Fantastic art, but the characters are all one-dimensional assholes. Someone will be introduced by name and die a few pages later without any characterization in the intervening time. It's also occasionally difficult to track the choreography of the car chases because so much is happening all at once; I found myself feeling a little lost more than once and just sort of going with it until I could figure out what mattered.

Alyson used to be a getaway wheelman until a job that she roped her brother into went south and he died. Now, she is given a chance to change her past is she wins this race. Unfortunately, she and 19 other drivers are racing through time, confronting dinosaurs, mad warriors, natural disasters and tricky situations that will whittle down the competition until only one survives. Who will survive? And will the prize be worth it? Come along on this wild ride!

I was very excited to read this graphic novel due to the description and the cover. And I was not disappointed! Alyson Levy is given a chance to fix one mistake in her life if she can win a massive cross country race put on by Casper Quellex. There's just one catch. Each leg of the race is set in a different time period. So not she's not only contending with the other racers but also with dinosaurs and other fun obstacles.

I loved this book! I can't wait to see what else is thrown at all the drivers. I'm so excited to read volume 2!

It's only a matter of time before this becomes the premise of the next The Fast and the Furious movie. They went to space in the most recent one, about the only thing left is time travel.

Alyson Levy is the best getaway driver in the business but something went wrong in the last job and someone she loved got hurt. Now she's presented with the opportunity to go into the past and rectify her mistake. All she has to do is win a race through time. Don't think too deeply about this one. Just enjoy the action packed scenes as the racers go Speed Racer style through different time periods and get wrapped up in local events. This was fun and exciting. Can't wait to read the second half of this.

A very cool and different premise, in which a series of thieves, killers and just plain messed up people are pulled from our time and made to race to the death through time in order to win the hope of changing one big mistake in their pasts. Great art and a fun concept with likeable characters.

An engaging and beautifully drawn first issue. The story is pulpy but in a very masterful way (as we can see from the brilliant cover) and the protagonist is a bit of a breath of fresh air. Looking forward to the other issues.

So much packed in this, love stories which revolve around car races with bunch of unique people, getting to know more about their personalities. It's really fast paced, keeps you interested and the artwork fits well into the premise and style of the story.

Interesting book to read and not what I thought it would be when first requesting the book, not necissarily in a bad way. I think it was interesting overall bit I dont think that I will be looking at any of the other volumes after this as it did get a bit repetative at times.

I quite enjoyed this "urban" graphic novel with a lot of speed. It should inspire a great movie based on the graphic novel. Thanks Netgalley!

This graphic novel was beautiful to look at! The art style is stunning! I think I would gladly buy a poster or some decorative art in this style. As for the actual plot? I don't know, its fun but I did not find it particularly substantial. I don't know if I would necessarily pick up the next volume.

This collection of comics was unexpectedly right up my alley. The characters were well developed and the action was nonstop. Definitely looking forward to volume 2.

Really cool concept, amazing art that was very well suited to the narrative. I think the protagonist is unusual, but compelling to follow, and I like seeing what regrets people have that dragged them into this scenario. There were a LOT of characters but given how many of these folks get eliminated, I'm not too surprised... though it does sometimes feel like a lot to balance in one volume. I do wish there was a bit more lore to pull me into volume 2, but I'm definitely interested in picking up the next installment!

"A former criminal driver is given the chance at redemption by entering a car race but there's just one catch: each leg covers a different period in history.

If you had a chance to fix a mistake from your past, would you take it? Alyson Levy would.

Guilt weighs heavy on former criminal "wheelman," Alyson, who led an illicit life that left hers shattered. Enter Casper Quellex, an eccentric businessman who offers her the break of a lifetime: a massive cross-country car race that grants the winner an opportunity to correct a single mistake in their life. But here’s the catch - each leg covers a different period in history. As if keeping the cars on the often-questionable (sometimes nonexistent) roads and staying ahead of competition wasn’t enough, the drivers will now have to contend with medieval warriors, dinosaurs, and natural disasters…it's all a possibility. Only the one who survives it all will be proven the winner, and like that, Alyson and the rest of the drivers find themselves in a gut-wrenching race through time and quickly learn that they must band together to form any chance for survival. But for an opportunity to turn back time, Alyson will drive from the Big Bang to the death knell of the universe."

Taking the car race premise to a WHOLE. NEW. LEVEL!

“Like Death Race, but with time travel. ” -Me. That’s it. That’s the review. JK.

I didn’t get up to much after work yesterday. Was in bed a little after 8, but I did read this awesome trade collection of the first six issues of Backtrack, annnnnd imma need more. Like yesterday. It really is like Death Race but with dinosaurs, some cebturion like soldiers annnnnnd Soviet operatives.

Imagine if you had the opportunity to fix your biggest mistake. That’s the offer to all of these racers who have come to compete for the win. It’s just a 30 mile drive, how hard could it be? Turns out VERY hard. These characters will race through time, but only one will survive to fix their mistakes. People with nothing left to lose will do anything, and the game master knows that.

I love the concept. The art is dope, and I can’t wait to see where this series goes. This collection is out now if it sounds up your alley.

