Cathy Malkasian is an animation director and cartoonist. Her artwork did not particularly appeal to me, but this graphic novel is quite effective and may have you tearing up by the end.

From the publisher:

Told through powerful allegory, Shadows of the Sea is a story about grief and the winding path to healing, with help from friends, loved ones, and a little magic.

On the lonely road meet two outcasts -- Doris, a small but spitfire woman and Stanwick, a shy and sensitive dog. Each of this unlikely pair harbors grief, and must decide whether to stay with the pain or run from it. On their journey, the two travel through lush forests, to the eerily abandoned town of echoes, clear to the 'mudder' sea, where they finally confront the unbearable trauma of their pasts.

Cartoonist Cathy Malkasian's graphic novels are known to be crafted with layered, affecting allegory and metaphor, and Shadows of the Sea is no exception. In this story, shadows become characters themselves, weighed down with painful truth. They cannot be released until their owners acknowledge, reflect, and heal. Charged by the magic of the 'mudder' sea, the shadows reveal the loss Doris and Stanwick have been carrying -- a husband and a child -- and sets them free at last.

Cathy Malkasian is an animation director and cartoonist. Her credits include Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys film (for which she received a British Academy Award nomination), and most recently, over 20 episodes of Curious George for PBS since 2008. Fantagraphics has released several of her graphic novels including Percy Gloom (2007), Temperance (2010), Eartha (2017), and NoBody Likes You, Greta Grump (2021).