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Watersnakes
Mila is a solitary teenager ready to put another boring summer vacation behind her until she meets Agnes, an adventurous girl who turns out to be a ghost. And not just a regular ghost, but one carrying the essence of an ancient fallen king and a mouth full of teeth that used to be his guardian warriors. Three-time Eisner Award–nominated writer/artist Tony Sandoval presents a wondrous world of secret places and dreamlike magic hidden in the everyday corners of our sleeping imagination.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
6 people are currently reading
928 people want to read
About the author
Tony Sandoval
81 books134 followersTony's blog: http://losmonstruosdetony.blogspot.com/
See also Antonio Sandoval.
See also Antonio Sandoval.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 428 reviews
March 6, 2022
What do you get when you combine teeth fetish and a ghost story and narrate it like a surreal nightmare where only logic is internal but doesn’t stand up to the awake brain scrutiny? Yeah, that’s Watersnakes, and it makes no sense.
But at least the art was strangely creepy, which worked for a while, until the constant feeling of “HUH?” overshadowed everything.
I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be surreally Lovecraftian (there are tentacles there, on an octopus), but it’s very odd, in a disjointed dreamlike way that does not quite work for me when I’m awake. Oh, and again — teeth fetish. Teeth that turn into naked young women. I mean, I had a few creepy dreams where my teeth fell out, and now I’m seriously dreading one that this book can inspire.
And the language - stilted, artificial and just awkward. That was the final straw for me.
No, i just don’t get it. Maybe I should not have read it while awake and sober.
Moody but senseless and ultimately pointless, and even the odd artwork stop appealing to me after a while. Sometimes if you write a creepy dream down it just ends up silly.
1 star.
————
Buddy read with Dennis. I don’t think he was impressed either.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
But at least the art was strangely creepy, which worked for a while, until the constant feeling of “HUH?” overshadowed everything.
Yeah, I’ll never think of going to the dentist the same way now.
I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be surreally Lovecraftian (there are tentacles there, on an octopus), but it’s very odd, in a disjointed dreamlike way that does not quite work for me when I’m awake. Oh, and again — teeth fetish. Teeth that turn into naked young women. I mean, I had a few creepy dreams where my teeth fell out, and now I’m seriously dreading one that this book can inspire.
And the language - stilted, artificial and just awkward. That was the final straw for me.
No, i just don’t get it. Maybe I should not have read it while awake and sober.
Moody but senseless and ultimately pointless, and even the odd artwork stop appealing to me after a while. Sometimes if you write a creepy dream down it just ends up silly.
1 star.
————
Buddy read with Dennis. I don’t think he was impressed either.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
September 2, 2021
Get this for the stylized, moody art. The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There's a lot of dream sequences and scenes where it's not really clear if they are real or imagined. But it looks pretty damn cool.
Received a review copy from Lion Forge and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Lion Forge and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
March 6, 2022
What the what?!
This book is like a dream. Only not in a good sense. It’s weird and pointless and bouncing around like a cat had swallowed a frog. It does look interesting, though, in a dreamlike way.
I was considering giving this one star, because of its nonsensical plot and flat and awkwardly literal narrative style. But I guess that’s part of its whole stylized nature. Also, the artwork is both good and strangely creepy. And since pictures are an important part of comics, we’ll make this half a star for the story and four stars for the art. Which evens out at 1.5 stars, rounded up. What? I never promised you math.
Buddy read with Nataliya, who was equally befuddled.
This book is like a dream. Only not in a good sense. It’s weird and pointless and bouncing around like a cat had swallowed a frog. It does look interesting, though, in a dreamlike way.
I was considering giving this one star, because of its nonsensical plot and flat and awkwardly literal narrative style. But I guess that’s part of its whole stylized nature. Also, the artwork is both good and strangely creepy. And since pictures are an important part of comics, we’ll make this half a star for the story and four stars for the art. Which evens out at 1.5 stars, rounded up. What? I never promised you math.
Buddy read with Nataliya, who was equally befuddled.
October 28, 2018
That was one of the most bizarre, surreal, and unsettling graphic novels I've ever read... and I loved it so much I don't even know how to explain why. Let me start with the artwork:
This is some of the most unique and quietly disturbing art I've ever seen in a graphic novel, and it works SO WELL for Watersnakes. The story starts off with Mila, a young woman who meets another girl and is immediately captivated by her presence, her looks, her... teeth? She begins to form a seemingly unhealthy obsession over the other girl, but meanwhile, strange dreams begin to plague her about a deep underwater cave full of spirits. There's nothing else I can say without spoiling the entire odd little plot, but let me just say that the artwork and story make this one well worth your time if you enjoy strange fantasy/horror crossover work.
