A review by sashahc
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“The Deep Dark” by Molly Knox Ostertag is a graphic novel about Magdalena Herrera, a queer teenager in a small Southern California desert town.  Mags has an ailing grandmother, a kinda girlfriend, and a secret in her basement.  When her childhood best friend Nessa reappears, it upends everything.  It’s beautifully drawn, spooky, and dives deep into self acceptance, the weight of responsibility, and allowing yourself to show weakness.  It’s a story that will stick with you for a while.

Molly Knox Ostertag: “I think there’s this really big fear with queer artists that if I portray a queer person being less than perfect, then that will somehow lead to someone else becoming prejudiced against me or my rights being taken away, and it was my fault. I think that that’s a really legitimate fear, but it’s just a fear that I don’t want to give a voice to, so it’s been this long process of unlearning that I will continue to be on probably forever.”

Molly Knox Ostertag (she/her) is a queer white writer and illustrator.  She wrote for The Owl House as well as her own graphic novels.  She likes to cook and hang out in her garden with her spouse, queer cartoonist ND Stevenson.  She has a perfect dog and two perfect cats.