Chew #1 Sells Out in Two Days

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Image Comics,

After withholding some amazing news for over a week, Chew artist Rob Guillory was finally able to thank everyone on his Twitter page today. Turns out that the great news was that the first printing of Chew sold out in two days, despite what Image claimed was a “significant overprint.”

Writer John Layman retains his quirky humor when thanking his fans: “I’ve been insisting for years that the comic book industry has been clamoring for more books with double page spreads of non-costumed characters eating soup, and it’s gratifying to see there indeed is a robust market for such a book. Big thanks to everybody—retailers, readers and reviewers—who came out in such shocking numbers to check out something new and different, and more than a little bit weird.”

As reviewed last week, Chew is a very dark and humorous new take on the detective genre. John Layman and Rob Guillory tell us the tale of Detective Tony Chu, a man of the law who receives psychic impressions from eating (the term is “cibopathic”).

Due to the extinction of the first printing, Chew‘s second printing is scheduled for release on July 1st, the same day Chew #2 comes out.

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Image Serves Up a Promising Dish with Chew

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Reviews, Image Comics,

Ever since last month’s issue of The Walking Dead gave me a taste of John Layman’s humorously grotesque story, Chew, I have been counting down the days more vehemently than I do for Whedon comics (that’s saying a lot). After all, Robert Kirkman doesn’t put a preview of just any comic behind his widely-worshiped zombie saga.

Within minutes of immersing myself into Layman’s fiction, I instantly found myself actively falling for the cynical, cibopathic (psychic abilities that come from eating) Tony Chu. Forced to stick to beet consumption (the only food from which he doesn’t receive psychic sensations) most of the time, Tony serves as a police officer in an alternate America where chicken is illegal. The poultry prohibition works in his favor until he and his partner begin to unearth an FDA secret that conflicts with their department’s objectives.

In seeking out one suspect, a bite of chicken and vegetable soup reveals that there is yet another murderer within their proximity. It is here that Tony commences his sprint down the rabbit hole.

Although I wait the thirty days for just about every comic I follow, Chew was genuinely worth the wait.

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Here’s A Quick Guide To Start Reading Comics

Posted by Kris Madden Categories: Collecting, Editorials, Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Wizard Entertainment,

1. Pickup A Graphic Novel

It can be hard to pick up a comic book for the first time. Many times you’re reading about a character who has a history spanning the last fifty years, which can cause difficulty in understanding the plot line and character’s motivations.

Graphic Novels are usually self-contained, meaning that in order to follow the plot and storyline, there is no prior comic book history knowledge required. All the characters, special powers, jargon, etc is all within the pages you hold in your hands.

If you like superhero stories with an edge, a great starting place is Watchmen. It was recently made into a film, so you can even get a headstart on your friends by reading the book, and surprise them with your clairvoyance.

Maybe you’re not a fan of super-heroes and want something more indie-flavored. Blankets is beautiful book about teen angst and a long distance relationship in the early 90’s grunge era. With quotes from songs by The Cure, it’s a can’t-miss.

And if you’d like something in between with superhero-like characters, an indie-edge, and a beautiful noir storyline; I’d suggest any of Frank Miller’s Sin City books. While you may have seen the movie, which is a spectacular translation of the work to film, the comics will introduce you to the format and structure of graphic novels.

Whenever someone tells me they think that comics are for kids, I usually give them a graphic novel to read. Though comics began with kids in mind, it has since changed drastically to include all age groups. While these are my favorites to give to friends and family, feel free to pick out whatever you find interesting.

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A Problem with Previews

Posted by Jonas Hinckley Categories: Editorials, Image Comics,

I’m going to assume that anybody taking the time to read about comics online is familiar with Previews, that strange hybrid of retailer catalog and consumer buying guide (and major publisher propaganda piece) put out on a monthly basis that contains the full range of items filling your local comic shop’s shelves.

I use Previews sort of like I used to use TV Guide back in the day when that was just a weekly pamphlet: it allows me to more or less keep tabs on the goings-on of hundreds of series without having to either purchase or read every single thing that comes out, which is way beyond my budgetary means.

But in order for this to work for me—and, I’d say, for retailers looking to gauge interest in a title—both the art and the copy for each solicit really has to grab you. And this is my current quibble… which is probably less with Previews than it is with whoever’s handling copy for Image Comics, but details, shmetails. Accompanying the cover of issue 58 of Invincible is the following text:

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