Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
It’s the classic corporate giants versus working-class folks in Elijah Joseph’s graphic novel Something In The Water. The plot follows Rainforest, a greedy mega-corporation pushing a chemically altered, addictive drinking water onto small towns, water that makes people want to buy more. The side effect? It turns consumers dangerously aggressive.
The graphic novel kicks off with a sponsored talk at a high school by a Rainforest rep preaching the importance of “hydration” and announcing their plan to sponsor the school’s water supply with their brand, Sweet-Water. Except Sweet-Water is anything but sweet, and its effects on the townsfolk quickly spiral out of control.
Two teen best friends, Daniel and Jeremy, discover the truth and set out to stop their town from descending into chaos. In a hilarious sequence, the kids try to steal all the packaged water in their neighborhood, while two officers investigating a string of violent incidents begin tailing them. A small sub-plot about Daniel rekindling with his estranged dad adds some family drama into the tale.
Something in the Water is fast-paced, kind of gritty, but the artwork, while retro in tone, felt visually jarring. The character expressions are exaggerated; some look like reanimated zombies with big creepy eyes, as if this were a horror comic. The art and the story don’t quite mesh, and I found myself losing interest halfway through. I still finished it, but the climax felt rushed and a little too convenient.
Overall, Something in the Water is an okay read. I might’ve rated it lower if I’d paid for it, but luckily, it was part of my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Rating: 2.5 on 5.
Read: 10 Great Historical Non-Fiction Books on Kindle Unlimited (audio version below)