Thank you so much to Lion Forge for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This is some of the most unique and quietly disturbing art I've ever seen in a graphic novel, and it works SO WELL for Watersnakes. The story starts off with Mila, a young woman who meets another girl and is immediately captivated by her presence, her looks, her... teeth? She begins to form a seemingly unhealthy obsession over the other girl, but meanwhile, strange dreams begin to plague her about a deep underwater cave full of spirits. There's nothing else I can say without spoiling the entire odd little plot, but let me just say that the artwork and story make this one well worth your time if you enjoy strange fantasy/horror crossover work.
Thank you so much to Lion Forge for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
January 22, 2020
I thought for a long time if I should write this review before I actually decided to, for two main reasons. One, I know this is a very well-loved story by almost everybody who read it (even my sister-in-law who was reading it with me), and second that I used to first be an art student, and then work for this publisher, so I got this book for free a long time ago (incidentally, my teacher loved it) and didn't know what to do with it because I simply knew that I wouldn't like it. Finally, during one of my rare trips in my hometown, I didn't have anything to read and I picked it up and - surprise surprise - ended up not liking it.
My problem with this book is that I just don't like the artwork. And I know this is a completely personal thing, and I am not saying the artist doesn't know what he's doing (as I said my old teacher - an artist himself - loved it); I just find it ugly. The story was very weird and surreal; in some parts creepy, but for the majority of the time just plainly absurd and almost difficult to follow. But, overall, I didn't hate it and actually found it kinda interesting. I will definitely think about it in the future. Still, the artwork was such a turn-off for me that I couldn't really appreciate it. I just hate the protagonist's face and mouth and facial expressions and head-body proportions and so basically I hate her altogether as a person. Also the ending, I felt it was very predictable and ruined all the absurd atmosphere of the rest of the book. If you happen to find a copy of this book, definitely pick it up. The artist is very good - just ignore me and my stupid opinions.
November 24, 2018
Are you looking for an incredibly dark and gothic lesbian graphic novel? Well here you go!
This is one of the hardest reviews to write. It's so hard to put into words what this graphic novel is about because the story is mostly told through the beautiful gothic and macabre art style. Let's try... We are following a young girl named Mila who one Summer has a run in with a pretty girl named Agnes and the reader is immediately aware that something isn't right. I'll be honest, I WAS CONFUSED AS FORK probably %60 of the way through but then we encounter a plot twist and the puzzle pieces started coming together and you know what I did after finishing? I re-read it. Immediately. With my new found knowledge, I began to understand the things that were happening. Is this a cute love story? NOOO! This is dark and bloody and verging on the edge of horror. Some panels were absolutely bone chilling!
Is there world building? No. Are there backstories for characters? Not really.
but as a whole, this graphic novel is its own genre. A standalone unfortunately which I find hard accepting so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for another volume.
This is one of the hardest reviews to write. It's so hard to put into words what this graphic novel is about because the story is mostly told through the beautiful gothic and macabre art style. Let's try... We are following a young girl named Mila who one Summer has a run in with a pretty girl named Agnes and the reader is immediately aware that something isn't right. I'll be honest, I WAS CONFUSED AS FORK probably %60 of the way through but then we encounter a plot twist and the puzzle pieces started coming together and you know what I did after finishing? I re-read it. Immediately. With my new found knowledge, I began to understand the things that were happening. Is this a cute love story? NOOO! This is dark and bloody and verging on the edge of horror. Some panels were absolutely bone chilling!
Is there world building? No. Are there backstories for characters? Not really.
but as a whole, this graphic novel is its own genre. A standalone unfortunately which I find hard accepting so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for another volume.
January 27, 2019
+Digital arc gently provided by Netgalley and editors in exchange for an honest review+
I'm calling this Oneiric crapstatic.
Mila finds an strange girl while on vacation. Lesbic fantasies aside, then odd, weird, fantasies starts. Ghosts, or something else, nightmares and some disturbing teeth paraphilia and story that made no sense.
2.5** for the art.
