2.176 (541) Chew #51 ... Image ...

Once, a long time ago, you need to go Vertigo to get off the beaten path type of stories and then after the superhero craze explosion of the 90s, exploded; Image became an awesome place for experimental stuff too

And with that, we present CHEW by creators whom we are not familiar with. It is now 7 years since this title started and the steam that made it chug along is still blowing hot and strong ... whatever that means ... hey we are trying to diversify in the way we type these reviews, okay?

SPOILER ALERT

For those not in the know, basically there was a bad avian flu and loads of people died. Many countries outright banned chicken and eggs to the point that it became a valuable illegal commodity similar to drugs. And like everything that is illegal, there is also some in the scientific community that tried to make synthetic versions of it

Now dumped into the mix are special people who are born with abilities that with one bite can acquire special knowledge, skills, etc and we have agent Chu (rhymes with Chew), an Oriental looking chap who joins the FDA and busily trying to bring down the baddies

What really works here is the huge odd cast of characters from Men in Black, his partner, fellow agents, the "cockerel", his twin sister, brother and even a SPOILER ALERT daughter

Now after 50 issues, this starts a fresh

For those not in the know again, we open with a scene in heaven where we get to see Tony's twin breaking the fourth wall communicating with readers and given a comedic snapshot of his brother, a famous, nasty, greedy chef

But that's not the crux of the issue. The main focal point is on Tony's daughter who is now in the presidential kitchen preparing meals with fellow intern (and drug head) while Easter PR is ongoing in the presidential grounds. The oddity? It's a platypus not the bunny anymore

And as it is about PI and violence, we naturally have a hostage situation that requires our young lady to demonstrate her various talents

A very engaging read and the cute visuals are just perfect for this

Ratings: 8/10