Character Issues - "I hope you like finger foods."

Tony Chu

Agent of the Special Crimes Division of the FDA

An atypical hero with an atypical power for an atypical story.

Tony Chu does not have 12-pack ab's, 36-inch man-cannon arms, have adamantium claws, or an emerald ring to manifest any power to his imagination. He does not have the typical visual aesthetic look of a comic book hero. This is what makes my featured character of the week so refreshing and unique. He is a normal hard working, scrawny cop who happens to be of Asian descent (a rarity in itself). Our protagonist does have one power though, he's a Cibopathic. He gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats.

Not impressed? Think again jabroni. His gift has promoted him to be an agent for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which happens to be the one of the most powerful agencies in America in this story-arc. Tony has the perfect power to be a top detective. He has been able to track down a serial killer who has committed suicide and figure out his victims. He is able to know the who, why, when, how of a case in one swift chomp.

This makes him a top detective that rivals Batman. Impressive right? The means of his sleuthing is not as pretty as it seems.

In order to solve this case, he had to nibble on a decomposing corpse of the murderer. In the name of justice, he has had to eat terrible things. For all you foodies, at least its fresh and organic (rim-shot please).

Like all hero's with powers, it is his curse. Conversely, the only thing that Tony can eat without getting a psychic reading is beets. Hilarious.

John Hayman conjures up this hero in the comic book, Chew, which features hilarious dialogue and off-beat, diverse characters. The Cliff Notes version of the story is as follows: There is a bird-flu pandemic that kills millions. Hence, the government has outlawed chicken. Which also means black market poultry and the FDA being the most feared law enforcement agency in the land. Let the wackiness ensue.

Rob Guillory creates the cartoony, stylized art that captures the essence of Layman's writing filled with shocking & ruthless action, witty quips, and dick & fart humor. Chew gets my 4-D rating-disturbing, delightful, disgusting & magically delicious (Wow, a cleverly placed pun & Lucky Charms reference…c'mon, give me a knuckle pound).

It's not half bad being a cibopath but I'd rather have normal taste buds sans the mental readouts. One of my favorite cuisines is sashimi, more specifically Uni.

I definitely do not want to get a psychic reading of where my sea urchin's gonads has been or what they have been doing once it touches my palate.