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mandalynreads's review
3.0
Story- This work felt like it had a lot of potential but fell short in a few areas. Overall, I enjoyed my read of this. Getting to see all of the different time periods and people was fascinating, but there were too many characters and I quickly got lost with how was who and what they were doing and why. I think that as the story gets more works in it, that problem will get better, but for this one it was an issue for me.
Artwork- I really enjoyed this artstyle. It was dirty and gritty but had enough character in it to help aid in the storytelling. There were moments where things were confusing, but overall I felt like the artist not only understood how to make graphic novels, but was doing it with style.
Artwork- I really enjoyed this artstyle. It was dirty and gritty but had enough character in it to help aid in the storytelling. There were moments where things were confusing, but overall I felt like the artist not only understood how to make graphic novels, but was doing it with style.
anneklein's review
4.0
3.5 stars
Really enjoyed this! The concept is brilliant and super fun – the stakes, even higher! I love how there's no info-dumps and yet you can picture the worldbuilding through the execution of each little element in the plot. The pace is very fast and each chapter has its own plot twist or cliffhanger which is very typical of single-issue comics. In Backtrack, it works really well, particularly because of the self-contained nature of each stage of the car race. Having a chapter in which our characters go through a sixteenth-century earthquake is easy to integrate if the setup of the story means you can leave that scenario behind as soon as you've exploited its narrative potential, and Brian Joines's writing excels at that.
The one thing I didn't enjoy that much about the writing was the fact that although we have an "official" main character, Alyson, Backtrack feels like a very choral story from the beginning. As such, one would expect some character development early on, but it is not until we are halfway through this first volume that we feel like we start to know the group. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 had the most character backstory, which meant that I didn't necessarily care for anyone until I was finishing my read. Going into the next volumes, I will feel more attached to them for sure. Alyson's flashbacks could have been shorter and more sparse, as it felt like there was quite a bit of filler just to explain a simple aspect of her backstory.
However, I would absolutely recommend this comic, particularly if you don't mind waiting three or four chapters to get invested in the story. The writing is fun and the periods of time the characters have to face are not as Eurocentric as one would expect from a "historical fiction" story of sorts. I hope this is something that continues in upcoming volumes.
And something else that enhances the narrative of Backtrack is the art style. Jake Elphick's illustrations are gritty and dynamic, and perfect for a racing/sports comic series. The only issue I had was that often, the characters looked way too similar (particularly the men), and sometimes the female characters were made to look very masculine. It gave off the impression that Elphick is way more used to drawing men than women, which left a bad taste in my mouth. However, on the other hand, the character design itself (conceptually, I mean) was more developed for the women. Additionally, Doug Garbark's colouring was vibrant and gorgeous to look at. I enjoyed how playful Garbark was, particulary in the last chapter of this volume, number 6.
All in all, I am interested in reading this series, and do think it deserves a spot on your shelves. If nothing else, do it for the GORGEOUS cover art and the badass playlist at the end of the volume!
[I was provided with an e-ARC copy by NetGalley, but my opinions are my own]
Really enjoyed this! The concept is brilliant and super fun – the stakes, even higher! I love how there's no info-dumps and yet you can picture the worldbuilding through the execution of each little element in the plot. The pace is very fast and each chapter has its own plot twist or cliffhanger which is very typical of single-issue comics. In Backtrack, it works really well, particularly because of the self-contained nature of each stage of the car race. Having a chapter in which our characters go through a sixteenth-century earthquake is easy to integrate if the setup of the story means you can leave that scenario behind as soon as you've exploited its narrative potential, and Brian Joines's writing excels at that.
The one thing I didn't enjoy that much about the writing was the fact that although we have an "official" main character, Alyson, Backtrack feels like a very choral story from the beginning. As such, one would expect some character development early on, but it is not until we are halfway through this first volume that we feel like we start to know the group. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 had the most character backstory, which meant that I didn't necessarily care for anyone until I was finishing my read. Going into the next volumes, I will feel more attached to them for sure. Alyson's flashbacks could have been shorter and more sparse, as it felt like there was quite a bit of filler just to explain a simple aspect of her backstory.
However, I would absolutely recommend this comic, particularly if you don't mind waiting three or four chapters to get invested in the story. The writing is fun and the periods of time the characters have to face are not as Eurocentric as one would expect from a "historical fiction" story of sorts. I hope this is something that continues in upcoming volumes.
And something else that enhances the narrative of Backtrack is the art style. Jake Elphick's illustrations are gritty and dynamic, and perfect for a racing/sports comic series. The only issue I had was that often, the characters looked way too similar (particularly the men), and sometimes the female characters were made to look very masculine. It gave off the impression that Elphick is way more used to drawing men than women, which left a bad taste in my mouth. However, on the other hand, the character design itself (conceptually, I mean) was more developed for the women. Additionally, Doug Garbark's colouring was vibrant and gorgeous to look at. I enjoyed how playful Garbark was, particulary in the last chapter of this volume, number 6.
All in all, I am interested in reading this series, and do think it deserves a spot on your shelves. If nothing else, do it for the GORGEOUS cover art and the badass playlist at the end of the volume!