But really this was not so my thing. Ug. (--b/c teeth falling is one of my worst nighmare x_x)
Once again duped by the cover.
I'm calling this Oneiric crapstatic.
Mila finds an strange girl while on vacation. Lesbic fantasies aside, then odd, weird, fantasies starts. Ghosts, or something else, nightmares and some disturbing teeth paraphilia and story that made no sense.
2.5** for the art.
But really this was not so my thing. Ug. (--b/c teeth falling is one of my worst nighmare x_x)
Once again duped by the cover.
November 21, 2018
Not gonna lie, the cover with its promise of adventurous girls being badass is what drew me to this graphic novel. The fact that there are foxes here and there, in addition to queer undertones, is a welcome bonus!
First off, the art style: the opening three-four pages are ab-so-lute-ly stunning! Soon enough we’re given just a taste of how dark and creepy the story will get near the end. I love the way Tony Sandoval plays with the panels, particularly the metaphorical ones, like that of “summer growing old,” illustrating the thoughts of the main character, Mila, dreamily ordering them in the space of a couple of pages, slowly pulling them into reality. They might be my favourite! Besides Mila, her ghostly friend, Agnes, and her brother, Julien, there are the creatures and their (under)world, which I am not going elaborate on, only to warn you that the battle (not a spoiler, remember the cover) turns into a visually mighty bloodbath!
Then there’s the story: I liked the pacing, the way the two girls meet, the wordless fighting panels, Agnes’s backstory, which is a twist on a ghost story trope that I’m a fan of. Not everything makes complete sense, but I would have hated it if the author had given it a cleaner ending. I’m wondering if it was inspired by Slavic folklore, with their water spirits, souls of dead young girls, eternally beautiful, playful and giggly, able to transform into snakes and other creatures.
Needless to say, I’ll be getting myself a copy! It might make for a gorgeous addition of my comics and GN shelf, but Watersnakes also happens to be just my kind of atmospheric and creepy!
*Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors & Lion Forge Comics for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Watersnakes RELEASED NOVEMBER 20, 2018.*
First off, the art style: the opening three-four pages are ab-so-lute-ly stunning! Soon enough we’re given just a taste of how dark and creepy the story will get near the end. I love the way Tony Sandoval plays with the panels, particularly the metaphorical ones, like that of “summer growing old,” illustrating the thoughts of the main character, Mila, dreamily ordering them in the space of a couple of pages, slowly pulling them into reality. They might be my favourite! Besides Mila, her ghostly friend, Agnes, and her brother, Julien, there are the creatures and their (under)world, which I am not going elaborate on, only to warn you that the battle (not a spoiler, remember the cover) turns into a visually mighty bloodbath!
Then there’s the story: I liked the pacing, the way the two girls meet, the wordless fighting panels, Agnes’s backstory, which is a twist on a ghost story trope that I’m a fan of. Not everything makes complete sense, but I would have hated it if the author had given it a cleaner ending. I’m wondering if it was inspired by Slavic folklore, with their water spirits, souls of dead young girls, eternally beautiful, playful and giggly, able to transform into snakes and other creatures.
Needless to say, I’ll be getting myself a copy! It might make for a gorgeous addition of my comics and GN shelf, but Watersnakes also happens to be just my kind of atmospheric and creepy!
*Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors & Lion Forge Comics for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Watersnakes RELEASED NOVEMBER 20, 2018.*
May 6, 2019
LOVED this book. Every page of it is a stunning work of art.
April 6, 2019
4.0 Stars
Watersnakes left such an impression on me. I couldn't stop thinking about it and ended up rereading it a few months later because I couldn't quite decide how I felt about this one. While not perfect, it had so many elements I loved. Even upon a second read-through, I still didn't completely understand everything, but I still enjoyed it so much.
This was an incredibly unique graphic novel. Blending together elements of magical realism with mild horror imagery, the story was fantastical and suspenseful with some rather bloody moments. Written as a dark coming of age narrative, this creepy tale felt somewhat reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s work, particularly An Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Personally, I tend to really enjoy graphic novels with this kind of watercolour artwork style, The colour palate was dark and muted, which perfectly fit the tone of the story. My only complaint was the that the female characters were all drawn as exceptionally skinny and would be considered very underweight. Otherwise, I loved the other representation in this novel, which depicted the complications of a young lesbian relationship.
I would highly recommend this graphic novel to any readers who love darker fantastical stories with some fairly creepy moments.
