‘Onion Skin’ with story and art by Edgar Camacho is a graphic novel about a chance encounter, a food truck and a gang of bikers.

Rolando has lost his job after breaking his hand. He spends his days couchsurfing until he meets Nera, who also likes his favorite band. After their chance encounter, they decide to fix up a food truck and hit the road, even though neither of them can cook. A run in with another food truck leads to pursuit by a gang called the Hellpigs. Can delicious food and romance save things for Rolando?

The story jumps around a bit in time, but it was done fairly well. The art is a bit rougher than I like, but this isn’t a bad effort. I’d like to see more by this writer/artist.

This story was well-told and engaging throughout. I think it will definitely find its right audience and continue to inspire.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

As a librarian interested in building a solid Hispanic collection, Onion Skin had an interesting premise about food. Definitely interested in seeing more of these reads.

Cool illustration style, reminds me of Lynda Barry. The plot pulls you in fast, but it's sort of a letdown that the supposed blackout adventure is a time jump. Something feels missing.

2.5 stars.

This book is a bit on the disorganized side. Some of the ideas are good and the author has a very distinctive style which is generally a good thing. I think there could have been more to differentiate the time jumps but the arm was helpful. Doesn't quite land for me overall but I did like all of the food!

It was interesting until the time dilation stuff happened. It just was odd and didn't make sense.. It also went all over the place and I wish it was done a little better.

I thought this a great graphic novel. I liked the art and the story line, but I loved more that more and more writers are incorporating the food world into fiction.

A very fun graphic novel involving a road trip with absolutely stunning illustrations! Such a heartwarming and wonderful graphic novel.

This was such a great graphic novel. Reading about the friendship between Rolando and Nera was such a delight. The two of them together road tripping together was just so much fun. Overall, a really solid graphic novel, I would be happy to read more of these two.

It was a nice and interesting read. However, I was confused a few times during my read due to timelapses (flashbacks vs present) and to the way the story is constructed and told. The characters were original, that’s for sure, but not that interesting. I didn’t get attached to them, nor did I feel anything towards them. I just enjoyed following their food truck journey. Moreover, I liked how the story is simple in order to talk about friendship and self-discovery.
I recommend to people looking for a short but wild graphic novel
3/5

This book was difficult to follow. There needed to be more differentiation between the flashbacks and present day. I did not feel invested in the character's lives or what was happening to them. The concept of the food truck war, was something I was interested in, but I don't think it was very well done. The story was more about the background of the main characters than about the actual food truck, which I think would have made a better story.

I wanted to like this more, but it fell a little flat for me. The premise is great- a guy breaks his arm, loses his job, and gets stuck in a funk until he meets a carefree young woman who lives in an old food truck. On a whim, he invests his severance into fixing up the food truck and they head out on the road, to travel and cook food, even though they know nothing about cooking or running a food truck. They get caught up in a food truck war with some thugs, and action ensues. Sounds like fun, right? But.... it wasn't, not really. The story flashes back and forth between the two meeting and the present, and the only way you can tell the difference is whether or not the guy has a cast on his arm. I can handle flashbacks, but this gets confusing fast. The main characters, Rolando and Nera, don't really grow over the course of the story (I take that back, Rolando gets some growth, Nera not so much), though they do develop a sweet, supportive friendship, and thank you Edgar Camacho, they don't end up romantically involved! I appreciated not having a useless, unnecessary romance. The disjointed back and forth timeline throws the pacing off; this could've used a more linear telling, or more distinction between past and present, or both. The action takes place mainly in the second half, with the first half being setup, and that could maybe have been balanced better. I do wish the magical realism aspects had been explored more too. The ending was satisfying, and I was happy with the way things turned out. Then there's the art. I didn't care for it at first, but it grew on me to the point that I can't imagine a better fit for the story.
Tl;dr version: Not a bad story, not great, but good. I can see potential for great work from Camacho in the future, and I'll look for his work again.

#OnionSkin #NetGalley

There is something of the Coen’s Brothers about Camacho’s Onion Skin. What starts as a tale of two 20-somethings chasing the dream of escaping a life of office monotony turns into a far more surprising story.

The chemistry between Rolando and Nera is what drives the story. Their contrasting personalities creates some great moments of heartfelt earnestness and oddball humour. The sequence after the two first properly meet and proceed to get drunk is one of my favourites in the book. It captures the possibility of going out with friends and not knowing what is going to happen next.

There is also a flavour of Edgar Wright’s movies in the way the panels are composed and the raw pencil work on display. Camacho takes bold decisions on what angles he uses, creating a dynamic momentum that propels the reader forward. Equally adept at illustrating thrilling motorway chase scenes as they are with more intimate moments of introspection Camacho should be applauded for the range he shows.

The book is very funny, mixing amusing observations about the tribulations of being a 20-something with laugh out loud slapstick action sequences.

It is the sort of comic you want to see adapted into a movie or TV series. It is the sort of comic you want to have a sequel to. It is the sort of comic where you worry about both these things being done right.

For those looking quirky crime caper with electrifying action and a big earnest heart, this should be your jam.

Two strangers have a fateful meeting, during which they decide to fix up an old food truck, hit the road, and leave their lives behind.

I enjoyed the interesting illustration style. The disjointed story telling was a little strange/awkward at first. But as I got used to the two timelines it started to make more sense.

Camacho’s distinctive loose sketch style is worthy of praise, and I was often drawn to the unique details of the page that I might have overlooked in a more traditional tight comic illustration. One image in particular toward the beginning of the book struck me. The panel illustration shows a plate of half-eaten chilaquiles. In front of the plate sits Rolando’s discarded glasses, and in the reflection we see his frustration and tears.

However, I was most intrigued by his narrative style. Much like onion skin, this story is told in multiple layers. The narrative alternates between two transitional moments in their relationship – the events leading to their first run in the food truck, and the events that eventually lead to the dramatic chase from the beginning of the book. The alternating scenes end in alternating panels. Each layer is different but parallel.

I had a hard time following the format of this book- back and forth, back and forth. The story itself is okay but not that compelling for me.

Honestly, a bit of a mess. Hard to tell when something was a flashback and when it wasn't. Generally uninteresting characters. I struggle to have much positive to say.

Onion Skin by Edgar Camacho is a tale of friendship, love, trust, adventure, dreams and finding yourself.
When Reynaldo meets Nera, they instantly hit it off. Both of them are tired of their boring life and go for an adventure which leads them to the idea of a food truck, where they learn of new struggles and difficulties.
The plot kept on going back and forth where it was kind of difficult to differentiate past from present.
The art style was quirky and fun but not my favourite.
Overall, an okay book to read.

Edgar Camacho's Onion Skin is a captivating story full of interesting characters and a food and romance/adventure-fueled plot. The narrative is rich and complex; the characters have great development throughout the story; and the illustrations are unique and like nothing I've seen before. I'll be keeping an eye out for more work by Edgar Camacho.

Nice art, love the indie style of the art, half comical half serious but effective in any case.

In terms of the story it was good as well. Bit confusing at the beginning but asy to follow afterwards. Just to say, probably the same story could've been told in a few less pages. But OK anyway.