Chu #1
- WRITER
- John Layman
- Artist
- Dan Boultwood
- Letterer
- John Layman
- Cover Artist
- Rob Guillory, Dan Boultwood
- Publisher
- Image Comics
- Price
- 3.99
- Release Date
- 2020-07-22
- Colorist
- Dan Boultwood
Four years since the original series came to an end, the Eisner Award-winning Image Comics series Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory, is getting its own spinoff prequel series in Chu. Working with artist Dan Boultwood, Layman instead takes the perspective of Tony Chu's younger sister Saffron in a world just as the bird flu pandemic, that laid the foundation for the original series, strikes. And, right from the outset, the new series feels like a natural extension of its predecessor while changing up its tone from crime comic to a more action-oriented adventure that welcomes both old fans and new readers unfamiliar with the previous series.
As with other characters in the world of Chew, including her older twin siblings Tony and Toni, Saffron has a food-based power, able to learn to the secrets of anyone whom she eats with. However, whereas Tony uses his unique abilities to solve crimes as a police detective, Saffron is a career criminal and the black sheep of the family. Opening with Saffron assembled as part of a team of expert criminals to carry out a massive heist, things quickly go off the rails as the pandemic begins to surface while Tony finds himself on a collision course with his little sister as they continue working from different sides of the law.
It's clear right from the opening pages that this is very much set in the world of Chew, even with a different artist joining Layman. Layman dives right back into the world he co-created as if no time has passed at all, with a lot of the stylized introductions and wry sense of humor present. It is also clear that this story is very much its own thing, with a more devil may care attitude as Saffron goes on her set of adventures. There is a reason that Saffron was never mentioned by the Chu family in the original series and a lot of this story appears to set up exactly why that it is. At the same time, Layman has made this debut issue a clean, accessible story for those who may not have read any of the previous series, giving enough of a recap to pertinent returning characters; reading Chew before this offers plenty of enriching material but it is not necessarily required reading.
And Boultwood's work is very much his own, reminiscent of Guillory's art style on the original series but also not beholden to it. Right from Boultwood's choice in color palette, the visuals feel right at home in Chew's world but there is just enough of a difference that it feels like its own thing. This is aided by a large action set piece right in the center of the book, with Boultwood bringing plenty of kinetic, unflinching action as Saffron and crew quickly find themselves in over their heads to set the tone for Chu before her world collides with her older brother's and one that quickly draws readers in with a sharp reminder that Chu plays by its own rules.
Between Chu and Chew's recent crossover with Outer Darkness, it feels good to have Layman helming new comic book stories in the world he co-created with Rob Guillory over a decade ago. Layman slides effortlessly back into crafting new adventures for the Chu family and finds a natural collaborative partner in Dan Boultwood, emerging from the shadow of Guillory's visual legacy in the original series to forge his own take on the characters while remaining true to them. For new readers and old fans alike, Chu offers an entertaining, new direction on one of Image Comics' most beloved titles.