Being the background person for stage productions is personal to me. My university's homecoming tradition is competitive musical theatre, and my job has been to mom friend everyone involved. I've done everything from scrimmaging with sports teams (long story) to backstage parenting (even longer story). So a story like this is going to be something that perks my interest. There isn't much about this graphic narrative I didn't like!

Sygh has a quirky, captivating art style akin to Steven Universe. The bright images really hold this story together, making it all the more magical for the reader. Tynion's story is original, bringing in a setting and concept that has been mostly absent from stories I have read, with the exception of Eyes Like Stars. I loved the pull from theatre and the focus on the behind-the-scenes personalities that keep shows running, as well as the magic. This work was a light-hearted enjoyable escapade, with humor that anyone who has worked backstage before will appreciate. I mean, don't all prop rooms look like the Backstagers? Also, POC main and another plus-size male character with a round belly? Yes please! Finally some body diversity in our males!

The only annoyance I had while reading was the brevity of the story. Yes, I know it's only vol. 1, for even for a first installment it seemed to pass to quickly, which didn't leave me much time to get attached to the characters. However, since graphic novels are so short it allows for quicker reads, which will bring me to more character development sooner, which I can dig.

Backstagers is a book from BOOM! Studios about a single-gender group of adventurers that get into difficult, fun, and thrilling situations. Yes, that does sound remarkably like Lumberjanes. No, it's not a carbon copy. With that out of the way - here is why it deserves your attention.

Backstagers is bold - it's characters versatile with varying background, sexual orientations, and personalities. It's creative - some of the jokes lean on the absurd sense of humor, so if "tea party, hosted by giant birds" sounds amusing to you, this is the title for you. It's bright - I'm not 100% sold on the cartoonishness, but colour palette here is just insanely delightful (emphasis on "insane").
The dialogues are snappy, the emphasis is placed on interactions between the heroes, not random wackiness, and mysteries abound, as this world's lore expands with every issue. Honestly, I don't want to compare this to Lumberjanes as this is very much its own thing, but the comparison works well, as both comics are delightful, family-friendly, cast-showcasing adventures. This feels a lot like cartoons from the 90's: Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers and such. But with the added benefit of representation, deeper stories replacing the somewhat tiring "monster of the week" format, and beautifully optimistic views on modern life and love. What's not to love?

Overall, original, diverse, utterly insane, laugh-out-loud look behind the scenes of theatre and magic. Worth your time if you like to give your attention to good, pretty, and engaging comic books. I'm not a big fan of James Tynion IV's body of work (I hate most of it, to be completely honest), but this is a pleasant surprise and I urge everyone to give this a chance.

I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this new graphic novel series. Jory is the new kid in his all boys school and he isn't impressed. His mom wants him to get involved in a school activity, but he would rather hang in the bushes. He eventually joins the backstagers, a group of guys that don't treat him like the new guy and the antics begin. Looking forward to the next installment.

If you were to mash Raina Telgemeier's Drama with Lumberjanes, you would find yourself with something like The Backstagers. It really is the best of both of the aformentioned series, crazy backstage highjinks, but with magical realism thrown in for good measure. I really like that it's an all-male cast as well. Even just based on the first chapter, this is a definite purchase for my library!

This was far funnier than I imagined it would be when I first imagined the description.

The story starts with Jory who is faced with an admittedly unenviable task: he has to find some kind of club to join at his new school. Drama club seems easy enough, except that it's headed by two twins that are, shall we say, a bit full of themselves? Being sent on an errand by them, however, is the best thing that could happen to Jory because it leads him to the Backstagers.

He discovers that not only are they a pretty cool group of people, ranging from a handsome & flirtatious handyman, a somewhat power mad electrician, and a younger boy whose purpose isn't quite clear yet, plus the "sensible" one in the group, but that their backstage area contains a door to alternate worlds that only they know about.

