Deeply Dave

by Michael Grover

Based on an Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated webcomic

Dave's mom is missing…and he’s going after her.

She’s lost somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, stranded in the wreckage of her sunken spaceship. Only Dave can save her from the alien monsters and bizarre sea creatures that lurk in the depths.

So Dave is going deeper...
and deeper...
and deeper...
and deeper…
and deeper…
and deeper…
and deeper...
and deeper...

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Childrens

240 pages, Hardcover

Published June 10, 2025

Reviews

[Molly Calder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a member of the MSBA as it was on the long list of potential books for the 2026 list. A silly imaginary journey of a boy looking for his mother. As he dives into the deep sea; he meets a cast of kooky creatures. Did I particularly like it? No, but as a teacher of middle schoolers, I see the value of this book. This fits nicely with a group that doesn’t particularly like reading and/or struggles with it, that is why I gave it four stars.

Edited: I’m bumping this up to five stars. The kids love it, and it is growing on me. The author is a web comic author and we found his online version of the book. Very cool stuff.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: the author/illustrator of Deeply Dave is a friend!

Deeply Dave is a graphic novel that was born online, where it also had sound and animation. That said, it does not suffer for being in a classic print format.

Dave is a deep sea diver who is exploring the wreckage of a space ship that may contain his mother. Along the way he meets a bizarre octopus with odd fashion sense and wild backstory, some paranoid fish, and a chatty scavenger lobster who is obsessed with finding a place to sit down.

The interesting spine/print configuration makes you hold the book so that it is tall and narrow, causing you to slide down (deep!) as you read. The art style is tremendous and fun and easy to follow. The story seems light-hearted, but gets a pretty real with questions of mortality and tough choices and how we treat those who are different from us.

It is also really really weird in a really good way.

[Deke Moulton]

DNF

Bizarrely violent protagonist that is exceptionally angry at every single character he meets, and I swear I DNF on like page 20, and he already threatened to stab like four different characters

This graphic novel quite literally starts right in the middle of this boy diving in the water to look for his mom? But there is zero backstory he just wants to kill every single thing he sees.

I was willing to give it a chance, but there was a ridiculous amount of made up words and horribly bad grammar, and on top of the extreme Violence, I just had to give up.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I thought this was so cute! I really liked the simple art style and bits of humor. It's a quick read and tells an easy to follow story. Character motivations are clear, and the backstories were nice inclusions.

[Sam]

Deeply Dave is a really strange read that I didn’t realize was effectively the print release of a previously released webcomic until the very end.I went back and read the webcomic after and it’s VERY COOL. The original presentation comes complete with music and looping animations. This print release streamlines the storytelling while trying to truly capture the spirit of the original. I love the flip-style of the book release because in a way it emulates the scrolling experience of the original. And there are “flip the page” comments at some points that imitate the buttons Michael Grover put in the webcomic to flip between moments in the story. The overall story itself is fine. The world building is a little simple and leaves a lot to the imagination. But the main characters are solid and their journey from point A to point B should keep readers - especially young readers who enjoy adventure mixes with some weird comedy - well engaged. Also: Amos the crustacean is the true MVP of the book. Deeply Dave is a unique read and experience in print or webcomic format. The book will look great and really draw in readers with its unique formatting. I imagine that alone will help it find readers!

A physical review copy of this book was provided by the publisher for a honest review.

[The Unschoolers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought this one would be a huge hit with my 7yo as he is obsessed with the ocean, especially the deepest parts of the ocean. We sat down together to read it and it was an absolute flop for him. If you enjoyed the web comic, you will likely enjoy this, but coming in cold it just wasn't as good as I anticipated. The art style is unique but also a little bit too vague for our tastes. My 7yo had a hard time figuring out what was going on during a number of the scenes and the text didn't add much.

There was some good humor and we chuckled a little bit but overall it wasn't what we thought it would be and were somewhat disappointed.

I'm still rating 3 stars because I think if you enjoyed the web comic you'd like this and I think going into it having looked at the online version first we would have enjoyed much more.

ARC from NetGalley.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I'm honestly not sure what to think of this book. Do I think that kids will like it? Yes, especially those in 2nd-5th grade that already gravitate towards DogMan, which is interesting because some of the verbage trends older. Did I like it? Not so much.

The drawings were okay. Some of the characters had a lot of details, others, not so much. Very reminiscent of the Adventure Time cartoons. The story was decent, although a little hard to follow at times.

What I disliked was the grammar and spelling. Amos was probably my favorite character, but sometimes his grammar was perfect and sometimes it was "I is gonna help save yer Ma. Cuz I is a really nice guy."

2.5 stars, rounded up because I think the kids will like it.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an eARC of this graphic novel. This deep sea graphic novel has the feel of a deep space, as Dave ventures into the darkest depths of the ocean to rescue his mother. Along the way he meets mysterious, and hilarious, sea creatures who aid and hinder him. I loved the black backgrounds with shades of blue, reminiscent of the colors that would be available to the human eye at that depth, with pops of red-orange to accentuate characters, given that reds are usually the first color lost below water. This juvenile story did occasionally get thematically dark and mildly violent - I'm not sure I will read this one with my second grader - but is still appropriate for older elementary students. I read an eARC of this graphic novel, but would love to see these rich colors in person!

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dave's mom is GONE. Like, disappeared in her spaceship, gone. And, from the looks of it, that spaceship has sunken into the depths of the ocean. Now it's up to Dave to find and rescue her, as he dives deeper and deeper into the abyss. All the while, he'll also be fighting off lots of sea creatures along the way.

