F.D.A. Special Agent Tony Chu has survived Russian Vampires, dirty FDA agents, vengeful chicken sellers, bizarre alien writing in the sky, and a prize fighting chicken. So what is next for this “special” agent? If you guessed traffic cop, you cheated.

Previously in Chew

Tony Chu is cibopathic. This beauty of this psychic power is it allows Tony the ability to eat anything and know its entire history. Bite into an apple and he knows what tree it grew on and what pesticides where sprayed on it. Lately Tony has been using his power for the FDA to solve murders and other heinous crime in the post-Bird flu world Chew is set in.

The last time we saw Tony the strange, flaming writing in the sky had disappeared and he and his partner just stole the sacred text to The Church of the divinity of the Immaculate Ova.  In the final pages of the issue, agent-gone-bad Mason Savoy kidnapped Chu’s daughter taking her for her speculative abilities.

Grab Your Segway

The first four panels to begin this new Chew arch, Major League Chew, show a rarely seen jolly Director Applebee. On the fifth panel we understand why. Applebee gets to finally do what he was wanted to since the beginning of Chew. Fire Tony Chu. More accurately transfer him, but the bitter Director sees no difference. Instead of working for the government agency with the most power in the country, Tony is now a kilt wearing, Segway riding traffic cop. No longer will he eat human flesh in the name of justice, but instead write tickets to punk kids parked in front of a hydrant.

This is until Tony comes up on a freshly finished bank robbery. Cue the cibopathic induced flashbacks! Dipping his fingers into a fresh pool of victim blood, the images of the livestock masked robbers firing upon pedestrians, flashes into his head. When Tony tastes the residue car oil left from the get away car he now knows the hideout for the bank robbers. After tazzing his way into the car shop, followed by repelling SWAT agents, Tony is heralded a hero down at the Traffic HQ.

Coming back home to his girlfriend, who also posses a food related psychic ability, he confesses that he can’t believe how well his first day went and that he might actually like this job. This looks to be short lived though as we are left with the image of Tony’s body being used to improve the games of a few local duffers.

Like a Glove

Rob Guillory was born to do the art for Chew. His ability to inject even more humor into this story is amazing. Characters are drawn in a comical way but never so much that the reader can’t connect to them on an emotional level. My favorite parts of Guillory’s style are all the jokes and references he hides away inside the panels. A note stating “We Need More Cowbell” and beer by the name of “Layman’s Hooch”, referencing Chew’s writer John Layman, are two of the hidden gems inside Chew #21.

Do Yourself the Favor…

And go buy this issue now! Chew #21 is a great continuation for the reader who has followed the story from the beginning. It is also a great place for the new person to jump on, however it will make you want to go buy the previous trades. Layman and Guillory continue their story telling success that has earned them Eisner awards previously, and I’m already looking forward to seeing what they have Agent Chu eat next month.

5/5