What do you think?
Rate this book
Chew (Single Issues)
Image Firsts: Chew #1
(2012) Tony Chu is a cop with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. It's a dirty job, and Tony has to eat terrible things in the name of justice. And if that wasn't bad enough, the government has figured out Tony Chu's secret. They have plans for him... whether he likes it or not."
Comic
First published May 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
John Layman
819 books587 followersJohn Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing Chew, published by Image Comics.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 11, 2023
Wow imagine not wanting to eat anything because you learn their history.
Only to willingly eat another human, just to learn of everyone he ever killed.
It seems though that the more he eats the more he learns, or he would have took only one bite of the serial killer.
Very interesting comic i am in!
2021 Read.
Only to willingly eat another human, just to learn of everyone he ever killed.
It seems though that the more he eats the more he learns, or he would have took only one bite of the serial killer.
Very interesting comic i am in!
2021 Read.
June 1, 2015
This was SO good! I'm definitely checking out the next one!
February 7, 2020
Chew’u uzuuuun zamandır okumak istiyorum ama bir türlü devam ettiremedim. Yine bir tane okudum, kaldı öyle ama devam edeceğim :D
July 29, 2017
5 Funny-Stars! ✯✯✯✯✯
This is just what i was looking for!
In issue One, we meet Tony Chu (ironic, isn't it? Chu; Chew...) ;) He's a cop in Philadelphia who has this 'power' that he can sense everything that happened to the food before it landed in his mouth. (Ex: Tony eats a burger, Tony gets flash back to the factory where a butcher is slaughtering the cow. Blood gushing everywhere...etc.) i know, ...it sucks.
Tony's partner, John is funny. I think he's my favorite goofball. He didn't deserve what happened in the kitchen of the restaurant. That was just f#%ked up.
And technically what happened in the alleyway outside was even more crazy! I refuse to give anything away... just be prepared. Its gruesome!
I really liked it. It had elements of gore, comedy and a good story. I enjoyed it. :)
ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅʀᴇᴡ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀᴡᴇsᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ!
🅃🄷🄰🄽🄺 🅈🄾🅄 🄰🄽🄳🅁🄴🅆 🄵🄾🅁 🄰🄽🄾🅃🄷🄴🅁 🄰🅆🄴🅂🄾🄼🄴 🅁🄴🄲🄾🄼🄼🄴🄽🄳🄰🅃🄸🄾🄽!
This is just what i was looking for!
In issue One, we meet Tony Chu (ironic, isn't it? Chu; Chew...) ;) He's a cop in Philadelphia who has this 'power' that he can sense everything that happened to the food before it landed in his mouth. (Ex: Tony eats a burger, Tony gets flash back to the factory where a butcher is slaughtering the cow. Blood gushing everywhere...etc.) i know, ...it sucks.
Tony's partner, John is funny. I think he's my favorite goofball. He didn't deserve what happened in the kitchen of the restaurant. That was just f#%ked up.
And technically what happened in the alleyway outside was even more crazy! I refuse to give anything away... just be prepared. Its gruesome!
I really liked it. It had elements of gore, comedy and a good story. I enjoyed it. :)
ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅʀᴇᴡ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀᴡᴇsᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ!
🅃🄷🄰🄽🄺 🅈🄾🅄 🄰🄽🄳🅁🄴🅆 🄵🄾🅁 🄰🄽🄾🅃🄷🄴🅁 🄰🅆🄴🅂🄾🄼🄴 🅁🄴🄲🄾🄼🄼🄴🄽🄳🄰🅃🄸🄾🄽!
July 30, 2014
I absolutely love Chew #1. It is funny, cleverly-written and original! To give you an idea, Tony Chu is a law enforcer who has a special talent: he is a Cibopath (what?), or someone who gets psychic impressions from whatever he eat. Cool huh? Nope, I wouldn't want that power. This is a must-read non-superhero comic book. Chew is not for the squeamish though. You are warned.
April 15, 2017
The premise of John Layman’s Chew reminded me so much of iZombie, a series where zombie medical examiner, Olivia Moore, eats the brains of homicide victims and uses the resulting visions into the past as clues to solving the murders, that I had to give it a try.
Full first impression: https://gjalvi.wordpress.com/2016/05/...
Full first impression: https://gjalvi.wordpress.com/2016/05/...
December 9, 2014
This was.... bizarre. I've encountered the same plot on several tv shows, but adding the "food factor" makes this graphic novel a bit different. The artwork disgusted me, yes, but in a good way, though I won't be eating again while I read another issue from this comic.