Watersnakes left such an impression on me. I couldn't stop thinking about it and ended up rereading it a few months later because I couldn't quite decide how I felt about this one. While not perfect, it had so many elements I loved. Even upon a second read-through, I still didn't completely understand everything, but I still enjoyed it so much.
This was an incredibly unique graphic novel. Blending together elements of magical realism with mild horror imagery, the story was fantastical and suspenseful with some rather bloody moments. Written as a dark coming of age narrative, this creepy tale felt somewhat reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s work, particularly An Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Personally, I tend to really enjoy graphic novels with this kind of watercolour artwork style, The colour palate was dark and muted, which perfectly fit the tone of the story. My only complaint was the that the female characters were all drawn as exceptionally skinny and would be considered very underweight. Otherwise, I loved the other representation in this novel, which depicted the complications of a young lesbian relationship.
I would highly recommend this graphic novel to any readers who love darker fantastical stories with some fairly creepy moments.
July 7, 2022
The artwork here is absolutely gorgeous. It appears to all be done with watercolours, pencils, and maybe some ink. The richness (and yet bleakness) comes through on the page. Even without any dialogue or narration at all this book would be beautiful. But add in the (odd) little story of two girls who meet and seem to be caught up in an ancient battle; and you just might have one of the weirdest, yet prettiest graphic novels I've seen in some time.
Not only do we follow the two girls as they discover things about one another; but we also learn of an ancient sort of order (or group?) that has been trying to take down another. I think there is a lot of metaphor here to talk about how we are destroying our own world, and it's beauty. Not just taking up the space and earth itself; but also consuming everything in our path. I see this in the poor octopus that can no longer survive on his own due to the damage around him.
Overall I believe different people will likely pull a different meaning or story from this beautiful book. It's really hard to say what each individual might find as a nugget of truth in it. For me it was about gender and even species having no bearing on attraction; and on how destructive we humans are to all the amazing, beautiful things around us.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Not only do we follow the two girls as they discover things about one another; but we also learn of an ancient sort of order (or group?) that has been trying to take down another. I think there is a lot of metaphor here to talk about how we are destroying our own world, and it's beauty. Not just taking up the space and earth itself; but also consuming everything in our path. I see this in the poor octopus that can no longer survive on his own due to the damage around him.
Overall I believe different people will likely pull a different meaning or story from this beautiful book. It's really hard to say what each individual might find as a nugget of truth in it. For me it was about gender and even species having no bearing on attraction; and on how destructive we humans are to all the amazing, beautiful things around us.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
April 7, 2019
First, I'd like to thank the author, NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for this amazing book.
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous, and the story really interesting. There were several parts when I couldn't get what was going on, but then it made sense.
As the synopsis says, the story is about a girl, Mila (which I really liked) befriend a blonde, Agnes, which was also beautiful.
Their story is beautiful and moving at the end. I also liked the "King" 's personality.
3.25 stars. I recommend this book, as the characters are well-formed and the story a little creepy (in a good way).
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous, and the story really interesting. There were several parts when I couldn't get what was going on, but then it made sense.
As the synopsis says, the story is about a girl, Mila (which I really liked) befriend a blonde, Agnes, which was also beautiful.
Their story is beautiful and moving at the end. I also liked the "King" 's personality.
3.25 stars. I recommend this book, as the characters are well-formed and the story a little creepy (in a good way).
February 13, 2023
If Neil Gaiman and Salvador Dalí collaborated - you would come close to this surrealistically structured story that deals with destiny and fate - unique and haunting. Will keep an eye out for future books by Tony Sandoval - can see some very interesting perspectives from him - would love to see his take on Aztec mythology.
February 3, 2024
Must read für alle Zahnärzte und diejenigen, die sonst noch eine übertriebene Faszination für Zähne haben 🦷🤍
-Edit: ein Stern Abzug, weil dort sehr petite Mädchenkörper teilweise echt explizit dargestellt wurden.
-Edit: ein Stern Abzug, weil dort sehr petite Mädchenkörper teilweise echt explizit dargestellt wurden.
December 17, 2018
*3 MINDFUCKED STARS*
This was my first graphic novel ever and I have no clue where to start!
I think this is the darkest, creepiest and most twisted thing I’ve ever read. Octopuses, foxes, lesbian fantasies, spirit warriors and an unhealthy teeth obsession in just 140 short pages? Safe to say my head hurts lol.
