Is It Good? Chew #44 Review

Let’s face it: after last month’s cliffhanger ending… there was no way you were going to want to miss this issue. I mean, just wow!

Where will this month’s issue take us? Is it good?

Chew #44 (Image Comics)

After lots of buildup and planning Mason Savoy, Oliva Chu and the FDA are ready to take on the Collector in his actual home. Our protagonists have a lot of power and backup on their hands, so their odds are looking good. That being said… their plan kind of… ends badly.

I won’t get into any specifics for spoilers’ sake, but I will say this: Chew #44 is a can’t miss issue if you have been enjoying the series up until now. There is a lot of payoff to all that buildup we’ve been seeing throughout the past couple of story arcs as well as some surprises. The story is great, intense, and leaves off on a cliffhanger that’ll certainly make you anxious to read the next issue (even more so than the last).

And now, for a quick history lesson.

John Layman’s writing on the book is excellent with some minor issues here and there. The characterization is on point for almost everyone, except for Director Penya of the USDA. Considering how much she and her agents have absolutely loved their animal partners, it seems odd and out of character for her to send one into this situation just to be slaughtered. The dialogue and narration are fine like you would expect and the pacing is solid. The humor felt a bit off for this issue honestly, though that’s mostly because of the story. It’s not particularly effective or helps break any tension due to everything happening here (it’s slightly awkward almost). Despite my gripes, none of the issues particularly hurt the comic and you are still guaranteed an enjoyable outing.

Rob Guillory’s artwork is awesome as usual. The characters are well depicted, the layouts are excellent, the colors were great, and small details such as background gags and visuals really bolster the overall feel. What especially stood out to me most about Chew #44 was how well it handled the action. It was very intense and especially brutal this time (you’ve seen that throughout the series, but not usually this much in a single issue outside of maybe a Poyo special). It really did lend to how shocking the issue was and left a big impression on me.

Is It Good?

Chew #44 is, without a doubt, one of the best issues of the series it has had in a long time. It was intense, surprising, had a lot of payoff to a long building storyline and had great writing and art as usual. This issue is definitely one fans of the series will be talking about for a while.