Writer Paul Allor and artist Paul Tucker are reuniting for a tale of queer monster romance. “Hollow Heart” follows EL, who is described as “a jumble of organs in a bio-suit,” as he falls in love with the mechanic sent to work on him. The new series will be part of Vault Comics’s horror imprint, Nightfall.
Their second project together after 2016’s Vietnam epic “Tet,” Allor and Tucker had one word in mind when they began work on “Hollow Heart;” empathy. “Empathy is a tool and a burden and a gift,” Allor says of the project. “When we see someone in a state of joy, we feel our own spirits lifted; and when we see someone in pain, we realize their pain is hurting us, as well.”
And pain will be a driving force in the drama of the story. When readers are introduced to EL, he is in enormous physical pain from his reconstruction. All seems hopeless until he meets Mateo, the mechanic sent to repair his suit. The two make a connection, leading Mateo to believe he can help the cybernetic hulk.
Tucker describes the process of creating new stories and characters as an empathetic act. “With ‘Hollow Heart’ this process becomes meta,” he says of the new series. “As it reflects the book’s main theme. ‘Hollow Heart’ is indeed about empathy, and more crucially it explores the dangers of empathy.”
“Hollow Heart” will be part of Vault’s efforts to expand Nightfall into a full line. Founded in 2019, the horror imprint was originally intended to release books solely in the autumn. But with the success of titles such as last month The Autumnal, Vault now intends for Nightfall to publish year-round.
“Hollow Heart” #1 will be available in February 2021. Previews of the book’s interior art, and Rom: Space Knight-inspired alternate covers, are available at Newsarama.
