Dept. H by Matt & Sharlene Kindt Review

Dept. H is a murder mystery at Depth (ah-ha!), a sinister mythos-infused family saga at the bottom of the ocean. It's got a bit of sci-fi, and a lot of scares.

When the smartest man on the planet is murdered, Mia is sent to investigate. Just a couple of problems: it's happened in a deep-sea science vessel, and the man in question just happens to be her father.

Dept. H comes from writer/artist Matt Kindt with his wife Sharlene on art and colour. Coming from a background in Graphic Design, Matt Kindt is known for his unconventional layouts, which combined with Sharlene's watercolours adds an ethereal and often eerie quality to the pages: there is a dreamlike, unsettling atmosphere to every panel and every page, especially the flashback sections which peel back Mia's childhood. The splash pages are similarly arresting, so that the form complements the narrative without ever feeling contrived.

Speaking of which, in what could be - and in many ways, is - a conventional whodunit, Kindt's writing manages to never seem predictable. Yes, a cast with a range of conflicting personalities, grudges and history, each with a convincing motive - all trapped in a closed environment, and things begin to unravel. However, the careful pacing allows characters room to breathe and steadily ramps up the tension as further mayhem ensues. And always, there are... things in the depths.

A gripping read - you'll be drawn in Deep.