I adore these DC graphic novels and this addition to the lineup has a touching LGBT romance. It is a lovely and beutifully done graphic novel and a great read for YA and adult readers alike. I highly recommend, particularly for readers interested in the subject matter.

-- these reviews are unfortunately several years past release date (due to the many issues of 2020). Thanks a million to the publishers and Netgalley for the early copy of the book. I look forward to reading more after catching up on my reads.

After reading this title, I felt as though this was a growing up sort of tale, one that made you feel in tune to the characters and the problems that they were going through as they learned about themselves, especially Jake.
It is a beautiful story filled with elements that are fairytale to me, and it felt very much like an anime (no ideas there, but if it were to happen I would totally watch it). But honestly I felt like there were some Marvel elements to it once I read about half way through the graphic novel.

While reading this, I felt as though it really brought out the problems that people and teens (since this graphic novel, is more geard toward teens) go through. They find themselves but at what cost? And that is something that both Jack and Kenny find out. I, for one, feel horrible for the both of them during certain times while reading but when they come together with Maria, it made me happy. It cements for me that this graphic novel is what teens need in order to navigate this world. I hope the author wrote this mange with this idea in mind and I honestly believe they did.

Overall, I would not change anything about the graphic novel. It took me a bit of getting used to the realistic artwork that is presented as I am used to the older 80's and 90's artwork that I grew up reading in manga's. If the reader is already used to this type of artwork, go for it. I think many readers will enjoy this.

I really, really enjoyed this. I was hoping for maybe a little bit more of the Black Manta stuff and a little more conflict, but I still think that this was great!

Jake is tired of hiding and tired of secrets. His mom is a helicopter mom who will never let him go near water because his dad drowned when he was little, but his dream is to go and study oceanography. He just feels like that’s his calling. He can’t explain why, but it is. He also doesn’t know how to tell anyone in his life that he might be gay. But one day, he decides he’s going to ask Jake, the only out gay kid at school, if he wants to hangout. When the two get caught in a flash flood in the desert, Jake realizes he’s not the only one keeping secrets. He controlled the flood and he needs to know why. When he finally confronts his mom about it, she reveals that his dad is Black Manta, the guy Aquaman is looking for on TV, and he used Jake as a science experiment making him amphibious. But instead of running in fear, emboldened by no longer hiding who is he or what he’s capable of, Jake decides that he’s staying right where he is.

A sweet romance involving two boys (and Maria) at the end of their high school careers, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. Add in an unrequited crush, a peculiar affliction of glowing skin in water, a missing nuclear weapon, and homophobic bullies this trio of pals are in for some tricky trials in addition to trying to survive high school.

You Brought Me the Ocean was a sweet story, though the ending felt a little rushed to me and the conflict seemed somewhat unresolved, but one could assume the meaning of it to be to just roll with the punches as they come. Personally, I would have liked a more developed conclusion to the story, but overall I did enjoy the book.

A great addition to the DC canon; the art is lush and colourful and the story entertaining and emotional.

i need to start reading the synopsis of books because i thought this was gonna be about gay pirates lol this was a nice surprise though!!! the illustrations were so beautiful. i do wish the characters were fleshed out a bit more but that’s why another volume’s for!! hopefully soon i can read it :)

This was great, I loved every minute of it. I really enjoyed Jake's story and I related to him keeping a secret because he didn't want to hurt someone's feelings. The artwork wasn't my favorite but the story was so strong that I was able to over look that aspect of it. Overall, a solid graphic novel and one that I really enjoyed!

"There is something endearing in this exchange that feels new. Two young gay men are confiding in one another, Jake coming out for the first time, not wallowing in shame about it but pondering something more. Jake was with Kenny, his people, and it wasn’t about who he was, but what the future might be — and how he might break the news to his best friend Maria, who they both suspect might be in love with him.
Alex Sanchez does a great job of not making it too easy for Jake. The tunnel vision he has for his burgeoning feelings for Kenny and the emotional rollercoaster that puts his friendship with Maria on feels real. Just as he gets a sense of how unusual he is outside of his relationships — yes, it has to do with water and, no, Kenny’s swim team captain sensibilities about water safety don’t help".

Really enjoying these YA DC origin stories! This one definitely felt like the beginning of a bigger story; like it ended and I was ready for book 2.

