shannonleighd's review
2.0
peachani's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gun violence
michellehogmire's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Big thanks to Oni Press for an advance copy of this graphic novel, which was published this Tuesday Nov 17, 2020--
I was immediately taken with the rad cover art for Brian Joines' Backtrack, and it definitely did not disappoint--the comic is a wild, dangerous adventure ride through history, like a combination of Looper with Death Race. I've been reading some super heavy books lately, and getting sucked into this action-packed world was exactly what I needed.
I was immediately taken with the rad cover art for Brian Joines' Backtrack, and it definitely did not disappoint--the comic is a wild, dangerous adventure ride through history, like a combination of Looper with Death Race. I've been reading some super heavy books lately, and getting sucked into this action-packed world was exactly what I needed.
Okay, plot: our main character is Alyson Levy, a disgraced former criminal getaway driver who's approached by a strange rich guy about joining a car race. The prize? The winner will get to correct one mistake from their past. The catch? The contest is going to involve some wacky time travel.
Turns out the rich guy (named Casper Quellex) is from the future, where time travel has been invented, and subsequently outlawed. He runs these illegal races for billionaire bidders, traveling through time to find the saddest characters willing to put everything on the line to entertain the rich. Alyson and the other competitors, all ruthlessly determined to change their circumstances by winning the prize, quickly realize that this is no ordinary car race: every single leg will take place in a different time period.
The racers (including a bratty wealthy teen and her competent bodyguard, a washed-up former NASCAR driver, a man whose son died of leukemia, and many more) will have to decide whether to work together or not, all while trying to survive dinosaur attacks, historical natural disasters, the plague in Constantinople, and Stasi interrogations in 1970s East Germany. What a ride--volume 2, please!
rebelstorm's review
4.0
3.7/5
Quality of writing: 3
Plot development: 3
Pace: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 4
Really, really enjoyed this. A fun premise, would love to see this as a TV show. The "bad apples", car racing and time travel - yes please!
Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Quality of writing: 3
Plot development: 3
Pace: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 4
Really, really enjoyed this. A fun premise, would love to see this as a TV show. The "bad apples", car racing and time travel - yes please!
Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
illegiblescribble's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
4.0
a rip-roarin' beginning of a series that had me racing to the finish line!
a unique twist on both the high-stakes-car-race and time-travel genres, “backtrack vol. 1” is a fun ride. while i had trouble distinguishing some of the characters, i didn't care; i just wanted to know what was going to happen next! as a bonus, it provides a crash course on historical disasters and hardships, plus a smoothly integrated diverse set of racers. what’s more, characters who speak languages other than english are granted the dignity of speaking in their own language on the page, instead of being forced into an english translation for the comfort of the reader.
it is obvious that this book was created by men. the characters all have a certain machismo to them that, from my experience, is not often found in works created by non-men. while characters with such hard-edges can easily be found lacking in tenderness, "backtrack vol. 1" surprised me with its emotional depth.
ultimately, “backtrack vol. 1” had me hooked and left me thirsting for more. the first installment hasn't officially been published yet and i’m already eagerly awaiting the second.
thank you to netgalley and oni press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
a unique twist on both the high-stakes-car-race and time-travel genres, “backtrack vol. 1” is a fun ride. while i had trouble distinguishing some of the characters, i didn't care; i just wanted to know what was going to happen next! as a bonus, it provides a crash course on historical disasters and hardships, plus a smoothly integrated diverse set of racers. what’s more, characters who speak languages other than english are granted the dignity of speaking in their own language on the page, instead of being forced into an english translation for the comfort of the reader.
it is obvious that this book was created by men. the characters all have a certain machismo to them that, from my experience, is not often found in works created by non-men. while characters with such hard-edges can easily be found lacking in tenderness, "backtrack vol. 1" surprised me with its emotional depth.
ultimately, “backtrack vol. 1” had me hooked and left me thirsting for more. the first installment hasn't officially been published yet and i’m already eagerly awaiting the second.
thank you to netgalley and oni press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
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!
More...