The Good
Titles that are ultimately comedic in tone are difficult to pull off in almost any medium. There’s a reason almost no comedies have ever won Oscars and why Douglas Adams is thought of with such universally high regard: comedy’s tough. Comedy with real stakes and dramatic storytelling is tougher. Too much in any one direction and you cancel out the other. This issue of CHEW is one of the most heart-wrenching (and gut-wrenching and for THIS title, that’s saying something) in the series so far. And while it leans more toward the dramatic, John Layman knows what brought him here and doesn’t forget to pepper some humor throughout. The USDA’s assault on the cibopathic vampire’s compound goes about as badly as it could possibly go and without spoiling anything, the cast of characters undergoes a massive, sudden change. Layman is able to juxtapose these moments with some of genuine humor and somehow the whiplash effect actually works in its favor. Partially because the violence is so over-the-top that it’s hard to take entirely seriously, though because the characters are so well established and beloved, the results of that ultraviolence still have tremendous punch. Also: we finally learn what can stop Poyo.
Rob Guillory handles the art from top to bottom and that never ceases to amaze me. This is a book that comes out consistently with minimal, if any delays, and there’s none of the usual trickery involved with that. No cut corners, no overused single panel images, nothing but wild, kinetic ultra-stylized action from cover-to-cover. Action in an issue like this is never more important, and this action flows beautifully from one panel to the next with easy-to-follow visual cues and blocking that never cheats (at least not visibly, and isn’t that what’s REALLY important?) and never loses the reader. Guillory’s colors are on their own level as well, with a simple palette that perfectly fits the cartoonish, wild visual language of the story.
The Bad
This feels like a clearinghouse issue, no question about it. If you’re not a fan of watching at least a few characters you’ve come to know meet a gruesome, ultimately extremely out-of-nowhere demise, I suggest you turn back.
The Verdict
Forget riding into the sunset, Chew’s painting that sunset with an extra coat of dark red. And while the title’s still got a while of planned storylines, it looks like they will take place with a cast that is vastly altered, in one way or another. I’m actually using that as a bit of a double-meaning as I have no idea what the results of this will be and Layman has been known to swerve an apparent character death in a complete different direction (remember that Tony’s partner didn’t ALWAYS have that metal face). Whatever happens, if the book maintains this level of quality, I will be all in on seeing what comes next.
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