Chachu #3: Mango Dreams At The Bottom of the Whiskey Glass

Leila and her Chachu finally make their way to Cleo’s last known location, Mina’s Bar on the Vegas strip. As Leila begins to navigate what it means to be an adult in the midst of this investigation, she learns even more about her uncle as well as the heavy burdens he carries with him.

One of Chachu’s central themes is growing up and the pain it entails, and that is on full display in this issue through both Leila and her Chachu. Despite her quirk bravado, Leila is very much a young woman awkwardly stumbling her way into adulthood. Her being overwhelmed inside of Mina’s Bar is proof of that. This entire world that her Uncle has been exposed to for years is completely new to her, and that adjustment has been apparent since issue one. Her Uncle on the other hand has adjusted to this fast-paced life, but he has his own growing pains as well, having been slowly crushed under the weight of the hype generated through the lie of how he and Cleo met and got married. The mystique built up around it, as well as the bigotry around the telling of the story, paint him in a sympathetic light that delves deeper beyond his non-challant exterior.

Iman Vellani’s script is still a bit verbose, but her characters are alive and make up for some of the more slow moments. Humor is still the go-to to connect moments together, but those deeper themes of introspection and identity still shine through. There’s a certain realness to the narrative that can be inferred as Velllani injecting her own experiences as a young woman growing into her own identity. It makes for an interesting throughline that also helps bring Leila and her Chachu closer together. The weakest element of the story is perhaps when it checks in on Cleo, who despite being kidnapped doesn’t really feel like she’s in much danger.

Mariannia Ignazzi’s art has a flair that makes it stand out from other books on the shelf. A few off-model moments are there for the sake of comedic effect, but they don’t throw off the book’s pacing at all. Jordie Bellaire also brings her A-Game in two very astounding pages. That being Mina’s introduction and Chachu remembering his childhood in Pakistan.