Chew: Flambé (Comics) | Review

In what can only be described as literary chaos, John Layman (Army of Darkness/Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena Warrior Princess: Contest of Pantheons) just threw his cannibal detective through a blender filled with conspiracy theories, alien cults and family dysfunction.

Volume 4 of Chew completely abandons any remaining pretense of subtlety, diving headfirst into the bizarre mythology that's been simmering beneath the surface since issue one. If you thought Tony Chu's life couldn't get more complicated than eating corpses for clues, Flambé proves you weren't thinking nearly big enough.

John Layman just threw his cannibal detective through a blender filled with conspiracy theories, alien cults and family dysfunction. Chew Volume 4 abandons any pretense of subtlety, diving headfirst into the bizarre mythology that's been simmering beneath the surface since issue one.

Flambé picks up with Tony getting pawned off to NASA for a special assignment with his sister Toni Chu, whose powerful cibovoyant abilities allow her to see the future of anything she bites, creating dangerous new investigative possibilities that could change everything.

What starts as a seemingly routine mission quickly spirals into a massive conspiracy involving the mysterious E.G.G. organization, alien involvement in the devastating bird flu outbreak and a dangerous cult obsessed with the flame writing that's been appearing in the sky.

The volume introduces a voresophic character whose abilities add another layer to Chew's already complex food-based power system. Meanwhile, Tony's daughter Olive witnesses a bizarre hostage situation at her high school that connects to the larger conspiracy threatening to tear apart everything Tony thought he knew about his world.

Layman's decision to involve Olive more directly in the conspiracy raises the personal stakes significantly, as Tony must navigate protecting his daughter while unraveling a plot that threatens not just his family but humanity's understanding of reality itself.

What makes Flambé particularly effective is how Layman cleverly uses the NASA setting to expand the series mythology without losing the intimate character dynamics that anchor all the craziness surrounding Tony's increasingly complicated life.

The relationship between Tony and Toni provides crucial emotional grounding while the conspiracy elements ratchet up the stakes to apocalyptic levels, creating perfect balance between intimate character development and world-ending threats.

The complex sibling dynamic between Tony and Toni creates fascinating tension as her powerful precognitive abilities often reveal outcomes that Tony desperately wants to prevent, forcing him to confront whether knowledge of the future is a blessing or curse.

E.G.G.'s assassination campaign against anyone in positions of power creates a genuine sense of mounting urgency that propels the narrative forward at breakneck speed, while the shocking alien revelation completely re-contextualizes everything readers thought they understood about the devastating bird flu pandemic.

The cult infiltration subplot with Tony and John adds another layer of weirdness that somehow feels organic within Chew's established universe, demonstrating how Layman seamlessly integrates new bizarre elements without breaking the series' internal logic.

The volume delivers on showing readers where Tony will end up nine issues from now, providing tantalizing glimpses of future storylines while maintaining focus on the current crisis. These flash-forward sequences demonstrate Layman's confidence in his long-term plotting while rewarding longtime readers with payoff.

Artwork by Rob Guillory (Chew: International Flavor, Chew: Just Desserts) reaches stunning new heights of grotesque beauty in Flambé. His remarkable ability to make cannibalism look both horrifying and somehow appetizing remains completely unmatched in modern comics.

The NASA sequences brilliantly showcase Guillory's impressive range beyond the food-focused imagery that defines the series, while his character expressions convey the mounting psychological pressure Tony faces as his world expands beyond recognition.

Layman's writing maintains the perfect balance between dark comedy and genuine horror that makes Chew unique. His dialogue captures Tony's absurd situation without undermining the real stakes involved. The pacing accelerates compared to earlier volumes, reflecting Tony's inability to control the chaos surrounding him.

The conspiracy elements feel earned rather than forced because Layman has been planting seeds since the beginning. Nothing in Flambé comes from nowhere– even the most outlandish revelations connect to previously established story threads in ways that reward careful readers.

Flambé succeeds by embracing the full weirdness of Chew's premise without losing sight of what makes Tony Chu compelling as a character. This volume marks the point where the series stops holding back, delivering the kind of unhinged storytelling that separates great weird fiction from merely strange comic-books.

For readers following Tony's journey from the beginning, Flambé provides crucial mythology expansion while setting up storylines that will define the series. New readers might feel overwhelmed by dense plotting but the core concept remains accessible.

The volume establishes Chew as something far more ambitious than a simple quirky detective series– it's a full-scale creative assault on conventional superhero storytelling that just happens to feature a guy who eats dead people for investigative clues.

Chew: Flambé is collected in Chew Vol. 5 trade paperback, which is available in physical editions and later omnibuses for purchase through Image Comics and major retailers. Or you can just read it digitally via ComiXology, Kindle and Image's own storefront.