigated and explained in future issues. I love that these people have such cool abilities, but ultimately they're just used for awkward discomfort humour. This isn't some clean, spandex-ridden superhero-saving-the-world story, these "superheroes" save the world by making people vomit and ingesting severed fingers.
This comic is cute and funny, but don't for a second think that it's not gorey. Chew has its fair share of blood, vomit and putrefied body parts, yet somehow manages to remain lighthearted and funny. I'll compare it to the TV show Psych in this aspect - they're killing someone off each episode, but it's never disturbing and heavy like an episode of Law&Order: SVU.
When I review comics I usually have something to say about the artwork, but here there were no awkwardly large boob shots or moments where I thought "okay that was badly drawn, what the fuck just happened?" I also liked the way Tony was drawn. On the back page the artists reveal that they intended for Tony to be an non-stereotypical Asian-American, and I think they achieved this. I would never have guessed his ethnicity if it weren't for his surname. This is something I also appreciate with Nikita: the main character is Asian but this is not their defining characteristic.
The amount of detail is also amazing - if you pay attention to posters or books in the background, there are a number of funny little easter eggs. For example, the signs in McBeefy's say "Hiring.....again." and the nutritional value chart states "98% fat". The magazines and DVDs on the floor of the observatory are pr0nz, with titles like 'XXX Files' and 'Nasty Grannies'.
I also love that each character has a name vaguely related to food: Chu = Chew, Colby = cheese, Savoy = crackers or cabbage, Applebee = apples and the restaurant chain, Amelia Mintz = mints, Evan Pepper and so on. And this is such a minor thing, but I also like the speech bubbles used for sarcastic or scathing statements. They look like they're literally "dripping" with sarcasm. I only had one gripe in terms of artwork or dialogue, and this was the Russian translations. They were located at the back of the book and it was annoying to flip back and forth. I know this has been remedied for future issues though, so I guess it was a response to other peoples' criticism!
I wasn't surprised when I found out Chew is being adapted by Showtime, as it lends itself well to the TV medium. Each chapter has a prologue that sets the scene for the case Chu will be investigating. Prominent characters like Chu, Amelia and Evan Pepper are introduced by a "voiceover", and Chu's visions lend themselves well to be flashbacks. Each chapter feels long enough to be a standalone episode, and they all conclude on cliffhangers. I just hope they manage to capture the discomfort humour and that the American audience "gets it". I would hate to see it cancelled before it even gets off the ground!
Overall: If you're a fan of discomfort humour much like The Guild and can stomach a bit of gore, you may love Chew. If you're jaded by procedural cop shows and want something truly original, you may love Chew. If you're just fascinated by superhuman abilities in general, you may love Chew. Chew manages to combine gore, awkwardness, murder and superhuman powers and actually manages to make it work.
*****SPOILERY PLOT OVERVIEWS*****
Chapter 1: In the world of Chew, chicken has been outlawed after a bird flu epidemic kills millions. We're introduced to cops Tony Chu and John Colby as they stake out an illegal chicken restaurant. They're stopped in the midst of busting a known chicken dealer by a jolly bear of an FDA Agent called Mason Savoy. The dealer is an FDA informant and untouchable. Savoy gives them leave to partake in the chicken restaurant's wares.
Tony Chu happens to be a cibopath, getting psychic readings from whatever he eats. In this case he flashes onto the extracurricular activities of the cannibalistic serial killer chef, who spilled a few drops of blood in the soup. They try to take down the chef, with Colby taking a meat cleaver to the face. The killer takes his own life to avoid being arrested, but Tony has a good old nom on his corpse to get his victim's names. Chu is both commended and reprimanded by his boss, then recruited by Savoy to the Special Crimes Division of the FDA.
Chapter 2: Tony Chu and Mason Savoy are brought in to investigate after a severed finger is found in a McBeefy's burger. It belongs to missing health inspector Evan Pepper, and we learn that Savoy is also a cibopath. The McBeefy's manager bought some black market chicken which is linked to Sushi Ono, a restaurant that serves as a Yakuza front.
Chu is quickly found out when he's sent to investigate said restaurant, and Savoy takes down the Yakuza members with swords and ninja throwing stars. The chapter concludes with a Pulp Fiction Jules-esque character informing his boss of the situation, who puts a bounty on Chu's head. We're also introduced to Tony's love interest, and his boss Applebee who haaaaaaates him.
Chapter 3: In this issue we learn that cibopathy isn't the only ability in the Chew universe as we're introduced to Amelia Mintz, a saboscrivner. She can write about food in such a way that the reader can taste the food she's describing. Lately she's only been writing about unsanitary restaurants, consequently making the whole city sick. Applebee sends Tony Chu in to fire her, only to get caught up in a hostage situation with a radical anti-FDA group.
Amelia saves the day by making the radicals sick with her restaurant review from that morning. Tony falls in love with her, only for her to disappear with a tiny man with a mysterious fruit in a box. Chu spends the chapter telling "Colby" this at the hospital, only to find out he's been telling his life story to another bandaged patient.
