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"Write what you know," writers are taught. Should artists, therefore, draw what they know? And what happens when a writer-artist mixes both standards? In the case of Tim Sievert's That Salty Air, readers get a confident debut that portends more good things to come from this creator.

At 25 years old, Sievert wastes no time on thematic trifles in this handsome graphic novel. Instead he delves into some of the universe's most challenging mysteries: love, loss, nature and the steep learning curve that some people must surmount when grief derails their lives. A slender book housing a deep fable, Salty Air traces a few momentous days in the life of a young couple living in a small coastal house. Fisherman Hugh expresses his love and respect for the sea early on, releasing back to the water a sea horse that gets caught in his net, while beneath the ocean's surface lurks a giant squid. On land, Maryanne receives two letters that alter their lives forever -- one announcing her pregnancy, the other bearing the bad news that Hugh's mother has drowned.

Hugh's difficult reaction sets in motion the story's conflict, which plays out in powerful if predictable ways -- and dallies, a bit dangerously, in the realm of the fantastical. Throughout, Sievert displays an easy knack for design and pacing, telling much of the tale in wordless panels and making every story beat count.

Although not spelled out in Sievert's back-page author bio, it's easy to surmise that Salty Air has autobiographical roots; Sievert has confirmed that he lost his mother suddenly. On the other hand, where did a Midwestern landlubber get his sense of the ocean? Probably from the same intriguingly complex muse that helped him imagine the omniscient eight-tentacled beast. Sievert has fused tragic loss with imagination, then poured his healing into these pages. It's a beautiful thing.