Comics creator Jarret Hartnell releases debut graphic novel
'Shout Kill Revel,' inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft, ended up more personal than Hartnell originally intended.
SuppliedIn April 2024, Jarret Hartnell published his graphic novel Shout Kill Revel, a Love-craftian western, with Renegade Arts Entertainment.
Hartnell is a Calgary-based comic creator who writes, pencils, inks, colours, and letters his work. He learned to draw at 25 and now has a bachelor’s degree in visual communication from the Alberta University of the Arts (AU Arts). He started his creative journey as a musician before realizing he was working “in the wrong medium of entertainment.”
While creating the graphic novel, Hartnell had control of every aspect of his creative process. When he looked back at his finished book he found that it was more personal than he thought.
“The book is about anxiety and fear. But there’s a lot of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [and] trauma stuff in there as well that totally freaked me out. It was too surreal,” Hartnell said.
Shout Kill Revel first surfaced as a short story in Hartnell’s third year at AU Arts. It’s inspired by a quote from H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu: “Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves.”
The story just started as an excuse for Hartnell to draw. Eventually, it was picked up by Alexander Finbow, the publisher at Renegade Arts Entertainment. Hartnell then developed it into a full-length graphic novel.
Hartnell’s graphic novel provides an outlet for self-discovery and healing
Shout Kill Revel follows a young woman named Helmina who is destined to save her world from the Great Old Ones, or bring about their return. Helmina has tried to hide from the Great Old Ones, from her destiny, and her dark thoughts. She must overcome her fears and save her people by exorcizing the great evil.
“I’m just a very, very anxious person, for no reason,” Hartnell said. “So I imagined, what if this fear is coming from some other unknown reality that I can’t comprehend? I feel like I’m being puppeted for somebody else’s enjoyment.”
It was not until after he had finished Shout Kill Revel that Hartnell recognized his own ADHD. Hartnell has found that creativity can provide an outlet for self-discovery and healing.
