THE SEA IN YOU is a whimsical dark fantasy retelling of The Little Mermaid from cartoonist Jessi Sharon, which follows the unlikely friendship between 15-year-old human Corinth and the deadly fanged mermaid Skylla, who mysteriously lets Corinth live after a chance encounter during a beach clean up. THE SEE IN YOU is the third independently funded crowdfunding campaign from Iron Circus after the success of their campaigns for THE POORCRAFT COOKBOOK and LETTERS FOR LUCARDO: THE SILENT LORD earlier this year. The campaign is over 104% funded with 7 days to go!
Here’s an exclusive excerpt-
IN THE SEA IN YOU, Corinth was just trying to clean up the beach; she never expected to meet a mermaid, let alone be nearly drowned by one. But before long Corinth and mermaid Skylla grow closer through a cautious exchange of stories, gifts, jokes, and sign language. Mermaids, it turns out, eat people — but however terrifying Skylla may look, she’s a little younger, a little smaller, and perhaps a little too soft for all that. Bewitched by Corinth and their growing bond, she learns about all the best things in life on land: books, burgers, donuts, and this strange chattering human sound called laughter. But a storm is brewing – both at sea and in Corinth’s increasingly dangerous relationship with her obsessively jealous boyfriend – and a magical bargain may be the only thing that can save her, at a tremendous cost.
“The Sea in You is a perfect Iron Circus title,” said C. Spike Trotman. “Offbeat, totally unique, and a recentering and reimagining of themes it’s too easy to consider well-trodden territory that no longer holds any surprises for the reader. I can’t wait until kids get their hands on this.”
Featuring a properly monstrous mermaid design, complete with fangs, claws, and scales, this is a creeptastic story for monster kids who still need some heartfelt whimsy to lighten the tone. Similar in approach to retold fairytales like Wicked and Fairest of All, THE SEA IN YOU trades on the universal familiarity of the classic “Little Mermaid” story while upending it with a cute queer romance at its heart and the “prince” character as a villain.
THE SEA IN YOU reflects the world as it is in a suspenseful tale of magic and wonder; Sheron’s diverse fantasy tale includes queer characters, body diversity, the active use of American Sign Language to build understanding, and the sensitive portrayal of an abusive relationship.
PRAISE FOR THE SEA IN YOU
“Fun, sweet, and involving a whole lot of burgers.” — BOOK RIOT
“You read it page by page, or image by image, because you want to spend time with Sheron and her characters, just as Skylla and Cointh want to spend time with each other.” — THE COMICS JOURNAL
“Filled with promise and a tantalizing narrative.” — MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS
The Sea In You campaign went live on May 31 and will run until June 30, 2022. For updates follow, Iron Circus Books on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To support the campaign, head to https://ironcircus.com/
art credit – Iron Circus Books