What do you think?
Rate this book
Chew
Chew, Vol. 9: Chicken Tenders
Tony Chu, the cibopathic federal agent with the ability to get psychic impressions from what he eats, has been busy – busy settling into married life, busy investigating one assignment after another that takes him to the most remote corners of the planet. Meanwhile, the people closest to Tony are conspiring to take on the brutal killer who murdered Tony’s twin sister. And this conspiracy includes Tony’s partner, his arch enemy – and his teenage daughter!
Presenting a new storyline of the New York Times Best Selling, Harvey and multiple Eisner Award-winner series about cops, crooks, cooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants.
Collects CHEW #41-45, plus the blockbuster spin-off one-shot CHEW: WARRIOR CHICKEN POYO
Presenting a new storyline of the New York Times Best Selling, Harvey and multiple Eisner Award-winner series about cops, crooks, cooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants.
Collects CHEW #41-45, plus the blockbuster spin-off one-shot CHEW: WARRIOR CHICKEN POYO
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2015
10 people are currently reading
930 people want to read
About the author
John Layman
812 books584 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 320 reviews
April 5, 2016
we are so close to getting through all these chews! and i'm actually going to say a little more about this volume than that boilerplate thing i've been putting up (but if you love the boilerplate thing, don't worry - it's gonna be included here as well - phew!) because i think this one, along with volume 6 (as heartbreaking as that one was) is probably my favorite so far. i love all the callbacks and mirroring this series indulges in, i love all the background jokes, i love when they have crossovers both subtle and overt
i love how fucking violent tony has become
i love how weird it is
and in this one, i even liked the little side stories that i'd resented in previous volumes for breaking up my STORY. i mean, there are some amazing vegetable wars here…
i also love poyo, naturally.
and this one has both a dinosaur-unicorn and a man with a shark head growing out of him. i mean, this is basically courtship, in my book…
and SO MANY DEVELOPMENTS!
and this little guy, only mentioned because it made me laugh with memories of reading about him in the world of monsterporn:
also included is the answer to the age-old question:
and some pretty horrific hubris
but this is all getting too close to being an actual review, which is going to be SO CONFUSING to anyone who has been anticipating these lazy-lazy chew-reviews of mine. so, to get back to the lazy:
i burned through all ten published volumes of this series in a matter of months, and while i managed a fairly coherent review of the first volume, i am overwhelmed by the thought of going back and reviewing volumes 2-10, trying to recapture that innocent mindset that didn't know what happened in subsequent volumes and trying to stay within the lines of the volume i'd be reviewing.
my hat is off to you serial comic book/graphic novel reviewers who are able to consistently churn out smart, comprehensive, and entertaining reviews that manage to discuss the book itself as well as its place within the larger universe of the series or character's existence.
i can't do that. i read these so compulsively and so quickly - like jamming cookies into a mouth that was already crammed with cookies - that it's just too much road to backtrack and too many metaphors to mix and since i have so many other books that i have to review, i'm going to take a totally cheap opt-out review path and just post pictures from each book that i enjoy for reasons pertaining to the plot, or just cuz i like the damn pictures.
and maybe now that i have to wait a couple of months until volume 11 comes out, i'll be able to do that one proper review-style, but right now - too full of stress and anxiety and just wanting to make this stack of books needing reviews go down LGM.
only one more to go - phew!
March 19, 2015
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO HE DID NOT JUST DO THAT HE DIDN'T HE DIDN'T HE DIDN'T NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
March 1, 2015
Love is in the air (and under the sheets!) when Tony attends an FDA symposium in Vegas. He's on a roll, nabbing the perpetrator of some fudgy doings and catching the killer of a Navy Seal.
Meanwhile, POYO
dispenses justice in The Shire when vegetables attack.
If you're familiar with Chew, this is basically more of the same - death, destruction and flying cutlery.
Now the long wait for the next one.
Meanwhile, POYO
dispenses justice in The Shire when vegetables attack.
If you're familiar with Chew, this is basically more of the same - death, destruction and flying cutlery.
Now the long wait for the next one.
December 14, 2014
Tony’s hunt for The Collector, his sister’s murderer, is sidelined with personal matters and trivial cases that take him around the world. Meanwhile his friends and colleagues conspire to take down the dangerous killer themselves without Tony finding out. Will they succeed - and, if not, who will pay the price for failure?