'Backtrack, Vol. 1' by Brian Jones and Doug Garbark with art by Jake Elphick is about a group of racers racing through time.

A group of racers with regrets are approached with an opportunity: Win the race and have a chance to fix a mistake of the past. A woman receives the invite with a poignant reminder of her error and takes the challenge. The first race finds racers in prehistoric times outrunning dinosaurs on the way to a waypoint.

It's an interesting premise as long as you don't look too deep. Somehow muscle cars are able to run on any terrain. Somehow people who desperately want to win are cooperating. It's still quite a bit of fun and the art is not bad, either.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

My thanks to Oni Press for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Backtrack Vol 1’ by Brian Joines in exchange for an honest review. This fast paced graphic novel is illustrated by Jake Elphick.

“If you had a chance to fix a mistake from your past, would you take it? Alyson Levy would.”

Alyson is a former criminal wheelman weighed down with guilt. Then Casper Quellex, an eccentric businessman, approaches her with the opportunity to take part in a massive cross-country car race. The winner will be granted an opportunity to correct a single mistake in their life. Sounds simple but there’s a catch - each leg of the race covers a different period in history. It’s deadly and only one can survive. Not great odds.

I adored the cover art and thought the premise of a time travelling car race sounded brilliant. However, I just didn’t mesh with the story. I enjoyed some of it but often felt adrift and uncertain what was happening.

I expect that this will be of more interest to readers that enjoy the Fast and Furious franchise, are into cars and racing, and seek full on action sequences in their graphic novels.

As a result of it not being my thing, I won’t be seeking out Vol 2.

Backtrack was a rollercoaster! I enjoyed it, ALMOST completely!

This graphic novel has a lot of promise, at first doing something so rare and that’s bringing an original concept to a genre and medium it really belongs in.

This volume will appeal to fans of cars, Fast & Furious and anything time travel-y; it’s an interesting take to draw in readers and nerds alike and I finished with delight, well delight in the sense of action!

However, I don’t think it fully latched on to me, I had fun and had these moments with it but I didn’t get quite the rush a story like this needs from you.

It’s worth a shot to see which way it drives you because it has the roots to be some people’s favourites - unfortunately for me it didn’t entirely get there!


Thank you to Netgalley & One Press for an arc of this volume in return for an honest review!

Do you like car racing movies like The Fast and The Furious? Would you like them more if they included time travel?!

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Thank you @onipress and @netgalley for the ARC of Backtrack vol.1 #1-5 byBrian Joines, Doug Garbark, and Jake Elphick. This action packed graphic novel comes out November 17th.

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Synopsis from the publisher: If you had a chance to fix a mistake from your past, would you take it? Alyson Levy would. Guilt weighs heavy on former criminal “wheelman,” Alyson, who led an illicit life that left hers shattered. Enter Casper Quellex, an eccentric businessman who offers her the break of a lifetime: a massive cross-country car race that grants the winner an opportunity to correct a single mistake in their life. But here’s the catch – each leg covers a different period in history. As if keeping the cars on the often-questionable (sometimes nonexistent) roads and staying ahead of competition wasn’t enough, the drivers will now have to contend with medieval warriors, dinosaurs, and natural disasters…it’s all a possibility. Only the one who survives it all will be proven the winner, and like that, Alyson and the rest of the drivers find themselves in a gut-wrenching race through time and quickly learn that they must band together to form any chance for survival. But for an opportunity to turn back time, Alyson will drive from the Big Bang to the death knell of the universe.

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This is a fast paced, action packed, and super violent graphic novel! The vivid and colorful illustrations have the storyline an extra punch that keeps the reader reading as fast as they can to see what happens next. I will definitely be looking forward to vol. 2 to find out how this epic race concludes.

The Concept for this really caught my eye. I'm a big fan of action movies and graphic novels and I really wanted a little fast paced action in between everything I've been reading. In this we meet Alyson Levy, a past driver who now spends her days drinking til she can't stand. It's obvious from the start that there's something weighing down Levy, of course, in comes a mysterious man who offers Levy a chance to right her wrong. There is just one condition, she needs to win a race, which sounds too good to be true.

At first suspicious, she relents and qualifies, however, it's not just any race and she finds herself not only struggling to win but also survive. Since this is the first volume I gave it some leeway when it came to set up, but there's a lot of dialogue in this. The action is okay, but it doesn't pick up much until the end. WE also only get to see snippets of what happened with Levy that made her accept this deal. I was hopping I would get to see more than what was given but I understand the need to spread it out.

There also a large cast of characters, most of whom didn't matter or are very annoying, but there are a handful I do like . The artwork is good and does carry the action scenes well.

Overall, an interesting premise that has a lot of promise.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this Arc in exchange for a honest review..

Fast and Furious meets time travel, I really enjoyed this! I loved how we got to meet a female protagonist that seems like a badass. The idea of winning a race through time travel to take back things you've done in life and to have everything you want was fantastic!

The art and style of this was amazing, the vivid colours and shading made it really stand out. I didn't like the fact that there was no English translation for the foreign languages, I felt like I was missing a part of the story.

I loved the cliffhanger, it was a ride! Can't wait for Vol.2!