Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics, Image | Tagged: chew, Comics The Magazine, eric stephenson, jim valentino, john layman, rob guillory

John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew Returns in Comics! The Magazine

John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew returns as Chew's Back in the new Comics! The Magazine print publication

Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory is returning with a new series being serialised in the new Comics! The Magazine publication, aiming to be Wizard Magazine for the second quarter of the twenty-first century. One page per issue. And on the first page, Agent Chu is pursuing a formidable threat named after the magazine's publisher, Adam Freeman.

Chew is definitely one of my favourite comic book runs of all time. Published by Image Comics, it fulfilled the promise of the original pitch for The Walking Dead: a world where things are different, the reasons for this are hidden, but that ultimately leads to a world-changing event. It starts simply enough: chicken is prohibited after an avian flu outbreak, Tony Chu is a federal agent enforcing that prohibition, and is one of many gifted people with food-based powers in the world; he can read the past life of any foodstuff, vegetable, animal or human that he ingests. It ends up changing everything. Running for 60 issues, from 2009 until 2016, it was followed by a crossover one-shot, I Hate Fairyland – I Hate Image, in 2017 and in 2020, a three-issue crossover with Outer Darkness, and a curtailed spin-off series titled Chu. An animated adaptation starring Steven Yeun, Felicia Day, and Robin Williams began production in 2014, recast with David Tennant in 2015 after Williams' death, but was never broadcast. It won a couple of Eisner and Harvey Awards, and I put it up there with Sandman, Cerebus, The Invisibles and Groo the Wanderer. And you should, too.

Comics! The Magazine is distributed by Lunar and Universal Distribution, with final orders from retailers due on February 2nd in anticipation of the March 4th on-sale date. It comes from publisher and former retailer Atom! Freeman of Prana Direct Market Solutions, formerly of Valiant, ComicHub and Bad Idea. With former retailer Joseph Keatinge of Moonray, PopGun Rekcah and writer for Marvel, DC and Skybound, as its Editor-In-Chief. And launching in March 2026 with an Absolute Batman cover feature and a conversation with writer Scott Snyder, artist Nick Dragotta, colourist Frank Martin, and letterer Clayton Cowles, it has a cover by Dragotta and C!TM Art Director and Spider-Gwen colourist and designer, Rico Renzi. And a final former retailer, Gabe Yocum, as director of sales, previously at Midtown Comics, AWA, The EXP, and any projects Bill Jemas was involved with at the time.

Of course, not everyone at Image Comics is happy with Comics! The Magazine. After co-founder and former publisher Jim Valentino found his name attached to the website in a promotional fashion…

…after the current Image Comics publisher let him know. Jim Valentino got in touch to ask how this came about, saying, "Eric Stephenson sent this to me yesterday… Um, guys–it's customary to ask permission before quoting someone (even if the quote is from another source.) I don't know anything about you or your magazine and while I support fan journalism I have not endorsed this project. Not a great first foot forward." However, it turns out that he had given permission to Joe Keatinge, but had forgotten that it was for this specific publication… an easy mistake to make, and everyone is happy now…

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