Thing-Fish

The main character was named to recall the stereotypically black Kingfish from the old Amos & Andy radio show.

In the plot, Thing-Fish has been deformed by the government’s biochemical warfare against gays and minorities as part of the right-wing plan to cry “divine retribution” (a’la Frank’s theory about how Republicans started AIDS via religious missionaries’ vaccinating of overseas primitives). The resulting “fear of God” helps value-preaching conservatives get elected, and also allows them to return favors to religious groups and televangelists who’ve donated campaign funds (cf. “Heavenly Bank Account” on You Are What You Is).