I'm a little mixed on this graphic novel. I am not sure enough information is given in the script to orient readers at the beginning, and I struggled to tell some of the characters apart -- I felt like they needed to be established earlier in the book, especially the nine mountaineers. But the art is good and gives a sense of the vastness in the Urals which is pretty unsettling in the best way. Also unsettling, human dissections for the sake of autopsy are shown with moderate detail - interesting, but might be unnerving for some.

This graphic novel offered a good visual 'possible/maybe/what if' explanation of what happened to 9 hikers that died in 1959 in the Dyatlov Pass in the Russian Ural Mountains. The artwork was kind of 'stark, sharp', & two main color choices used fit the mood of the story. I also liked that at the end of the story, there is a section that goes into more detailed theories of what could have happened, & includes some photos......but the mystery remains! I think anyone who's ever heard of this incident, & wondered.....would appreciate this book. And if you haven't heard of it, you might be intrigued by this offering!
I received a complimentary e-ARC of the book from publisher Europe Comics via NetGalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review. I have always been a fan of unsolved mysteries/murders, so I was definitely drawn in by this title. The Dyatlov Pass mystery has intrigued many people over the years, and I think the fact that there is no clear-cut answer to what exactly happened to the unfortunate hikers is what intrigues people. It was definitely eye-opening for me to read this, I got so much more information on this strange case that I've ever seen. I think things like this being illustrated also makes it a bit easier for the common person to understand. I enjoyed the art style of this book, as well as the pace of storytelling. If the author were to ever make any additional content about other unsolved phenomena, I would definitely be interested in reading that as well.

I personally wasn’t really a fan of the manga it just didn’t sit right I feel like it was a little bit overdone. It feels a little bit more sceptical, then realistic and it just didn’t feel right with me, and I just generally wasn’t the biggest fan.
I think there is definitely a crowd out there who would really really enjoy this book, but unfortunately I am just not the target audience

I didn't find the book that compelling. Maybe because I was not familiar with the incident beforehand, but I wasn't that drawn in by it. Nice artwork and a good overview for readers more interested in this incident.

A knock on the door in the middle of the night — an unannounced visit from the KGB in 1950s Moscow — and Special Prosecutor Nikitich is called upon to investigate the mysterious disappearance of nine fit and experienced young hikers who had set out on a routine mountain trek. Although Nikitich would eventually come under pressure to close this case quickly, the circumstances were strange — the expedition's tent was cut open from the inside, many of the hikers were found in the snow in various states of undress, some had signs of radiation exposure, some had compression injuries, strange lights had been sighted in the sky that night — and "The Dyatlov Pass Incident" would go on to become one of those enduring "unexplained mysteries", source of much speculation and conspiracy theories. As a graphic novel, The Dyatlov Pass Mystery presents what is known in two timelines — following the prosecutor's investigation in one thread, and what is known of the hikers' experience from their actual diaries and photographs — and more than anything, this is the story of the prosecutor himself and his earnest attempt to solve the case before being shut down by the Soviet regime. As such, author Cédric Mayen doesn't attempt to solve this historic mystery (although he does allow his prosecutor to entertain the most outlandish theories) and while this account is respectful to the memories of those who lost their lives that frigid night some sixty years ago, it is faithful to what is actually known by leaving the mystery unsolved. I had heard of this mysterious story before, and totally enjoyed this treatment by Mayen and illustrator Jandro González; a delightful way to close out 2023.

A great graphic novel adaptation of one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in recent history. If you don't know about the Dyatlov Pass Incident, definitely look it up but you might need to be strong of stomach to do so.

*Thank you to Netgalley and EuropeComic for the opportunity to read this.*

I am quite a Dyatlov Pass fan. I've read a couple of books and some websites and even started the game Kholat (but not finished it because it was too scary).
This book is probably better for people who already know most of the case, because I found the information presented in quite a confusing way. Apart from the girls in the party I couldn't tell who was who, so an introduction with the main characters drawn and a short description would have really helped.
The art style was pleasant and the sepia tones of the events that the authors were mainly guessing at from the points of view of the hikers made it easy to tell when it was the hikers and when the investigators being depicted.
An interesting dossier of information, mostly quite recent research was added at the end, which was probably more appealing to me than the actual book. I found it a little disappointing that the authors had apparently got most of their information from podcasts, bad film adaptations and an extremely far-fetched (but very atmospheric) computer game. If they had incorporated some of the modern research into the graphic novel it could have been much better, but maybe they were restricted on length of the book.

I probably wouldn't read it again, but it does make me want to try to finish the game!

Definitely a good overview of the incident. Illustration style was both functional and interesting to look at. The only drawback was not having a good foundation of what each character looked like upfront. Made some of the dialogue later on harder to parse. I especially liked the dossier at the end, gave good resources and additional information for anyone who wanted more of the story.

Mayen and Gonzalez blend genre in a captivating and engaging way, bringing the reader into a near-cinematic world, crossing two timelines, while deftly educating the reader about a lost piece of history. The research and background materials following the graphic reenactment bolster the initial story, adding credence and grounding the reader in the mercurial world of alpine trekking. A stunningly told tale in ink and halftone, offering color and character to voices long silenced by time and mystery behind the Iron Curtain.

The first thing that made me pick this book was the theme, as I had been interested in it since I was a child. And I was so excited about reading it in graphic novel format!
Although I was not expecting an open ending, this book was still very good. The novel alternates between the time of the investigation and the past right before the hikers disappeared. And what I liked the most in this particular version of the story is related to this second timeline: as you are able to see them interact with each other, their friendship and also some of their hardships. What you never actually see is how they died, but after the main story finishes, on the last pages, there’s a little dossier of possible explanations for what happened to those hikers.
It was a very easy and enjoyable read that I would recommend to someone who likes graphic novels or has an interest in the Dyatlov Pass incident.

Thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics for the ARC!

An portrayal of a real cold case in which 9 experienced climbers died under suspicious circumstances in Russia in 1959 that has spawned lots conspiracy theories. And it was done in comic form. Lots of it seemed to be based on information from the original investigation with some license where there was no information but it did not suggest a solution. So it left it open for any of the conspiracy theories to be valid or new ones to form. I thought the drawings were good, though some seemed a little stereotypical. They gave a lot of personality to the people without a lot of dialog being made up.

I think the creators did a good job in creating an interesting depiction of the facts of an incident I had never heard of but since discovered there are books about and even a movie. They also stay fairly neutral in the presenting of information. The very end had some listing of some of the conspiracy theories, web sites where documents have been translated from Russia to English, and other information.

A very interesting portrayal and I had never seen a true crime done in comic or graphic novel form. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Read from December 24th, 2023 to December 27th, 2023. Written on December 27th, 2023.

~3.5~

What. A. Mystery!

I had never heard about the Dyatlov Pass Mystery but this book just made me incredibly interested in learning more about what happened on that expedition.

This amazingly drawn comic, with a great narrative and, at the end, very interesting informations and interviews on the case, is perfect for the fans of mystery mixed with reality; like me!

I really liked it, though it did give me a bit of a headache to read in digital mode because of all the zooming in and out I had to do to be able to read it. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating tale worth learning about.

Signing off,
B.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and Europe Comics that I chose to review after reading)

Even though it ultimately offers no hard-and-fast answers, its critical depiction of Soviet deception and cynicism will be satisfying to Cold Warriors. THE DYATLOV PASS MYSTERY is highly intriguing, but also completely grounded. Full review here: https://www.jbspins.com/2023/12/the-dyatlov-pass-mystery-graphic-novel.html

I first heard a few years ago about the mystery of what happened to the hikers/scientists at Dyatlov Pass and I've found it fascinating ever since - when I heard there was a graphic novel about it I was very keen to take a look.

Cedric Mayen and Gonzalez Jandro look at the mystery through fictional accounts both following the hikers themselves and then following the investigation of what happened, which falls to a Comrade Ivanov - each is given a different colour scheme in the panels that follows their story, which I found very effective as it could easily have been confusing and difficult to follow otherwise.

I thought the artwork was very effective, and the translation from James Hogan was good.

In terms of the storyline, I thought it did a decent job in exploring one possibility - I think if anything I have more questions than answers after it, but that's to be expected from a 64 year old mystery that no one has solved!!

The extra written section at the end which explored some theories further was also good.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ecopy of The Dyatlov Pass Mystery.

This was something I had never heard of, so I was eager to read this comic. Nonfiction comics are a great educational tool for all ages. The art and coloring were beautiful, and the story left you wanting to learn more about this mystery.

The Dyatlov Pass Mystery has delighted me with its art and representation of a moment in Soviet history that has long fascinated aficionado of mysterious deaths.

The graphic novel takes the perspective of a detective who is reluctantly pulled into investigating the bizarre circumstances of the death of nine trekkers who went on a dangerous hike in the Ural mountains in the winter of 1959.. To this day, the Dyatlov Pass incident is an unsolved mystery.

We go from a puzzled Soviet apparatchik to a creeped out Soviet apparatchik, surrounded by 9 zombies of the dead mountaineers and get to experience the detective's frustration as he collects threads of evidence that lead to a slew of incomplete explanations.

I found the art here compelling. The details, colors, and expressions complemented each other and the eerie, open-ended nature of this mystery. The authors constructed an immersive world that evoked the Soviet 1950s.
The narrative switches between scenes that follow the detective and sepia-toned scenes that chronicle the trekkers' perilous journey.

A word of caution: this is historical fiction and shouldn't be used to learn about the actual events. I'd never heard of the Dyatlov incident before and started out appreciating the story on fictional merit. From that perspective, this graphic novel is enjoyable.

I really wish I'd stopped at fictional merit and stayed away from fact-checking. I'm quite familiar with Soviet culture and history, and am a pedantic pain in the rear once I start paying attention to minor details. This is where fluency in Russian becomes a liability. I went into Russian-language databases that, possibly, contained details that the authors couldn't access. It's also possible that they did access all that info and took creative liberties.

For more details, read my goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6081469973

The subject of this graphic novel is fascinating and written in a student-friendly manner. It leaves the mystery open for students to dig deeper and decide for themselves what may have happened to these hikers. Definitely one to add to the classroom library.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I was really interested in the mystery a few years ago so when i saw this book i was really happy. i really liked the book, the drawing were really beautiful and i liked the difference of color palettes to show the different timelines!
it was really interesting to read and well though out i really enjoyed it
the only downside i could think about is that maybe if you didn't hear of the mystery before reading this it could be a bit confusing
thank you to netgalley and europe comics for the copy of this book

4.5 stars rounded up

I knew nothing about the Dyatlov Pass mystery before reading this graphic novel, so this was an interesting diversion. A group of young mountaineers died in the northern Urals in 1959, and their deaths remain unsolved even after an official investigation. This novel focuses on that investigaton, but at the end of the book there is a short review of the various theories around what happened. The Wikipedia entry about it is also interesting to read.

This novel feels disjointed, possibly because it’s speculative and relies on incomplete data, but is also unsatisfying as there is no attempt to come to a conclusion about what may have happened to the group. The artwork is pretty good; the story and writing style not particularly so. Still, this is an account of an interesting event, and I recommend it as a starting point for a rabbit hole excursion.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Europe Comics for access.