Chew Volume 8: Family Recipes Review

 I have a confession dear readers, something I need to share with you guys. I, Samuel White, am a foodie, yes I talk about flavor profiles and mouth feel and I buy organic grass fed beef from Whole foods that’s been aged for 3 weeks. And as you can tell from this column I’m also an avid comic book reader as well. No book does a better job combining these two loves than Chew, a book about FDA special agent Tony Chu who has been blessed/cursed with the power of Cibopathy, the power to see the life of whatever he eats(So for example if he eats an apple he sees it grow from a seed to hanging on the tree to being picked. If he eats a hamburger though, the picture is a little bit more let’s say graphic). 

And that’s one of the many things that makes the book such an enjoyable read, the food powers. This issue we are introduced to an Eroscibopictarus, someone who is able to “take pictures of food that inspire erotic feelings in the viewer, longing, and sexual desire” yup a food pornographer.

 Written by John Layman and art by Rob Guillory Family Recipes does a great job of setting us up for the series final third. John and Rob said at New York Comic Con that Chew would run for 60 issues and they are setting the stakes for the final climaxes. What I loved about this issue is that we got to see the return of one of my favorite characters in the series, Antonelle Chu, Tony’s twin sister with the ability to see the future of whatever she eats. Despite her death she has found a way to tell Tony the things she needs him to know, it’s interesting because she’s a flash back talking about future events and if that sounds confusing to you that confusion is addressed in their interactions.

John Layman’s writing does a great job of foreshadowing future events and letting us know that the answers to questions we’ve been asking are coming soon. Rob Guillory’s art is just as amazing and the little jokes and hidden messages throughout his art are amazing bits of comedy that warrants the effort of searching them out. Chew is one of those comics that shoots to the top of my ‘To Read’ pile when it comes out and I’m more excited than ever to see where the series is heading. 

Post by Sam

Twitter: BigSam425