| Title | : | Chew, Vol. 2: International Flavor |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1607062607 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781607062608 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published April 14, 2010 |
| Awards | : | Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Continuing Series (2011) |
Book Details: Format: Paperback Publication Date: 6/22/2010 Pages: 128
Chew, Vol. 2: International Flavor Reviews
-
Amelia Mintz is a Saboscrivner. That means she can write about food so accurately, so vividly and with such precision, people get the actual sensation of taste when reading her words. Wu gets a replacement partner, but in the end finds himself on the trail of that chicken tasting fruit all the way to Polynesia, where he runs into a few familiar faces.
The rather rapid speed of this series continues with characters zipping in and out pretty quickly. The comedic universe itself still holds true as does the overlying mystery, albeit a bit too obvious at times. The art however, remains shining. 8 out of 12 Four Star read.
2019 and 2017 read -
i burned through all ten published volumes of this series in a matter of months, and while i managed
a fairly coherent review of the first volume, i am overwhelmed by the thought of going back and reviewing volumes 2-10, trying to recapture that innocent mindset that didn't know what happened in subsequent volumes and trying to stay within the lines of the volume i'd be reviewing.
my hat is off to you serial comic book/graphic novel reviewers who are able to consistently churn out smart, comprehensive, and entertaining reviews that manage to discuss the book itself as well as its place within the larger universe of the series or character's existence.
i can't do that. i read these so compulsively and so quickly - like jamming cookies into a mouth that was already crammed with cookies - that it's just too much road to backtrack and too many metaphors to mix and since i have so many other books that i have to review, i'm going to take a totally cheap opt-out review path and just post pictures from each book that i enjoy for reasons pertaining to the plot, or just cuz i like the damn pictures.
and maybe now that i have to wait a couple of months until volume 11 comes out, i'll be able to do that one proper review-style, but right now - too full of stress and anxiety and just wanting to make this stack of books needing reviews go down LGM.
ta-daa
one down, eight to go!
come to my blog! -
Tonight's Menu:
A somewhat busy, eclectic serving of John Layman’s Chew
Overall, not as tasty as Volume 1, but my critique is going to be fairly light because I love the basic ingredients of this series and the presentation (i.e., art) is wonderful. This is a fresh, unique and well prepared comic that definitely deserves patronage. That said, Volume #2, while featuring some quality moments, was not as memorable in total as Volume #1 and left me less than satiated and craving a bit more. It just felt more like an aperitif, a beginning, rather than a complete entrée and I walked away feeling that there was too much left open and undeveloped at the end.
Still, the quality is there and I'm giving it the doubt's benefit that there is some real "oh yeah" to come in subsequent volumes. I'm optimistic that the sketchy introduced here will be fleshed out and the series will rectify the slight sense of momentum-loss that threatened to settle in.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Tony Chu is a cibopath, meaning he obtains psychic impressions from anything he eats. Tony works as an enforcement agent for the almost all-powerful Food and Drug Administration of a future U.S. in which chicken and all bird meat has been outlawed following a devastating attack of bird flu wiped out 23 million Americans. Unfortunately for Agent Chu, his special talent requires him to chew on someratherextremely unsavory items:
For a more detailed look into this very interesting alternate future and the events preceding this installment, you can check out my review of Book 1 here: Review of Taster’s Choice
This volume involves Tony and his bionic, $4M partner traveling to the fictional island of Yamapalu to investigate a mysterious “fruit” that, when cooked, tastes just like chicken.
The commercial potential for such a find is staggering. Unfortunately, also in the vicinity are a ninjafied USDA assassin with a ill temper, a voracious vampire and the greedy governor of the island nation who looks like Peter Lorre's stunt double.
Chaos, cannibalism and some cibopathic clairvoyance ensue.
THOUGHTS:
The Good
1. The writing is a plus and you certainly don’t have the cringe-causing clunkiness that infests too much of the comic product on the market. John Layman has talent and, despite my lack of overwhelming enthusiasm for this volume, I retain high hopes for the series based on the wonderful central concept and John’s ability to write a good tale.
