Discover the Unique Art and Storytelling of Louisiana’s Rob Guillory
Louisiana native Rob Guillory may be one of the most underappreciated creators in the world of comic books. On a personal level, I like Rob - good guy, good human, GREAT artist.
But, from a purely objective level, the guy should be a 'household name' when it comes to comics and comic creators. Rob has won a couple of Eisner Awards and a Harvey Award - two of the bigger awards you can win in the comic industry. Farmhand & Chew are incredible stories. Simply put, and I don't use this term lightly, but the man is a genius when it comes to storytelling - whether you're talking about his art or his writing.
If you don't know Rob, you should!
Rob Guillory: A True Louisiana Creator
Kind of like Louisiana itself, Rob is a true one of one. No place else is like Louisiana just like nobody is quite like Rob. Again, not to sound like a fanboy (which, admittedly, I kind of am), but the dude has a unique way of crafting stories. His art is different from pretty much everything else on the market. And that's just on the surface level - when you dive a bit deeper, there's all the fun and intricate details that make his art just jump off the page - from gags to little Easter eggs and everything in between. Pick up any issue of Chew, and you can see the mastery that Rob commands on the page (we'll talk about Chew more in a minute because it deserves it's own section).
As a writer, he's just as accomplished. I'm willing to bet his original series that he wrote and drew Farmhand is nothing like you've ever read before. Not to spoil anything - but the story is about a Louisiana farmer who creates plants that grow replacement parts and organs for humans. As you can imagine, horror and comedy ensues. The series was completely written and drawn by Rob for 26 fantastic issues...and like I said, it's unlike anything else you've ever read before. Comedy, horror, family drama...Farmhand does it all and does it all well. It was received well by critics and fans alike.
When you see Rob's name attached to a project, you're going to see a unique perspective that you're not going to get anywhere else from anybody else. And, allegedly, Farmhand was/is in the process of being turned into a TV show. Whether that actually happens or not, who knows. But the story is so good and unique, I'm not surprised somebody wants to bring it to the masses.
Chew: The Comic Book That Defined Rob Guillory
Like I said, it's impossible to talk about Rob Guillory without talking about Chew. The book is award winning and is one of the most beloved comics of the 2000s. The story itself is insane - an FDA agent solves crimes by getting psychic impressions from whatever he eats no matter what it is. But, one of the reasons it works so well and won so many awards is Rob's art.
Just to put this in perspective a bit, in the modern comic book world, it's a major accomplishment if your book gets a second printing. Chew #1 had 4 printings and it was called one of the best Image titles ever - which is saying a lot for, you know, the company that released titles like Spawn and the Walking Dead.
But, what made Chew work so well was Rob's art. The art sucked you into this bizarre little world and made it make sense. When I picked up the first copy of Chew, I couldn't put it down! It's that good. I still re-read it once every couple of years.
The most tragic part of Chew is what could have been. It was picked by Showtime for a live-action show in 2010. Then, in 2014, it was announced that it would be turned into an animated show starring Steven Yeun, Felicia Day and Robin Williams. Unfortunately, Robin passed away in the middle of production which stalled out the process. They hired David Tennant to replace Robin Williams...but for whatever reason, the show was never completed or released.
Had that show taken off, we could/should be talking about Rob and John Layman the same way we talk about other comic creators like Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird. Hopefully, Farmhand does make it to the masses. Not just because it's a good story (which it most definitely is), but the world could use a little of the weirdness and quirkiness that Rob consistently delivers.
Supporting Louisiana Artist Rob Guillory
One thing about folks in Louisiana is that we love to support our own. So, if you want to support Rob and his future artistic endeavors, there's plenty of ways to do it.
The simplest way - buy some of his books. Whether you go to the local comic shop to buy some back issues of Farmhand or get on Amazon to order the Chew Omnibus, buy his stuff. It lets publishers know "Hey, we like this guy. Let's keep this book alive. When he releases something new, we want it!"
Now, if you're a super comic nerd like me, head on over to Rob's website. From merch to original art, Rob has it all for sale. And it's all pretty amazing. You can buy pages of Chew, Farmhand covers, variant covers he created for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and everything in between.
I've purchased a few things from him and I couldn't be happier! In fact, here's one of the pages I bought from Rob of his art from the Thor Annual. It's been proudly displayed in my office since I bought it in 2020 to go with my plush Chog and Chew coffee mug.
No matter how you want to support Rob, do it! The man is an amazing talent. Plus, his YouTube videos can be really inspiring and helpful for up-and-coming creatives looking to jump into the world of comics.