When you think about the series Chew you think about the fantastic art by Rob Guillory. Then you think about the incredible humor that gives you a sensory overload. (In a good way) The third thing that you could think about Chew, or maybe for me at least, is how incredibly violent it can be. I sometimes forget that we’ve had moments where people get ripped apart by a luchador chicken or have massive gunfights. The body count can rise to the dozens if John Layman made it so. But it never bothered me, partly because I am desensitized thanks to a lifetime of video games but also because the humor balanced it all out.

Not this time though, and for the first time I actually had a frown on my face while reading this. Now before you, or John Layman and Rob Guillory (They read these things you now) send the luchador chicken out let me say that this issue is by no means bad. This was yet another fantastic issue by the pair and there was more then enough humor and ‘hidden art jokes’ to keep it entertaining. I want to focus on the violence of this particular issue because it did bother me a bit. It’s a testament to how well Layman writes the characters because seeing Tony get the shit beaten out of him was not what I would call entertaining. Considering the time jump issue from last year it may get worse before the madness ends. Unlike our government, maybe I am not a huge fan of torture so it’s why I wasn’t too thrilled on reading this.

But again, this was a fantastic issue with Layman’s writing and Guillory’s masterful pencils. It more then makes up for the disturbing elements of the issue. I know I will not get the image of a cyborg lion taking a dump in kitty litter anytime soon. That’s the type of humor you get folks and it gets even better as you read it. I just hope we can tone down the violence just a tad next time.