Vancouver author's graphic novel explores the fear of adulthood and running away

A remote island commune off the coast of Vancouver sets the scene for a coming-of-age graphic novel detailing a group of friends' fear of adulthood and the enticement of running away from home.

The Gulf, written by Vancouver-based cartoonist and illustrator Adam De Souza, aims to capture the listlessness, restless energy and raw emotion of how it feels to be a teenager nearing the end of high school.

It speaks to the geographic location of the book but also to the emotional place the characters find themselves between adolescence and adulthood.

De Souza, a Vancouver-based cartoonist and illustrator, says that writing a coming-of-age story that wasn't straightforward was reflective of his upbringing.

They're about to graduate from high school, and they decide not to enrol in university to go to a commune, which Oli, the lead character, found a pamphlet for on her parents' shelf when she was young.

Youth face a lot of pressure early on to make good decisions that will impact their whole lives, according to De Souza.