John Layman and Rob Guillory have been telling the story of Tony Chu for over three years now. A cop with a strange food related ability in a world where chicken is illegal, Tony has eaten dead people, been terribly injured, lost loved ones, and more. As the seventh arc nears its conclusion, Tony makes a big statement as the shadowy villain is finally confronted.

Chew #34
In the issue, the reader finds out about many of the extraordinary powers that The Collector has obtained over the years. Everything from immortality to truth serums to seduction has been incorporated into his skillset as the years have passed. As he and Tony meet, he tells Tony that either he will eat Tony, or Tony will eat him. He also gives Tony another option: Work for him. Collect abilities and share them. Tony, of course, says no, setting up the confrontation that readers have been waiting for. Amidst all this, Colby and Savoy are busy blackmailing a senator to further whatever scheme they’ve concocted.

Chew #34
John Layman is either a genius at making up words or has a great grasp of what is presumably Latin. He introduces ten new food-related powers this issue and has a fitting name for all of them. These little details help make the insanity that is Chew feel just little less insane. Layman’s great ability to insert humor into very serious situations, without making them any less serious, is well on display. Chew sounds like nothing more than a joke book on the surface, but it’s ability to be very serious, without dragging down the tone of story, is thanks to Layman. The parallels between Tony and the Collector in the last few pages were well written and show just how different Tony has become since issue one.

Chew #34
Rob Guillory makes another beautiful looking issue. The nod to Mike Norton’s Battlepug and his YOLO-ing hobo are great little things inserted into the backgrounds that make Chew all the better. This issue was a bit more gruesome than most, and Guillory made it look great. His portrayals of the parallels between Tony and The Collector in the last few pages really drove home how much Tony has changed, possibly for the worst, since the reader first met him in issue one.
There is a reason Chew is often cited as one of Image’s best books, and this issue only reinforces that. It’s a great mix of humor, genuine story and development, and some of the strangest powers ever to be in a comic.