I wish I could say this ninth volume is amazing and wonderful and so on buuuuuuut… no. It’s not bad but it’s not great either. The first half of the book feels repetitive for no real reason besides treading water, which is basically what it’s doing. Then the second half is filled with some major WTF?! moments - especially THAT page - that feel rushed and ultimately kinda stupid.
Tony’s daughter Olive is secretly being trained by Tony’s partner Colby, his former partner and criminal on the lam Mason Savoy, and Mason’s partner Cesar to become part of their task force against The Collector. Of course Tony would go mental if he found out his teenage kid was being put in harm’s way but especially since she’s going up against her aunt Toni’s killer.
And that’s what really confused me: 1) why would they think they’d succeed, and 2) how would they think Tony would feel either way? If they succeed then he doesn’t have the closure of taking out Toni’s killer himself and if they don’t then he’s lost his daughter!
Plus, you know Tony, as the main character, is going to defeat The Collector or at least be there when he goes down, so the result was predictable. That whole plotline didn’t make sense to me and felt forced into the book because the series has lately been a bit too casual in developing the main plot of the story.
Worse is THAT page - you’ll know it when you read it - which made the subtitle, Chicken Tenders, make sense but otherwise came out of nowhere! It was designed to be the suckeriest of sucker punches and felt cheap.
Despite the muddled main story, there’s plenty of nice moments here and there like some of the characters getting hitched in (where else?) Vegas, and we meet Applebee’s (gross) extended family. The snowman with tattoos made me laugh for no other reason than he’s a snowman with tattoos though the Babycakes the squirrel joke fell totally flat.
And then there’s the one unequivocally perfect issue in the book: Warrior Chicken Poyo, the spin-off Poyo comic! It’s a subversive Middle-Earth/Tolkien-esque story where Poyo goes up against the Grocerymancer whose killer vegetables are terrorising the little people. Without going into the delightful details, I’ll just agree with the wizard who says “Poyo is one bad-ass motherfuckin’ bird!”
Though John Layman’s script is average and too scattershot for my liking, Rob Guillory’s art is as perfect as ever. Layman’s rambling approach is almost worth it just to allow Guillory the freedom to draw the nuttiest things you’ll ever see in a comic! He really excels in the Poyo issue, especially with that panel where Poyo defeats the Grocerymancer.
I wish I could say the ninth Chew volume is the best ever, etc. but in truth I felt it was very hit and miss throughout. It’s still good for a laugh here and there but, even though the main cast go through changes, I felt like the story just wasn’t that good. Still, I’m glad to hear that Chew is becoming an animated feature starring Steven Yuen (Glenn from The Walking Dead)!
Now I’m off to mourn the loss of… well, you’ll see (sobs).
I wish I could say this ninth volume is amazing and wonderful and so on buuuuuuut… no. It’s not bad but it’s not great either. The first half of the book feels repetitive for no real reason besides treading water, which is basically what it’s doing. Then the second half is filled with some major WTF?! moments - especially THAT page - that feel rushed and ultimately kinda stupid.
Tony’s daughter Olive is secretly being trained by Tony’s partner Colby, his former partner and criminal on the lam Mason Savoy, and Mason’s partner Cesar to become part of their task force against The Collector. Of course Tony would go mental if he found out his teenage kid was being put in harm’s way but especially since she’s going up against her aunt Toni’s killer.
And that’s what really confused me: 1) why would they think they’d succeed, and 2) how would they think Tony would feel either way? If they succeed then he doesn’t have the closure of taking out Toni’s killer himself and if they don’t then he’s lost his daughter!
Plus, you know Tony, as the main character, is going to defeat The Collector or at least be there when he goes down, so the result was predictable. That whole plotline didn’t make sense to me and felt forced into the book because the series has lately been a bit too casual in developing the main plot of the story.
Worse is THAT page - you’ll know it when you read it - which made the subtitle, Chicken Tenders, make sense but otherwise came out of nowhere! It was designed to be the suckeriest of sucker punches and felt cheap.
Despite the muddled main story, there’s plenty of nice moments here and there like some of the characters getting hitched in (where else?) Vegas, and we meet Applebee’s (gross) extended family. The snowman with tattoos made me laugh for no other reason than he’s a snowman with tattoos though the Babycakes the squirrel joke fell totally flat.