[I was provided with an e-ARC copy by NetGalley, but my opinions are my own]
danni11's review
3.0
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.
The art is really good and the colours are beautiful and vibrant which compliments the story a lot. This is an action packed graphic novel about a bunch of people who are brought together to take part in a huge, bizarre race. The race is very life or death and people have seemed to only be in the race so they can get a personal grand prize. The story does focus more on Alyson and her backstory which is interesting and slightly vague, which is probably in order to give the readers more in future volumes. It was pretty good and a nice, short read.
Rating: 3⭐
Would I Read It Again? No, but I would read future volumes
Would I Recommend it? Yes, especially to those who like action-packed graphic novels
The art is really good and the colours are beautiful and vibrant which compliments the story a lot. This is an action packed graphic novel about a bunch of people who are brought together to take part in a huge, bizarre race. The race is very life or death and people have seemed to only be in the race so they can get a personal grand prize. The story does focus more on Alyson and her backstory which is interesting and slightly vague, which is probably in order to give the readers more in future volumes. It was pretty good and a nice, short read.
Rating: 3⭐
Would I Read It Again? No, but I would read future volumes
Would I Recommend it? Yes, especially to those who like action-packed graphic novels
ninquellote's review
3.0
Color palette and the lines of the drawings captivated me, they are vibrant, clear and sharp which gives story another dimension. Story intrigued me and I would love to read what happened next especially since we didn't get to know all the characters completely, and they seem to be really intriguing.
inkspitblog's review
5.0
This was definitely a great read for me!
Gorgeous artwork, an interesting story and a great collection of characters. The comic throws you straight into the action and then (heh) backtracks to provide your with the reasoning.
I will say the pacing is a little fast at times to get used to who is called what at first but you pick it up easily and don’t waste time with characters you don’t need to know about.
Great story telling and a comic to keep at eye on!
Gorgeous artwork, an interesting story and a great collection of characters. The comic throws you straight into the action and then (heh) backtracks to provide your with the reasoning.
I will say the pacing is a little fast at times to get used to who is called what at first but you pick it up easily and don’t waste time with characters you don’t need to know about.
Great story telling and a comic to keep at eye on!
ruthyroo's review
4.0
Fast cars! Female protagonist! Time travel!
One of the above would have probably been enough to grab my attention but all three guaranteed I was going to pick this up.
Alyson Levy is invited to take part in a race, point A to point B, for which the winner gets the chance to go back in time and correct a mistake they’ve made. The problem is that there are checkpoints between point A and point B, and the segment of the race between each is in a different point in time.
The action kicks off from the get go, there’s no filler or waiting around for something to happen. Levy’s backstory and her motivation for taking part are told in snippets through flashback so the current storyline is never far from the page. The art is great and the covers are amazing! I love the fact that the artist and creator included a playlist for volume 1, a great little extra.
The only minor complaint is that I sometimes found it difficult to differentiate between some of the characters and it could be confusing in the race scenes to follow who was in which car and therefore who was where.
This is an entertaining collection of a comic with striking art and a fun premise. I’ll be looking out for the next volume.
One of the above would have probably been enough to grab my attention but all three guaranteed I was going to pick this up.
Alyson Levy is invited to take part in a race, point A to point B, for which the winner gets the chance to go back in time and correct a mistake they’ve made. The problem is that there are checkpoints between point A and point B, and the segment of the race between each is in a different point in time.
The action kicks off from the get go, there’s no filler or waiting around for something to happen. Levy’s backstory and her motivation for taking part are told in snippets through flashback so the current storyline is never far from the page. The art is great and the covers are amazing! I love the fact that the artist and creator included a playlist for volume 1, a great little extra.
The only minor complaint is that I sometimes found it difficult to differentiate between some of the characters and it could be confusing in the race scenes to follow who was in which car and therefore who was where.
This is an entertaining collection of a comic with striking art and a fun premise. I’ll be looking out for the next volume.
letmeinthelibrary's review
3.0
3.5! Really cool concept, amazing art that was very well suited to the narrative. I do wish there was a bit more to this to pull me into volume 2, but a very solid start.
psitssarahhhh's review
4.0
THIS. GRAPHIC. NOVEL. IS. SO. GOOD.
I loved it. That cliffhanger was intense. I want more. I want more RIGHT NOW. Backtrack has a FANTASTIC concept. It's fast paced, fascinating, etc. I could go on and on. The art style is gorgeous, I can't get over it. I want this in print, badly. I genuinely have no criticisms about Backtrack. I can't wait to read more from Joines and can't wait to see what happens next in Backtrack!
Thank you to Brian Joines, Oni Press, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion!
I loved it. That cliffhanger was intense. I want more. I want more RIGHT NOW. Backtrack has a FANTASTIC concept. It's fast paced, fascinating, etc. I could go on and on. The art style is gorgeous, I can't get over it. I want this in print, badly. I genuinely have no criticisms about Backtrack. I can't wait to read more from Joines and can't wait to see what happens next in Backtrack!
Thank you to Brian Joines, Oni Press, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion!