Love is in the air in ONI Press’ “My Boyfriend is a Bear,” a charming romantic comedy about finding love in unexpected places. Nora, the protagonist, has bad luck with men and dating until, on a chance encounter, she stumbles upon the perfect man for her; a man who happens to be a literal bear. But as with any relationship, theirs has roadblocks and trials to work through on the path to happily ever after.
Written by Pamela RibonCover by Cat Farris
Illustrated and colored by Cat Farris
Lettered by Saida TemofonteNot for the serious of heart, Ribon’s whimsical story of star-crossed romance manages to skillfully balance both lighthearted humor and thoughtful moments as it touches on themes of vulnerability, trust, and growth, both for individuals and those in committed relationships.
From the start, readers get a sense “My Boyfriend is a Bear” is not your typical girl meets boy story. The witty cover plays on the imagery of traditional romance novels, wherein a female in need is swept up in the arms of her hunky love interest. Once beyond the cover, the premise is approached with a straight face. You won’t find any metaphors here, this is 100% about an interspecies relationship. True to what is promised by the cover, it also doesn’t take itself too seriously. Because of this, some readers may find themselves surprised that touching and relatable moments occur, and that the eponymous Bear is not actually the focus. Nora is.
Nora is a relatable character not just because she is human and Bear is a bear, but because we see character development throughout her story line. Nora is a late twenties adult with a string of bad relationships behind her. She also works in a frustrating call center job and struggles to find balance in her relationships, particularly when in a romantic one. She swings back and forth, much like a pendulum, struggling to find the energy and time for friends and her significant other, never really making it to center.
Nora also wrestles with the dueling feelings of confidence and insecurity. While she is single, she takes the time to invest energy in herself as well as in her family and friendships. When Bear enters the picture, she is able to invest in herself in a different way, via comfort and a peace of mind only found when letting yourself be completely vulnerable in front of someone else. But in her relationship, Nora also has to contend with the fact that neither her friend Debra nor her parents seem fond of Bear. Despite having a solid relationship with him, Nora allows her loneliness during Bear’s hibernation and the ill intentions of her angry friend to cause her to act on unnecessary doubts. Bear has shown he will go to great lengths to make her happy — it’s how and why they met, after all — but Nora is only human in questioning this when distance is part of the mix.
The story is told in a nonlinear fashion, beginning with Nora and Bear already months into their relationship and comfortably navigating life as a couple. Nora leads the reader through the basics of how they make their relationship work despite their obvious differences, species included, and works its way to the point just before Bear’s hibernation. Before the story gets too deep too soon, Ribon provides a flashback to the time and place where the two meet (despite being in danger from a forest fire, Bear returns a magazine she discarded when her ex-boyfriend insulted its merit) and the story works its way forward again.
Along the way, we learn that communication between the characters is not stymied by Bear’s inability to use language beyond grunts, rumbles, and other guttural approaches. Besides having a rough interpretation guide provided by Nora, Bear is expressively drawn and often relies on context for his intentions to be made clear. Rather than detracting from the story, this sets Bear up as a quiet but reliable companion for Nora. Even as it is made clear he is prone to stronger emotions at times, the reader never gets the sense that Nora is in any danger. Although he is capable of causing great damage to Nora physically, the only concern is what his physical needs (hibernation) are going to damage in terms of her emotional well-being.
Continued belowBecause this story is depicting a relationship between two consenting adults, it doesn’t shy away from sexuality though it also doesn’t veer into the vulgar by explicitly depicting anything on the page. Rather, it makes a quick reference to a broken bed, presumably put in that condition by fooling around. In a similar vein, another possible area of discomfort includes a quick, direct mention of how the couple handles Nora getting her period around an animal incorrectly feared to be attracted to menstrual blood (page 75). In the case of both, the strength of the overall story quickly makes these details largely forgettable.
Artistically, the story is permeated with a generally soft palette of pastels — gold, mint, pink, and lavender in various levels of intensity grace the pages — and the panels are presented as tidy and clean in appearance, with many panels taken down to a minimalist style with sparse scenery or solid colors as backgrounds. This is laughingly turned on its head for a few pages as Farris cleverly uses Cubism in bold modern pop colors to depict characters being drunk. Farris also makes occasional use of the Chibi style typically found in manga, usually in times of high emotion or simply when the scene is zoomed out on. In other, quieter moments away from the world of humans, whether it’s during hibernation or after Bear has reawakened, natural scenery is expressed in a watercolor aesthetic, giving it a dreamy, ethereal feel.
While the story may seem absurd at first glance, the strength of this story is its ability to join humor and authentic characterizations into a tale that, other than having a bear as a main character, is otherwise entirely familiar. Character sketches and a glimpse at the cover process grace the back of this graphic novel that, while appropriate for adults of any age, is best suited for teens and twenty-somethings on the dating scene, or those who have recently escaped it.