And then there’s the one unequivocally perfect issue in the book: Warrior Chicken Poyo, the spin-off Poyo comic! It’s a subversive Middle-Earth/Tolkien-esque story where Poyo goes up against the Grocerymancer whose killer vegetables are terrorising the little people. Without going into the delightful details, I’ll just agree with the wizard who says “Poyo is one bad-ass motherfuckin’ bird!”
Though John Layman’s script is average and too scattershot for my liking, Rob Guillory’s art is as perfect as ever. Layman’s rambling approach is almost worth it just to allow Guillory the freedom to draw the nuttiest things you’ll ever see in a comic! He really excels in the Poyo issue, especially with that panel where Poyo defeats the Grocerymancer.
I wish I could say the ninth Chew volume is the best ever, etc. but in truth I felt it was very hit and miss throughout. It’s still good for a laugh here and there but, even though the main cast go through changes, I felt like the story just wasn’t that good. Still, I’m glad to hear that Chew is becoming an animated feature starring Steven Yuen (Glenn from The Walking Dead)!
Now I’m off to mourn the loss of… well, you’ll see (sobs).
October 16, 2015
I finally read Vol. 9 of Chew! I love this series and all its insanity. This one was great but even more all over the place than usual! What an ending. So excited for Vol. 10 :)
December 4, 2017
This new adventure of the cibopathic detective Tony Chew focuses on the Vampire chasing and involves almost all the main character. All, less Tony. In fact, while we are facing an alliance between FDA agents, Savoy and Olive to hunt the vampire, Tony, fresh newlywed, is involved mostly in marginal episodes, sent on missions to distant lands to keep him away from the investigation. But even these adventures give us important information and take up previously discussed topics, giving rise to hilarious adventures in which the creativity of the authors manifests itself at the highest level.
One of the funniest scenes is the reunion of the Applebee family, with the various members that all look like Mike's clones, complete with sweaty armpits and mustache.
The ending is pretty sad, we could say evil vs. good 1-0. . To the delight of all his fans, Poyo appears again, though rather subdued than usual.
Although the vein of conspiracy and mystery behind the chickens flu is set aside, the bizarre ideas, the artwork (the covers of these numbers are always a masterpieces) and the characters, make it one of my favorite series. 5 stars, as always.
One of the funniest scenes is the reunion of the Applebee family, with the various members that all look like Mike's clones, complete with sweaty armpits and mustache.
The ending is pretty sad, we could say evil vs. good 1-0. . To the delight of all his fans, Poyo appears again, though rather subdued than usual.
Although the vein of conspiracy and mystery behind the chickens flu is set aside, the bizarre ideas, the artwork (the covers of these numbers are always a masterpieces) and the characters, make it one of my favorite series. 5 stars, as always.
February 13, 2017
I will say this in all caps: THIS IS THE BEST CHEW VOLUME SO FAR. Expect a fight so great and exciting you wish it was longer than that, and Poyo's not even there! This is actually the least funny volume so far. And so many status quo might have changed thereafter. As of this time, Tony knows how to beat the Collector, but that is obviously not revealed to us. Hell, we can wait. Just please, let Tony beat the hell out of The Collector. I want to see that vile man die!
The one-shot Poyo issue was nothing short of spectacular and funny. The spread pages of his exploits (plus Poyo-themed variant covers) are worth a few moments to be looked at.
The one-shot Poyo issue was nothing short of spectacular and funny. The spread pages of his exploits (plus Poyo-themed variant covers) are worth a few moments to be looked at.
September 16, 2019
[4 Stars] WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
May 22, 2015
Mostly, this is a repetitive volume. A lot of the same schtick near beaten to death, especially the Poyo stuff. Mercifully, it does pick up near the end, and there's actual story traction. And it's about time. There's only fifteen more issues left (if Layman's 60 issue plan works out) and there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
June 24, 2020
Olive Chu is a Cibopath like her father. She is also far more powerful. From slapstick to angst and pain - this volume has it all. Layman let's us drop our guard with some celebration before a Tony-Wu-less coalition go after The Collector! High on fun and high on drama. Neat volume. 8 out of 12.
