Graphic Novel Review: The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

Posted on October 29, 2024 at 7:43 am by Gene Ambaum

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag. Scholastic Graphix, 2024. 9781338839999. 480pp. including a graphic afterward that’s really cool.

Magdalena (Mags) Herrera works at a diner and takes care of her Abuela so she can stay in her house. In her grandma’s basement, Mags has a secret. It’s something she has to tend to, and it’s dangerous. She’s only ever told her friend Nessa about it, back when they were little.

Now Nessa is back visiting the desert town where they both grew up (and where Mags still lives). She’s taking pinhole photos, and talking about a romance that ended badly. And she sees that Mags frequently hooks up with Ava, whose boyfriend doesn’t know.

I couldn’t see where this story was going, and it worked better that way so I’m not giving much of a pitch for it; it’s spooky and the characters felt real and it became something I didn’t expect at all but really, really loved. I had an advanced review copy that’s mostly black and white and had to go out and buy the book as soon as it was published to read it again with Ostertag’s sparing, effective use of color. In so many ways, I’ve never seen another book like this.