On the Coffee Table: Chew

Title: Chew, Volume One: Taster's Choice
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Rob Guillory

via Goodreads

Okay, I will admit upfront that the premise for this comic book series is flat out disgusting.  Those of you who know the medium are likely already familiar with the critically-acclaimed Chew.  As for the rest of you, I shall understand your visceral repulsion.  That said, trust me: this one's good!

Tony Chu is a cibopath.  As far as I can tell, John Layman invented both the word and the concept.  A cibopath instantly accesses the back story of anything s/he eats.  As one might imagine (or prefer not to), that's quite a handy skill for a detective, especially when a corpse turns up.  I expect you can see where this is going so I won't belabor the point.  Envision a combination of The Dead Zone, Pushing Daisies and Silence of the Lambs.

Other characters have gastronomic powers, too.  The love interest, Amelia Mintz, is a saboscrivner, meaning she can write about her own eating experiences so accurately that the reader gets the exact same sensations she did.  As such, she's a highly effective and unusually dangerous food critic.

This was not my first exposure to Chew.  A couple years ago, I tried a single issue from the series and was too grossed out to continue.  But when Goodreads recommended it, I thought I'd at least try starting from the beginning.  Not unlike my experience with The Walking Dead, I was pleasantly surprised. 

So, why does Chew work?  Strip away the grody and it's a classic detective story.  The food quirks inspire an extra level of curiosity.    With Walking Dead, I made it through four trades or 24 issues before I'd finally had enough.  We'll see if I can do any better with Chew.