Chapter 4: Chu and Savoy venture to the Arctic circle to investigate the death of a US Senator. There they find an observatory filled with drunken debauchery, instead of heavens-gazing (for the record, they're meant to be observing a habitable planet called Altilis-738). Several Russian prostitutes and their co-conspirator blow up the observatory, with one surviving and trudging off half-naked into the snow. She supposedly serves some "vampire" and we learn that Altilis actually exploded 24 years ago, but that visual has taken 24 light years to reach Earth.
Chapter 5: Chu and Savoy tag along on an FDA raid where Chu discovers his beat-up brother Chow (who used to be a famous chickyn chef before having an on-air meltdown). Chu is confronted by the guy who chopped off Evan Pepper's finger, with Savoy taking a bullet for Chu. Chu gets a reading off the blood from the scene and realises that Savoy actually killed Pepper. Savoy reveals that the bird flu epidemic was a hoax, and he's been using his position at the FDA to find the truth. They fight and Savoy leaves with Chu's ear to ensure he never tells anyone - if he does, Savoy will dine on the ear and learn all of Tony's secrets.
*****END SPOILERY PLOT OVERVIEW******
I like that Chew takes the piss, with Colby and Chu blatantly and respectively introduced as the loose cannon cop who plays it by ear, and the stickler for rules. There's also a scene where Colby says "lock and load baby" while cocking his gun, and Tony chides him for resembling a bad action movie. The writers know that these are somewhat stereotypical characters and make fun of that. Chew also manages to be funny without resorting to corny or OTT comedy. The comedy mostly lies in Chu's discomfort or Applebee's blatant torture and hatred of him. Chu's puppy love over Amelia was also quite cute and funny.
And how can I review Chew without mentioning the fucking awesome concepts that are cibopathy and being a saboscrivner?! I've read stories where characters glean the history of an object by touching it, but never by eating it. I'm fascinated by the whole beets-blocking-his-psychic-impressions thing, I hope this is investigated and explained in future issues. I love that these people have such cool abilities, but ultimately they're just used for awkward discomfort humour. This isn't some clean, spandex-ridden superhero-saving-the-world story, these "superheroes" save the world by making people vomit and ingesting severed fingers.
This comic is cute and funny, but don't for a second think that it's not gorey. Chew has its fair share of blood, vomit and putrefied body parts, yet somehow manages to remain lighthearted and funny. I'll compare it to the TV show Psych in this aspect - they're killing someone off each episode, but it's never disturbing and heavy like an episode of Law&Order: SVU.
When I review comics I usually have something to say about the artwork, but here there were no awkwardly large boob shots or moments where I thought "okay that was badly drawn, what the fuck just happened?" I also liked the way Tony was drawn. On the back page the artists reveal that they intended for Tony to be an non-stereotypical Asian-American, and I think they achieved this. I would never have guessed his ethnicity if it weren't for his surname. This is something I also appreciate with Nikita: the main character is Asian but this is not their defining characteristic.
The amount of detail is also amazing - if you pay attention to posters or books in the background, there are a number of funny little easter eggs. For example, the signs in McBeefy's say "Hiring.....again." and the nutritional value chart states "98% fat". The magazines and DVDs on the floor of the observatory are pr0nz, with titles like 'XXX Files' and 'Nasty Grannies'.
I also love that each character has a name vaguely related to food: Chu = Chew, Colby = cheese, Savoy = crackers or cabbage, Applebee = apples and the restaurant chain, Amelia Mintz = mints, Evan Pepper and so on. And this is such a minor thing, but I also like the speech bubbles used for sarcastic or scathing statements. They look like they're literally "dripping" with sarcasm. I only had one gripe in terms of artwork or dialogue, and this was the Russian translations. They were located at the back of the book and it was annoying to flip back and forth. I know this has been remedied for future issues though, so I guess it was a response to other peoples' criticism!
I wasn't surprised when I found out Chew is being adapted by Showtime, as it lends itself well to the TV medium. Each chapter has a prologue that sets the scene for the case Chu will be investigating. Prominent characters like Chu, Amelia and Evan Pepper are introduced by a "voiceover", and Chu's visions lend themselves well to be flashbacks. Each chapter feels long enough to be a standalone episode, and they all conclude on cliffhangers. I just hope they manage to capture the discomfort humour and that the American audience "gets it". I would hate to see it cancelled before it even gets off the ground!
Overall: If you're a fan of discomfort humour much like The Guild and can stomach a bit of gore, you may love Chew. If you're jaded by procedural cop shows and want something truly original, you may love Chew. If you're just fascinated by superhuman abilities in general, you may love Chew. Chew manages to combine gore, awkwardness, murder and superhuman powers and actually manages to make it work.
garliclimewithhoney's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alisonwhitam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
owlwise67's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really liked it.
It's such a bizarre and strange concept, the idea that you can eat something and know everything it/them. Adding the procedural element gives it a nice, familiar structure that balances out the unusual nature of the plot.
It's such a bizarre and strange concept, the idea that you can eat something and know everything it/them. Adding the procedural element gives it a nice, familiar structure that balances out the unusual nature of the plot.
zchaira's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Way too much gross/vomit humor. It's an interesting start to a super quirky series but a reader has to have a stronger stomach than I have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Cannibalism
pmileham's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Minor: Cannibalism