Chew Vol. 1: Taster’s Choice by John Layman and Rob Guillory
I got this recommendation from RonLit’s vlog. Chew’s wacky premise: Tony Chu gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats (except beets). This is very useful for his job at the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, but he often has to eat rather, er… unsavory things.
In the background we’re introduced to a conspiracy theory around the government’s ban on poultry due to a recent Bird Flue pandemic and the FDA’s power growth.
Written like this it sounds very weird and kind of gross, but trust me: it is absolutely disgusting at times and absolutely hilarious practically always. There are cannibal serial-killer chefs and speakeasy restaurants, an old-fashioned cop that speaks like a Victorian and… llama sex (don’t ask, just read).
As Kat said, you’ll be “fascinated but repulsed at the same time. And you will enjoy every little bit” Couldn’t have put it better myself.
Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Hurrah – Saga lives up to the hype! The first five-stars of the year. The amazing art comes hand in hand with a great story and greater storytelling – there’s humour and serious stuff, background information and hints about big mysteries to be unfolded in the future, just as I like it.
Staples’s personal style is realistic, but the lines are not clean (you can see her scratching), giving the art a lot of personality. The coloring is vibrant and adds to the story, especially in the impressive 2-page-wide drawings.
The pace has a good mix of action and background information, but for me it was the characterization that did it. Apart from the kick-ass main characters, I sort of developed a crush on bounty-hunter The Will and was utterly spellbound by Gwendolyn. I never get as emotionally invested with audio or comics as I do with a paper books, so Saga was ground-breaking for me. I got a serious Firefly vibe about it all, which is by no means a bad thing.
I’ll going to NY for work next week and plan a big comics shopping spree. The remaining volumes of Saga are already on the wish-list.
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11 comments
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January 30, 2015 at 2:24 pm
syrin
Saga and Chew – 2 great comics. 🙂
February 11, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Alex
I know! bought the next volumes of both last week.
January 30, 2015 at 11:52 pm
Kailana
Yay, Saga!! I read Chew, too, and while good, never read on…
February 11, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Alex
Any reason why you stopped Chew?
February 1, 2015 at 10:44 pm
Jenny @ Reading the End
How lovely that you’re enjoying Saga! There’s a new issue out next week, and I’m already craaaaaaving it.
February 11, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Alex
I have it 🙂
February 11, 2015 at 3:44 am
Kat Stark
Thanks for the shout out. I love both of these graphic novels to my hearts content!
February 11, 2015 at 4:48 pm
Alex
I hope this means more books coming out beyond the super-hero usual suspects and from indie publishers.
February 12, 2015 at 12:15 am
Kat Stark
I’m sure there will be.
September 25, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Almost done with #ReadHarder – recommendations needed | The Sleepless Reader
[…] A book by a person whose gender is different from your own: Chew Vol. 1 […]
January 2, 2016 at 6:46 pm
Best of 2015 | The Sleepless Reader
[…] Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples What’s there to say about the series that hasn’t been said before? All the hype was well deserved. […]