Comic Review: Chew: Demon Chicken Poyo #1
/Sometimes while searching for something new in comics, you chance upon something truly unique. Something that you were not expecting. Something that makes you say "what the fuck did I just read?"
This might be the most strait forward origin story ever penned.
There are so many ways to describe this comic it that almost forces an uncompromising state of cognitive dissonance. Here are some ways I would describe this comic that are technically correct:
1. More self-referential than Deadpool.
2. Parody of "A Grinch Who Stole Christmas."
3. Parody of "The Exorcist."
4. Story of the afterlife of a top secret US avian agent.
The story goes something like this: A little girl is possessed by a green pea soup spewing demon and the only thing that can contain it's rage is being read the very book that we are reading (Grant Morrison would be proud). We then get a rendition of "How the Grumpass Stole Christmas," completely done in rhyme. It turns out Santa Clause got tired of how shitty Christmas got over the centuries so Poyo has to come to drag him to hell. The demon possessing the girl is hardly impressed, that is until Poyo comes and drags him to hell as well.
It's amazing that John Layman, yes that John Layman, manages to make all of this into coherent story... while writing like a <more> psychotic Dr. Suess. The absolute bonkers nature of this narrative and the clever dialog make this one of the more enjoyable comics I've picked up over the past month. It may not be Shakespeare, but it is a hell of allot better than what I reviewed last week.
What puts this over the top for me is Rob Guillory's artwork. I can only imagine his response to the artistic direction. "Soooo, you want me to draw a cybernetic demon chicken pulling out the Grinch's eye with his hellspawn talon? Sure I can do that!" He specializes in the off the wall and exaggerated while working with a color pallet that makes you feel it could be on Saturday morning cartoons.
This comic maybe the craziest thing on the shelves right now, but its also one of the most fun as long as your not reading this on the train... then people may look at you funny.
