Chew #3

This series has been a true delight since it debuted three months.  The writing has been concise, creative, and fun to read.  The art has been clean, fun, and a perfect compliment to the overall book.  Let’s be honest though, all of that is through only two issues.  Reality has to set in at some point and this series has to start showing some flaw…right?  I am happy to report that has yet to be the case. 

We have learned in the first two issues to this point that (a) Tony’s days never go as planned and (b) Tony’s boss Mike Applebee is going to give Tony a hard time no matter how hard Agent Chu is trying to do the right thing.  Issue #3 finds Tony Chu having to deal with the recent outbreak of people getting sick reading the column of food critic Amelia Mintz.  Apparently Amelia as a unique talent and is a saboscrivner.  This means that people can actually taste the food she is describing in her column.  She has gone from one of the most popular food critics in town to an enemy of the FDA and somebody that Tony must deal with in an official capacity.  How does Tony react when he realizes that he has actually seen Amelia before in a series of chance encounters?

It turns out that Tony is not the only one interested in Amelia and her talents as there are terrorists as well as a man with a funny hat and a little box that are both trying to get to Amelia before Tony does.  Shots are fired and before you know it we are in a full blown hostage situation.  In the end there is a surprising rescue and things don’t turn out quite like we would expect, but that is starting to be exactly what we should expect from this book. 

I love the continued development of Tony as his role being top cop working for the FDA.  Agent Mason Savoy is the wise sage again providing Tony with guidance and advice to get him through a troubled day.  Tony makes a new friend while waiting in the hospital and we have to wonder who is the man under the bandages? 

Layman and Guillroy continue to produce one of the most original and fun books to come along in sometime.  While issue #3 hit stands this week, issue #1 released a third print and issue #2 released a second print.  Everyone seems to agree that Chew is a hit in both sales and overall quality of the book.  Hopefully you have been one of the fortunate ones to read the first three issues.  If not then I would encourage you to rush out now and get your hands on what looks to be the surprise title for 2009. 

Rating: 9 out of 10