For the last three years I have embarked on a Comics Odyssey, reading and writing reviews of comics towards an ambitious goal which I only attained on one of three attempts. This year, I still want to read more comics and write reviews, but I’m not setting a specific goal. I’ll just document them and number them. We’ll see how far I can go . . . . . . . .
#60 - #64 CHEW, VOLUME ONE: TASTER’S CHOICE. Written and lettered by John Layman. Drawn and colored by Rob Guiuillory (image Comics, fourth printing, January 2017) Reprints CHEW #1-5.
This was the title that established Layman and Guillory as major talents and worthy of a larger audience.
This is a gem of a book, as CHEW is one of the most original (both story and art) works in recent years as well as a thoroughly engaging and amusing read. It’s a wry blend of crime, horror and satire that I highly recommend.
Let’s give writer Layman some time here. In Issue #1, he says: “Meet Tony Chu. Tony Chu is almost always hungry. And almost never eats. Here’s why: Tony Chu is cibopathic. That means he can take a bite of an apple and get a feeling in his head about what tree it grew from, what pesticides were used on the crop, and when it was harvested. Or he could eat a hamburger and flash onto something else entirely.”
As a Philadelphia police officer, those skills often come in handy for Chu, especially when he and partner John Colby stakeout an illegal chicken carry-out operation in an abandoned storefront. Tony samples some of the chicken stew that the cook splashed some blood into from a cut finger, and that sets off his telepathic food forensic abilities. He learns that the chef is a serial killer and makes the arrest, although his partner gets a butchers’ cleaver in the side of the face during the takedown. Tony’s detective work gets the attention of the FDA, and suddenly he has a new job and a new partner, agent Mason Savoy. He also gets a new boss, the angry Mike Applebee who immediately hates Chu and tries to sabotage his job and his health.
Savoy and Chu’s first assignment in “Tasters Choice” is to investigate the disappearance of health inspector Evan Pepper, whose detached finger turns up in a McBeefy’s hamburger. Of course, Chew has to munch on the finger to learn some of these details and the search is on, leading to an encounter with Yakuza assassins and a huge bounty on Chu’s head. Tony meets and falls in love with Amelia Mintz, a newspaper food writer who is also a saboscrivner, meaning she writes about food so accurately that the readers can actually taste it. Tony saves her as well as a newsroom from anti-chicken prohibition terrorists, but she disappears. Savoy and Chu’s trail next leads to Russia and a joint U.S. – Russian observatory that is a taxpayer financed party site for crooked politicians. This leads back to the Evan Pepper disappearance and the discovery that Chu’s partner has a criminal background, just before he takes a piece of Chu as a bargaining chip.
Wild, crazy, clever. Still seems fresh during a 2024 re-reading. FIVE STARS.
#65 GHOST MACHINE one-shot preview book by various creators (Image Comics / Ghost Machine, January 2024)
Initial impressions: As a preview book designed to get readers to examine new titles and place pre-orders (or at least roll the dice hoping some copies will show up on comic shop shelves) - - - I’d say this gets the job done. It also helps comic shops learn what they need in order to answer customer questions, as well as decide how many “shelf” copies to order. Readers get to glimpse the art (most of it really good looking), see a few pages of story, and get some background information on the upcoming titles (some debuting in April 2024). I will definitely be giving most of these a one-or-two issue trial order to see if they are worth following. However, there’s wasn’t a single storyline that really hooked me. This will be more of a curiosity purchase, especially since I like to support new indie comics ventures. The characters created by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have the coolest designs and look bad-ass. With the exception of ROOK, they are continuations of storylines that Johns has previously written (Geiger, Junkyard Joe, and the introduction of Redcoat in the Geiger annual). I have the first story arc of Junkyard Joe but I haven’t read yet beyond Issue #2 (going to do that soon). I’ve never read Geiger, but what I’ve seen here intrigues me.
I’ve got more to say about GHOST MACHINE but will save that for later. For what it’s worth this preview rates FOUR STARS.
#66 GHOST MACHINE one-shot preview book (Image Comics/Ghost Machine, January 2024) THE UNNAMED Universe links several characters created by writer Geoff Johns together as participants in The Unknown War. These are the series I’m most interested in, that feature eye-candy art and appealing characters. There’s a short preview of GEIGER (art by Gary Frank) and REDCOAT (art by Bryan Hitch), an Unknown War timeline, and biographies of the Unnamed (Geiger, Junkyard Joe, Redcoat, The Northerner, and President Sara Nash/First Ghost).
Tariq Geiger is a human nuclear reactor (the “Glowing Man”) whose vest/costume helps him contain and release the energy. He was undergoing experimental treatment for bone cancer and found himself trapped outside the family bunker when world war broke out. His companion is a mutated two-headed wolf. In the preview story, we learn that there’s a price on his head, as well as an unknown person who survived the same mishap and may provide a cure.
Simon Pure was a rifle-for-hire British redcoat during the Revolutionary War who was thought to be dead but somehow became immortal. He’s a bit of a snarky rogue who’s crossed paths with many historical figures. The preview is a short overview of his history that ends in 1892 when he wakes up to find himself strapped to an altar in a ritual featuring hooded figures (like Klansmen). FOUR STARS for The Unnamed.