January 19, 2021
This was a bit interesting and icky. The outlawing of chicken feels a bit spot on though, I must say.
July 30, 2014
This may be the only mystery/horror story that involves a serial killer and a protagonist who exclusively consumes beets. Under the guise of an alleged avian flu epidemic, the government has outlawed all consumption of chicken, which results in a healthy black market for all things chicken. The story picks up with an introduction to Tony Chu and his partner, John Colby, two cops on a stakeout outside an illicit chicken speakeasy looking to capture a chicken kingpin and murderer. They unwittingly fall into a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hush-hush operation; their chicken kingpin, "D-Bear," is secretly an FDA informant, which means they have to let him go, but not before indulging in some of the speakeasy's famous forbidden fried chicken. At this point, chaos ensues.
Tony is secretly "cibopathic"--with one bite of any food, he immediately knows where it comes from and how it is prepared, while sometimes sensing even more about the person who prepared it. Strangely, the only food that does not activate Tony's food super senses is beets. Typically, he only eats beets, but on this night he follows his partner's lead and opts for the soup (chicken, naturally). And it's the chicken soup that leads them to pursue a serial killer in the kitchen with rather vicious results. Flying butcher knives and cannibals, anyone?
I don't normally gravitate to this type of entertainment, but I decided to take the risk. Honestly, it was probably the food detective piece and the $1 price tag, along with the positive reviews I'd been hearing that made me overlook the apparent madman with gun in hand on the cover. Still, Chew presents an extremely odd and unique concept, if you're looking for something different. The end of this first issue implies Tony will find yet more macabre (I've never had reason to use that word in a book review...) ways to utilize his "gift" for solving crimes with the FDA. The artwork is appealing and stylized, with elongated characters and sharp, angular illustrations. It's appropriately grim, which is all the better to make the gushing blood pop off the pages. The violence isn't so over-the-top that it detracts from the plot, but if you're considering this you may want to keep it in mind. I would have hoped hoped to see at least one female character, but perhaps this will improve in future issues. Still, the book held my attention, and I may want to at least finish the first volume in the series.
Tony is secretly "cibopathic"--with one bite of any food, he immediately knows where it comes from and how it is prepared, while sometimes sensing even more about the person who prepared it. Strangely, the only food that does not activate Tony's food super senses is beets. Typically, he only eats beets, but on this night he follows his partner's lead and opts for the soup (chicken, naturally). And it's the chicken soup that leads them to pursue a serial killer in the kitchen with rather vicious results. Flying butcher knives and cannibals, anyone?
I don't normally gravitate to this type of entertainment, but I decided to take the risk. Honestly, it was probably the food detective piece and the $1 price tag, along with the positive reviews I'd been hearing that made me overlook the apparent madman with gun in hand on the cover. Still, Chew presents an extremely odd and unique concept, if you're looking for something different. The end of this first issue implies Tony will find yet more macabre (I've never had reason to use that word in a book review...) ways to utilize his "gift" for solving crimes with the FDA. The artwork is appealing and stylized, with elongated characters and sharp, angular illustrations. It's appropriately grim, which is all the better to make the gushing blood pop off the pages. The violence isn't so over-the-top that it detracts from the plot, but if you're considering this you may want to keep it in mind. I would have hoped hoped to see at least one female character, but perhaps this will improve in future issues. Still, the book held my attention, and I may want to at least finish the first volume in the series.
January 4, 2015
A storyline about a cop who has psychic visions when he eats food or the body parts of a suspect do he can solve a crime...What a great fucking concept. And it was great. Made me laugh and gag. I'm hooked. I want to binge read the volumes now! Great art and storyline. Just don't eat while reading it. Unless your into that.
May 16, 2016
i liked the art but the story was definitely not my cup of tea. Too gruesome for my tastes.
March 27, 2019
Okay....you have my undivided attention.
December 25, 2020
Well this seemed normal enough starting out- lil quirky and fun- and then... then it just got increasingly more strange until it fell into "what the frick even is THIS?" territory.
This seems like a show you'd find on one of those intergalactic TV shows on Rick and Morty. The concept is so... specific, that you kinda wonder how it even works. I'm not even sure it does. But I'm not mad I read it and the art was *chef kiss* good. (Real pleasing on these eyes of mine).
So yeah... give it a shot? I guess. It's an odd one.
