Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel Anansi Boys is heading to comics, adapted by screenwriter and comics author Marc Bernardin (Star Trek: Picard) for an eight-issue miniseries coming June 26. The award-winning novel is already being turned into a TV series by Amazon.
Shawn Martinbrough, known as the longtime artist of the Robert Kirkman title Thief of Thieves as well as Marvel’s Luke Cage Noir, is drawing the book, which will have colors by Chris Sotomayor and letters by Jim Campbell. It was Gaiman who asked for the journalist turned TV producer to pen the adaptation. Bernardin previously wrote the Eisner-nominated YA fantasy graphic novel Adora and the Distance. Bernadin and Gaiman have known each for over 20 years, meeting for the first time when the former was an editor at Entertainment Weekly and covering the comics world.
Bernardin said: “It’s the getting to play with African folklore in a contemporary setting. It’s about a man whose life is far bigger than he could have imagined and how he deals with that. And it’s funny, it’s romantic. It’s a gift to play in this world.”
The novel tells the life of “Fat” Charlie Nancy, who leads a dull and timid life in London until he discovers that his recently deceased father was, in fact, Anansi, the trickster god of African folklore. And he has a mysterious brother. It’s set in the same world as American Gods, full of magic and strange alternate worlds, but new characters and story. The novel debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list and won many awards. It’s tagline is: God is dead. Meet the kids. Stephen King’s glowing assessment is “a treasure-house of story, and we are lucky to have him.”
Anansi was adapted into a radio play by the BBC in 2005 and will soon be a streaming series. Amazon is in postproduction on a live-action adaptation starring Malachi Kirby and Delroy Lindo, with Gaiman as one of the showrunners. That version will likely be online by the end of this year.
Gaiman has worked with Dark Horse on several comic translations of his works, including American Gods, that was a also successful Starz series. The main cover and variants are below. David Mack and two variants by Martinbrough and Denys Cowan. The comic is available to pre-order at your local comics store now.
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David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel.
He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center Award. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail).
His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.
