We reached out to Erik, the creator of the “Bonus Context” project, to ask him a few questions about his comic series. He shared insights into the recurring themes that run throughout his work: “I usually make comics about things that are universal for humans and have animals observe and talk about [them]. So, I guess the most common theme is ’animals observing humans do things that [are] actually silly when looked at from the outside!’”

When asked how he comes up with ideas for his new strips, the comic artist responded: “After hundreds of comics, it’s still hard. I just have to force myself to think about it. Sometimes, I Google concepts such as ‘freedom’ or ‘love’ and hope to find a good quote to start with, but mostly, it’s just about treating it as a task that requires hard work.”

Next, we were wondering how Erik approaches humor in his comics. The cartoonist shared with us: “I know comics don’t have to be funny, but usually, I try to make a joke – even if the topic is serious. It is the format I have landed on!”

Finally, Erik shared with us which other comic artists he admires: “I’m a huge fan of Gary Larson, and I really wish I could draw as well as Bill Watterson!”