Fat Charlie’s story continues in Anansi Boys #2, with story and words by Neil Gaiman, script by Marc Bernardin and art by Shawn Martinbrough. Charlie doesn’t have bad days, he has bad years!
Fat Charlie’s such a great relatable character, an everyman who seems to eternally be at the mercy of bad fate and even worse luck, from a bullying dad who’s a million times more charismatic than he is, to a fiancée and future mother-in-law who treat him incredibly condescendingly, to a boss who barely knows he exists. He’s forever the “nice guy” who bends over backward to not offend anyone or hurt their feelings. The one exception is his dad, who he deeply hates and even the mention of his father makes him enraged.
Speaking of good old dad, Charlie found out last issue that not only had his father died, he was a god, which makes Charlie a god too. Of course, he wonders if his father’s friend (who revealed this to him) isn’t totally bonkers. Having traveled to the United States for his dad’s funeral, we experience every uncomfortable moment with him there, whether it’s being subjugated to the whims of his dad’s friend Mrs. Higgler to (most hilariously) his painful visit with his fiancée and mother-in-law, which seems more like an interrogation scene from Law and Order than a cozy visit.
The book gives us more insights into Charlie’s father and despite Charlie’s hatred of him, it’s easy to like the guy. I hope we get more flashbacks of him; he’s one of those people who seems allergic to boredom, who’s always going to a party or throwing a party himself. If he were a D&D character, his charisma would be off the scale.
There’s a wonderful mythology being built here. We don’t see any explicit magic or mysticism this issue, but like massive dark clouds swirling in the distance, you can tell a storm is coming. Last issue gave us a brief glimpse into African mythology and I’d love to see more of that as the series progresses.
It seems spiders are a key component of the book’s brand of magic, so spiders seem to pop up at crucial moments in the book.
Shawn Martinbrough’s art is reminiscent of Darwyn Cooke’s work: old-fashioned, beautiful and doing a great job conveying everything from Charlie’s frustration at the world to the beauty of a spider and perfectly-spun web.
If you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman’s work, check this out. The series is taking its time building a world filled with African mythology and great complex characters like Fat Charlie.
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