Chew #1-12 (Ongoing, Update)

is an American comic book series written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory and published by Image Comics. It centers around Tony Chu, a police detective who is "cibopathic," meaning he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. Chu gets appointed to the FDA, which, because of the illegalization of chicken, has now become the most powerful law-enforcement branch of the United States government. See any connections so far? Well, the first three issues of Chew have all sold out multiple printings with the first issue receiving four printing as well as being reprinted in black and white in . To say that critical reception has been mostly positive would be an understatement. Peer response (i.e., other comics writers) however remains muted, probably because of sheer envy. Thus far the series has followed a 5-issue story arc format. The current issue #12 is the second issue of the third arc, "Just Desserts." After Robert Kirkman's , this is the best ongoing comic book series today. It is also the funniest. Quite a one-two punch for Image Comics. Save for issue #12 all are Minutemen scans.

The racers converge on Chi Car Go as they make a final desperate dash towards the finish line. Will Chick Hicks and Bubba scheme their way to victory, will Mater and McQueen overcome the odds or will the unexpected happen and a wild card emerge victorious? -- Chew continues to find new ways to laugh in the face of all social mores while simultaneously developing one of the more compelling and twisted narratives to be found on comic stands today... Enough has been written about Chew's startling originality and wicked sense of humor, but not enough attention has been paid to just how expertly crafted this insane little comic book is. Chew's tight structure--its charming one-page character introductions, clever prologues and ability to deliver relatively complete episodes on its way to telling longer stories--has been one of its most endearing qualities... A near-perfect union of script and art. --

IGN gave the first issue an "Incredible" 9.5 out of 10. The first 5 issues that comprise the first story arc, "Taster's Choice", got an average rating of 9.08 out of 10. The second story arc "International Flavor" dipped somewhat from the extremely high expectations generated by the first. Still, the 12 current issues got an average "Great" rating of 8.72 from IGN. Considering IGN's highbrow reviewer reputations this is high praise indeed. For the record, I agree with IGN's editors. As soon as the Minutemen scan of issue #12 is out, I'll update issue #12.


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