And so many single cells of great humour:
And so many single cells of great humour:
May 2, 2015
You know how sometimes, doing the same fun thing over and over becomes a little like a chore? There's playing Mario Bros for the millionth time, or grinding levels of that other game (Marvel Puzzle Quest, I'm looking directly in your cold, automated eyes). And there's reading Chew volume 9.
It's only a little like a chore, but the gleeful surprise has definitely started to fade. I am getting numb to the "freaky food powers" gimmick, and I don't much care for the little side jobs that are so much filler while we figure out the central mysteries and take on the supervillain.
Which is why it was great to see a showdown with The Collector, and some additional details spooled out about the fiery sky writing and the ban on chickens. For gods sake, tell us *something* new about these things, and make me believe there's a reason to keep going on with reading this series. There's only so long I can keep turning then crank before I want to rip it off and beat Rob and Join with it.
The art's still fun, and the scenarios are still whacky. And maybe that's part of the problem. Or maybe it's just that fun without story momentum is a bit too hard to sustain yourself on.
The creators are cranking it up and thank god - it comes just in friggin time, as far as I'm concerned. Couldn't go another volume with a tease and no meat.
So am I satisfied with this, and enough to want to read the next one? Yes with one caveat: if I see more filler in the next volume - another poyo tribute, more melodrama between love interests, yet another case they have to do before mounting up on The Big Things, there will be blood. Let's just get this thing done and move on with wistful memories of the insane fun Chew series eh?
It's only a little like a chore, but the gleeful surprise has definitely started to fade. I am getting numb to the "freaky food powers" gimmick, and I don't much care for the little side jobs that are so much filler while we figure out the central mysteries and take on the supervillain.
Which is why it was great to see a showdown with The Collector, and some additional details spooled out about the fiery sky writing and the ban on chickens. For gods sake, tell us *something* new about these things, and make me believe there's a reason to keep going on with reading this series. There's only so long I can keep turning then crank before I want to rip it off and beat Rob and Join with it.
The art's still fun, and the scenarios are still whacky. And maybe that's part of the problem. Or maybe it's just that fun without story momentum is a bit too hard to sustain yourself on.
The creators are cranking it up and thank god - it comes just in friggin time, as far as I'm concerned. Couldn't go another volume with a tease and no meat.
So am I satisfied with this, and enough to want to read the next one? Yes with one caveat: if I see more filler in the next volume - another poyo tribute, more melodrama between love interests, yet another case they have to do before mounting up on The Big Things, there will be blood. Let's just get this thing done and move on with wistful memories of the insane fun Chew series eh?
June 12, 2021
It's difficult to write reviews when the creators are offering the same thing every volume and every volume is just as good. One just has to acknowledge that things are getting a little repetitive, but also one can't help feeling enjoyed.
That ending though....
That ending though....
November 19, 2017
A fun set of tales focused on, well, Chicken Tenders and expanding the relationships of the supporting case to our hero. Usual artwork which is like.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
June 29, 2018
Really reccomend this series
February 21, 2019
No! Not
Lots happening in this one. Weddings (not always what you expect) and a high body count.
Lots happening in this one. Weddings (not always what you expect) and a high body count.
September 3, 2018
Continua a cumprir níveis notáveis para a longevidade que já conta. Fico a aguardar o 10.º volume, que nem sei bem quando sairá nesta edição Gfloy.
June 27, 2015
There's a part of me that, if I'm being totally honest, is very much a fanboy of this series. A more critical and objective reader may be able to find fault with this book, but I can't. I know it's not perfect, but I loved it flaws and all. The bottom line is so much happens in this volume. There has been a lot of buildup and this was like a "boss battle" in the series to give a little payoff.
One of the things I really enjoyed was how it acknowledged just how much world building has happened since Chew's inception. It has gone from a detective series with a twist to a crazy unique title that is centered around food. At the same time, the primary villain has been established as a truly intimidating and evil figure. The whole mythos is engrained in the series. I was reading this on a plane next to my boyfriend and he could see it. He was completely confused by what he saw, and it made me realize how much I just know about this world or how much leeway I give because I know what Chew is. Any series that can make you suspend disbelief that readily and to that extent is remarkable and engrossing.
The art is still perfect for the title. The weird shapes and exaggerated faces and characters are exactly what this title needs. Like other books at Image (I'm looking at you, Invincible), it seems like the artist has just become more of himself. The style becomes...more. It's hard to describe, but if you've been reading it you might get it. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems like it's the more awkward and off putting aspects of the style that are exaggerated.
