I found Longharbor while looking at the Soulfinder series on Iconic Comic’s site and was immediately drawn in by the cover art. It’s very simple, but conveys the feeling of profound mystery quite well. I’m usually drawn to monster stories. So between the art style and description, this was a necessary addition to my collection. Longharbor is a graphic novel about a mysterious expedition at sea. The main cast is a small crew who is researching an anomaly around an island that is killing off a lot of the wildlife. The story starts off with a strange tone and only gets more otherworldly as the plot continues.

The story begins with a few panels of unnerving open ocean shots and a large creature of which we only see a small piece. We then cut to an interview with the main character. A father who was leading the expedition to Longharbor explains to a journalist, bluntly, the outcome of the expedition. Spoiling the ending like this immediately seems like a strange choice, since we now know the fate of the rest of the crew. With the readers already having this knowledge, the burden of building tension will rely on other aspects of the story. This is a difficult technique to pull off because it has to be done in a short time due to the length of graphic novels. If the readers don’t form attachments to any of the characters, they won’t care as much when they are in dangerous situations. At that point, the tension would rely solely on visuals and grotesque killing of characters. Fortunately, the writer and artist work well together (mainly because they are the same person) to create well written characters whom the readers will root for.

The author introduces each of the crew members briefly, giving us a overall feel for each of them. It’s solid introduction that does exactly what’s needed. This is an area that the art style adds a ton of personality to each crew member. Mirabal does a fantastic job on character design. Each of them are distinct with small pieces adding hints of their disposition for the reader. One of the strong points that helps the reader attach to the main character, Mike, is the explanation of why his daughter was accompanying him on the expedition: “I’m all she’s got.” This also somewhat implies that she is all he’s got as well. This strong father/daughter dynamic means that if one of them is to fall, they both will. Also, many men are going to immediately recognize this protective relationship and relate with Mike. This insight into Mike’s motivations was expertly portrayed.

The introduction to the diver, Bob, is short and gives little information. This seems odd until reading further, where the reader discovers why Mike would be so reluctant to explain more about Bob. Later on, there is a great piece of dialogue that I believe sets up Bob as a sympathetic character who the reader may not identify with, but will feel sympathy toward. When asked if he hates Bob for what he did, Mike responds incredulously “What? No. Bob was weak. But he wasn’t a bad guy.” At this point, the reader already has a connection to Mike, so they’ll trust his assessment of Bob. It turns Bob from an antagonist to a tragic character in whatever he will do later on in the book. This is a writing technique that Nashotobi and Mirabal use excellently. In fact the entire set up of this graphic novel is done superbly. Also, I’m fairly sure that the boat being named “ The Carpenter” is a nod to John Carpenter. Which is perfect because I definitely got a few “The Thing” feelings from this story.

The narrative goes on and adds more strangeness as the party gets to Longharbor. There’s a growing terror that seems to shadow everything the group discovers. At the point the crew is warned to leave or they will be taken by the horrors, and we have a sinking feeling that they’re already trapped. The nautical theme assists in this feeling because of the extremely isolating sense from being on the vast ocean. There are a lot of underwater shots that make the emptiness seem to go on forever. I personally think the ocean is one of the best settings for these kinds of scary stories. There are limited resources and any call for help will not arrive in time to save any characters from immediate danger. They are alone. And they are floating on top of the enemy’s lair that spans hundreds of miles in each direction. There are down times in the plot where the reader is able to digest what is happening. The writer lets the large moments breath to allow the reader to slow down for a moment. The feeling of fear remains, however, because we know that at any time, danger could be just on the other side of the ship’s hull.

The main criticism I have for this graphic novel is the ending. (Spoilers, obviously.) I love the idea of sacrifice and the light fending off the darkness. These are some of my favorite concepts in literature. However, I think this plot point could have been set up to connect throughout the story better. We aren’t really given a hint that Ted, the preacher, is able to do something like this at any point in the narrative. He mentions about halfway through that he’s “never seen a miracle that didn’t turn out to be a curse” (I think this was the only line of dialogue I didn’t like). When he took the lifeboat and said “ There’s one thing I can still do,” I thought he was taking his cross necklace, the Bible, or perhaps some of the weapons he unfurled earlier in the book to keep the creatures at bay. What he does instead seems to be a miracle, of which he spoke down on previously. The type of heroic sacrifice at the end has an even greater impact if it’s foreshadowed earlier in the story. This could have been done by giving the reader a little more time with Ted talking about the human soul and the power of the light that can work through it or maybe a line or two about the power that selfless sacrifice has against evil. The selfless sacrifice does effectively fight against the evil “I take and and I give” line from the mermaid by only giving, so the scene is still a great piece of the story. It just would have been even more potent with a little more set up earlier.

The art in this graphic novel works very well with the writing. The colors are drab and muted and the vast, silent ocean adds tension in each panel. The character design stuck out to me as they are almost all long-faced and gaunt. This portrays a feeling of weariness and fear. They appear exhausted from the ordeal and it shows in their eyes. Except Emily, who is innocently happy. The monster design is incredible. Usually in horror, I prefer the monsters not to be shown much because it’s scarier to leave the images to the imagination. That way the reader will fill in the gaps with whatever they find most terrifying. But Longharbor has many panels of the monsters and gruesome creatures. This works for this graphic novel because the design of the creatures is so unfamiliar. The reader sees the complete monster, but can’t really comprehend what each part of it really is. The panels that best convey this feeling are in the freezer. We can fully see this beast spread out on the floor, but can’t really understand what it is. The monster design throughout gives this feeling of eldritch mystery because we can’t truly grasp what we are seeing.

Longharbor is most definitely a book I’d recommend for anyone who loves horror, especially the monster or Cthulhu type. Nashotobi and Mirabal introduce the cast quickly and efficiently. They then use a lot of interesting writing techniques that enhance the story, build terror steadily, and keep the feeling of unease throughout the narrative. The tension rises and falls at good intervals to allow a slow climb to the climax of the story. The art style works amazingly well for horror and matches the tone of the writing. Longharbor is a graphic novel that I will surely read multiple times and I’ll be looking out for any new works by Nashotobi and Alejandro Mirabal.

-Patrick Jones