Into the Dark

Hell is a Teenage Girl

Into the Dark is a YA horror graphic novel about a sixteen-year-old girl whose parents are going through a traumatic divorce. She’s forced to live in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and best a flesh eating monster in order to win back her agency and freedom.

Horror is a genre that allows you to safely explore fear in a way that can provide catharsis. Using this idea, I wanted to explore the difficult territory of teenage girlhood: a time in a young lady’s life where everything is truly horrifying. Like Astrid, my parents went through a traumatic divorce that shook up my life; just another thing that is out of your control. Add in the setting of the Northwoods of Wisconsin and you’ve got yourself a scary story.

Going Into the Dark

This story looked very different when it first began. Astrid was a ten year old and the scariest thing that happened was Aunt Ginny doing weird nature magic. Along the way, I decided I wanted Astrid to be an active participant in her story; so often in folk tales female characters are passive as the events of the story happen to them instead of with them. Astrid needed to find herself in a situation and be able to fight her way out and end the story on her own terms.

Follow Into the Dark

Olivia Gehrke is a Midwestern-born illustrator and storyteller based out of Atlanta, Georgia. She combines her love of horror and all things spooky with whimsical creatures. Gehrke is working on her debut graphic novel, </i>IInto the Dark.</i>I

Gehrke works with mixed media using ink, pencils, and gouache. With these tools she forms organic shapes that are sharpened with layers of texture that she finishes in procreate.

When she’s not drawing, Olivia Gehrke can be found reading, watching scary movies, or with her husband staring blankly at their three nefarious cats. She is currently seeking representation!

Website Instagram