Excellent graphic novel giving the origin story for "Aqualad," which to me is one of the worst names ever for a superhero, but that's okay, not sure what else you'd call him! After enjoying the Aquaman movie so much, I'm all in for any aquatic heroes, and this young man's story is great. A little similar to Aquaman's backstory, Jake has been living far away from any oceans, in the desert town of Truth or Consequences New Mexico, with his single parent mom. He's struggling with the decision to come out as gay to his best friend Maria, and with telling her that he wants to change their longstanding plan to attend college together locally because he wants to go to Miami University in Florida and study oceanography. Plus, he has weird birthmarks on his arms that he's never revealed to her--and now they've started GLOWING when wet! Poor guy has a lot going on. Then there's the hot blue-haired guy in school Jake is crushing on.... Great coming-out story and parentage-revelation story/superhero origin story, and awesome special effects when Jake comes into his water-powers. Beautifully illustrated, all in shades of blue or in oranges for the desert scenes. Loved the tiny cameos by Superman and Aquaman too.

Omggg this was so cute! I swear I was fangirling so much.

I seriously adored the friendship between Jake and Maria. They were the cutest duo! I love how they could literally talk about anything together. Their friendship is the kind that you wish you had (if you don't already have it).

And of course I just have to talk about Kenny. He is so cool. I love his green hair. I love how he always stands up for himself and others, he takes no crap. He is most definitely someone to look up to (or fall in love with. But that ain't happening, he's Jake's mans)!

Anyways, I recommend this to anyone looking for a cute short read.

Arc received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am late to the game reading and reviewing this title. So late I ended up just checking it out from the library I work at instead of reading it online. Which, I feel quite bad about. This was a fun tale from DC that took a new spin on the concept of Aqualad. I really did enjoy that there was quite a few talks about how it felt to not be out to your family or friends yet. This is something that is near and dear to my heart and I did love reading about it. My only problem is that this is so short. I wanted more to the story a whole series if that was possible. Instead, it felt compressed and quick going from 0 to 100 especially in the romance department.

The artwork deserves 5 stars on its own. It was expressive and bright considering the dessert setting. I really could have just stared at the art all day.

t's cute, but kind of a standard coming out story, set in the DC universe. I really appreciated the representation in the story and the coloring is nice.

I liked the premise of the book, unfortunately, this was my least favorite of the four graphic novels that DC Ink provided me for review. I felt that the writing and art were weaker than the other three. Each of these stories were origins for the characters, bringing us into their world when they are teenagers and using the classic coming of age theme. This is an easy read and it is enjoyable, if not engaging.

Jake struggles with a lot of things in this story from who he wants to be versus his family and friends' expectations to understanding himself. I think the themes were incredibly important and could have been so powerful and impactful, unfortunately; it fell short for me. Part of his struggles come from grappling with his identity. I appreciated the authenticity of it and I feel that it will resonate with readers. I would just like to warn that there are negative comments and violent actions surrounding being gay, or even different, in this book and that could be offputting to some readers. A character is physically harmed for being different and I just want readers to be aware of that.

My favorite character (or characters) were side ones, like Kenny and his dad - rather than Jake, his mom, or his best friend. Honestly, my favorite part of the graphic novel was towards the end when Kenny's dad suggests that he go outside to water some plants. I am interested to see how Jake takes on the mantle of Aqualad, since I have never read any Aqualad stories - but I found him to be forgettable. Jake's mom was understandably protective, but I felt like it crossed a line. His best friend Maria oscillated between likable and controlling, but I wish that she allowed him more agency because friends should respect each other's choices if they're following their heart and doing what is best for them - rather than trying to force them to be something that they're not.

I waited for a while to write this review to see if it grew on me, but it did not. While still an enjoyable story, it lacked when compared to Wonder Woman, Nightwing/Robin, and Superman's stories. It is a good story, but I honestly wish that the art and writing had been taken on by different individuals. Art is incredibly important in graphic novels and I just didn't connect with this one. That being said, other people might love it. It's all personal taste so don't let my feelings stop you from giving this graphic novel a chance!

The digital version of this graphic novel was provided to me by DC Ink, but that does not affect my review in any way.

You Brought Me the Ocean is a graphic novel about self discovery, friendship, and is also a coming out story as well. The book follows Jake Hyde, a teen with an overbearing mother and a yearning to see and work with the ocean. He spends time with his best friend Maria, hiking and trying to figure out himself, his dreams, and how to tell those around him that he wants to move away.