GEIGER #1 and REDCOAT #1 are scheduled for April 2024 release.
#67 GHOST MACHINE one-shot preview book (Image Comics/Ghost Machine, January 2024) The ROOK Universe is an all-new futuristic science-fiction saga written by Geoff Johns and illustrated byJason Fabok. There is a short preview of ROOK: EXODUS along with character bios and sketches of various animal masks to be utilized in there series.
Earth farmers were recruited to transport to the terraformed planet of Exodus and apply their skills there. Some years later, the world engine fails and residents must choose between flight or remain and fight to save the planet. Now called Rook, one of the farmers agreed to become a Warden - those who wear animal helmets to command an animal species. Rook controls crows, ravens and rooks and uses them to scavenge for rocket parts to build an escape vehicle. His best friend Swine (who controls pigs and hogs) is torn between staying or leaving. Another prominent character is Dire Wolf (controls wolves) who helped develop the animal masks and has a bit of a falling-out with former friend Rook.
Jason Fabok’s dynamic art kept my eyes glued to the pages. FOUR STARS.
ROOK: EXODUS #1 debuts in April 2024.
#68 GHOST MACHINE one-shot preview book (Image Comics/Ghost Machine, January 2024) Peter J. Tomasi writes the FAMILY ODYSSEYS Universe, what appears to be a light-hearted duo of titles featuring relatable characters focusing on family issues and aimed at a younger audience as well as mainstream comics readers.
The ROCKETFELLERS are a family (father, mother, teen son, young daughter, grandfather and a holographic grandmother) from the 25th century transplanted to 2024 as reluctant volunteers for the Time Zone Protection Program. They have to protect themselves from their nemesis tracking them through time while also convincing the neighbors that they are just regular folks.
In the preview story, the family heads out in the van for dinner (the choices that no one can agree upon). Father Roland Rockefeller suspects they are being tailed and in flight almost crashes the van, It’s a case of mistaken identity - they really do have nice neighbors. I get warm feel-good vibes from this story. Appropriate art by Francis Manapul. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
HORNSBY & HALO features whimsical YA art by Peter Snejbjerg, Synopsis: How do you keep the cosmic peace between Heaven and Hell all within the confines of a small town called Warwick in upstate New York?
. . . . you broker a deal that trades Zachery Halo, an angel child to a demon family, and Rose Hornsby, a demon child to an angel family, and cross your fingers that an everlasting truce takes hold and the balance of power remains stable in a good ol’ mutually assured destruction kinda way!
In the preview story, Hornsby & Halo (both 12 years old) are competing players in a baseball game with consequences. I liked this story a little more than the ROCKETFELLERS. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS. Unfortunately, no release dates have been shared so far for these titles.
ABILITIES: Unknown until they hit puberty. But when they do . . watch out!
#69 GHOST MACHINE one-shot preview book (Image Comics/Ghost Machine, January 2024) HYDE STREET Universe is a duo of horror titles. The previews here are shorter, and it’s hard to determine exactly what these will be about, as well as determine if they are meant to be darkly funny or going for pure fright.
In HYDE STREET by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reiss a movie director scouting the small town of Dallas, Georgia as a potential filming location condescends to a boy scout to his regret. The scout, with the help of his dog, then places the arrogant director in a fateful situation. Yes, there’s a Hyde Street somewhere within every town. Weird and intriguing, but I reserve final opinion. THREE STARS. Coming in October 2024.
The DEVOUR preview, by Maytal Zchut and Ivan Reiss, is even shorter - - just one page crammed between the HYDE STREET story. In 1983 Dorian, Colorado an overweight woman spots a little storefront called “Fat Free” (must be located on Hyde Street) and is encouraged to try the Devour tablets by an eager employee. That’s the entire gist of it. Can’t tell much. THREE STARS for effort.
That wraps up my overview of the new GHOST MACHINE imprint. I will most likely get the first two issues of all of these titles and decide how far I want to go. The ball is now in your corner.
#70 - #72 SOMNA #1 by Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay (DSTLRY, November 2023) Creepy, atmospheric, and erotic. Definitely for mature readers.
Issue #1 is a slow build-up to the tension that’s coming. Ingrid has some troubling and sensual dreams that hint towards her true nature and inclinations. I sense Ingrid is going to make a bad decision and betray a good friend. The art and colors are really spotlighted by the larger prestige format. FOUR STARS.
Synopsis: Set amidst the terrifying backdrop of the witch hunts in a quiet 1600s English village, SOMNA follows one woman's descent into an erotic escape from the confines of her puritanical world.
Ingrid is unhappily married to Roland, the town's bailiff and chief witch hunter, who is on a single-minded quest to purge the 'heretics' in their midst. After a prominent town leader is found murdered, accusations fly and no one is above reproach from Roland's deadly crusade. Ingrid has her suspicions about who the real murderer is, but even as she pursues the truth, she's pursued herself by a shadowy figure. Ingrid finds that she's drawn to the foreboding phantom in ways she can't resist- this dark and tempting stranger may hold the key to the mystery...or will he damn Ingrid's soul to the blackest circle of Hell?
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