There’s no doubt that Chew, an ongoing series from Image Comics by John Layman and Rob Guillory, was the big indie sensation of 2009. It sold four printings of its first issue and received critical and fan acclaim. The story revolves around a detective named Tony Chu, who is cibopathic. Cibopathy is the ability to experience the memories of anything the cibopath tastes. If Tony bites a piece of fruit, he knows how it was grown, the pesticides used, etc. If he bites into a pork chop, he knows how the pig was grown… and slaughtered. In his world, bird flu has killed millions, there’s a chicken ban, and the FDA has become a serious power. The FDA recruits Tony to solve all sorts of crimes and chicken violations… by having him taste evidence. Creepy, funny and strangely charming, Chew has become one of my favorite books. It also has the distinction of having one of the only Asian-American protagonists in all of comics.
