Joyride seemed like a very fun, fast paced read. Sadly, it was a big disappointment.
There was no world building, the characters were very one-dimensional, and the story was just plain boring.

I was given this book in turn for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were very likeable. I think their quirks are funny and charming. It was listed as a LGBTQ story but I didn’t really see that aspect come into play in this volume of the story. I’m hoping it does in future volumes. I also really loved the dystopian space theme. I thought it was well done. I’m going to have to buy volume two now.

Well that was a blast. Joyride is a seriously fun, action packed space adventure. Earth made contact with alien races and is now ruled by a dictatorship that restricts anyone from leaving the planet. With this premise, the book could have gone really dark and turned into a dystopian story. Instead, everything about it is bright and energetic. There are conflicts to keep things interesting though.

I love the characters. From the rebellious Uma to the hitchhiker Kolstak. Every one of them adds personality to the book. There is enough variety to keep me engaged and prevent things from becoming flat. The development of the characters individually and as a whole over the course of the story is great too. Despite some differences, it sort of makes sense that they would keep travelling together.

But the stand out portion of this book is the art. I really like the style for the characters. Most of them are little more than kids and the art captures that. Their expressions are detailed and support the text. The colors do a lot to create the tone of the book. I think the panel work is awesome too. They do a lot to draw the eye down the page, so even if they are used in an unusual way I didn't feel confused as to where I should be looking or reading next. Then there are the scenes that juxtapose two characters. These go a long way to show how the characters are similar and different without spelling things out. I liked this one so much I went out and bought a physical copy. Can't wait to read volume 2!

[3.5 stars] This started out really fun and i absolutely adore Uma! but the last issue kinda lost me and I was really confused! I'll still read the next one though! I think if you like space and shows like Firefly and Doctor Who, you'd probably enjoy this.

Some time in the distant future, Earth is under a fascist regime that has built a huge dome around the entire planet. No one can see the stars anymore, but Uma dreams of escaping and heading out for an adventure in space. She plans to steal a space ship with her friend (who is hopelessly in love with her) Dewydd who works on a base on the moon (where we have a huge honking space-gun.
Of course all hell breaks loose when the two accidentally kidnap Earth's princess and get themselves enslaved, shot at, brain-sucked and arrested.
Space fun for all!

Earth sucks. Steal a spaceship.

* * * *
4 / 5

Joyous and beautiful, Joyride #1 is an excellent start to a comic series. Uma Akkolyte, fed up with her life on a tyrannically ruled Earth that has forbidden interstellar travel, steals an alien spaceship and sets out to explore the stars with her friend Dewydd, a robot, an alien they pick up on a nearby planet, and a surprise guest in the form of the Princess of Earth, Caitlin. I absolutely loved the crew and their dynamics.

The art here is beautiful. The pages are clearly panelled and flow beautifully, it's always clear where your eyes are supposed to go next. This comic is entirely in colour and I personally loved the style; all the characters are distinct and easy to tell apart, the backgrounds are great, and I love Uma's hair!

The idea behind Joyride is a classic one and it has all the staples of a traditional sci-fi story: spaceships, aliens, dictators, high-speed chases, rebellious teens. I found the story fun, but also thought it lacked a bit of direction; hopefully in the next volume an overall arc will emerge and Joyride will become a little less directionless.

The characters are fun, but also quite archetypal: Uma is a cheery, happy-go-lucky sort, but also fiesty with a tragic past and a rebellious streak. Dewydd is the childhood friend and I think he was some sort of mechanic or soldier in an Earth army, it's not really clear, but he's running away from his family. Caitlin is the whole priviliged child who grew sick of her caged youth. Whilst Uma was a bit annoying at points, I grew fond of her and the rest of the cast.

Overall, Joyride is a fun little comic with solid art and dialogue. It's got a sort of Star Trek vibe going on.

(3.5 stars)

I liked the general concept - dystopian future, two kids steal a spaceship to get away from Earthian fascists and run into difficulties along the way. It was a pretty cool idea. Unfortunately though, I thought the plot was slightly too thin - there didn't seem to be an awful amount happening except from running away from the people trying to bring them back to earth. Also, I really didn't like Uma at the beginning; I found her very irritating and childish. sSe did develop throughout the book, but it was only near the very end that I stopped rolling my eyes at her.

However, overall the relationships and characters were pretty good and well-written, despite my irritation with Uma. Also, the art was really good - I was impressed by the colouring in particular.

