Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Chew #14
Image Comics
Layman & Guillory
As the "Just Desserts" arc races towards its conclusion, the penultimate chapter delivers one more example as to why this might very well be the best comic book on the stands today. Tony's past comes back to haunt him in more ways than one as his love life and his professional life seem to be on the verge of caving in. The issue has the right mix of action, mystery, laughs and gore. Throw in a few surprises and another epic cover and you have a terrific read cover to cover.
The opening of the book doesn't pick up on the cliffhanger from last issue. Instead, we get a glimpse into Tony's past love life. A new character, his ex-fiancé Min, makes her debut. The new character fits right in with the larger cast of strange characters. Min shows all of the emotional balance of love-crazed teenager. Tony's relationship ends, with apparently, Min shaving her head and pounding a cooking pot on Tony's windshield. But that's not all this nut case does, but the rest is a secret. Nobody introduces characters better than Layman.
Eventually the comic makes itself around to the main problem. Savoy was discovered by Tony's partner Colby. Tony races off to meet up with Colby only to discover a grizzly scene. Tony licks up some blood to figure out what had happened, not realizing Savoy was still on the premises. The issue ends with an interesting little nugget tucked away in a freezer.
One of the best components to this comic book series is the attention to detail applied throughout the book. At one point there is a scene in a movie theater and on the screen, in the background, are scenes from The Walking Dead comic book series. It was brilliant but just a natural part of the background and not stealing anything away from the dialogue in the scene. This book is filled with items like this you just have to look closely.
As with every issue in the series Guillory knocks the art out of the park. Guillory has a wide array of expressions that add depth to the story and all seem to be fresh and creative. He hits all the right notes on the action and gore, but it seems his true gift is telling a story with his characters and their reactions to their situations.
Chew is still building its overall story and its cache of characters. This issue is just one more step in that journey. This book shouldn't be missed and it definitely isn't too late to jump on board. There are plenty of great books on the market today but few combine humor, action, unique and compelling art along with a great story and interesting characters. This book has it all and this issue is a perfect example of everything that makes the book great.
5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