This seems like a show you'd find on one of those intergalactic TV shows on Rick and Morty. The concept is so... specific, that you kinda wonder how it even works. I'm not even sure it does. But I'm not mad I read it and the art was *chef kiss* good. (Real pleasing on these eyes of mine).
So yeah... give it a shot? I guess. It's an odd one.
December 15, 2024
Fun style if a bit one-noted.
A weird sci-fi where poultry is outlawed and the main character can sense where food has come from by eating it. I enjoy the stylised characters and it's a good set up for a longer running series, although it's not clear from this issue where they're taking it.
A weird sci-fi where poultry is outlawed and the main character can sense where food has come from by eating it. I enjoy the stylised characters and it's a good set up for a longer running series, although it's not clear from this issue where they're taking it.
April 19, 2020
Overall, entertaining.
Not something I would continue to follow and read but not bad. Definitely reminds me of that one Zombie show / comics. Of the girl who solves crimes by eating the victims brains.
Anyway. A solid ☆3 stars☆
Not something I would continue to follow and read but not bad. Definitely reminds me of that one Zombie show / comics. Of the girl who solves crimes by eating the victims brains.
Anyway. A solid ☆3 stars☆
January 1, 2019
A weird concept and great artwork
Lets see how it goes..
Lets see how it goes..
April 29, 2020
Wow! Such an imaginative story. I need to pick up the volumes.
May 25, 2020
A cop has an unusual sense of taste.
Good color artwork.An image freebie. Chicken has been prohibited. Two beat cops are on the job things get weird in a hurry.
Good color artwork.An image freebie. Chicken has been prohibited. Two beat cops are on the job things get weird in a hurry.
June 15, 2022
Very enjoyable and looking forward to the 2nd!
December 31, 2022
A little sillier than I expected, actually
July 10, 2025
Issue #1 – Food for Thought
We meet Tony Chu, a quiet and serious cop with an incredibly bizarre secret: he’s a cibopath, meaning he gets psychic impressions from anything he eats — including murder victims. When a stakeout at an illegal chicken joint turns into a gory disaster, Tony’s secret gets him noticed by the FDA, now a major law enforcement agency after chicken is outlawed. This debut issue is strange, bloody, and absolutely original. Layman’s concept hooks you fast, and Guillory’s expressive art makes even the grossest panels hilarious.
We meet Tony Chu, a quiet and serious cop with an incredibly bizarre secret: he’s a cibopath, meaning he gets psychic impressions from anything he eats — including murder victims. When a stakeout at an illegal chicken joint turns into a gory disaster, Tony’s secret gets him noticed by the FDA, now a major law enforcement agency after chicken is outlawed. This debut issue is strange, bloody, and absolutely original. Layman’s concept hooks you fast, and Guillory’s expressive art makes even the grossest panels hilarious.
May 11, 2014
It's odd to review a single issue of a comic, but I've been unable to get ahold of the first trade (without paying). Chew #1 is free to download through Comixology.
I had heard about this odd, food-related, crime series but wasn't sure what to expect. The first issue is a fairly campy look at a cop working the illegal chicken shack beat with his partner. The sad thing for Chu is that he can't enjoy his food, because he tastes it's grisly history. The first issue leads one to believe this tasting skill will become essential in his future investigations as a special agent for the US government.
I had heard about this odd, food-related, crime series but wasn't sure what to expect. The first issue is a fairly campy look at a cop working the illegal chicken shack beat with his partner. The sad thing for Chu is that he can't enjoy his food, because he tastes it's grisly history. The first issue leads one to believe this tasting skill will become essential in his future investigations as a special agent for the US government.
February 6, 2014
Free on Google Books, so why not, right? The notion of chicken speakeasies is amusing. I'd read more if it came my way, but I don't think I'd seek it out. Hopefully some female characters who aren't victims will crop up, but who am I kidding? Women don't read/illustrate/write comics.
February 8, 2014
Interesting concept.
September 10, 2016
Different.
February 13, 2015
Picked up this issue as a collectors item just in case. The guy at the store recommended this series. Been hooked ever since. Fucking creative and brilliant read.
February 25, 2015
There's no way not to love this upon immediately upon reading it. Unless, ya know, you're squeamish or something and not into cannibalism. But come on.
June 12, 2016
Is it just me or this story is actually supposed to be funny? Chu's abilities are uncanny and make for a great dinner read.
July 12, 2016
Great first issue. I really enjoyed the idea of chicken speakeasies...who knew bird flu could have such humorous implications.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews