Chu Volume 1 - First Course

 I was so enamored with the Chew series that when I saw this offshoot, I had to check it out, as well. Basically a prequel to Chew, this storyline focuses on one of Tony Chu's sisters, Saffron, a criminal involved in a caper gone bad that Tony is investigating. Oh, and Saffron has a twin sister, Sage, and they both have food-related powers, as do the rest of the family and a crazy amount of people in their world.

The tale takes place just as the "avian flu" is starting to affect people, which is what causes Saffron's caper to go south, and it takes out Tony's partner, which causes him to hook up with John Colby, who we know well from Chew. Multiple hitmen are after Saffron, but fail, and while Tony is investigating, he discovers that she had to kill a couple of people, although he doesn't know why, which means that he arrests her and puts her in jail for a few years. Of course, her power is learning from others when consuming the same food or drink and so she learns quite a few lessons while she's away. The volume ends with her being released and reuniting with the boyfriend who got her involved in everything in the first place.

Same author as Chew, but a different artist, although he uses some of the same techniques and has his own hip style, giving the series a unique look. More good stuff - I'll be picking these up as they become available.