This quick and fun graphic novel thrusts the reader into the depths of the ocean as we see Dave desperate to find his mom. It's a story of love, survival, sacrifice and friendship...and also about the dangers of being misunderstood.

[Alee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast-paced story plunges readers into a tense and imaginative underwater rescue mission. Dave’s determination to save his missing mom from alien creatures and a sunken spaceship keeps the stakes high and the action intense. The vivid descriptions of bizarre sea monsters and eerie depths create a gripping atmosphere. While the repetitive phrasing emphasizes the descent, it sometimes feels a bit overdone, but overall, this is a compelling read for fans of sci-fi and adventure.

Thanks, Netgalley, for the early copy!

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Equal parts weird, funny and entertaining. I flew through this story- there was a very lot going on in this one and yet somehow you're able to follow it all seamlessly. The characters are wildly unique and the imagination is off the charts with this one. I did have a few issues with some of the art- it looked to be created in a way that would need 3-d glasses and it sort of made my eyes/head hurt but other than that this was a fun, quick, weird read.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice humor, but the story was a bit confusing at some points. I liked Amos a lot; he was fun.

The art style is fairly unique and uses a limited color palette. When the characters are talking about the big doom, it's underlined in a red squiggle (because of the limited colors), but it ends up looking more like spell check finding a spelling error than emphasis.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

[Leonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Deeply Dave”is a short and funny middle grade novel with some quirky adventures. The simple, charming art style fits the tone of the book perfectly.

While the story is entertaining, it can get a bit confusing at times. One part that stood out in a not-so-great way was how casually Dave’s mom experimented on an alien—it was a little off putting.

Still, despite a few bizarre moments, “Deeply Dave”is a fun and unusual read that will likely appeal to middle graders who enjoy strange humour and fast-paced stories.


Thank you to the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just went to book launch for Deeply Dave and Michael Grover gave such a fun presentation of the first chapter of the book. My son's joy and shocked looks at me told me this was an instant favorite for him and our family.
The characters are instantly likeable and you root for them the whole time. The relationship between mother and son also warms my heart.

We have started reading his other Online comics and have enjoyed those too. Looking forward to more from Grover.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just a lovely graphic novel. Cool story, intriguing characters, and a very touching story. I like Dave and Amos. The Walter side story was fun and could use its own adventure. I really appreciate how Grover was able to break this story down into sections and maintain buy-in by his readers Total win.

[Sophy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute children’s story about a boy exploring the ocean and meeting some fun new friends along the way. It gives kids a sense of adventure while introducing sea creatures in a playful and humorous way. The art is colorful, adorable, and perfectly matches the tone of the story—making it an engaging read for young readers.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun surface-level (pun intended) adventure! It drops you literally into the action and never pauses for a break. There were several laugh-out-loud moments for Lily & me! I wished there’d been more emotional drama to really make me yearn for Dave and his mom’s reconnection, but it was still a lot of fun. 🐟 👽 👩‍🚀 🥚 🐙 💣 🦞

[Ellon · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star (I did not like it)

The one thing I thought was cool about this book was the way it was orientated. Other than that, I was not a fan. It was so weird and there was a lot of unnecessary violence. The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm also a scuba diver so the fact that Dave kept taking his helmet off and being fine annoyed me.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. I'm an ocean fan anyway, but flipping through pages that are styled as though the reader is plunging into the deep was a treat. It's also just plain humorous and the type of adventure one should definitely have if they are going on a rescue mission into the depths of the ocean.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So deeply creative and original! Wonderful details throughout- from the binding and inside cover page (which differs from the back), to the amusing author page- this was just in a class of its own. Loved the quirky characters, dry, witty tone, and impeccable comedic timing. Could not be a better graphic novel (especially boys) for 4th to 8th graders. .

[Sam D · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was immersed almost immediately. the unique book format makes this deep sea adventure all the more exciting and fun. This graphic novel could easily be adapted into an indie video game; Deeply Dave is a stylistically cute, humorous, and well-paced story about a plucky boy determined to find his mom despite a lurking Big Doom.

[D.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quirky, super fun aquatic tale. A mother’s love is at the core among the silliness.

The vertical up down orientation is unique, but that novelty may be annoying to some.

Sometimes, there are narrative bubbles that break the 4th wall, such as “turn the next page to save Dave.” I didn’t think these were needed, but it didn’t hurt anything.

I’d read more from this author.

[Audrey | WellReadandUndead(ish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a trippy sci-fi journey with quirky characters. It was entertaining, though it was a bit annoying that the book had to be read vertically. It was cool at first but reading 200+ pages of a hardcover book vertically was not fun.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave has an undersea adventure as an astronaut on a mission to save his mother from the depths before she runs out of air. He is helped by deep-sea creatures along the way. Readers will love the vibrant colors and sideways binding.

[Carly B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very different with a fun and bizarre story idea. A bit complex for my kid but I got a kick out of the creativity. I also love the sideways format of the book. Would love to see this turn into a series.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall story was a little bit zany, but that was part of the fun of it, even if certain parts (when reading as an adult) were predictable. As minor as it may seem, having to turn the book sideways and read it in a "long" layout made the story even more enjoyable for the uniqueness of it.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC from Netgalley.

This book feels weirdly personal in that it seems to be driven by jokes the author shares with himself. Reading it feels like driving a car with a timing belt problem.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

E-arc provided for an honest review.
Quick read that seemed sporadic in the plots and happenings though it did come full circle, I guess, at the end?

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Based on the web comic.

[Esther Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original artwork style