The Addams Family: Charlatan’s Web #1 Review

 

Writers: Leah Williams & Chynna Clugston Flores

Artists: Juan Samu & Francine Delgado

Colorists: Juan Samu & Danny Sanchez Chaves

Letterer: Shawn Lee

Cover Artists: Chynna Clugston Flores; Juan Samu

Publisher: IDW

Price: $5.99

Release Date: December 13, 2023

 

Can Wednesday Addams defeat an outbreak of infectious kindness? Can two exterminators survive a visit to the Addams historic home? Let’s leap into The Addams Family: Charlatan’s Web #1 and find out!

 

Story

In Charlatan’s Web, two women seek a new base of operations. The recently opened yoga studio seems ideal. But will the owner prove amenable?

 

It's the first day of the school year, and Wednesday Addams is troubled. While she enjoys hanging with her friends, a troubling trend occurs. Someone is overwriting people's personalities. Even oafish football players wear pink polo shirts and respect their teachers. Can anyone save Wednesday's gloomy town from an overwhelming wave of wellness?

 

This first story in The Addams Family: Charlatan’s Web #1 brings us into Wednesday’s daily life. We meet her friends and see the world through her eyes. It's refreshing to see Wednesday fit in amongst other social misfits rather than comparing her to "normal" people. I find her belief that Gomez would suggest a means of combatting the happiness crowd intriguing, as he's always struck me as the most buoyant, unflappable person imaginable. Still, I like how Fester describes the situation and can relate to Wednesday’s fears as an Invasion Of The Body Snatchers-type situation overtakes the town.

 

In Notre Maison, Su Casa, Chynna Clugston Flores introduces us to two exterminators. Instead of spraying poison and laying bait, they enter the Addam’s mansion through a window. The boss believes these Old Money Types perpetuate a haunted house myth to defend their homes against thieves. Strangely, his partner's biggest fear is finding insects and even tarantulas.

 

Notre Maison, Su Casa utilizes the familiar pretext of “normal” people encountering those weird Addams folks. Chynna Clugston Flores harnesses this form and rides it for all it’s worth. The only missing element is Uncle Fester, which seems odd, as the 1991 movie put him in the “normal” person mode. But that doesn’t dampen the fun, as the exterminator-thieves meet the rest of the family and plumb its mysteries. Flores even throws a bit of Doctor Who and Monty Python into the title story in The Addams Family: Charlatan’s Web #1.

 

 

 

 

Art

Juan Samu imparts a wild and wacky energy to Charlatan's Web. He imbues his characters with personality. He pays homage to the Addams Family's classic look while contrasting Wednesday's friends with those in conventional society. The page where the yoga instructor undergoes conversion would fit comfortably in a My Little Pony, Barbie, or Wizard Of Oz comic. He fills panels with convincing backgrounds, and his page layouts are superb. His nuanced and attractive coloring enhances the energy in The Addams Family: Charlatan’s Web #1.

 

Francine Delgado’s art imparts an animated feel to Notre Maison, Su Casa. Some scenes are highly detailed, while others reveal no more than what’s necessary. Danny Sanchez Chaves’ coloring is as vibrant as Samu’s, giving a cohesive feeling to The Addams Family: Charlatan’s Web #1. Shawn Lee's superb lettering makes reading dialogue balloons a joy. While the stylish time and location markers may tax, the sound effects enhance the atmosphere, energy, and appeal of both stories in this debut issue.

 

Thanks to IDW for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

The Addams Family: Charlatan’s Web #1 celebrates children's individuality, suggests the riches families can provide, and reminds us that "normality" is not necessarily ideal.

 

Rating 9.8/10 

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.