Chew Volume 1: Tasters Choice

by John Layman

[inlibrisveritas]

Chew has such an odd premise that I haven’t really known if I would enjoy it or not, however, I finally decided to give it a shot and try out this fan favorite.

Tony Chu works for the FDA, which thanks to an ongoing ban on poultry products is now one of the most powerful branches of law enforcement around. Chicken is contraband, due to a disastrous outbreak of the avian flu, and now we get such things as underground chicken sales. Chu becomes a lead investigator for the FDA thanks to his rather odd gift. If he eats something he gets flashes of ‘memories’ from its life before the plate, as a result he usually sticks with eating beets but now he’s forced to take a bite out less savory things to solve crimes.

I still don’t quite know what to make of Chew. I certainly enjoyed it and plan to continue reading the series, but it’s just so quirky and unique that it’s hard to put a finger on my exact thoughts. I love the idea of a cibopath and of the woman capable of making other people ‘taste’ the things she describes to them. The world is rather normal but altogether bizarre where things look familiar but have these odd little quirks that make them kind of weird and mysterious. Despite the kind of odd premise, there is quite a bit going on in the pages, and we even get some nice character development for Tony.

The art is really amazing as well. I wasn’t overly fond of it, to begin with, but it really fits the ton and oddly off-center feel of the entire story with its rounded lines and saturated colors.

I’m more than a little interesting in seeing how some of the bigger reveals in this volume play out, and to what end.