Is It Good? Chew #43 Review

Outside of that Poyo one-shot that was disconnected from everything, I really haven’t reviewed an issue of Chew in a while. Let’s fix that and see what’s happening. Is it good?

Chew #43 (Image Comics)

With Tony Chu out of the country, the rest of crew continue hunting down the Vampire. Mason Savoy is inviting Olive Chu out on a big mission, feeling that she is finally read for the big jobs that he and the rest do. John Colby isn’t as sure about it though, thus he brings along Poyo as backup. With a lively team like that, how will this all go?

Hey look, penguin murder is a big deal in Antarctica.

This new arc, Chicken Tenders, has really kicked the series back into gear after feeling like it hasn’t been going anywhere for a while. Though, I will say that this particular issue wasn’t as good as the previous two issues in terms of story progression, development, and surprises. I mean, in the last two main issues, we had both Tony & Colby getting married, Director Applebee getting brought in on Mason’s plan, and more. This issue was more about showing that Olive Chu is ready for the big leagues and setting up for the next part. While by no means bad (it pushed Olive’s character forward a bit), it has been the weakest issue of the arc so far.

Regardless, the writing on the book is strong as ever. The characters remain very well written, memorable, and interesting all at the same time (not many series can boast that). The dialogue is great, with a lot of personality and humor. Speaking of which, the humor is fantastic with many great moments and hilarious background gags. The pacing is solid and the story flows very well from page to page. The ending though… wow. If that’s not a way to make you instantly want to read the next issue, then I don’t know what is.

Now that’s a trophy name!

Rob Guillory’s artwork shines through with the usual praises one can give it. The characters look great, each being unique and standing out well from the crowd (though there are a few people similar body types and facial structures). The layouts are easy to follow and allow the story to easily flow without any awkward transitions or slow moments. The imagery here is great, with a lot of good background gags and memorable shots in the book. Overall, it’s another solid looking issue of a great looking book.

Is It Good?

Chew #43 is another solid issue, but lacks a bit of the punch or surprise we’ve gotten in the previous two issues (outside of the ending shot here). Regardless of that though, the quality of issue remains the same as previous ones. The writing is still very strong, with great characters and very enjoyable artwork. All I can say is that I’m looking very much forward to the next issue and wondering what will exactly happen.