Since this is only issue one there's not much revealed at this point. We get brief intros to the main cast, but it's more than enough to get a feel for them and keep me interested. We also get a glimpse of one of the alternate worlds that is now home to some odd little creatures. Are they dangerous? Who knows, but they sure are hella adorable!

The art is a huge asset here. It somewhat reminded me of the style seen in the Steven Universe show, especially when focused on the youngest member of the Backstagers. It flows nicely with the craziness of the story and I imagine that it will go well once the Drama Club and the Backstagers actually get around to putting on a play. I can't wait to get to issue #2!

I’ve had my eye on this comic since I first heard about it last year but just haven’t been able to get around to picking it up. When I saw it was up on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to put it on my wishlist and the publisher was kind enough to grant me my wish!

First, I have to talk about the art style in this comic. The line art itself is magnificent as is the coloring and the shading. I’m going to be flipping through this comic again, this time focusing solely on the incredible artwork.

As for the written content, it was really enjoyable! It was charming, humorous, and already full of heart. Albeit it was a bit short, mainly because it was introducing the reader to Jory and the rest of The Backstagers, so I can’t provide too much of an in depth analysis but what I did see, I definitely enjoyed. One of my favorite things about the comic, other than the art style (I know I keep going on about the art but trust me, it’s incredible), is the diversity already apparent in the characters. From the looks of it, The Backstagers is a group of boys with differing races and ethnicities, sexualities, and body types. Someone described this as the male Lumberjanes and I concur. I’d highly recommend picking this up if you enjoy the types of story lines that appear in Lumberjanes. I’m definitely going to be continuing with this series!

"The backstage is full of secrets and weirdness, but it's also the only place where we've ever felt at home."

Okay, first things first, the art in this is amazing! It's so detailed and colourful. Second, this seems like the male version of Lumberjanes, which is awesome. So yay! Third, such a diverse cast of characters, so that's another big plus. Last but not the least, it's such an interesting and fun story. Awkward yet awesome kids fighting monsters and having fun? Yes, please. I'm definitely going to continue reading the series.

I am intrigued! Jory is the new kid and doesn't fit in at the all boys school. He would rather hide in the bushes and draw than play sports or whatever it is boys do. (He'd rather not find out.) In an effort to find his place, he wanders in to Drama club and stumbles across the Backstagers. Except, it's no ordinary backstage. In 25 pages, a host of characters are introduced and hints at something nefarious going on where no one else goes. I get the feeling the Backstagers not only create the sets and props but they also keep some monsters at bay. I look forward to reading more and I'm sure my students will too.

Only read the beginning of the story, but this seems like it will be a great comic. I can't wait to read more.

I really quite enjoyed this! It was a little too face paced for my tastes but everything else I enjoyed.
It was pretty funny and some of the characters are larger than life. For example, I read the blurb as ''unpredictable twins'' instead of ''twists'' but lo' and behold there are twins in this and they do seem unpredictable, as well as extremely ecentric!
I loved the artsyle (reminds me of Steven Universe) and overall this was a really quick, but enjoyable first issue.

The Backstagers Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV was one of the funnest graphic novels I've read in awhile!!

I was totally drawn in by the explosion of colors, the imagination behind it, how creative it was. The art qas quirky and fun. Definitely looking for the next volume!

I really enjoyed this comic and am eager to see where the story goes. I liked the art and thought the idea of what is going on backstage of the drama club and making this whole other mysterious and sometimes dangerous world behind the scenes where the average person has no idea what's going on to be a unique and fun set up for this series. It works well for a comic series and I like it!

This was such a cute and lively comic!

Jory feels out of place in his new all-boys private school and would rather not join any clubs, but his
mother insists on it. So he tries to approach the drama club... without much luck. But when he is sent backstage for a prop, he finds more than he bargained for: a whole web of ever-changing tunnels under the stage filled with magical creatures, and four other outcasts who don't fit anywhere except with each other.

The cast is amazing, diverse and lovable. In just one issue we can see all the different personalities and I can't wait to know more about them. The fact that is written and illustrated by queer artists puts me at ease about the LGBT+ representation. In fact, they have stated that there is no mention of homophobia or transphobia in the comic, and I couldn't be more glad that there is a healthy and amazing all-ages comic that shows PoC and queer kids having adventures. The themes are equally great: finding spaces where you can be yourself and find like-minded people with whom you can establish relationships of trust and friendship. The art is colorful and dynamic, and fits perfectly with the energetic mood and plot. My only complain would be the absolute lack of female characters, but it's very important that young boys who might be struggling with their identities see themselves represented in media, so this was a very necessary comic (and women already have some of these, like Lumberjanes, which is the most similar to The Backstagers I can think of).

In general it was a very fun and entertaining read, I can't wait for the full volume that will include all eight issues.

Let's crawl into our impossible magic underground world where things make sense.

The Backstagers is so damn great! No surprise that the writing and art equally make this book a must-read for fans out there. Highly recommend!

This was such a fun graphic novel, and I absolutely love the illustrations. It reminds me a lot of the series Giant Days. I am a huge fan of Boom Comics, and will definitely recommend this to everyone!

Book – The Backstagers, Vol 1
Author – James Tynion IV
Star rating - ★★★★★
Cover – Very cool!
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – Comic, Contemporary, High School


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **


So much farting.

*sniggers*

What a great way to start a story!

This is, technically, issue #1 in an ongoing series, so it's just a sample of the overall volume, but that didn't lessen it's impact.

With gorgeous full colour illustrations and a truly varied cast of characters it's the perfect introduction to a new story. The diversity shown, covering weight issues, race, geek nerds, gay guys and a shy kid trying to find his place, there's pretty much someone in here that everyone will relate to. None of them are perfectly flawless, just like every other teenage kid out there in the world.

Not only does it have fun, excitement and a whole host of weirdness, but it's also got a really sweet message about finding your place – which can be tough in high school – and the dangers of getting a little too big for your boots, like the McQueens.

In this world, the Backstagers is the thing to be. It's where the weird, the wonderful, the strange and loner kids hang out together and become a little family of oddness. And it's exactly where I'd want to be.

This short single issue of The Backstagers was a fun introduction to a silly cast of characters and original storyline. Jory is starting his first day at a new school and decides that he needs to join an extracurricular activity. After meeting the backstage drama crew, he's hooked. The characters are very slapstick and dramatic. There are also fantasy aspects that set the tone of the story as very silly and carefree, which truly did remind me of the Lumberjanes. It will be interesting to see where the story arc goes.

A fun, colourful, wacky adventure set in a high school backstage crew, with bonus supernatural goings-on. Appreciate the diversity of the group, including LGBTQ+ characters and characters of colour. The school is an all-boys school, so there is so far a disappointing lack of female characters.

Err, The Backstagers was confusing, but very much interesting. Finally a comic about, not the actors, but the backstage crew, how cool is that? Jory switches schools to an all-boys school, but is very much alone until he decides to join the stage crew. He's not very social and shy even, so fetching props and such seem a good idea. The stage crew isn't normal though, but more like extraterrestrial and the members have to fight these weird creatures and make props in dangerous surroundings only to get the snotty actors to reject the end-products. The crew is weird, but for Jory? The coolest ever. I really liked the idea, but the structure isn't the best. Everything goes by too fast, nothing is explained and we don't really get to know the characters and there are lots of them. The story seems to start not from the beginning in a sense and it makes this confusing. Not bad, but hard to grasp, really. Otherwise the 1990s style adventure comic thing works nicely.

I love the rich and odd colors full of magenta and pink. The art looks wonky and fits the comic well. There's some Steven Universe surely in this one. The Backstagers is a comic for all and that's truly the best part. It offers something new and it's quite refreshing too considering that it's a genre mixture. The first part is too short to tell how things will evolve and what will happen, but I do hope that the structural problems will disappear and we get to dive into this new and weird world fully.