In the flavor of the month industry that is comics, sometimes we forget about long-time favorites as we’re inundated by #1 issues and bold new directions and all that jazz. But one book we can’t ever forget about is John Layman and Rob Guillory’s Chew, one of the funniest and most continuously superb books in comics. This Image Comics title is nearing the 2/3 mark of its run, and today’s 39th issue is on par with the best issues we’ve gotten from the series so far, and it sets the stage for the rest of the series.
Today, we talk to Layman about where the book is, where it’s been, and where it’s going from here, and there is discussion about the events of today’s issue. Beware spoilers, or at the very least, be advised that you should read #39 first. Either way, thanks to John for chatting with us and seriously folks, if you’re not reading it, catch up on Chew sooner rather than later. It’s an absolutely fantastic book.
People love hyping up comics as “game changing” and “the issue that will change things forever!” Chew #39, with very little hype behind it, I really feel might be one of those issues. Can you talk a bit about the events in this, in particular the otherworldly ones? What does it mean?! My mind was blown by what was happening, and I really feel like things may never be the same.
JL: Well, to me every issue is important in its own way, though some issues are more obvious to the reader than others. There are no fill-in issues, no gimmicky one-off jumping-on issues, so every issue plays a role building upon the bigger story. I think the issues that don’t seem “game changing” are the ones that don’t immediately show repercussions—Savoy’s infiltration of the FDA prison in #38 is a big example of that. Huge ramifications, just not obvious at this point in time.
But, yes, in #39 we finally see both Alitis-738, the planet we first got a look at in Issue #4, and a return of the fire-writing, which was the focus of TPB #4, Flambé.
JL: Olive was always going to have a big part, and Toni was always going to be there. Toni’s role did get bigger, just based on the sheer force of her personality. Other than Colby, she’s the most fun character to write. In many ways this entire arc is about saying goodbye to her, a goodbye we didn’t get in the Space Cakes arc when we so suddenly lost her at the end.
Another character who has developed considerably since her arrival is Amelia Mintz, and more than ever, her gifts as a saboscrivener have become important. Given her developing relationship with Olive and her role as almost a lifeline to the increasingly distant Tony, how important is Amelia to this book now and going forward?
JL: I actually feel like Amelia has been underutilized in the last few arcs, but that’s sorta because she’s slipped to the sidelines while other aspects of the story are dealt with. She’s actually playing a far bigger role, and hows and whys of that will really become obvious when we get to issue #41.
JL: Well, there’s clearly nothing Rob can’t draw, which is great because CHEW veers from police drama to situation comedy to sci fi to horror and whatever else we can throw in there, often in the same issue. It’s allowed CHEW to be more diverse, and encouraged me to do more things. As an artist, I think Rob’s not afraid to go bigger and more crazy. The older issues have a more subdued color palette, and I think he was initially afraid to embrace some of the crazy of CHEW. You can really see that change as the colors get brighter and wilder as the series progresses.
Continued belowThe grand chicken of carnage, Poyo, has already earned is own one-shot and is now getting a resin figure this year. Can we expect more standalone appearances by Mr. Poyo?
JL: Warrior Chicken Poyo is coming this year, in time for SDCC. Also, the next act, #41-#45, titled “Chicken Tenders,” is very Poyo-centric, culminating in a issue #45 trifold cover featuring Poyo and every enemy he’s faced thus far. It’s probably gonna kill Rob to draw.
JL: Well, in terms of “game changers,” the status quo changes once again as we enter the next arc, just as it has every other arc. We go into #41 with Tony getting some closure with his sister, and some knowledge of how to get revenge on the Collector who killed her. We see Tony’s found some peace as a result, and is a lot calmer and –gasp—happier. Even though a lot of horrible stuff happens in the next ten issues, including one really significant death, we’re going to see Tony more happy and at peace than we’ve ever seen him.
Creator-owned is an interesting game, with attention often moving on to the newest releases rather than seasoned veterans. Now that you’re nearly five years into your run, how do you continue to get this book in front of new readers and keep it top of mind for comic audiences?
JL: Interviews with Multiversity!
Actually, I’m not really sure, and that’s something I NEED to start thing about. Up until now, CHEW has sorta sold itself, which is good because Rob and I aren’t natural comic hustlers. But we’ve had some sales slippage among floppies this year, even as we’ve expanded digitally, internationally, and TPB continue to move like gangbusters. When you look at the annual Top Ten and Best Of lists, CHEW is no longer among them. And I don’t think it’s because of any drop in quality, it’s because comics are about reinvention and looking to the next new thing. In some ways, a book as “old” as issue #40 is sorta taken for granted, while new stuff gets the attention. I suppose the answer is to talk about CHEW a little more, and make myself available for more interviews.
Lastly, in an interview before, you said that if readers could look back and re-read any part of the series for the purpose of catching things we may have missed, it’d be issues #14 through #20. Does that still stand, and what in particular stands out amongst those issues? It seems to me the increase of NASA’s importance, the arrival of E.G.G. and the skywriting in particular are notable from that set.
JL: Well, “homework” for every issue changes from issue to issue and arc to arc. I think the Flambé arc and issue #4 were important to the end of Family Recipe, while Chicken Tenders will be more focused on the Vampire Collector and Poyo. Without pointing at specific issues and arcs, I think perhaps an annual reread of the book in its entirety will always open a reader’s eyes to new stuff.
Chew #39 is out today. Buy it at your local comic book shop or on your favorite version of digital reading (Image’s DRM-free or ComiXology).
