We're back in action and thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the BONDING by Matthew Erman & Emily Pearson BLOG TOUR hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my review post, check out the other sites on the tour, and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Author: Matthew Erman, Emily Pearson (Illustrations)
Pub. Date: January 31, 2023
Publisher: Vault Comics
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 208
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/BONDING
“Wear your heart on your
sleeve.” That’s the saying. But in BONDING,
people wear their anxiety on their chests – in the form of a parasite
that shows everyone just what you’re feeling on the inside …
WEAR YOUR LOVE ON YOUR CHEST
A man, a woman—and their parasites. Marcus has been alone since the loss of
his closest friend and has just recently entered into the dating scene, while
Laura has drifted in and out of relationships since high school. They meet,
they have a great first date, and Marcus almost dies—because the slug-like
parasite that everybody carries in this world nearly rejects him, its
host. BONDING is a funny, quirky, and honest look at love, in
a world where everyone wears their anxiety, not on their sleeves, but on their
chest like big ol' leeches.
Fans of Matthew Erman's work on Vault Comics' WITCHBLOOD and
Archaia's JIM HENSON'S THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE will
find lots to love in BONDING. Fans of Image Comics' ICE
CREAM MAN VOL. 1, DC Comics' COLLAPSER and even books
like THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer and THE PARASITOLOGY
TRILOGY by Mira Grant will enjoy this foray into all the stressors of
dating...where a parasite is the least of your worries (unless it kills you,
that is.)
Review:
“Erman and Pearson skewer genre norms
in this sweet and casually unsettling comics romance-dramedy…”- Publishers Weekly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could you imagine wearing your feelings on your chest? Okay, that sounds strange, but in this proposed future, mankind battled with an alien race, the end wasn't great for either, but a compromise of sorts let them coexist. The thing is they need each other to survive at this point... the one quite literally, the other since they grew accustomed to the "company", but they actually feed off each other. The slug-like creature is with them from bonding age through their passing... unless something happens along the way where their slug rejects them, and their world comes tumbling down. Anywho...
While the relationship is curious, the overall story asks us to really look at the human condition. We're alone most of our lives, in some fashion or another, so would it be so bad to have a little non-judgmental company? Even if it was from something that needed part of us to live? In return, it gives health feedback, and allows for an interesting array of accessories to be created, sold, and enjoyed, for your "little friend ". Fair trade? I'll let you be the judge.
The last story I read via Vault Comics was pretty dark, and violent. While this one is no walk in the park, it's more about the coexistence, the "love" story, than those that passed before the relationship was set. This allows for a more colorful exploration of the world created, but not so much in the direction of the cover art... something I gotta admit, I was disappointed about! The art on display is grand, and gritty which really fits the unusual tale, but I really liked that light and fluffy cover! All in all, an interesting read that I would love to hear your thoughts on as well, so grab a copy and let's chat!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About Matthew Erman:
Matthew Erman is a comics writer from Columbus, Ohio. Alongside Lisa Sterle, he co-created the critically acclaimed comic horror series, Long Lost, which was optioned for Film/TV by Producer Jenny Klein (The Witcher, Daisy Jones and The Six). Erman has since worked on the comic book series Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and graphic novel Power Rangers: Sins of the Future with BOOM! Studios, series Care Bears: Unlock the Magic with IDW, the upcoming science fiction/ horror / humorous romance original graphic novel BONDING, with artist and co-creator Emily Pearson for Vault Comics, and the smash supernatural action adventure comics series (with artist/co-creator Lisa Sterle) from Vault Comics, WITCHBLOOD. His short work can be found in anthologies such as Corpus (2018), Dead Beats (2019) and Everything is Going Wrong (2019).
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon
Emily
Pearson is a freelance comic book artist from Davis, California.
She has previously worked for Black Mask Studios; “The Wilds”(2018) and
“Snap Flash Hustle”(2018-19), Oni Press’s “The Vain”(2020),
and the upcoming “Bonding” coming to Vault Comics in 2022.
In addition
to comics series, she drew a short story for the Ringo Award Winning “Mine!” an
anthology for Planned Parenthood, Vault Comic’s “Cult Classic Zero
Short”, “CORPUS” curated by Nadia Shammas, and “Everything
is Going Wrong: Comics on Punk & Mental Illness”.
She has illustrated various covers for comic books including: “Stranger
Things: SIX” from Dark Horse Comics, “Calexit: Emmie X”, “The
Devil Within”, “Sweet/Vicious”, “The Wilds”, “Snap
Flash Hustle” from Black Mask Studios, “Going to the Chapel” from
Action Lab, “Atlantis Wasn’t Built For Tourists” from Scout
Comics and many more.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
|
1/16/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
1/17/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
1/18/2023 |
Excerpt |
|
|
1/19/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
1/20/2023 |
Excerpt |
|
|
1/21/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
Week Two:
|
1/22/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
1/23/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
1/24/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
1/25/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
|
|
1/26/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
1/27/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
1/28/2023 |
Review |
Week Three:
|
1/29/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
|
|
1/30/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
|
|
1/31/2023 |
IG Post |
|
|
2/1/2023 |
IG Post |
|
|
2/2/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
2/3/2023 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic |
|
|
2/4/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Four:
|
2/5/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
2/6/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
2/7/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
2/8/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
2/9/2023 |
IG post |
|
|
2/10/2023 |
Review |
|
|
2/11/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Five:
|
2/12/2023 |
IG Post |
|
|
2/13/2023 |
IG Review |
|
|
2/14/2023 |
IG Review |
No comments:
Post a Comment