Tell me a story...about a friendship and a curse
Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham
Publication date: July 19, 2022
Date read: September 23, 2022
Tony Price is a popular high school track star and occasional delinquent. Eli Hirsch is a quiet teen who often misses school due to his chronic illness… and also sees ghosts. After Tony encounters a monster on a forest hike with his friend, his life - and his relationship with Eli - takes a dramatic change. Co-illustrated by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham, who alternate chapters with their own style.
I liked the idea behind this story - werewolf stories are mostly fun, in my opinion, if done well. And the werewolf part of the story was actually done pretty well. I have no complaints about the plotting or the way that plot unfolded.
The rest of the story was a bit hit or miss. The characters were a bit cliché, although I did for the most part like them. I also felt that we needed much more backstory on Tony and Eli. Eli could have been a fascinating character, but his story especially felt so rushed, with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references to chronic illness and top surgery, not to mention his history of seeing ghosts.
I liked Tony, and I thought his story was decently developed, although more backstory on his previous relationship with Eli would have been nice. And while I liked that his father seemed unfazed when Tony came out to him, and it was a nice moment, it also felt so out of character for his dad that it was kind of a weird scene, when it should have just been nice.
The choice to alternate chapters on the artwork worked fine, although neither artist’s work was really too my taste. But that is completely a matter of style and preference - everyone likes different art styles, and there was nothing wrong with the way this story was drawn. It just wasn’t my favorite.
Overall, this story was just okay. I enjoyed the werewolf plot, and would read more if they did a sequel to this book. But as a whole, it was lacking depth and felt pretty rushed and unfinished as far as the characters were concerned. I’d recommend it as a quick, fun horror comic, but it wasn’t one of my favorites.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Content warning: bullying, death of a parent, ableism
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced sample of this book.
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