Alva in the Dark - Aksel Studsgarth and Daniel Hansen

"Okay, this just got interesting". Yep, you have to agree with that statement when it comes through just on page 21 of the 263 page graphic novel Alva in the Dark. It's been beautifully illustrated up to now in dark shadowy black and white, introducing a pair of burglars, Mini and Morten who have been given a tip where to find an apartment owned by a old man with a supply of gold. They are going to need Alva for this job, the young woman something of an acrobatic cat burglar, and she duly obliges for a cut.

Maybe they should have thought more about it when a page earlier Alva says "Morten, I have a bad feeling about this place", and you wonder why they haven't questioned earlier why an old man lives in a dump of a place when he apparently has a substantial hoard of gold. Realistically though, the lure of gold means a sign on the door of a concealed room saying LEAVE NOW is unlikely to be taken as a warning and more as a sign of ...well, isn't that interesting?

It very quickly becomes more than interesting and the last observation you're going to get from Morten, since indeed along with the evidence that there is a lot more gold in there, there is also a person. If you can call them a person. What exactly? Well take a look at the cover. Let's just say it's not a goose that's laying golden eggs and obviously the burglars have now let it loose. Meet Sidsel. The Svartedal witch recognises something familiar in Alva, who knows nothing of her heritage having been found as a baby left in the restroom in IKEA, and let's her live. There are further dark mysteries and backgrounds to be delved into here, evidently.

The cover leans towards Mike Mignola gothic horror, but inside it's a little more loose and cartoonish, which is not a bad thing and the subject will definitely please fans of Mignola. Daniel Hansen's style combines well placed solid blocking of blacks with dynamic movement, angles and eye-catching page composition that flows wonderfully. You'll race through the 263 pages of Vol. 1 here, taking everything in, enjoying the pace without missing anything. There are even some darker, almost black pages with shadowy figures are very atmospheric. It reminds me a little more of a combination of Manu Larcenet’s cartoonish style and the grit of his darker comics (Blast, The Road). Other than occasionally evoking Frank Miller's Sin City work, I can't think of any US artists this resembles, but it's definitely more European in character. Hansen is a Swedish animation storyboarder, who has also worked as an art director on Bollywood films. This is his first graphic novel, and it's impressive work.

There is a definite Mignola character with a kind of BPRD team within SÄPO, the Swedish Security Service, known as the Craftsmen. The team haven't had to be brought into action for a long time now reassemble to deal with the report of a nine-foot Svartedal witch being on the loose. They don't mess around. The initial action draws you in, but as everyone regroups and licks wounds after the scale of the problem is revealed (or at least part of it), there is still plenty to keep you interested between the characters, the situations and the artwork which is impressive in layouts and style even in quieter preparatory moments. Aksel Studsgarth's script and story strikes a good balance between folk legend, gothic horror and knowing humour that is perfectly in line with the artwork style, described above.




Reading notes: Alva in the Dark Vol 1 by Aksel Studsgarth and Daniel Hansen is published by Titan Comics on the 22nd September. I read a watermarked download provided by the publisher from NetGalley, but I have already ordered the printed paperback version. There is an intriguing ending to Vol. 1 that suggests that there are lots of ideas here to be carried over to the next volumes of a planned trilogy.

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