In 2009, writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory launched an Image Comics series that took its initial cues from the idea that a global pandemic ravaged society and changed how Americans live their lives: Chew. And now this summer, he’s launched a spinoff, Chu, in a world with basically the same premise.
But just as the original series Chew proved an unexpected, Eisner-winning hit, Layman hopes that the spinoff Chu (whose #1 with artist Dan Boultwood just arrived in shops) will make an impact beyond its strange roots. The writer described what makes the story of his original protagonist’s mysterious criminal sister ready for readers and the oddness of making comics during COVID for CBR.
CBR: John, it's been a little over three years since your original run on Chew with Rob Guillory ended. That was a book that was wildly successful by any metric, but it was also always planned as a complete 60-issue story. What was it for you that convinced you to come back to that world in the ways you have over the past year?
John Layman: I think I invested so much of my life building this world, it was not something I wanted to abandon. Tony Chu’s story has been told, so what I needed was to find a new angle on a new character, a new story to be told within this food-centric world. And what I came up with was the idea to in many ways approach it as the opposite of Chew. Rather than a police procedural about a food-powered cop, this is the other side of things, a crime comic following the misadventures of a food-powered criminal. Same coin, other side.
After Chew, I was exhausted and needed a break, but I always knew this was a world I would eventually return to.
And in keeping with your style of storytelling, the follow-ups which include the Chew/Outer Darkness crossover and now Chu are not typical. The crossover used a strange kind of alternate reality take on bringing the Chew cast back, and now Chu is a prequel with a lot of mysterious wrinkles. The original series left this huge gap to explore in Olive's career. So what led you to want to go back in the time period for Chu instead?
I’m saving Olive Chu’s story for Rob Guillory, whenever he wants to get back together for a longer term collaboration. The way Chew ended up, any return would be very futuristic and hard-core sci-fi. I think maybe I wanted something smaller and more character-driven. Chu will be very international focused, as Saffron Chu jaunts around the world, usually on the run, taking part in various capers. It’s also a smaller story than Chew. No giant world-wide conspiracies or aliens or earth-shattering events. The focus is on Saffron trying to make a profit and stay alive, with a supporting cast that only has a bit of overlap with Chew. This first arc spins-out of Chew and features a lot of familiar faces, but the idea is Chu will, after this, establish itself as something very distinct from Chew. Chu is set in the same world as Chew, but definitely not the same thing. I compare it to Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. People can argue about which is better, but hopefully they will like both.
Let's talk Saffron. The extended Chu family is a huge part of the original series, but Saffron is a sister we've never heard of before. When did you conceive of her, and what made her character the right one to hang a new longer story on?
I went in circles trying to make Saffron’s character Sage, initially, without violating Chew’s continuity. Sage was not well-developed, but developed just enough making her who I made Saffron would directly conflict with what came before. Then I hit on the idea that Saffron and Sage were twins, just as Tony and his sister Antonelle “Toni” Chu were twins. Makes for a fun dynamic. And we’ll see in this first prequel first arc that spins out of Chew exactly WHY Saffron was never mentioned in Chew.
I’d also advise anybody excited about Chu to give a reread of Chew #36, the issue that gave twin sister Sage her spotlight.
From the early pages you've shared with folks, we know that Saffron is a "Cibopars" in the nomenclature of the Chew universe's food-based powers. But what exactly is that, and why does it match her criminal nature?
Saffron gets her power from who she dines with. If she shares a meal with you, she’ll walk away knowing your secrets. Which is pretty valuable if she wants to get to your safe combination or know where you hide your spare keys. Even sharing a drink or a cigarette can give her an impression, but if she eats the same meal at the same time as you, that’s when she really gets into your head.
Rob was such a huge part of what made Chew the book it was, and while Chu artist Dan Boultwood has a style that certainly fits the world, it also carries his own unique touches and color pallet. What kind of conversations have you guys had about giving this series its own identity?
Like I did with Rob, I’m just letting Dan be Dan. I wanted an artist who was not jarringly different from Rob, but also would not try to emulate him. I wanted an artist with distinctly their own style —energetic and fun— who could make this story their own just as Rob did with Chew. It took a long time to find the right person, but I think I did with Dan. Each issue has been better than the last.
The original series was driven at the outset by a worldwide pandemic that altered society from top to bottom. And while this series is set in the early days of that same event, I recall you saying that you've consciously downplayed pandemic plot points in this because they don't quite fit the actual times we're living in. How do you feel the crime caper format of Chu helps make it a series that works right now?
It’s been difficult, because the bird flu pandemic is so deeply ingrained into the DNA of Chew. I worried about sensitivity issues…is this gonna hit too close to home for people who are worried about COVID, or, worse, sick or suffering? But the pandemic at the heart of Chew is long-established. It’s not like I’m trying to piggy-back real-world events for sensationalistic purposes. It’s just a case that what was originally a far-out sci-fi premise has become all too real, and is now a part of our everyday existence. My sci-fiction high concept just became real-world reality.
Speaking of our current circumstance, to be blunt, you've been pretty outspoken on the idea that the effects of COVID are going to be a rough go for comics in general and for a creator like you in particular. Now that Diamond is back to shipping books again, do you think a return to some stability is possible? Or from where an independent creator like you stands, are there still too many question marks about where we go as a business?
I think it varies for a lot of people. I’m not a good hustler in the best of circumstance, and these are not the best of circumstances. I’ve for the most part finished what’s on my writing plate, and I don’t have anything else. COVID and other re-world events and occurrences have drastically reduced my drive to make comics, not to mention avenues available to pitch them. Other than what’s announced I have no comics on the horizon or even in active development. After Man Who F#%&ed Up Time, Bermuda, Mars Attacks Red Sonja and Chu -- all but Bermuda are completely written -- I have no idea what is around the corner. It’s certainly all the more reason I hope Chew readers return and give Chu a chance.
Sadly, one loss of the current marketplace's troubles is your Skybound series Outer Darkness, which isn't planning on coming back for a second full year. I know that the market was soft for independent serial comics before the pandemic hit, but how are you adapting your plans for Chu in the light of how things went for OD? It feels like this new series will run more on the "series of minis" model we've seen Hellboy operate on for years.
Like Chew, Chu is being funded on my own dime. I have a slush fund from Chew with which I pay Dan, but the fate of Chu literally rests in the hands of readers. It will run as long and come out as often as the market dictates. I would hope for Chu to run as irregularly produced minis for a long time, one arc a year or maybe three every two years. But these are super uncertain times. I figure any Chew-related stuff is better than none, so I’m putting this out and hoping for the best.
Chu #1 is on sale now from Image Comics.