2. A new food related psychic power is introduced that is just wonderful. This is always a nice moment in this series. Here, one of the chef characters turns out to be a cibolocuter which means that they can translate written works into their food. For example, as you bite into their soufflé you may experience the works of Shakespeare while you chew. Just run with it, it's fun.
The Mediocre
1. The central story just barely gets off the ground in this volume. Now this may just be a tweener, set-up volume requiring a post haste jump to the next volume where all will be made right. However, as a standalone volume it left me unsatisfied and I have to call it like I see it. There is clearly more going on than meets the eye regarding the strange, chicken-tasting gallsaberry but no answers are revealed here. Hopefully next time.
2. Tony’s partner didn’t really wow me. I was far more impressed with the USDA assassin who added a nice new dimension to the plot
...though, unfortunately, she didn't get enough page time to make a big difference. Again, maybe next time.
VERDICT:
I can only give this one a solid three stars because it suffers from comparison to Volume 1. However, it is still among the better series I have read lately and I'm a big fan of the originality of the world-building, the food-related powers and the main characters (Chu's partner notwithstanding). Definitely check out Volume 1 and, if you enjoy it, you can get through Volume 2 with little difficulty and still have some fun along the way.
I only hope that Volume 3 tastes a little better.
3.0 stars. Recommended. -
If you thought that volume 1 was amazing, then you better read volume 2 right away. This was a lot better than the first, and that's saying a lot because the first one was already really great. The characters were already well developed and the plot was a lot better in this one.
The author introduced a brand new conflict and it worked out perfectly. Chew has this culinary vibe and the author managed to incorporate it interestingly. I eat chicken almost everyday, so if it were to get banned then I might be in huge trouble. The new plant thing seemed really interesting right from the start, so I finished this graphic novel in less than 15 minutes. Graphic novels are easier to read, but if it gets boring at some part I still tend to put it down and finish whenever. Chew Vol.2 was a one-sitting kind of GN.
The new supernatural gimmick/twist near the end was spot on. I didn't see it coming. Another thing that I didn't see coming would be the ending. It was good and satisfying. The crime aspect of the series got more attention and that managed to grab my attention even further. Food + crime = perfect combination.
The artwork was still vivid and as amazing as the first one. Still my favorite artwork of all GNs I've read.
4.75/5 stars. I'm trying my best not to hand out 5 stars that often anymore, so this got rounded down. I believe most people would enjoy this as long as they enjoyed vol.1. Highly recommended series. -
Deliciously creative and satisfyingly wacky - this tasty second edition was very entertaining (and filling!)
International flavor redefines the phrase "tastes like chicken". New elements are added to the story started in vol 1, and things are really starting to flesh out.
The art is weird but wonderful - it is very cool to see the artwork go beyond the norm. Some graphic novels are good, but the art is the same-old, same-old. I have no doubt if I saw artwork from any issue of Chew, I would know it was from Chew.
I will definitely keep reading this series, perhaps you would like this tasty morsel, too? -
After a reunion with his old partner Colby, FDA Agent Tony Chu heads to a Pacific Island to investigate a mysterious fruit that tastes like chicken when cooked and runs into an old enemy... his brother!
Chu and Colby are back together, or they are until Chu leaves town to do some investigating on his own. Chu goes to a locale and runs into some familiar faces and someone that was hinted at in the previous volume.
Since it was the second volume in the series, a little of the newness has worn off but Chu is still one of the more unusual comics I've ever read. Colby's back with half a face after taking a cleaver in the first volume and is an FDA agent. I was surprised he didn't accompany Chu aboard but I guess they'll be back together soon enough.
It was interesting seeing circumstances leading to Chu taking charge of a small police department. And, of course, eating gross things. The plot with the Gallsberry didn't go very far, although it still has potential and it did move Tony forward in some ways.
The art and the story are a perfect fit. I sure hope Rob Guillory hands the art throughout the run. The pace was a little slow for my tastes but it's actually fitting for a detective comic, even when said detective spends a lot of his time swallowing nasty morsels.