While this is a very macabre and plain weird short story, I can’t say I disliked it though. I absolutely loved the art and the pacing!
Received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first graphic novel ever and I have no clue where to start!
I think this is the darkest, creepiest and most twisted thing I’ve ever read. Octopuses, foxes, lesbian fantasies, spirit warriors and an unhealthy teeth obsession in just 140 short pages? Safe to say my head hurts lol.
While this is a very macabre and plain weird short story, I can’t say I disliked it though. I absolutely loved the art and the pacing!
Received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
February 20, 2025
This was decent, but I feel like there was a lot of symbolism that was just lost on me.
It's a whimsical tale about two girls forming a friendship, one of whom has a bit of a teeth fetish? There's water and skeleton dogs and ethereal characters coming up from the depths.
The artwork is eerie but sweet, giving the characters elfin features, unrealistically thin figures and moist eyes. There's a dark, creepy quality to it which layers over the whimsy of the story quite well.
The story itself was interesting enough; short and sweet. I wish I hadn't read the blurb as I feel part of the story would have landed harder without foreknowledge of it.
All in all, this was a decent read to spend an hour or so with. Strange, but entertaining.
It's a whimsical tale about two girls forming a friendship, one of whom has a bit of a teeth fetish? There's water and skeleton dogs and ethereal characters coming up from the depths.
The artwork is eerie but sweet, giving the characters elfin features, unrealistically thin figures and moist eyes. There's a dark, creepy quality to it which layers over the whimsy of the story quite well.
The story itself was interesting enough; short and sweet. I wish I hadn't read the blurb as I feel part of the story would have landed harder without foreknowledge of it.
All in all, this was a decent read to spend an hour or so with. Strange, but entertaining.
November 17, 2018
ARC provided by Lion Forge Comics through Netgalley
Watersnakes is a beautiful graphic novel.
I'd heard of Sandoval before, but I'd never checked his work until now, and I'll be sure to see what else he has to offer.
In Watersnakes, Milla is a girl on summer vacation who, on one of her wanderings, meets Agnes and falls in love with her. Her fascination with Agnes' teeth and their role in the story, as independent entities, as warriors, is surrealistically fetishistic but fits into the world of dreams and magic where nothing has to be logic as long as it propels the story forward. Agnes turns out to be a ghost who lingers in this world because an ancient octopus king resides inside her. And with Milla's help, perhaps Agnes' octopus king and his warriors can wage war on their enemies.
Watersnakes' plot and artwork really manage to convey a dreamy, somewhat disjointed atmosphere which is what really sells the book.
Hope to see more from Sandoval!
January 18, 2020
First off, the art is awesome! It has a very grim and gothic feel to it which perfectly suits the story. The plot was different from the fantasy books I usually read, so it kept me intrigued. Recommended to readers who like their fantasy dark.
Note - I received a free digital copy of the book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review in any way.
Note - I received a free digital copy of the book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review in any way.
January 28, 2019
This was so beautiful and so odd. Finished it and started it right back over again!
December 3, 2018
I chose this book because I wanted to explore Mexican literature, and I must say I had a general first good impression after all.
I loved this story, it's both quirky and disturbing but also sweet in some way, very emotional and there's a lot of introspection. It also made me feel very sad though, but in a good way - it was more a sort of empathy or melancholy rather than true sadness.
But I feel a little bit mocked. I was truly being interested and captured in a special way by the lesbian or questioning plot behind the paranormal/horror one, it was described with a particular gentleness and softness which are honestly not common at all. Hence the reason why the final part and the octopus' story didn't satisfy me. At the end I found myself a bit disappointed.
I loved the coloring too, but I must say I'm not a huge fan of this kind of traits. The general styling looks a bit childish, whilst the story is a very deep one, so a little bit more of accuracy would have been more appropriate. Some panels are freaking scary, perfect for someone who is in a mood for a creepy reading.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free preview of the book.
I loved this story, it's both quirky and disturbing but also sweet in some way, very emotional and there's a lot of introspection. It also made me feel very sad though, but in a good way - it was more a sort of empathy or melancholy rather than true sadness.
But I feel a little bit mocked. I was truly being interested and captured in a special way by the lesbian or questioning plot behind the paranormal/horror one, it was described with a particular gentleness and softness which are honestly not common at all. Hence the reason why the final part and the octopus' story didn't satisfy me. At the end I found myself a bit disappointed.