This book has a lot of layers, it is a coming out story at its heart but it is about friends and family, secrets, its a hero story of sorts, and it covers bullying as well. Jake grows a lot in these 186 pages. The coming out story was not over the top, it was built up very well through the dialogue and internal thoughts of Jake - the feelings of not being the same as others, the fish out of water feeling, which in this case has so many other meanings. Jake also learns about his birthmarks and his family and how he again is different, but the important take away is that he moves through these stressors and dramatic elements with purpose and meaning. He is a strong character.


Other great things about this graphic novel - it has a fully diverse cast of characters. Jack is African American, Kenny seems to be of Asian decent and Maria and her family Hispanic / Latino. I love seeing diverse characters. Additionally, the book was written and illustrated by Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh, both part of the LGBTQIA+ community and are able to tell and show this story so accurately.

Following the story there is a page of resources as well as a note from Julie and then an illustration sketchbook and prior to the story a heartfelt note from the author as well.

Overall this was a very good read, I really enjoyed it. It would be great for any readers, especially those that would like a good Pride Month read or just a diverse cast.

Jake has been raised by his mom, but she has kept some secrets. As he tries to make plans for what to do after high school, he has to confront issues with his best friend, a new friend, his past, and what his future holds.
Wonderful illustrations and a story line that keeps you reading.

This was an excellent graphic novel, with a representation that we desperately need in these times. Maroh and Sanchez are a fabulous team, and I hope we see more from them.

Full review in the link below.

This definitely isn't my favorite, but it has a lot of potential and I'm really excited to see where this goes in the future (at least I'm assuming we'll get more in the future?). I think too much happened too fast and the relationship between Kenny and Jake suffered because of it. But that's probably more of a personal thing because I prefer slow burn and this just wasn't slow enough for me. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the art style, it just didn't connect well at all.

Despite this, everything else was really solid. I loved the characters and the premise was really intriguing. I'm excited to see where this goes in the future if we ever get more from these characters.

tw: homophobia, homophobic slurs

Alex Sanchez’s tale of the future Aqualad coming into his powers and discovering who he is in a myriad of ways is written in a story that will be relatable to many readers. We all know what it’s like to struggle through family issues, we have had to deal with choices that pertain to our future such as choosing a college/university to attend, and we’ve all had disagreements with our friends. However, the way in which Sanchez tackle’s Jake’s greatest battle is done with the utmost of care. Throughout the graphic novel, the readers are able to see just how isolated Jake feels. Living in a small town and with only one other openly gay student (Kenny) at his high school, Sanchez perfectly captured Jake’s trepidation in revealing his true identity.

Not only does Jake grapple with what others might think of him given that the school bullies frequently refer to Kenny as a “freak” and use the word “queer” as a slur against him, he also has to deal with the realization that Maria might like him as more than just a friend. Not wanting to hurt her, but also wanting to be comfortable in his own skin, Sanchez deftly paints the picture of Jake’s hardships in coming to terms with his sexuality. There are many moments when the readers are privy to Jake’s thoughts and it’s in these moments that the graphic novel truly shines. Sanchez does a great job in balancing the moments of people’s lack of acceptance and understanding with moments that show the opposite, allowing Jake to realize that those who truly care about him and love him, are by his side.

Ultimately, You Brought Me the Ocean is truly a testament to loving and accepting one’s self in every form that takes. It also shows that while the journey may be far from easy, it is a necessary one.

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez is an Aqualad novel. This graphic novel tells the tale of Jake who absolutely loves the ocean, but has an overprotective mother who tells him to stay away. Jake believes the reason she doesn’t want him near the ocean is due to his father drowning. He later discovers that this is not necessarily the truth.

Unlike most of DC Ink’s graphic novels, this one isn’t action-packed. In fact, Jake never physically comes across a supervillain — okay, kind of, but not? Hashtag spoilers. Instead, You Brought Me the Ocean focuses on a story of friendship and figuring out who you are.

Jake has a best friend, Maria, who’s known him since their childhood days & Maria has a thing for him. However, Jake has a secret — he’s gay. He doesn’t really get to explore his sexuality until he starts hanging out with another student named Kenny; something he keeps secret from Maria.

Black Manta, Aquaman’s supervillain enemy, is referred to a few times in You Brought Me the Ocean. But the villains in this graphic novel are a bit smaller than him — & honestly, even scarier because they are hella homophobic humans. This group of bullies attack Jake and Kenny and, at points of the story, declare “kill the queers.”

All-in-All, You Brought Me the Ocean is such an important story for young readers, especially those who are coming to terms with who they are.