Yeah, I'm on board for many more courses. Four out of five stars. -
4.5
-
I THINK THIS IS MY FAVORITE GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES!!!! FUNNY, CREATIVE, BRILLIANT!!!
-
I made sure I ate up big at last night's chicken dinner because I knew come this lunch time reading I would be entering a strictly no-chicken zone.
I want to give thanks here to my goodreads friend Ctgt for the phrase "Chicken Apocalypse." Also thanks to Tamahome for inventing the completely new genre description "Chickocalypse."
Really?
It wasn't me so no fowl looks from you
Cibopath Tony Chu is joined by John Colby, his old cop buddy partner - yeah the one that got half his face chopped off last volume. How did he survive that? Well John Colby is now The 4-million-dollar man. Or as I prefer to call him - The Bionic Man at a 33% discount.
After receiving a psychic impression from ingesting a fruit-from-outerspace-that-mysteriously-tastes-like-chicken, FDA Agent Tony Chu leaves post-chickocalypse America and goes to a remote Polynesian island which has just recently adopted the no-chicken policy. Very quickly the conspiracy grows to galactic proportions.
All this leads to the inevitable questions - Is fruit-from-outerspace-that-mysteriously-tastes-like-chicken the answer to humanity's chicken crisis? Will research into genetically modified chicken tasting frogs continue? Are vampires real? And is there anything Tony Chu will not chew in the name of discovering the truth? - Like when bank robbers leave a little something behind in the vault?
Apparently so.
A lot of fun. Not quite as fowl as last book which was a shame. I'm off to KFC.
4 stars.
PS - I wonder if KFC would legally pass in a no-chicken zone? If so it would make a great chicken alternative. -
"Shit rolls downhill... And there's no bigger pile of shit around here than Tony Chu."
A solid sequel to the first volume of Chew.
Again, the prologue had me a little confused at first, but later I understood (almost) everything. I liked the fruit plot that's in this volume a lot better than any of the storylines in past issues. A newly discovered, exotic fruit that tastes exactly like chicken in a world where chicken is outlawed is actually very amusing to read about. A+
I recommend this graphic novel to lovers of wild, exotic fruits that taste distinctly like chicken. 4.5 -
If Chew volume 1 is the seed, Chew volume 2: International Flavor is a teenage plant with its branches still in their youth already forming and in time, ready to bear fruit for us to feast on.
The second volume escalates from the previous one as it intertwines the different plots that will develop in the successive story arcs. I wonder how Layman gets these utterly crazy ideas and mix them to concoct an even crazier story. What's more is that he patches these plot previews in a neat and clear manner that you don't have to go backtracking for something you might have missed. You don't have to sacrifice relishing the rowdiness and action just to remember what is really happening.
FDA Agents Tony Chu and John Colby.
Volume 2's icing on a delicious done cake is the return of Chu's original partner, John Colby. Agent Colby may not be on at Yamapalu island where the main setting of the story arc is, but his new abilities and unexpected personality reveal paints the sophomore installment with charm. -
The only reason I gave this 4 stars rather than 5 is that I didn't understand why the lead character NEEDED to investigate the mysterious fruit. Other than that, class act and awesome as usual, HUGE FAN!
-
[5 Stars] I loved this volume even more than the first one! I honestly think just that this graphic novel series is exactly to my personal taste. See what I did there? Taste... I particularly loved getting more Amelia and Colby in this volume. Though I really missed Savoy!
-
This volume was better than the first in the series. We get to know Tony Chu better. We see more of this foodie world. This had a sense of fun in it.
Tony has traveled to an island to track down a fruit that taste just like chicken. He runs into all kinds of things there and back in the states his boss is flipping his lid. His partner sleeps with his boss and we find out that it makes the boss a much happier guy. Go figure.
This reminds me a little bit of I Zombie. I know this came out first, but I saw that first. I will go on with this series, every now and again. -
And so an awesome series continues. In this volume Tony Chu takes time off of his job to go with his brother to a Micronesian Island which is apparently dealing in a substitute chicken. Along the way he meets a competing agent from another US department, crooked locals and catches up with his love interest, Amelie Mintz. He also gets to do some commando mission moves and make his not so smooth moves on his love interest. We also get to meet his former ex partner who is something of a cybernetic man after he lost half of his face. As usual the tale is action packed, zany in humor at times and complex. I love how the panels have main things taking place but looking in the background reveals more.