I loved the coloring too, but I must say I'm not a huge fan of this kind of traits. The general styling looks a bit childish, whilst the story is a very deep one, so a little bit more of accuracy would have been more appropriate. Some panels are freaking scary, perfect for someone who is in a mood for a creepy reading.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free preview of the book.
January 20, 2022
Mila is your average moody teenager bored out of her mind during summer vacation looking for something to lighten the mood. She ends up finding more than she bargained for when she encounters a bizarre ghost-like girl named Agnes. The essence of an ancient fallen king is trapped inside her mouth in the form of a black octopus creature. Her teeth transform into guardian warriors that brutally massacre skeletal enemies that appear in hallucinatory dreams that threaten the king. The rest is pure chaos.
This little graphic novel is a giant fever dream. Literally. The whole thing is a fever dream that turned my brain into mashed potatoes. Admittedly, I didn't understand the point of the plot or what was supposed to be going on at all. That being said, the art is uniquely gorgeous with a surrealistic gothic fantasy style. It felt like a Neil Gaiman story mixed with the strange alternate reality psychosis of a Michael Moorcock sword & sorcery tale. I understand what I read, but the point is lost on me.
It was difficult to follow and incredibly weird, but it was certainly charming and intriguing in its own right.
This little graphic novel is a giant fever dream. Literally. The whole thing is a fever dream that turned my brain into mashed potatoes. Admittedly, I didn't understand the point of the plot or what was supposed to be going on at all. That being said, the art is uniquely gorgeous with a surrealistic gothic fantasy style. It felt like a Neil Gaiman story mixed with the strange alternate reality psychosis of a Michael Moorcock sword & sorcery tale. I understand what I read, but the point is lost on me.
It was difficult to follow and incredibly weird, but it was certainly charming and intriguing in its own right.
December 24, 2018
It starts more or less normally. An encounter between two adolescent girls attracted to each other. Nothing new. But here comes the twist. Mila feels strangely attracted to Agnes’ teeth.
Soon, things go from weird to insane. It turns out Agnes carries the essence of an ancient king and her teeth are his former guardians. Readers don’t get enough background information and that makes plot stranger and stranger the deeper we go.
That’s a serious issue, but I didn’t mind because I like weird fiction. Plus, the art is AMAZING. Creepy and beautiful. I can easily see myself rereading it dozens of times just to feast my eyes.
ARC through NetGalley.
Soon, things go from weird to insane. It turns out Agnes carries the essence of an ancient king and her teeth are his former guardians. Readers don’t get enough background information and that makes plot stranger and stranger the deeper we go.
That’s a serious issue, but I didn’t mind because I like weird fiction. Plus, the art is AMAZING. Creepy and beautiful. I can easily see myself rereading it dozens of times just to feast my eyes.
ARC through NetGalley.
November 19, 2018
Girls who come from the sea, queer love, and gorgeous goth-cute artwork – of course I was going to like this. But it's not a cute love story, it's dark as hell – weird tooth myths, octopus-vomiting, skeleton wolves, oh and also the girls from the sea are actually teeth who have to fight the skeleton wolves in a dream. It's batshit and I guess the story doesn't really make 'sense' (if we want to be boring and have things make sense all the time), and usually quirkiness for the sake of it is annoying, but here it feels earned and genuine.
I'm tempted to dock a point as there's a suggestion that when the two girls kiss, Mila is 'really' kissing a guy (he's a god but also an octopus and also trapped behind Agnes's teeth, it's complicated). But Mila doesn't end up with him, and when she kisses Agnes she desires/loves her as a female, so it's a minor quibble.
In short, this book is super-weird and super-gorgeous and I loved it.
I'm tempted to dock a point as there's a suggestion that when the two girls kiss, Mila is 'really' kissing a guy (he's a god but also an octopus and also trapped behind Agnes's teeth, it's complicated). But Mila doesn't end up with him, and when she kisses Agnes she desires/loves her as a female, so it's a minor quibble.
In short, this book is super-weird and super-gorgeous and I loved it.
October 19, 2018
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley
The art for this book is absolutely gorgeous and I'm honestly rating it more on the art and mood of the whole thing than the content because it is just ...confusing. I seriously had to come back to Goodreads and reread the summary after I started because I had literally no idea what was going on. Absolutely nothing plot related was really explained until the end and even then it was a very cursory explanation that left me with a lot of questions. If you like very stylized and kind of creepy art and don't mind a very loose plot then this is an okay read, but don't expect too much.
