“Chew” is technically “off” this month, so it’s Poyo’s turn! Poyo is a cybernetic Mexican Wrestling Rooster who literally murders whatever he can get his hands on. What’s THAT going to be like?
Written by John Layman
Illustrated by Rob Guillory
Hey retailers/readers/speculators! Still kicking yourself for not ordering and/or passing by CHEW #1, now that you see what it’s going for on eBay? Here’s your chance to get sweet, sweet, revenge, with an all-new CHEW #1, a one-shot spinning off CHEW’s most popular supporting character, and comics’ most beloved homicidal cybernetic kung-fu rooster. Concentrated mayhem. Feathers, rage and hate! Plus: an all-star pin-up gallery from some of the most staggeringly talented artists in the industry!
This book is incredibly hard to compare to anything else I’ve read, even within the Chew Universe. It’s such an absurdly brilliant piece of art from the creative team of John Layman and Rob Guillory that I’m honestly at a loss when it comes to actually reviewing the thing!
Poyo is one of the breakout stars of the “Chew”-niverse, and with good reason. He’s unique and one of the most well-developed characters in comics today. How many other Mexican Wrestling Roosters can you think of who also have cybernetic implants and can out fight anyone from Viltrumites to THE DEVIL and walk away unscathed?
John Layman, the creator of the franchise, is probably one of the biggest creators in comics now, who just so happens to be going from his own creator-owned work to a small, obscure character called Batman. Books like this prove why he’s deserving of such mainstream success as well. While this book probably wouldn’t work in the DC universe, it has a sort of crossover appeal that anyone can enjoy just because it’s so balls to the wall WEIRD, but most importantly, FUN.
I’ve never gone into a book so unaware of what to expect either. Perhaps that helps with regard to the expectations of the book. It can’t really defy expectations if you don’t know what to expect, now can you?
While it takes place in the “Chew”-niverse, it also goes a long way to send up Image Comics as a whole. Who was the unsung hero of Image United? Poyo! Who fought off the Viltrumites in the Viltrumite Interstellar Mustache Wars? Poyo! You can see were this goes. Despite the face Poyo isn’t human, and doesn’t even talk, he is one of the most engaging and ultimately likable characters you can read about, especially considering he had a love story that lasted all of 4 panels, and it was better than the love story told throughout the four books in the “Twilight” series. It’s so easy to dump on “Twilight,” isn’t it? But in this case, it’s true. When you can get emotionally invested in a love story that last all of one page in a one-shot about a rooster, you know the creators have won. Despite all the wackiness I’ve discussed already, I haven’t even talked about the actual plot of the story either. That I won’t give away.
Not to be outdone by his partner, however, Rob Guillory is firing on all cylinders in the art department. His art style has always been one of my favorites in comics today simply because the way it juxtaposes the gruesome nature of the story. He’s always had a talent for stuff like that, but this time he went above and beyond what I’ve ever seen him do on Chew and likely turned in the best issue of his life. His action scenes have never been more dynamic, his sight gags have never been funnier (although some of that may be due in part to Layman as well). I chuckled when I saw the continuation of the Hitler Pineapple gag from Little Nicky or the “Hell of Fame” on Satan’s wall, it just adds to the atmosphere you’ve come to expect from the world of “Chew.”
Not limited to that, there’s a gallery of Poyo pin-ups from some of Image’s best and brightest, from our friend Joe Eisma to Multiversity Favorite Emi Lenox, the last ten or so pages add to the value of the book, giving us other professional artists’ take on Poyo.
I feel like all I can say about this book is “IT’S SO GOOD” over and over again until hopefully everyone goes out and picks it up, effectively making Layman and Guillory the new Kirkman and Adlard. They deserve nothing less than that kind of success, especially when their books are so consistently excellent and still manage to outdo themselves on a monthly basis. This book never stops being a blast to read. Good on you guys. Now we have “Deep Space Poyo” to look forward to! Don’t worry. I’ll wait.
Final Verdict: 9.7 — Buy or Poyo will gouge out your eyes!
