Magic portals, sexy aliens, and sci-fi romance — these are just some of the things you’ll find in the graphic novel Mariko Between Worlds, written by Matthew Erman and illustrated by Liana Kangas. Set in the year 2099, Mariko and Rem are breaking up, their interdimensional relationship proving to be far too complicated, but they agree to make the most of their last night together in the Mall of Portals, “an interdimensional consumerist heaven full of unending vice.” What ensues, as Kangas says, is an exploration of communication, boundaries, and lots of aliens.
The inspiration for the story came from writer Erman’s pandemic-induced binge of 90 Day Fiancé with his wife and comic book artist Lisa Sterle. “They really wanted to tell a story about this girl who doesn’t get a visa to essentially go be with her boyfriend,” Kangas says. “They brought, I think, the first three chapters to me and the editor, and Matt finished writing the rest of the book.”
Memphis-based Kangas’ playful and psychedelic illustrations flesh out the many worlds in the novel, adding to its “fun and bizarre” atmosphere and plot. “I watched movies like Paprika and really weird old anime to get inspiration for integrating the sci-fi elements but make it fun,” Kangas says, adding that they also read “corny romance novels to get in the right headspace.”
“Matt and I had poured a lot of our personal selves into the book as well, you know,” Kangas says. “We’ve all been in that angsty teen/early 20s break-up phases and stuff like that. So it’s been fun to do. I mean, it’s the first romance book, I think, I’ve really ever worked on.”
Previously, Kangas has worked with IPs, like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Stranger Things, and in addition to most recently releasing Mariko Between Worlds, she’s had two other books come out this past month: Know Your Station, a space horror book, and Trve Kvlt, a supernatural horror book.
“All three [of those books] across the board are totally different,” Kangas says. “But I think being in a space and a city like this has allowed me to pursue that, by being connected with my peers. Like, I go to a lot of conventions and stuff, so I get to see them and feel refueled because there’s a small community of comics in Memphis. … The city is very vibrant in terms of diversity and how much they care about the arts and stuff. And so I really think having that sort of supportive community allowed me even during the pandemic to continue my freelancing and continue telling stories.”
And Memphis, Kangas says, has slipped its way into her illustrations. “The book that I just did — Trve Kvlt — it’s a fast food heist, it’s a very bizarre, very fun, dark comedy,” they say. “I would say a lot of my inspiration came from Memphis. It feels a lot like the energy and the vibe of the city, which is very hardworking, very work hard, play hard. … But it’s hard not to see some of that in some of my work, but I definitely think that is the book that shows it the most. But otherwise, I would say, mostly because I’ve been complimented a lot on my diverse characters that I make, I do attribute that to living here.”
This Friday, November 3rd, at 6 p.m., Kangas will celebrate the launch of Mariko Between Worlds at Novel. They will also sign Trve Kvlt and Know Your Station. All three books are available at Novel or on Novel’s website.
