History buff Joshua persuades his teenage best friends, Hunter and Hope, to join him on a trip to the Florida Keys for summer vacation at his grandfather’s place. What his friends don’t know is that Josh needs their assistance in locating the legendary treasure of Our Lady of Atocha, which is said to have sunk with a Spanish fleet of ships in 1622 following a hurricane. So when the teens arrive at the beach town, there’s a lot of sneaking around, roaming about, and fibbing to locate lost gold, silver, and maybe more.
Created by Steve Orlando and Katia Vecchio, the graphic novel “Silver Vessels” is a far-fetched tale about three teens embarking on a wild treasure hunt that leads them to a shady but powerful organization also seeking the same treasure. While I don’t mind the exaggerated elements, the teens’ adventures aren’t fun at all. Everything in this graphic novel feels contrived, especially most of the conversations between the characters, who all take turns being “inspirational coaches” for each other.
The artwork is colorful and cute; however, the character illustrations of Josh, Hunter, and Hope make them appear to be ten-year-old kids, definitely not older. And because the protagonists look like preteens, their teenage personal issues and sub-plots don’t mesh well with the artwork. Which reminds me of another issue with the story – there seems to be far too much focus on Josh’s grandfathers, and more pages should’ve focused on the friendship between the primary trio.
Overall, “Silver Vessels” is a decent one-time read for younger readers, but the ‘treasure hunt’ aspect of the tale was very random and underwhelming.
Rating: 2.5 on 5.
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