Review - Chew Secret Agent Poyo

Roosters are crazy and brash. They will fight, wake you up and generally have thorny demeanors when it calls for it. None of that compares to the the rooster in Chew Secret Agent Poyo from Image Comics.

The issue is written by John Layman and illustrated by Rob Guillory, with color assists by Taylor Wells.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. Well, we don't have a thermonuclear microfusion tranventicular cardiopulmonary bioengine, but that's beside the point. Poyo is a beast when it comes to solving world problems and he's just the rooster for the job.

In the issue, Poyo fights his way out of hell, saves farm animals, encounters Dr. Albrecht Regenbogen and takes a breather. In the interest of keeping things awesome, I'll just leave it at that and let your reading do the rest.

Layman nails it in this issue. Poyo is portrayed as cocky and yes, that pun is intended. Layman gives him a great leash to run the gamut of emotions and Poyo definitely runs it. You'd never think a secret agent rooster would be that emotional, but it's Poyo after all.

The dialogue is snappy and sharp, moving the story along at a great pace. It's truly creative and really shows a lot of spark, which is refreshing. The issue is really two or three stories, but there is an ongoing continuity across them that keeps it all together. It's a tightly woven tale that does Poyo proud.

Guillory's art is vibrant and renders Poyo as a beast. His clucking, flying and the weaponry he brandishes are all depicted in grand detail. There are great flourishes here and there for certain scenes that Guillory uses to great effect, even managing to give Poyo real emotion in his expressions.

This is a great issue that should be read by all. It's definitely not standard fare, but man is it awesome. People that know about Layman and Guillory respect Chew (and with good reason), and Poyo is no different. A great comic that deserves your attention.

Chew Secret Agent Poyo is in stores now with interiors below.