Backstagers #1

Written by: James Tynion IV
Illustrated by: Rian Sygh
Colors by: Walter Baiamonte
Letters by: Jim Campbell
Publisher: BOOM!

The Backstagers starts with Jory, a kid who just enrolled at an all-boys high school after moving to a new city, hiding from the rest of the school in the bushes. His mom encourages him to join a school club and he nervously goes to sign up to the drama club. He ends up coming across the stage crew and they go on an adventure involving a tiara, tool mice and disappearing rooms. In the end, Jory decides to become a part of the stage crew. It's a fun story that sets up what promises to be a good series.

I suspect that like me, some people got this issue based off how good Tynion's Detective Comics has been and in spite of how different both of those might seem on the surface, Backstagers does hit some of the same notes as the DC ongoing. Both are about a team of loveable misfits who care and support for each other and both have . I don't think everyone who likes this will like Detective Comics or viceversa because of differences in tone but they aren't completely different books.

Tynion is good at making the audience stand-in, Jory, the type of character that you want to root for. The other characters are less fleshed out but they still have enough personality to feel distinct from each other. Some of the humour didn't really land for me but I can live with that. I could definitely see kids growing to cherish this comic. I was never into theater but I definitely would've loved to have this as a child. The moment where Jory decides to join the stage crew is very touching, as he tells them all the things that just happened to him, the actors ignore him but when he goes backstage he is welcomed with open arms.

The world-building is enthralling, you could over-complicate it but Tynion goes out of his way to tell the reader to just go with it. Starting this issue with Jory being uncomfortable at his new school, a feeling most people can probably relate to, before launching into a more fantastical world is a smart choice, especially because in the end the story comes back to being all about a group of friends who support each other.

The detail and inventiveness that Rian Sygh puts into the world at every point also helps the comic book stand out, and the paneling was fantastic as well. Although some of the backgrounds are very detailed Sygh also knows when to make panels simpler and just highlight a character or an object. Speaking of which, Baiamonte's coloring was my favorite aspect of the book. He just knows how to use contrast to make a page pop and I love all the pink and purple tones of the book.

Backstagers #1 is a very entertaining read. The story is cheerful and light-hearted and the art is lovely. Definitely a comic to look for if you are a fan of BOOM! Box or if you are just looking for something fun to read.