The art for this book is absolutely gorgeous and I'm honestly rating it more on the art and mood of the whole thing than the content because it is just ...confusing. I seriously had to come back to Goodreads and reread the summary after I started because I had literally no idea what was going on. Absolutely nothing plot related was really explained until the end and even then it was a very cursory explanation that left me with a lot of questions. If you like very stylized and kind of creepy art and don't mind a very loose plot then this is an okay read, but don't expect too much.
December 30, 2020
Do Vodního hada jsem šel totálně naslepo, stačil mi popisek „Pojď za mnou. Teďka jsme zvířata! Já jsem liška a ty jsi vodní had s maskou králíka.“
Máme tu lyricko-epický komiks, který se nejdřív tváří jako letní láska. V téhle poloze mě bavil, má příjemnou atmosféru a Sandoval krásně vystihuje emoce. Jenže v druhé půlce přechází do jakéhosi mixu fantasy/ hororu a... já nevím. Nic to ve mě nezanechalo. Je to záměrně plytký příběh, který stojí na výtvarnu? Je to metafora, kterou tam nevidím? Jsou tam skryté významy, které jsem přehlédl?
Pořád si nejsem jistý, jestli se mi ty postavy s velkou hlavou vlastně líbí. Dávám 3*, ale objektivně cítím, že podhodnocuju a "průměr" to není.
Máme tu lyricko-epický komiks, který se nejdřív tváří jako letní láska. V téhle poloze mě bavil, má příjemnou atmosféru a Sandoval krásně vystihuje emoce. Jenže v druhé půlce přechází do jakéhosi mixu fantasy/ hororu a... já nevím. Nic to ve mě nezanechalo. Je to záměrně plytký příběh, který stojí na výtvarnu? Je to metafora, kterou tam nevidím? Jsou tam skryté významy, které jsem přehlédl?
Pořád si nejsem jistý, jestli se mi ty postavy s velkou hlavou vlastně líbí. Dávám 3*, ale objektivně cítím, že podhodnocuju a "průměr" to není.
December 21, 2018
A Surreal fairy tale featuring characters drawn like elongated Funko Pops. Slight but unsettling.
November 4, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I got a real fairy tale vibe from this book. It is a story about two young girls that meet at the beach. The parents are around but not really present for the story. Things start out innocently enough, but it moves into some pretty strange territory that sets the girls on a quest to save their lives. The story between the two girls brings in elements of a first crush, along with all the awkwardness that might entail. What happens after that is something else entirely.
The art is what attracted me to this book. The image on the cover was so great. And the interior art is just as good. It does a great job of capturing that sense of the weird that pervades the book. I'm not sure how old the girls are supposed to be (probably early adolescence) and the art can blur the line on that at times. Anyway, be prepared for some brutal scenes later in the book. It almost feels like a different story by that point. The progression works though.
Something that stuck out to me about Watersnakes is that at the end I wasn't really sure if the whole thing actually happened or if it is just some sort of childish imagining. That's part of what I liked about it. This uncertainty gives the book a depth that I wasn't expecting based on the first few pages. I'd recommend picking it up for the art alone, but the girls pull their weight in making this book fun and interesting.
I got a real fairy tale vibe from this book. It is a story about two young girls that meet at the beach. The parents are around but not really present for the story. Things start out innocently enough, but it moves into some pretty strange territory that sets the girls on a quest to save their lives. The story between the two girls brings in elements of a first crush, along with all the awkwardness that might entail. What happens after that is something else entirely.
The art is what attracted me to this book. The image on the cover was so great. And the interior art is just as good. It does a great job of capturing that sense of the weird that pervades the book. I'm not sure how old the girls are supposed to be (probably early adolescence) and the art can blur the line on that at times. Anyway, be prepared for some brutal scenes later in the book. It almost feels like a different story by that point. The progression works though.
Something that stuck out to me about Watersnakes is that at the end I wasn't really sure if the whole thing actually happened or if it is just some sort of childish imagining. That's part of what I liked about it. This uncertainty gives the book a depth that I wasn't expecting based on the first few pages. I'd recommend picking it up for the art alone, but the girls pull their weight in making this book fun and interesting.