Anyway, the story was thrilling and fun and pushed the overall narrative farther forward. Chew is an excellent example of comic book storytelling and I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they even might be interested. They even have compendium volumes available in the smorgasbord editions. Try it out.
One of the things I really enjoyed was how it acknowledged just how much world building has happened since Chew's inception. It has gone from a detective series with a twist to a crazy unique title that is centered around food. At the same time, the primary villain has been established as a truly intimidating and evil figure. The whole mythos is engrained in the series. I was reading this on a plane next to my boyfriend and he could see it. He was completely confused by what he saw, and it made me realize how much I just know about this world or how much leeway I give because I know what Chew is. Any series that can make you suspend disbelief that readily and to that extent is remarkable and engrossing.
The art is still perfect for the title. The weird shapes and exaggerated faces and characters are exactly what this title needs. Like other books at Image (I'm looking at you, Invincible), it seems like the artist has just become more of himself. The style becomes...more. It's hard to describe, but if you've been reading it you might get it. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems like it's the more awkward and off putting aspects of the style that are exaggerated.
Anyway, the story was thrilling and fun and pushed the overall narrative farther forward. Chew is an excellent example of comic book storytelling and I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they even might be interested. They even have compendium volumes available in the smorgasbord editions. Try it out.
July 24, 2016
Chew is all about the world of food-related superpowers. It got me thinking, what would be a good food power to actually have?
Tony's cibopathy, which lets him learn a lot about the origin of a food, its maker, all that stuff, pretty much seems like a fuckin nightmare. Olive's power seems a little better, where she can sort of absorb knowledge, skills and abilities. But what else might be out there?
Crackopathy: Ability to crack eggs, one-handed, without fucking up even a little.
Greastoppumup: Cook bacon and have all the grease remain in the pan, no splashing anything else.
Smoquotient: Mentally disable all smoke alarms while cooking.
Sommeliarity: Become an expert wine taster without being a total asshole.
I need to think about this more.
Tony's cibopathy, which lets him learn a lot about the origin of a food, its maker, all that stuff, pretty much seems like a fuckin nightmare. Olive's power seems a little better, where she can sort of absorb knowledge, skills and abilities. But what else might be out there?
Crackopathy: Ability to crack eggs, one-handed, without fucking up even a little.
Greastoppumup: Cook bacon and have all the grease remain in the pan, no splashing anything else.
Smoquotient: Mentally disable all smoke alarms while cooking.
Sommeliarity: Become an expert wine taster without being a total asshole.
I need to think about this more.
August 3, 2015
So. Many. Feels. About the way this trade ended. But still. Pip pip! Three cheers for Chew!
May 17, 2016
More of a 3.5. I still really enjoy these but I really don't know why I can't rate them higher than 3-4 stars.
Although with the end: Colby deserved that TBH.
Although with the end: Colby deserved that TBH.
February 11, 2022
Why are they adding weird and stupid plot-lines? Like it would have been a four because I enjoyed the rest of this, but some parts were stupid and pointless.
December 21, 2015
This series is absolutely ridiculous but it works because I love it.
October 6, 2016
What on Earth!? More laughs, more groans...more unanswered questions. So much happened in this volume. I don't even know where to start. But Tony...damn...you're pretty amazing when you need to be!
September 17, 2017
My favorite volume yet!
August 25, 2018
The shock value is strong with this one.
January 28, 2020
A compelling volume! I am looking forward to the next one!
February 25, 2017
This series continues to impress me, even after nine volumes. So much happens in this volume - major game changers for so many characters. Poyo, one of my favorites, has quite a bit to do here. Poyo even has his own interlude of adventures featuring LOTR and Narnia-esque worlds. He even works with a fellowship of heroes, part of which also includes Dorothy and Toto. By the way, I loved that Walking Dead panel!
March 1, 2015
Hot damn, this book is good. Hilarious, heartbreaking, gory to a fault, and a brilliantly riveting story that has been building and building to breaking point. I could spend hours finding all the little cameo appearances or in-jokes in the scenery at this point.
August 20, 2015
I'm getting seriously worried that Chew might have jumped the shark...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 reviews