All in all, this was pretty fun, but I don't know if i'll continue with the series.

This book was super fun. It’s not a particularly deep or complicated book but then that wasn’t really what I was looking for. I was looking for a fun space adventure story and that is exactly what I got. Although there was some good old fight against the man throne in there for good measure. So all around a good time.
I wish the characters were a little more fleshed out. While I enjoyed Uma, Catrin and Dewydd I didn’t feel like I knew them by the end of the issue. The comic is pretty face paced and while that kept the action going I felt it did hurt the comic when it came to character development. I got to know Uma the best and while I like her I wanted to know more about her. Hopefully future issues will have more character building.
The art was nice and I really liked the more spacy scenes. The colors are what really sold it for me as they could get really vibrant especially when looking at the stars. I thought the character design was really cute as well.
Overall I enjoyed this book and curious what other issues will bring.

Earth is a terrible place to live when you’ve been marked as an aberrant, someone who refuses to conform to the standards of behaviour, dress, and thought set forth by the shadowy fascist regime that controls the planet. Few teenagers know that better than Uma Akkolyte, a fugitive who’s been living off the grid ever since her parents were killed. She’s been moving from place to place, just biding her time until the stars align and she can finally put her plans in motion: escaping earth for life amongst the stars. Because when earth sucks, what’s a girl to do? Grab your friends and reluctant allies, and get the hell out of dodge.

JOYRIDE VOL. 1 introduces a cast of young, likeable characters who come from disparate backgrounds but are united by a common goal: freedom. Freedom from political persecution, tough moral choices, parental expectations, and more. Of course, as time goes by, Uma, her best pal Dewyddin, and their reluctant ally Catrin will learn that just because you’ve escaped earth doesn’t mean you’ve escaped your problems. Bummer.

While I liked these characters overall, I have to admit that they’re all pretty archetypical and their various backstories were easily predictable from the first few pages. Uma in particular was quite frustrating for me, as her “let’s do cool space stuff” attitude veered away from charming and more towards irritating several times. The real scene-stealer is Bot, a spider-like robot who’s inability to verbally communicate with the rest of the group doesn’t stop him from connecting with everyone. In between fixing the spaceship’s engine and leading daring rescue missions, Bot always has a little extra time to join the rest of the gang for a good old fashioned dance party. Despite the occasionally quite dark subject matter, JOYRIDE VOL. 1 remains relatively lighthearted and hopeful, which I’ve always though of as the hallmark of BOOM! Studios comics.

There’s a lot of potential here for strong world building, as the gang steer their stolen spacecraft into all sorts of danger and encounter all manner of alien life forms. JOYRIDE VOL. 1 barely scratches the surface of this world, but I expect we’ll see more of it in the second volume now that all the major players have been introduced and their respective story lines established. Those of you who are bothered by trite dialogue and cliche character motivations (dead parents, evil father, etc.) may want to steer clear, but personally I didn’t find myself too bothered by it.

The art style is a refreshing change of pace for this publisher, as many BOOM! titles have a signature “cutesy” style that wouldn’t work for this world. Kniivla and To do an excellent job with the character’s micro-expressions, and there are a number of panels where Uma and Catrin say a lot with just a look. Let’s just say that there are plenty of eyebrow raises and small smirks to go around.

In the end, JOYRIDE VOL. 1 is exactly what it says it is: a fun, intergalactic space romp about a bunch of young people who just want their first taste of freedom. Sticking it to the man? That’s a welcome bonus.

How to explain how much I adored this. I fell in love with everything about it from the first page. The art is gorgeous, the characters are amazing, the story is so exciting. And the relationships!! Don't even get me started on them. I'm just so in love with every aspect of this. I honestly do not have words for how good this comic was. Please, please, just read it. (And then come cry with me.)

Although I found this comic to be vibrantly detailed and interesting, some parts I felt moved too fast or weren't fully explained enough for me to understand. But it is an interesting concept.

A wonderful graphic novel. Loved the color and the storyline.

This is a pretty good comic - it's more fun than earth-shattering, but it's enjoyable. It's definitely more teen focused, and the world building could be a bit stronger. The art style is strong and warm, which I enjoyed. I'm interested to see where it goes from here.

I have never been someone that has read or reads a lot of graphic novels/comic books. But I have to say, I really did enjoy this story. The illustrations were beautifully done. I am looking forward to reading all of this series.