Chew: The Smorgasbord Edition, Volume 1

Chew #1-4

by John Layman, Rob Guillory (Artist)

The CHEW Smorgasbord Edition is the ultimate CHEW experience! Stuff yourself on this massive, deluxe hardcover featuring the first 20-issues of the New York Times Bestselling, Harvey and multiple Eisner Award-winning series about cops, crooks, cooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants. One oversized slip-cased volume, jam-packed with extras! It'll be a feast for your senses, and a diet for your wallet! Tony Chu is a detective 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.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Mystery, Comic Book

576 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2013

About the author

John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing Chew, published by Image Comics.

Reviews

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Chu is a cibopath - he solves crimes by munching on clues. Or dead bodies. Anything he eats (with one exception) gives him psychic impressions, so he can experience the life and death of whatever he’s eating. This rare skill that lands him a job at FDA, a powerful law enforcement agency that fights those who deal in poultry. Chicken, you see, is banned after a devastating avian flu killed thousands of people.

It’s a mix of a detective story with dark comedy and sci-fi elements. Absurd situations and dark humor (cannibalistic sleuthing) kept me entertained but they may be too much for some. I found the characters delightful: Tony Chu is a stickler for rules; his partner, John Colby, sports a cybernetic face after a rather unpleasant encounter with a meat cleaver. Tony’s love interest, Amelia Mintz, can describe dishes so vividly that readers can literally taste them. Now, let’s make one thing clear: Chew isn’t serious; the plot and characters are cartoonish and over-the-top and that’s the fun.

Rob Guillory's exaggerated, cartoonish style brings out the humor and absurdity of the series; vibrant colors and dynamic panel layouts look great, IMO.

Anyway, I dig it and plan to binge the rest of the series shortly.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like Chew; I even bought the mega ultra cool Smorgasbord Edition because I was so convinced I'd love it based on the praise it has received.

While the story seems cool, it all just felt a bit dull to me. I'm not a fan of the art and that probably contributed to my take on the series. There are some funny moments but it didn't sway me enough to continue beyond this.

Off to eBay it goes!

[Josh Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different, Funny, Non-Stop Read. Pick this shit up if you haven't yet. Brilliant

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a silly and inventive comic, I read it and laughed in high school and reread and laughed again as a grown ass man (debatable). This is not a highfalutin comic but you will laugh, you will be grossed out and you will want to read the next issue.

I bought a Chog shirt at Mile Comics in Denver as a souvenir. Great memory!

[Tresi Fair · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this one. It has a great energy to it and the zany premise is a fun. I'd enjoy reading more I think.

[Paul Allard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cibopath and his adventures with the FDA – silly, fun and quite good

The premise behind this omnibus compilation of Chew is that Tony Chu is a cibopath – by eating something, he learns its history and all about it. He is hired by the FDA at a time when all chicken is banned due to a disastrous outbreak of avian flu.

Many adventures ensue, introducing a plethora of other characters. The style is cartoony and the stories are inevitably silly but quite fun. Worthy of a look.