James Tynion IV

"Originally published in single magazine form as The backstagers no. 1-4"--Indicia.

The Backstagers

James Tynion IV (Detective Comics, The Woods) teams up with artist Rian Sygh (Munchkin, Stolen Forest) for an incredibly earnest story that explores what it means to find a place to fit in when you're kinda an outcast. When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he's taken in by the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Hunter, Aziz, Sasha, and Beckett become his new best friends and introduce him to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain that the rest of the school doesn't know about, filled with strange creatures, changing hallways, and a decades-old legend of a backstage crew that went missing and was never found. Collects the first four issues.

The Backstagers Vol. 1

Wes Michaud

this book made my former tech kid heart sing

chloe rae

maybe more of a 3.5*

Adorable. That's what this was. I felt like it was a little too long, which is odd because I'm not sure I've ever really thought that about a graphic novel before. It also took me a little longer than expected to get into but once I did, I really enjoyed this. 
This is gonna sound dumb but I'm an actor and the actors in this were pretty awful and that did kind of bother me? Yes, there are awful actors that do treat their crew like crap but I guess I just came from a school that wasn't like that? At my college (and high school) everyone respected each other's jobs and we all crewed on some shows and then acted in others. We were a family; there wasn't really a line between talent and crew. But that's just me and I realize that without the actors being dumb and annoying, this story would've been missing some drama.
Overall, a super cute story! And the art was STUNNING.

Lisa Sepulveda

This graphic novel really was nostalgic for me !! Backstage is a wonderful and magical place and I almost preferred being back behind the scene to being on the stage. 
The queerness was so cute and I loved the dramatic illustration of age !! I can 100% not wait to read vol. 2 if you have any ties to the theater world this will bring you back “home” and give you a fun adventure to experience ❤️

The Backstagers uncover a bigger group of outsiders living inside the magical backstage universe, and an offer is put on the table for them to leave their real world forever.

The Backstagers #7

Abi Baker

Holy wow that Veronica Fish cover is beautiful.

This issue broke my heart a little, especially with it being the second to last issue we're ever going to get.

Jory and the Backstagers being gone for two months is a huge thing, and I feel as though it is being trivialised just a little. They're all banned from seeing each other, but they still do (typical teenagers right).
Jory and Hunter no longer being together and crying about it in the library genuinely made me really upset because I've been rooting for them from the start. 
Sasha playing football was also a super cute panel, and I wish we got to see more of him this issue. 

Maybe I'm just not used to reading all ages comics. Anything bad that gets thrown at the Backstagers seems to be resolved in the same issue, or the next one. Anything done for dramatic purposes never seems to last long and it all turns out okay. It's either the comic's intended audience or the fact that we've only got eight issues, but exploration of any themes raised doesn't tend to happen or have enough depth for me.

I still like this comic, I really do, but something feels a little lacking for me.

Izza

4 stars | This gave me Steven Universe vibes? I'm here for it!

Connor 

WHAT A DELIGHT (and the perfect study break). I wish more people would write about backstage--it's such a special sort of place and group of people and was probably the highlight of my own high school career tbh

Demi

An absolute 5 star read for me!!!

This graphic novel has easily become my absolute favourite I’ve ever read!! The art style was beautiful, the plot was so interesting, unique, and gripping, and all of the characters were so well written and I absolutely fell in love with them all. I will 100% be continuing this graphic novel because I honestly can’t wait to see what happens!!

All the world's a stage . . . but what happens behind the curtain is pure magic—literally! Jory and the rest of the Backstagers have one goal this semester: to put on the best show their town’s ever seen. But best laid plans aren’t easy to achieve when there’s an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain! When one of the actors suddenly goes missing, the Backstagers must band together to save their comrade and maintain the natural balance of . . . theater. James Tynion IV (Detective Comics, The Woods) and artist Rian Sygh (Munchkin, Stolen Forest) explore what it means to be an outcast looking to find one’s place in an earnest story of friendship and self-expression.

Maggie Gordon

The Backstagers is such an odd, but lovely addition to the middle school graphic novel scene. It tells the story of a group of boys who take care of the backstage of all their school's theatre productions, but of course they get caught up in magical shenanigans. I love seeing such diverse representations of boys, and stories for young queer boys. If you like Steven Universe, this is bound to be a hit as well!

I'm... not 100% sure I understand what I just read, but it was rather fun! The Backstagers is about the crew of high schoolers who take care of the behind-the-scenes stuff in their drama department. What makes the series stand out, however, is the fact that backstage is actually magic, and this is a book about young boys that act far differently than the normal offerings available to dudes. These are funny, sympathetic, queer, excitable boys, and it's rather refreshing to see such a wide range of behaviour that doesn't conform to the standards of masculinity. I would have liked a more solid story and one of the characters seems like an expy/suspiciously similar character of Steven Universe, but overall, it's a weird little story that I think is a super valuable addition to the graphic novel genre geared towards younger readers.

Patricia Macías García

Supercuqui, supermágico y superoriginal. A mí me ha encantado <3

Tiffany Robinson

This took me a little bit to get into, but once I did it was very enjoyable and interesting.

Candyce Kirk

Another cute backstage adventure. It was sweet to see the crew get together to save the show.

The Backstagers, Vol. 2

Taylor 

I LOVE THISSSS! The friendships, the relationships, the backstories of characters, the art. It's all fantastic! I definitely cried at the end and just want moreeee. I would have liked to see a certain relationship forming instead of having that section off page.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. I feel the characters could be a little more developed and would like to see the connection between them all a little bit better. The diversity, topics portrayed and conflict resolution is amazing! I can't wait to further emerse myself in this world.

Carolina Poças

Renee Delcourt

I really really enjoyed this graphic novel. It's been a long time since I have rated a graphic novel higher than 3 stars but this book was just so fantastical and unique. I loved the art style and the representation so much. I found myself laughing out loud, especially being some one who was part of a drama club in high school and relating to some of the quips. 

I highly recommend this really fun series and I can't wait to continue the next volume!

Aziz and Sasha take it upon themselves to dig deeper into the mystery of the backstage world, while the rest of the Backstagers get closer to the cast members of the latest show.

The Backstagers #6

Jory and Hunter are officially boyfriends!!

God this comic is the absolute cutest and I hate that there's only two issues left of it.

It's intriguing and all of our boys are lovable. Sasha is adorable and I love how he only sees the good in people.

Jory and Hunter kissed though!! That really happened.
Honestly this comic is a gem and I wish everyone read it.

Erin 

Not my thing unfortunately. Has more comic book vibes than graphic novel vibes, which I think is a problem for me. Cool that it’s about being backstage though, points for that.

The Backstagers

Reviews