And that is why

Even though I love comics and collectibles I have been avoiding stores with said merchandise for a long time. But this weekend while out running errands I wondered into The Silver Snail. At first I stopped myself, stood out side the store contemplating my decision to go in. There was a comic I had heard about that I was very interested in that I just wanted to pick up. I would go in and ask for it and head out, easy-peasy. Apparently it was not that simple.

The first volume of “Chew” was my mission. I had first heard of the comic on AOTS, then it popped up on a couple of blogs sounding utterly twisted and fun. I had been meaning to pick it up for a while now but it is hard to get if you don’t go into the store to get it (didn’t want to pay shipping online). If you have ever been to The Silver Snail you know the comics and graphics are at the back of the store forcing me to pass through the collectible/figure/general awesomeness lined gauntlet.

I made it though, all the way to the back without any pauses or detours. I started skimming along the graphics but my eye kept periodically stopping. The voice in my mind kept saying things like Ohh, a new Batman, Ahh, I haven’t seen this Deadpool before, and What the…? That looks awesome! And I had to stop myself, so I asked the clerk for some assistance. At first there was some confusion as he wasn’t sure they had it. I followed him around the comics section, my eye began to wonder as I couldn’t help but look at all the cool thing littered throughout the section; Ironman Masks, Aliens heads, “The Lord of Darkness” (from Legend) sitting upon his throne, statues of all the super heroes I could think of. We finally found the book and I was content but by then it was too late.

My walk out the store was much slower than my walk in. I looked in the display cases, checked out all the shelves, and the things I saw were simply glorious. I was lucky though, either the items weren’t things I liked enough to buy or they were so far out of my price range that I couldn’t even contemplate their purchase. I was now close to the front of the store, the cash register in sight, and then out of the corner of my there they were.

How could I resist? Look at them, they are cool, relatively inexpensive, and a whole lot of fun. But how do I choose just 1? I stood there for a while analyzing packaging, checking at the quality of the figure inside, trying to choose a favourite. But I was too weak, I couldn’t, and picked up all three! (Apparently there are going to be 2 more in this series. I have to buy them just so I can complete the set.)

At this point I made a b-line for the register but there was a line. As I patiently waited I perused the boxed collectibles in front of me. You know the small ones that come in a sealed box and you aren’t sure what you are going to get? There were crazy unicorn ones, Simpsons ones, crazy Japanese ones, furniture ones, and then there were the Futurama ones. I bought one of those. Oh me, oh my.

And that is how a $10 purchase quickly, easily, turns into a $60 purchase. I can’t say I am mad I bought the stuff it is just that it is outside of my budget. I guess I will have to brown bag it all week.

When I got home I opened up the Futurama collectible. I was pretty happy when I found this inside:

Pretty sweet, right. Bender comes with a cigar and an Egyptian mask – I guess that is reference to the “A Pharaoh To Remember” episode. I also sat down and read “Chew” Vol. 1, it was a fun, sickening, enjoyable read.

Tony Chu is a Cibopath which means he gets psychic impressions from the things that he eats. He is also a detective which means he gets to chew on some interesting “things”. This graphic novel first introduces you the character, the people he knows, and the world around him.

This compilation of the first 5 comic books in the series sets a strange, sad, and darkly funny scene. Chu snacks on criminals, rotting fingers, almost petrified dogs to get the answers to the questions that he has. It is macabre and flat out disgusting most of the time but the writers manage to inject a lot of humour into the story adding some levity to what could easily be very disturbing.

The art is beautifully done, with expressive characters, fluid movement, and detailed settings. There is a lot of … lets call it texture represented in the art as well. With blood, food, and rotting flesh you quickly get the idea of wetness, stickiness, sliminess, and so forth. The art is lovely but this isn’t a graphic that you just flip through, a lot of dialogue is presented, so be prepared to read but it is well worth it. There is a set up for what could be a complex interesting story.

I would recommend having a look at “Chew” I found it entertaining and I think I may visit the Silver Snail again to pick up volume #2. I hope I make it in and out with just that next time…

and the other 2 MJ figures…

and maybe 1more Futurama collectible…

and I will have to see what else.

Tra

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Tra

1 Comment

recollection

Those MJs are pretty cool but they got the nose wrong on the Thriller.

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