A dead [SPOILER] and a new partner.
After the events of the last story arc, John might have a plan to help Tony take down the Collector once and for all! However, Tony is distancing himself from his old friend and is now working with newly appointed F.D.A. agent, D-Bear! (*note: For those avoiding spoilers, all you need to know is that crazy things happen in this issue!)
The prior story arc and the last two issues were pretty darn crazy! From Savoy and company trying to take down the Collector, then being hospitalized, to John Colby killing Poyo, things certainly have gone from bad-to-worse! This issue does a good job at focusing on sort of the after-- aftermath of the last issue. With a majority of the main characters now hospitalized, the series, or story, is focusing up more on Tony as he deals with the recent events as well as going amongst his day-to-day routine at his job. Which, to summarize, is really interesting. Though the case that Tony and D-Bear worked on wasn't all that spectacular (seeing two new food powers was the most interesting part of the case), seeing Tony do his job is cool, but you can tell from the artwork (by the amazing Rob Guilory) that he's irked by the recent events. And that goes hand-in-hand with the writing. Tony will look angry because of his daughter being nearly killed, and writer John Layman will have little things in this issue that'll set off Tony. Tony is usually a cool-headed character, however if a personal issue arises, he's always quick to snap. So seeing that in this issue was a good start to this new story arc.
Finally, John and the death, or killing, of Poyo the chicken! With John having killed Poyo in the last issue, things are becoming clear as to Why? John did what he did. Which obviously was to give his friend the edge he'd need to fight the Collector! With all of Poyo's kick-butt skills, the Collector would stand no chance when fighting Tony. However, obviously, Tony isn't going to hear anything that John has to say. Ultimately, with the issue ending with John throwing out Poyo's body! What will happen to Poyo? Is he part of the plan that Toni told Tony on how to defeat Poyo? Only John Layman knows. However, I am troubled as to Why? exactly it's still a secret. Sure, it's more than likely for building suspense, but there are more-and-more story elements that get thrown into the plot that make me question as to What? exactly will be going on WHEN Tony begins to activate his masterplan he got from his sister. Hopefully, when Layman gets around to finally dealing with the elephant in the room it all makes sense in the end, but right now it's just getting really confusing!
In conclusion, with only 14 issues left in the series, jumping on the chu CHEW train ;) is the smartest move you could make in your comic book life! 4 out of 5.