Up From the Depths: A Review of Christine Larsen's "HOLY DIVER"
Christine Larsen is a Harvey Award-nominated cartoonist and illustrator who has created art for comics, book covers, stories, posters and websites. Her client list includes Dark Horse Comics, IDW Comics, BOOM Studios, DC Online, Saatchi & Saatchi, Simon & Schuster, and Cartoon Network.
Christine is also an adjunct instructor at The University of the Arts and Deleware College of Art and Design where she teaches courses in sequential art and comics.
HOLY DIVER is the first title to be released under her new self-published label, Snaga Comix.
It is timeless and silent, mythical and illustrative. HOLY DIVER, Christine Larsen’s newest self-published gem, is a proud exhibition of some of the best artistic qualities the medium has to offer. Much like a subtle riptide, it gently draws you in and submerges you beneath its waves of rich narrative. And in taking the plunge, you won’t want to come up for air until it’s decided to release you.
A short note on the back of the book reads, “HOLY DIVER follows in the tradition of the MICROCOSMICS series; no dialogue fantasy stories set in a mystic, alien world.” It exists in a delightful, fantastical realm: one which evokes the classic tone of Greek myths while also channeling something altogether new and unfamiliar. Larsen’s previous submissions to her MICROCOSMICS series also featured this style of tonally-blended content, but truly HOLY DIVER feels like the shining example of exactly what that style is able to produce. The narrative is as claimed, wordless, and therefor feels universally truthful; it is a hero’s journey built upon the deepest form of self-sacrifice.
The author’s intentions are expressed so clearly without the need for dialogue that one wonders if they’d have just slowed down the overall sleekness of the narrative had they been included from the start. And this is by no means to say that the book does not offer the opportunity for reflection; in fact I believe one of the lasting themes which HOLY DIVER offers is the power and persistence of honest reflection. A simpler book would be satisfied by creating a new symbol of hope, but Larsen’s story explores the deeper questions behind that exact same symbol: “What is lost in that symbol’s creation? Who are those most affected? And how will those affected see that symbol differently from everyone else?”
To say that it tells a tale of love and loss would on a surface-level seem to provide an incomplete reading of its essential themes. Yet these enormously evocative words are often themselves woefully applied merely as surface-level symbols. They are so much greater though, and they are so much deeper. The love and loss born out of Larsen’s book is driven by experiences and decisions, by overwhelming darkness and blinding light. Because there are no words, we as readers experience firsthand the love shared between its characters and the difficult decisions which they must make. We then feel the intertwined depths of their love and loss rather than simply being told about them; it is understood that the reason they are no longer accessible to us is because they have transformed into something so much greater than before.
HOLY DIVER is a beautiful story set against a perhaps even more beautiful backdrop. Larsen’s art fully delivers on every single black and blue page and perfectly captures the balance of the book’s mythological tone. Her character and monster designs, like the story itself, feel very satisfying; Larsen’s goddess is strong and her leviathan is fearsome. Indeed, one can both recognize and appreciate the book’s influencers: Ronnie James Dio and Hayao Miyazaki. Dio’s lyrics provide the creative launch point for Larsen’s storytelling vehicle while Miyazaki’s illustrations fuel it and the result is a truly rewarding dive!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Make sure to celebrate by grabbing one of the last few print copies of HOLY DIVER from Christine’s web store (LESS THAN 20 LEFT):
The digital version is available on Comixology:
Comixology also features several of her other exceptional works (including MICROCOSMICS):
CHRISTINE'S OTHER DIGITAL COMICS
ORCS! webcomic:
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CHRISTINE LARSEN IS CREATING COMICS
Check out Christine’s websites “Christine Larsen Illustration” and “The Larsen Project”:
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