The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The title is very accurate. I loved Ostertag's other graphic novels, which were more lighthearted and aimed at a younger audience, while still dealing with some sensitive topics.

The Deep Dark, on the other hand, is very heavy with emotional, physical, and psychological turmoil. Do not expect the story to be all cutesy just based on the art.

Mags is a lesbian in a secret, physical-only relationship with Ava (who is publicly dating a boy). She lives with and is the primary caretaker for her ailing grandmother. Her mother is in and out of the picture, leading her own life, and her father left a long time ago. On top of all this, Mags harbors a secret that literally lives in her basement. It's a dragon creature she was born with that requires blood sustenance every night. If Mags doesn't feed it, they will both die.

Mags is struggling through daily life when an old friend comes back. A boy who is now a girl named Nessa. She's sweet and bubbly but has problems of her own. And she knows about Mags secret, because Mags told Nessa about it when they were children, before Nessa moved away.

Nessa feels responsible that the dragon creature escaped its cage and killed a boy, Emil, who bullied Nessa and Mags when they were children. What happens as a result is a tale laced with guilt and overwhelming responsibility, and how damaging both of these can be to a person's psyche.

The art was okay...not as good as the other stories by Ostertag. It felt kind of bare honestly, especially with all the heavy stuff going on. I think if you're a fan of Ostertag and you want something more grown up, you will enjoy this. But for the casual graphic novel reader, it might be too much. And it's definitely not for children!

TW: self harm, grandparent death, toxic relationships





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