Chew Volume 7: Bad Apples TP
Bitingly funny and deliciously dark, this latest entry in the Eisner Award–winning Chew series serves up another incredible story line. Federal agent Tony Chu’s cibopathic powers are still in full force, and the more he uncovers about a mysterious chicken-worshipping cult, the more the people he cares for are put in danger. If Layman’s sprawling saga of a world where bird flu killed millions and chicken is outlawed is the meal, then Guillory’s mix of graphic and wild imagery is the plating. Layman’s narrative is like nothing else in comics right now, stuffed with rich prose and citizens with special abilities. A perfect match of larger-than-life premise and exaggerated biology, Guillory’s characters leap across panels in gory action sequences and eerily stand out in peaceful spreads. Weak of stomach shouldn’t crack the spine, but fans of Jason Aaron’s Scalped (2007), Robert Kirkman’s Marvel Zombies (2007), or Jonathan Hickman’s East of West (2013) should take a big, heaping bite. --Ben Spanner