If there was a 4.5 grade, I'd give it a 4.5 ... maybe a 4.75.

Issue #27 is a solid issue, with all of the signature quirkiness of the series and another fun take on the police procedural. The art is as astonishing as ever. But the gimmick of publishing this one out of order (between #18 & 19) didn't quite live up to its potential.

We get a future world, where Tony is bed-ridden and in critical condition, and his sister, Antonelle (or "Toni") has taken a job very similar to his own. We learn that Toni has a special "tasting" power too—the ability to see into the future by biting someone or something. But this new development—which could have been used to give the jump forward some relevance—is not too prominent in the story.

While Tony's crippled state is meant to titillate the reader, there could have been such profound changes to the world of Chew (aliens? bird flu? MASON SAVOY?!) that it just feels a little anti-climactic. While we could have been left with a burning sense of urgency to bridge that gap between issues #18 and 27, instead it just felt like a glimpse at a transitional issue from a future storyline.

Which, all said and done, is still really good stuff. I was just looking for something a little more challenging.