Now, as far as some of the special terms go here's a bit of a list: (1) a Saboscrivner can write about food so accurately that people get the sensation of taste when they read about the food. Amelia Mintz is a Saboscrivner; (2) a Cibopath can take a bite from anything and get a psychic sensation of what has happened to that object. The only thing it does not work on is beets. Tony Chu, Toni Chu, Olive Chu, Mason Savoy, and The Vampire are Cibopaths; and (3) a Cibolocuter is able to communicate through food, and can also translate written works like plays, poems and operas into their food. Fantanyeros is a Cibolocuter. In March 2011 it was revealed that Showtime is going to turn this into a half hour comedy series.
The first three issues of Chew have all sold out multiple printings with the first issue receiving four printings as well as being reprinted in black and white in The Walking Dead #63. The first issue was so popular that it was called one of Image's most acclaimed titles, and was reprinted again in the first wave of the Image First line. Critical reception has been mostly positive. IGN gave the first issue a 9.5 out of 10 and the subsequent issues 9.0, 9.1 and 8.8 respectively. Chew Vol. 1: Taster's Choice[29] and Chew Vol. 2: International Flavor[30] have both been on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Chew ended up on several Best of 2009 lists, including IGN's Best Indie Series of 2009 (beating The Walking Dead and Bad Dog) and MTV Splashpage's Best New Series of 2009. Chew was also #4 on ComicBookResources.com's Best 100 Comics of 2009 list. On July 23, 2010, Chew won the Eisner Award for Best New Series. Chew also won two 2010 Harvey Awards (Best New Series and Best New Talent)and was nominated for, but did not win, two 2010 Eagle Awards (Favourite New Comicbook and Favourite American Colour Comicbook).
WHEN READ: January 2012; STORY/PLOTTING: B plus to A minus; CHARACTER/DIALOGUE: A minus; EXECUTION OF IDEA: B plus to A minus; ARTWORK; A minus; HUMOR: B to B plus; OVERALL GRADE: A minus. -
Introduction:
After reading the first volume of this fantastic series “Chew: Taster’s Choice,” I was geared up to read the second volume “Chew: International Flavor!” “Chew: International Flavor” is just as interesting and creative as the first volume and being that John Layman’s “Chew” series is an Eisner Award Winning and Harvey Award Winning series, this volume is definitely something that any comic book fan should check out!
What is this story about?
In this volume, Tony Chu is back and this time he is working with his old partner John Colby (you know, the guy who had his face cut off in the first volume and now, half of his face is robotic)? Anyway, Tony and John stumble upon a case on the mysterious island Yamapalu and not only does Tony meet a tough female spy named Lin Sae Woo, but he also notices that many of the people who were killed on the island have mysterious bite marks on their necks…
Vampires do not exist, do they?
What I loved about this story:
John Layman’s writing: Just like the first volume, John Layman’s writing is just as good in this volume as it was in the first volume! I loved the way that John Layman characterized each character as all the characters in this volume were written in an exciting and intense way! I really enjoyed the character Tony Chu as he is shown to be a strong and sarcastic character that has already come to terms with his special powers and I loved the scenes where he gets angry at people who make him use his powers for idiotic reasons. I also loved John Colby as he was also just as sarcastic as Tony and yet, he remains to be a great friend to Tony, even standing up for him against his boss. John Layman did a brilliant job at balancing both the humor and the horror in this volume as I found myself laughing at all of Tony’s misfortunes on his adventures. I also loved the little “vampire” twist on this story since at first, I was rolling my eyes at the idea that they would introduce a concept that was used over a MILLION times in other stories, but in this volume, it was actually used in an extremely creative way and I hope to read more about the “vampire” situation in the next volume!
