The Dyatlov Pass Mystery by Cédric Mayen and Jandro González

First published in France in 2023; published in translation by Europe Comics on December 27, 2023

The Dyatlov Pass Mystery is a graphic retelling of events that have no satisfactory explanation. In early February 1959, ten experienced hikers went to Mount Otorten in the Urals. Two were women. Nine hikers vanished, including their leader, Igor Dyatlov. Only Yuri Yudin returned. Prosecutor Lev Ivanov is assigned to solve the mystery, although it is clear that the KGB is in charge.

Yudin has a back injury that prevents him from continuing with the other members of the expedition. He accompanies the hikers as far as an abandoned mine, the first stop in their trek. Yudin searches the mine for minerals, then returns to the university with their driver.

Ivanov brings Yudin and some KGB agents to the place where Yudin last saw the hikers. They follow a path and find the place where the missing hikers camped. Their tent appears to have been cut open from the inside. They left their boots and other gear in the tent. Did something frighten the hikers?

The searchers begin to find bodies. Some are mutilated. Others died of hypothermia. There are burns and blast marks on nearby trees. Some bodies show signs of radiation exposure. Did military tests contribute to the deaths? Did the hikers encounter aliens with powerful weapons? The military won’t let Ivanov conduct a proper investigation. He wonders if the army is covering up the truth. Ivanov can only conclude that the hikers encountered a “sudden overwhelming force” that he cannot explain.

Ivanov poses questions that can’t be answered with certainty. What caused the hikers to cut a hole in their tent and abandon their boots and gear in below-freezing weather? Why did they split into three groups? Why did some hikers suffer broken bones (as if they had been in a traffic accident) while others did not? Why did some suffer from radiation burns while others did not?

The graphic novel alternates an imagined version of Ivanov’s investigation with an imagined version of the hikers’ journey, up to the point where they made their final camp. The story explores the possibility of jealousy (seven men and only two women) and conflict, but it doesn’t venture a guess as to the cause of the nine deaths.

After the story finishes, a lengthy narrative brings together facts and theories that proffer solutions to the mystery. The most promising solutions involve geotechnical engineering and equations, coupled with a certain amount of speculation. I’ll leave it to scientists to evaluate the theories. Military shenanigans and aliens are more interesting, but the current prevailing theory might be more plausible.

The graphic novel, on the other hand, I can evaluate as a fan of graphic literature. The story is detailed and compelling. It made me feel cold. It captured the frustration of an investigator who can’t find the truth and the fear of people who are confronted with a crisis. To my untrained eye, the art isn’t anything special but it helps tell the story, which is what art should accomplish in a graphic novel.

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