Graphic Novel Review - 'The Sea in You' by Jessi Sheron

'The Sea in You' is a beautiful graphic novel.

The art is phenomenal and gorgeous, and its characterisation, storytelling and pacing are lovely. It is a queer retelling of 'The Little Mermaid', and it is heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and strangely realistic for all its fantastical, ethereal elements. It is still far from perfect, and it does end on a cliffhanger, but 'The Sea in You' is clever, nuanced, inclusive, diverse, harrowing, and did I mention fucking gorgeous to look at?

Seriously, check out the artwork: every panel is amazing and beautifully done. I can't begin to imagine how long it must have taken to draw, colour, make and put together everything for this sea-wonder miracle of a book to happen.

Teenage goth girl Corinth suddenly finds herself befriending a blue mermaid, whom she calls Skylla (the mermaids here are more monstrous than pretty), and through that bond - through teaching the quite literal fish out of water about the land, humans, foods, books, laughter, and sign language - she finds happiness in a way she never did with her abusive boyfriend Seth. Corinth knows sign language because her mother is deaf, and this form of communication helps Skylla out greatly as this 'The Little Mermaid' tale comes to a head. This one doesn't end in tragedy, per say, but it ends on a bizarre, topsy-turvy twist that is unique and kind of satisfying for someone like me who never liked the ending to the Disney version, cliffhanger notwithstanding.

I dare not reveal anything else concerning the plot.

Poor Corinth is very sensitive. She cries a lot, and reprimands and blames herself for a lot of things, very much like how an abuse victim would. I'm happy that at least she has loving, caring and supportive parents. It's sort of scary how much I related to her. Skylla can be a bit much, and possessive and overprotective of Corinth, but that can be excused by her not being human and coming from a rough undersea, literal monstrous family, where it's an overt predator-and-prey world. And her big heart is in the right place, and she cares for Corinth as deeply as the deepest coral-filled ocean, unlike the terrible Seth.

'The Sea in You' may well have it all: beauty, cuteness, terror, trauma, showcasing toxic and abusive relationships (that was very rough to read about), family, books and libraries, fashion, all the emotions, and girls bonding. And the dangerous sea, and mermaids! Magical mermaids!

'The Sea in You' is the second comic I've read and liked this year - this week, to be precise - to star a bisexual goth fifteen-year-old girl. The first is 'Mall Goth'. Weird yet cool. If I had a nickel for every time I read and liked a comic about a bisexual goth fifteen-year-old girl, yadda yadda yadda, you know the meme.

I wish a few of the side characters had gotten more panel time and development, like Seth's bandmates, and Ashley. Remember her? She only appears in two scenes, six pages in total, and she is a potential new female friend for Corinth. Maybe she'll appear more in the sequel? Will there be a sequel?

Will Corinth's informed trait of ukulele playing ever actually come into play?

Well, regardless, 'The Sea in You' is worth the read. Tearful, and, wait for it, beautiful.

Final Score: 3.5/5