You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez

Jake finds himself really interested in Kenny, the guy who has been openly gay since middle school. He wants to go to the University of Miami to study oceanography, but he hasn't told Maria yet- and they had planned to go to school together. He is covered in birthmarks- at least, that is what his mother says they are, and he dreams of being near the ocean. He spends a lot of time with his BFF, Maria, but he's hiding some things from her. Jake is 17 and living in New Mexico with his over-protective mother. YOU BROUGHT ME THE OCEAN is a graphic novel of the origin story for Aqualad. What power will he find when he searches for his identity, and will he turn his back to the current or dive headfirst into the waves?

Jake's life becomes a reflection of the name of his small town-does he live his truth and face the consequences? Jake is full of secrets, including the strange blue markings on his skin that glow when in contact with water. And certainly not when he secretly applies to Miami University. But there's nothing 'safe' about Jake's future-not when he's attracted to Kenny Liu, swim team captain and rebel against conformity. But his best friend, Maria, wants nothing more than to make a home in the desert, and Jake's mother encourages him to always play it safe.

And yet he yearns for the ocean and is determined to leave his hometown for a college on the coast.

Luckily, he lives in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, which is in the middle of the desert. Jake Hyde doesn't swim-not since his father drowned. The voices that shaped LGBTQ Young Adult literature, Lambda Award-Winning author Alex Sanchez (Rainbow Boys) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Julie Maroh (Blue Is the Warmest Color), present a new coming-out romance set against the backdrop of the DC Universe.

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez