A review by ordinarilybi
The Backstagers #1 by James Tynion IV, Rian Sygh
5.0
I received a review copy via Netgalley for an honest review.
Hier geht's zur deutschen Rezension.
________________________
The cover should make it obvious enough that "The Backstagers" is an incredibly cute series, but since you can't always trust a cover, let me reassure you: "The Backstagers" is an incredibly cute series. (Were the little monsters that look like spotlights at first not hint enough, though?)
In this first issue, we follow Jory, who ends up in an all-boys boarding school against his will, because his mum will have to work a lot and until late in the future. His plan: hide in the bushes and somehow get this over with it. But his mum insists on him joining a club, so he joins the school's drama club. And from there on, things get weird but great.
That's because backstage, the Backstagers are waiting for him. Apart from your normal props they have to deal with so much more: lower floors that are much bigger than the actual school, rooms that sometimes are there and sometimes are not, little monster rats … the first issue is more of a teaser but it is already promising us a wondrous world full of adventures.
And the characters! Of course we don't get to know too much about them yet, but this seems to be a funny and fortunately diverse bunch. There's Jory, obviously, the newcomer you can see at the top of the cover and who's potentially queer. Next, we meet Sasha, round and small, the blond white guy in the middle of the cover, who is also pretty much a kid. Aziz (lower middle) seems to be the exact opposite of him, but maybe it just seems that way because Sasha is almost always laughing or grinning, whereas Aziz is not. Hunter is the guy on the left and has a knack for handicraft – and flirting, which he immediately does with Jory, who blushes beautifully. Last but not least we meet Beckett, the lanky guy on the lower right and the geek of the group. At least he likes electrics. Like … a lot.
So we have (hopefully, at least) two queer characters out of five and apart from Sasha and Hunter, all protagonists seem to be characters of colour. Whether this is an #ownvoices story, I can't tell yet for sure. As far as I know, both the author and the artist are white, but James Tynion is also bisexual and Rian Sygh trans. Both can be part of the story in the future, but we'll have to see about that.
Also very important for comics: the visuals. The comic is much more cartoony than the cover suggests, but that doesn't stop the art from being adorable or being a perfect fit for the story. Rian Sygh obviously paid attention to the details. At first, the drama club actors are depicted with a lot of glamour but they seem almost dull after Jory met the Backstagers for the first time. What's for him downstairs can't be contained by single panels, that's something that's got to fill whole pages. Regular school and club life can't possibly compare to that, and you can see it.
One thing I read a lot about this series, is that it compares to the Lumberjanes – not because of the story but because of the feeling it gives you. Since I still haven't read Lumberjanes, I can't tell you how true this is but I really think the comparison is valid. So if you like Lumberjanes, give this one a go! And if you don't know either yet, never mind, just give both of them a try.
"The Backstagers #1" is an incredibly well-made introduction into this bubbly new series that promises adventure, excitement and fun – not least because of its instantly endearing characters. I fell in love with some of them with their first appearance. You absolutely have to read it!
Hier geht's zur deutschen Rezension.
________________________
The cover should make it obvious enough that "The Backstagers" is an incredibly cute series, but since you can't always trust a cover, let me reassure you: "The Backstagers" is an incredibly cute series. (Were the little monsters that look like spotlights at first not hint enough, though?)
In this first issue, we follow Jory, who ends up in an all-boys boarding school against his will, because his mum will have to work a lot and until late in the future. His plan: hide in the bushes and somehow get this over with it. But his mum insists on him joining a club, so he joins the school's drama club. And from there on, things get weird but great.
That's because backstage, the Backstagers are waiting for him. Apart from your normal props they have to deal with so much more: lower floors that are much bigger than the actual school, rooms that sometimes are there and sometimes are not, little monster rats … the first issue is more of a teaser but it is already promising us a wondrous world full of adventures.
And the characters! Of course we don't get to know too much about them yet, but this seems to be a funny and fortunately diverse bunch. There's Jory, obviously, the newcomer you can see at the top of the cover and who's potentially queer. Next, we meet Sasha, round and small, the blond white guy in the middle of the cover, who is also pretty much a kid. Aziz (lower middle) seems to be the exact opposite of him, but maybe it just seems that way because Sasha is almost always laughing or grinning, whereas Aziz is not. Hunter is the guy on the left and has a knack for handicraft – and flirting, which he immediately does with Jory, who blushes beautifully. Last but not least we meet Beckett, the lanky guy on the lower right and the geek of the group. At least he likes electrics. Like … a lot.
So we have (hopefully, at least) two queer characters out of five and apart from Sasha and Hunter, all protagonists seem to be characters of colour. Whether this is an #ownvoices story, I can't tell yet for sure. As far as I know, both the author and the artist are white, but James Tynion is also bisexual and Rian Sygh trans. Both can be part of the story in the future, but we'll have to see about that.
Also very important for comics: the visuals. The comic is much more cartoony than the cover suggests, but that doesn't stop the art from being adorable or being a perfect fit for the story. Rian Sygh obviously paid attention to the details. At first, the drama club actors are depicted with a lot of glamour but they seem almost dull after Jory met the Backstagers for the first time. What's for him downstairs can't be contained by single panels, that's something that's got to fill whole pages. Regular school and club life can't possibly compare to that, and you can see it.
One thing I read a lot about this series, is that it compares to the Lumberjanes – not because of the story but because of the feeling it gives you. Since I still haven't read Lumberjanes, I can't tell you how true this is but I really think the comparison is valid. So if you like Lumberjanes, give this one a go! And if you don't know either yet, never mind, just give both of them a try.
"The Backstagers #1" is an incredibly well-made introduction into this bubbly new series that promises adventure, excitement and fun – not least because of its instantly endearing characters. I fell in love with some of them with their first appearance. You absolutely have to read it!