Cartoonist Dina Norlund, the Norwegian artist behind the Snowcat Prince graphic novel, has died of cancer. The artist was only 27 years old. News of Norlund’s passing was first reported last week by Norwegian media.
Born in Oslo in 1995, Norlund began full-time cartooning in 2018. Her self-published work includes Fern & The Moon Rabbit (2017), Greylegs (2018), and Sprout (2019). Following a limited self-published run in 2020, Norwegian publisher Egmont released Snøkattprinsen in 2021, and late last year Oni Press announced they would be bringing the book to English readers; the book’s release date is today, and the publisher has said in a statement they will donate a portion of proceeds from the sales of the book to Sykehusklovnene, a Norwegian children’s organization, in Norlund’s name.
Recently Norlund had been working on a new project, Nettle and the Hush-Hush, the creation of which she had been documenting through her Patreon page. That Patreon, where Norlund had also documented her cancer journey for her followers, was put on hold in late 2021.
In a statement regarding Norlund’s passing, Oni Press editor Grace Scheipeter praised her work and her abilities as a cartoonist:
“Dina was an incredibly talented artist and storyteller,” editor Grace Scheipeter said. “She was such a joy and inspiration to work with, and her passing is a heartbreaking loss. I know her work will continue to inspire young artists, authors, and readers the same way it will inspire me for years to come.”
Along with her cartooning work, Norlund had a strong following on social media, particularly on YouTube, where the cartoonist posted drawing videos for her 175,000+ followers.
The Beat offers our condolences to Norlund’s family and friends.