Rob Guillory’s artwork: Rob Guillory’s artwork as usual is both hilarious and somewhat disgusting in an extremely good way! Even though this volume is not as disgusting as the first volume, the artwork of the characters discovering murdered bodies is truly effective as you can see the blood spilling out of the victims, which gives the artwork a truly chilling feel. I also loved the way that Rob Guillory made the characters look cartoonish in nature and yet, there is still some intensity to the artwork.
[image error] -
So, um, yeah, this was wild.
Incredibly gruesome, ridiculously fun and surprisingly addictive.
I can’t wait to continue on and see where this series goes. (I just need to make sure I don’t leave three years between issues again.)
It definitely could have done without the homophobia and racism though.
TW:
• Suicide
• Homophobia
• Racism
• A *lot* of blood and gore -
Sooo good! Even better then the first highly recommend this graphic novel series.
-
3.5
I don't know why this one made me dislike Tony so much. He just seemed like a spoiled kid not getting his way and I found him kind of annoying for the first 2/3 of this book.
Once we got closer to the end I began to enjoy the story more and was intrigued about where it was going.
I am really enjoying Colby's character a lot. I am glad to see him not only back, but referring to himself as a bionic Robocop.
While this was a good read, it didn't blow me away like the first one did. -
Really enjoyed this! I'm not sure what I want to rate it but I'm going with 4 stars.
-
Probably not for everyone, Chew is edgy to say the least, but entertaining, funny and extremely well drawn. The story of the gustative detective continues as he travels far and wide and encounters the vampire who will certainly figure large in subsequent episodes. I loved the new cyborg hybrid partner and expect that this will continue to be a blast.
-
This one was a little different. It’s centered around a new fruit that only grows on this one island and the fruit taste like chicken. Since chicken is outlawed, this fruit could be the next big thing.
And there’s a whole like underlining plot that’s happening and they need to get someone off the island before it’s too late.
Oh, and a vampire? That’s different.
-
Things I liked:
Tony's original partner is back.
Chicken, even if is a fruit.
Enough questions to keep wondering without feeling that Layman isn't telling you anything.
The metacommentary was pretty awesome.
The vampire.
Things I didn't:
Tony and the bionic cop (sorry, don't remember his name) don't share much scenes together.
New characters but some dissapear pretty quickly. -
Even better than the first volume! Hilarious, twisty, and gross, this series is fantastic so far, highly recommend!!
-
3,5*
-
Second installment of this curious series, covering numbers from 5 to 10. Agent Tony Chu, starting with a case of robbery, discovers a mysterious chicken-like fruit and that will lead him to investigate for himself in a "not so quiet" tropical island. There will be a lot of surprises, action, unforeseen situations and, why not, love.
The plot is rather complex, with different plots that intertwines in the story, in some cases referencing to events in the previous volume. There are a lot of intriguing and great ideas, very well developed and supported by a lot of characters we meet during the reading. Perhaps, in the end there are some things not explained, left for the next volume, but it is an exciting and fun reading.
New entry in this story is Tony's new partner, in fact the old partner, whose exuberance and security balance the reserved character of our hero.
Artwork is always perfect, colors and drawings are great and help to give something extra to this series. Rob Guillory has a magic hand and a superlative technique.
It is certainly a story that fascinates me and I can’t wait to continue. -
En az ilki kadar iğrençti.
-
Another legitimately awesome and disgusting volume! In this volume:
-Does Tony eat shit?!
-What is that fruity chicken?!
-Vampire? Cibopath? Hero? Villain? WHO KNOWS?!
-Bionic FDA Agent!
-Where is Mason?!
-Death galore!
-Cock fighting!
-Chow Chu being a dickhead!
Overall: Amazing. A lot of cringe worthy, don't eat immediately after moments. The artwork is once again on point. And the story line keeps propelling me further and further forward. I hate waiting for more volumes of this. -
Really solid graphic novel series. Not my favourite but I do enjoy them. I find that there's a little too much going on and I still don't like the artwork yet but it's entertaining enough to read. I got out the entire 10 published ones out from the library this week so expect more reviews to come.
-
Really liked this one, though it felt a bit all over the place at points. Can't wait to see what happens next! :)