October 25, 2018
Watersnakes is a love story, a war story and a fairy tale all in one. It is sweet and innocent but also dark and menacing. There’s a rather creepy tone so that even when the two girls are humorously stealing picnic baskets there’s something indefinable underlying everything that gives this story bite. And when the bite comes, it is a killer. The fight scenes are bloody, brutal and heartbreaking. It is Game of Thrones style violence and death and there’s no pulling of punches in this fight!
The artwork is incredibly beautiful. The girls/women are slightly alien looking with their large foreheads, wide set eyes, tiny noses and small pointy chins. They are delicate yet fierce. I was completely absorbed in the story and wanted very much for Agnes and Mila to have a happy ending together and for the octopus to get back to the ocean. Although the story has many bizarre elements and much of the action in the latter half occurs during a dream sequence with effects felt in the real, waking world, I found the story easy to follow and understand. This one is going to haunt me for a long, long time. I sincerely hope that someday I’m part of an adventure that starts with “Take the sacred octopus and follow me.”
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and Lion Forge for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
The artwork is incredibly beautiful. The girls/women are slightly alien looking with their large foreheads, wide set eyes, tiny noses and small pointy chins. They are delicate yet fierce. I was completely absorbed in the story and wanted very much for Agnes and Mila to have a happy ending together and for the octopus to get back to the ocean. Although the story has many bizarre elements and much of the action in the latter half occurs during a dream sequence with effects felt in the real, waking world, I found the story easy to follow and understand. This one is going to haunt me for a long, long time. I sincerely hope that someday I’m part of an adventure that starts with “Take the sacred octopus and follow me.”
Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and Lion Forge for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.
June 3, 2021
7.5/10
Watersnakes I probably finished in less than 30 minutes but well worth the purchase. The positive well its mainly told visually, they dialogue but it's sparse and visually it communicates the story very well. The atmosphere and art are the best aspects of this Graphic Novel. Tony Colour choices, his panel work and art itself is masterfully crafted. If they a criticism it's probably just too short, for the story it's telling. This is one of the few GN where I say, it could have been doubled its length. I enjoyed some of the exchanges though the characters probably not going to stick with me, I think its atmosphere and artsy would stick around. Anyways it’s a fantastic GN and if my only complaints are that it's too short that’s not much of a complaint haha. They definitely some symbolism that probably went over my head, though unless misinterpret I think I saw some Tolkien influences though maybe just me reading the situation incorrectly. If you want a manga or series that have a fantastic atmosphere I would highly recommend The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún and Over the Garden Wall a Cartoon network limited show.
7.5/10
Watersnakes I probably finished in less than 30 minutes but well worth the purchase. The positive well its mainly told visually, they dialogue but it's sparse and visually it communicates the story very well. The atmosphere and art are the best aspects of this Graphic Novel. Tony Colour choices, his panel work and art itself is masterfully crafted. If they a criticism it's probably just too short, for the story it's telling. This is one of the few GN where I say, it could have been doubled its length. I enjoyed some of the exchanges though the characters probably not going to stick with me, I think its atmosphere and artsy would stick around. Anyways it’s a fantastic GN and if my only complaints are that it's too short that’s not much of a complaint haha. They definitely some symbolism that probably went over my head, though unless misinterpret I think I saw some Tolkien influences though maybe just me reading the situation incorrectly. If you want a manga or series that have a fantastic atmosphere I would highly recommend The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún and Over the Garden Wall a Cartoon network limited show.
7.5/10
October 30, 2018
This is more a book for looking at, than for reading. An odd tale of a girl, Mila, who meets another girl, Agnes, who seems to be a ghost, who died when she was five, yet, still continues to grow older, and who’s younger brother can hear her, but not see her.
She swallowed an octopus like creature, that apparently killed her.
And yet, it still lives inside her.
Agnes is very odd, as I guess one would be as a ghost, and tells tales of her teeth leaving her to fight in wars.
Which is what ends up happening.
The pictures are lovely to look at. There are some bits that don’t make sense in the story, but still, a fairly good ghost story.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
She swallowed an octopus like creature, that apparently killed her.
And yet, it still lives inside her.
Agnes is very odd, as I guess one would be as a ghost, and tells tales of her teeth leaving her to fight in wars.
Which is what ends up happening.
The pictures are lovely to look at. There are some bits that don’t make sense in the story, but still, a fairly good ghost story.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
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