Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Chew #3Chew #3
Image Comics
Layman & Guillory

Once again Chew delivers a good, solid story between the covers while adding a little depth to the larger, six-part opening story arc. We get a couple of supporting characters that are introduced, built up slightly and then stored away for future stories. It's a solid comic with terrific artwork. When you consider this is the middle issue of an arc you probably see more story than you might normally expect as we are about to turn the corner and head into the home stretch.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe plot is very simple. Tony continues to work his case, when his boss sends him on a detour to take out a food critic. As part of the country's most powerful organization, the FDA, Tony is more than capable of taking down a renegade reporter. What ends up happening is Tony get stuck in the middle of a terrorist group placing their demands on the newspaper. It's a funny issue with a nice subplot.

The reporter, Amelia, Tony had previously seen in the fast food restaurant from the previous issue and he was immediately smitten. As a result, Tony jumps at the chance of interacting with her, but is dreading the part where he has to take her down. Her crime? Her food criticisms is so detailed that the reader can actually taste, smell and feel the food. She is a Saboscrivner and she works against her readers when she describes rancid meat or moldy cheese.

The treat of the issue is the humor spread around throughout. Sure, the vomit humor might seem childish, but it's used in such brilliant spots that it doesn't seem at all like overkill. Tony's boss and his partner are also in the comic to help add to the funny parts. The issue is extremely witty to break up the tension and scenes.

Another interesting character is the leader of the terrorist group known as EGG. They have a small part but their main beef is that they feel the country invented the bird flu and they are trying to forcibly get that message out there to the public. This crackpot group is a group I could easily see cropping up again later on. They have a very interesting look and angle to them.

The artwork may be the best yet. The characters all match up with the tongue in cheek nature of the story. Amelia is pretty, but still has an awkwardness to her. The outfit designs for EGG, as well as the barfing all were great additions to the visual story. This might be the longest we've gone without seeing a severed body part or some piece of human flesh that someone is eating though. The comic didn't miss it much. Let's not forget the creepy guy with the box. He's another treat in the comic.

Another issue of Chew and another instant hit. Normally I don't like stories that rely heavily on coincidence but this story works so well that it's difficult to find any fault in its execution. This issue has a brief recap and because it's a side story within the larger arc I imagine it's a new reader friendly issue. I can't recommend this series enough.

4 out of 5 geek goggles