Chrysanthemum Under the Waves

Umber (Sound of Snow Falling) presents nine unsettling graphic shorts that delve into darkness, grief, and the author’s fascination with James Harris, a demonic figure from a 17th-century ballad. The collection eschews a standard comics-style narrative in favor of evoking an eerie and contemplative vibe, through ephemeral black and gray story fragments and portraits. In “Rine,” a faceless man and woman marry in an abandoned Victorian mansion before the man fades into shadow, leaving the woman alone. A woman on a ship falls in love with a cloven-footed man in “The Devil Is a Hell of a Dancer,” only to drown in the sea on which they sail. A ghost rows a lonely, lost woman in a small boat in “The Rock.” Harris haunts the collection, showing up as a suit-clad suitor, a dapper lover, and the devil himself. Umber’s gestural sketches with gothic tones add to the spectral atmosphere. Fans of Frank Gogel’s Grief anthology will find a comfortable discomfort here. (Self-published)