Writing: John Layman
Art: Rob Guillory
Review by Melissa Megan
I’ll start off by admitting that as much as I love Chew, I’ve missed a few issues. Between all the fantastic horror books rolling out right now and catching up on year end lists, I’ve just been overloaded with reading material. Good thing Chew is the kind of book you can enjoy on face value, no matter which issue you pick up to read. Sure, you may be jumping in mid story, but it’s always so full of humor and guts, it’s not at all difficult to get it.
Chew #31 opens with a funeral. Not just any funeral, the funeral of Tony’s twin, Toni. It’s heavy for Chew, sad right away, particularly seeing all of Tony’s friends and family awkwardly trying to comfort him. True to form for this series, the mood is lightened by a really fun run down of family members (all very unique personalities) and a back story on the Chu twins. In case you aren’t familiar, Tony Chu uses his special abilities as a ‘cibopathic’ to find criminals. He takes a bite of anything (or anyone) and can see it’s past. Toni was a cibovoyant, able to see the future of whatever she chomps on.
Issue #31 is all about family. Tony’s sister has been brutally murdered and he’s expected by his family to solve the crime and punish the killer accordingly. It’s an entertaining catch up on Tony’s past with his family and preparation for the intense investigation ahead.
Verdict: You should already be buying Chew. Collect these, they are incredibly unique stories and they fly off the shelves. Issue #31 manages to maintain the trademark funny face of the series while introducing a very melancholy, emotional side I don’t recall being presented in Chew before.
