Chapitre 180: Spotlight# 190: My Boyfriend is a Bear
To all my ladies in the room? Have you ever wanted to choose the Bear? If so, find out why they may be the better choice in My Boyfriend is a Bear by Pamela Ribon and Cat Farris.
Summary
Nora can't seem to catch a break. She's had a solid string of bad boyfriends in the past, to the point where it looks like she'll take damn near anyone at this point. That anyone being a 500-pound American Black Bear. Against all the laws (including nature), Nora and the Bear find a kinship with each other. One which hopefully lets them absorb more of each others worlds.
Characters
Nora: our main character, Nora, is a 28-year-old who doesn't feel like it. She's incredibly reckless, youthful, and spirited but also feels like a passenger in her life most of the time. A fact that changes when she meets the Bear after multiple years of rebounding with dozens of terrible boyfriends.
The Bear: Nora's … other half? Despite his literal nature, the Bear is incredibly docile, calm, and fun-loving. They are also brighter than they let on, being able to communicate with Nora and get a job later on.
Carly: One of Nora's friends, Carly, is a highly motivated and independent woman who always wants to party. She's the definition of going with the flow and accepts Nora and The Bear right away.
Debra: We all know a "Debra" in our life. While she is one of Nora's best friends, Debra is always a bit of a downer. She's always saying no to Nora or saying something behind her back. While she says it's her way of helping Nora Debra, she is also clearly speaking out from a place of personal hurt.
Ben: is an asshole ex-boyfriend. Nuff said.
Overview
This may take the cake for the weirdest comic I've covered in the spotlight. This is impressive, given that said lists include Dandadan, Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell, and Mashable. When I first read this story in 2023, I legitimately thought the bear was a metaphor for a guy with a hairy chest. A.K.A. a bear.
Then I thought the Bear was a metaphor for how we still deal with tribalism and territorial practices in dating for all our societal evolutions. Then, I thought the bear was just an allusion to self-love by the end. Only to realize that, nope, it's just a fucking bear. So, putting aside the beastality (I never thought I would hear that sentence), I think if you can "bear" with the inconsistency of how the metaphor is presented, then you'll be avoiding an ursa major headache.
My Boyfriend is A Bear is a cute young adult comic with even cuter art. Cat Farris is the book's leading illustrator, and I feel they know how to create some fun paneling and segments. The characters becoming abstract when drunk, loads of fun montage panels, and even consistent rules to show off the Bear's speech pattern are all fun ways to depict a simple premise.
Despite not having much go off given the title character, Nora and The Bear is an unorthodox but sweet romance. Nora always feels like she has to put her needs and feelings on hold, but through her partner's unconventional personality, she can put those passions she's kept hidden then until now. And it isn't a perfect relationship either.
Nora has to make many changes to The Bear, grappling with how his size and strength wreck almost everything. She also bears the massive brunt of other people judging her relationship. A strain that doubles when hibernation arches closer. Which I think embraces what I could explore as a central theme of the book.
Like any emotion, love can't be controlled and comes from incredibly different places. And while the place it comes from often isn't the most socially acceptable, I feel you have to take that first leap anyway. We have a concise life anyway, so why not spend it being happy?
Epilogue
All in all, My Boyfriend is A Bear is …. Interesting. I think it's an overall fun love story, but the message gets muddled massively by the inconsistent metaphor represented by the Bear. Sometimes, it's treated by a real animal, and others treat it like a real person. So, I feel like it can hurt the potential reality of the story. Still, I may be alone, given the book's perceptions.
Either way, though, that concludes our spotlight cluster. I hope to return with a new selection of stories for you this pride. Until then, please wait in anticipation of where the spotlight will take us next.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone