Body Parts Blog Tour: Maris Wicks and Her Human Body Theater

Oh, I’m so very pleased today. It’s not every day when you get to be part of a blog tour AND feature a distinctive portion of the human anatomy. Thanks to Maris Wicks, now you can have both.

As you may know, a certain graphic novel by the name of HUMAN BODY THEATER is sweeping the nation. Imagine the wit and humor of a Cece Bell, the visual clarity and inviting style of a Raina Telgemeier, and the non-fiction humor and fascination of a Nathan Hale. Voila! This book. And as part of the blog tour (full schedule for the week visible here) each participating site gets to feature a body part written up and illustrated by the illustrious Wicks. Think of it as a tiny taste of the whole. And I don’t mean to brag, but my body part? THE BEST!

Behold:

EAR

Listen up, because I’m about to tell you all about ears. Ears are those flappity, cartilaginous things you have on either side of your head. Human ears have evolved to be the shape that they are to best catch sounds, but ears and ear shapes can vary from animal to animal. Birds have tiny little holes for ears (under all those feathers), while frogs actually have their eardrum (tympanum) on the outside of their body (looks for a round circle behind each eye). Fish can sense vibrations and sound with their whole body, but have an inner ear to process sound.  Ears aren’t just for hearing though!  Our inner ear is responsible for helping us balance, and for letting us know what is “up” and “down” (though I suppose gravity actually does that too).  When you hang upside-down, that woozy feeling that you feel is your inner ear adjusting to a big change in your body’s position.  If you want to hear more about ears, check out Human Body Theater!

Maris Wicks lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. She has harnessed the power of her various biological systems to draw comics for Adhouse Books, Tugboat Press, and Spongebob Comics, and written stories for Image and DC Comics. Wicks is the illustrator of the New York Timesbestselling Primates, with Jim Ottaviani. When she’s not making comics, Wicks works with New England Aquarium. She’s especially proud of her pulmonary system.

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