Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Chew #13Chew #13
Image Comics
Layman & Guillory

The "Just Desserts" arc reaches the middle issue of five and leaves things in a spot that this arc could literally go in any direction. While the story at hand seems to center on the selling of "fricken" this comic reveals that the arc is going to come down to something else entirely. As usual, the story doesn't really matter. The strength of this book lies in the writing and artwork. I'm convinced the creative duo could make a grocery list something interesting to read and study. This is another amazing issue. Everything you've heard about this series is as true for the thirteenth issue as it was for the first one.

As you may guess from the cover, which is an awesome homage to Pulp Fiction, Savoy makes his return in this issue. However, the character standing with Savoy on the cover isn't quite as known until this issue.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsAgent Valenzano was Savoy's partner as the flashback prologue explains. After this initial glimpse of the character we are ushered back to the present where Valenzano is now working for the chicken crusader, Montero. While this issue is heavy with both characters as their stories are intertwined, we also get a deeper base for Savoy and events that occurred to Tony Chu in previous issues. I enjoyed the way these characters were woven into the larger story but not in any way that felt rushed or awkward.

The opening pages are a reminder of what a great character Savoy is. One of the lines of dialogue he mutters to his partner is the following, "…should they fail to adhere to our sagacious admonitions, the grave and grievous repercussions will be more than self-evident." This, right before he cuts some thugs to pieces while acting nimble as a cat and cool as a ninja. He's just a brilliant creation that has the mannerisms and vocabulary to back it up.

The artwork is equal to the task of the writing. Not only does the style bring these strange creations, like frog-chicken hybrids, to life but no detail is left unattended to as Guillory adds in little scribbles on walls and notepads all over the place to make sure you check each page thoroughly for fear that you miss something. He's got such a strong handle on the characters and the story vibe that Layman is trying to achieve. They are a perfect match.

The series wins awards and high praise at every turn and it really isn't a mystery as to why. This issue takes a simple task, like adding a couple of characters and having a couple of fights and wraps it into an entertaining, funny and amazing display of art. I find myself laughing at each read and still wondering how things will shake out in the next issue. This is one of the best comics out there these days and this issue is a good example of just that.

4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles