We’ve all grown up being surrounded by fairytales, secretly wishing and hoping we could escape into one of them and live “happily ever after”. And perhaps that universal idea is less about finding prince charming, as it is finding the place where we belong. If you can relate to this feeling, join us as we eagerly anticipate the new fashion fairytale original graphic novel ‘Eat Your Heart Out’, from Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book and graphic novel publisher Oni Press.
This modern fairytale comes from creators and co-writers Terry Blas (You Say Latino, You Say Latinx, Ariana Grande vs Sergeant Shade and the Clonebot Brigade) and Matty Newton, with illustrations from artist Lydia Anslow (Marvel’s Spider-man Freshman Year and Netflix’s Disenchantment), and colorist GLAAD Award Nominee Claudia Aguirre (Lost on Planet Earth, Hotel Dare, Firebrand). In this fairy tale inspired story, lead character Blanca runs away from her home in Idaho to New York City in search of a place to follow her dreams. But is Blanca running away from her problems, or toward her Happily Ever After?
Blanca is running away. Away from her mother—the overbearing and strict Reina—and her mother’s narrow idea of what shape Blanca’s life should take. While Reina finds Blanca’s dream of pursuing fashion design a wasteful flight of fancy, Blanca sees possibility . . . and she knows if she doesn’t leave now, she might never. Of course, following your passion isn’t easy, and when Blanca arrives in New York City without a job or a roof over her head, she’s rescued by a kindly baker named Emile, who takes her in.
With Emile comes his eclectic group of roommates, all living in the same brownstone, who welcome Blanca into their weird, wonderful world. Together, Blanca and her new-found friends come to discover that sometimes, the recipe for making your dreams come true is achievable, when you embrace chosen family as the missing ingredient.
The creative team expressed their excitement and passion for this graphic novel in a press release, and what it will potentially mean to readers who are searching for the place where they belong.
“We’ve put together a fun story about finding who you are as a person, finding your people, finding food and a little bit of fashion,” said artist Lydia Anslow. “I hope you enjoy our little Found Family of characters!”
“To say that I’m excited for the world to see this book is an understatement,” said Terry Blas, who also added how fairy tales have had an impact in his own life.
“‘Eat Your Heart Out’ includes fashion, costume, baking, drag; so many things that I love, and I wanted everyone to see New York City the way I did. A place filled with people of color and colorful people. I’ve always been inspired by fairy tales. Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, The Wizard of Oz. To bring a little of that magic into a modern story, for people who don’t often get to see themselves represented in those tales, was the goal.”
“Feeling like you don’t belong anywhere, or like you don’t have people who understand and support you can be debilitating,” said Matty Newton, recalling his own experience of finding belonging in a found family of friends.
“If it weren’t for a few close friends several decades ago who showed me love and encouragement, I’m not sure where I’d be nor what I’d be doing today. I was eager to surround Blanca with a cast of characters who would recognize greatness in each other, and use their talents to help this messed up world feel more livable.”
Finding belonging in the world among people who love and support you is an important ingredient when following your dreams, said the publisher behind ‘Eat Your Heart Out’.
“Pursuing your passions while lifting up the people you love is a big theme of this book,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn.
“Every character in the diverse cast of ‘Eat Your Heart Out’ is pursuing a dream, and the characters are truly a family, showing it’s the family you choose, not the family you’re born into, that matters.”
Perfect for fans of ‘The Great British Bake Off’, ‘Project Runway‘, and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race‘, the wholesome new adult tale will appeal to readers everywhere, added Sierra.
We are thrilled to showcase an exclusive excerpt of ‘Eat Your Heart Out‘, pages 25-30, below.
