‘Deepwater Creek: A Graphic Novel’ (review)

Written and Illustrated
by Michael Regina
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Books for Young Readers

This was a book that I was surprised that I liked as much as I did.

It is a young adult “horror” book and those usually make me yawn with boredom.

Usually horror is more enjoyable if it’s more mature and gruesome but this book here really does a few interesting and compelling things to make it stand out.

The creator of this graphic novel, Michael Regina, is highly skilled at bringing us suspense that I didn’t really see coming. He is also very good at creating well rounded characters, and that makes this book even more interesting and more appealing.

The story has to deal with two young brothers named Wade and Andrew. Their father decides to take them both on a fishing trip at the end of the summer along with their friends Camilla and Tommy.

At first, the fishing part of the trip is really a lot of fun. Then, quickly, it becomes just the opposite. The reason is that Andrew manages to snag an enormous fish. This enormous fish then pulls Andrew off the boat and into the water. That is when things get a little bit wild.

While under the water, Andrew sees something that he never thought that he would see.  He sees a monster who looks like something out of an H. P. Lovecraft story. This is before Andrew almost drowns. Andrew then has to take a longer than normal time to recover. This does not please his brother Wade. Wade wants to go track down this monster that Andrew saw and try to identify exactly what it is. He doesn’t know where it is or how to find it, but he is determined to do so, no matter what.

That is when the group of young people try to track down the monster.

Wade becomes almost a Captain Ahab type of character and there are definitely some parallels to Moby Dick . The group of youngsters have some mishaps along the way as they keep trying to find the monster. They get into all sorts of trouble, yet they also find their way out of it as well. Warning after warning appears. Andrew is still not doing so well after his near death experience. Yet, his brother Wade is convinced that finding this monster will give his brother a sort of peace.

In the meantime, Andrew is suffering more and more as the story progresses.

He seems to have developed a physic connection to the monster. He also seems to have both his mental, emotional, and physical health affected the closer that he gets with the creature. What is going to happen when the two of them finally come face to face again? And is it possible that Andrew may not survive the encounter?

All of these questions are raised and answered in a truly extraordinary way.

As Andrew’s symptoms worsen, the group of youngsters have to work together to try to get out of this mess that they now find themselves in. They face some very difficult situations that they have to get out of using their brains, their wit, and their skill. It is harder than they think and they come close to losing their lives a few times in this book. They have a few close encounters to say the least. All of it is very thrilling and exciting. But there is a lot more going on beneath the surface in terms of thematic material. The theme of what is the real versus what isn’t a fantasy comes up more than a few times. It is wonderfully handled throughout the course of the book. Regina is a talent, for sure.

Eventually, the group figures out what the creature is and what its place in the universe is. I love the way Michael Regina handles the last beats of the story. It has a really nice ending to the piece as well. I loved that this book did get very dark and weird but it also had enough in it not to alienate the core audience.

The story is well handled but the artwork is the real star here. It is beautiful to look at and has a real depth to it. This book is enjoyable for all audiences and that is a tough thing to do well, yet Regina has managed to accomplish just that.

RATING: A-