#brian joines

Backtrack #1 (2020)  

Bill & Ted: Go to Hell #1 (2016)

Imagine Agents #4

Backtrack Volume 2 delivers the thrilling conclusion to the series. Find out which of the drivers ends up winning the race. #Comics #ComicBooks

Backtrack returns in the second volume of this full-throttle action series. Written by Brian Joines, the story follows a group of professional drivers from all walks of life. Each has been offered the chance to right their life’s greatest mistake. All they have to do is enter a race and be the first to cross the finish line of the final leg. Of course, there’s a catch. The drivers find themselves…

Backtrack #3 Oni Press 2020 Created & Written by Brian Joines Illustrated b Jake Elphick Coloured by Doug Garbark Lettered by Jim Campbell    Alyson and company turn up high and dry in an uncharted forest in China. But this leg of the competition comes with an unwelcome twist, and our drivers find themselves in a literal race against time when a mysterious clock begins ticking down. The question is, what happens when it hits zero?    Just when you think you have figured out kind of what’s happening the guys decide to say “hold my beer.”  The story just gets that much more trippy and unexpected seemingly with each turn of the page.  I was all set to enjoy a racing story, kind of like one we’d see in Nascar race but obviously with a twist or something along the lines of a film like the Transporter.  So I was not expecting this and for this I thank them.  I was already hooked on the last issue but this solidifies itself as one of those series that is a complete game changer.  I am here to tell about the books that I read, some are exceptional (this for instance) others not so much and then of course everything in between.   I do this because in all honesty so many of you don’t look past the top three.  Some of today’s best storytelling is coming from small-press and indie publishing and if you want to read something extraordinary then you should be reading this.    The way that this is being told is extremely nice to see.  The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented beautifully.  There is this amazing fluidity to what we see that honestly shouldn’t exist but it does.  The character development that we see is incredibly interesting.  Is there really any honour among thieves?  Well we’ll find out I guess as the story keeps moving forward through their actions and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they find themselves facing.  I do like how we get to see some background information while they are waiting for the next leg of the race.  The pacing is sublime and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns along the way shows how it all works together to create the books ebb & flow.    The interiors here are really nicely done.  The linework is nice and strong and the varying weights are being utilised to show the attention to detail is beautifully rendered.  The only drawback is that we don’t see backgrounds being utilised to their fullest.  I mean am one who thinks they are essential in providing depth perception, scale and that overall sense of size and scope for the book.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a very good, solid and strong eye for storytelling.  The colour work we see is pretty amazing.  The choice of colours and how we see the hues and tones within them utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work are extremely well rendered.    This is a story unlike anything you could possibly expect it to be.  The guys do some incredible work throughout to ensure that not only are you entertained but your mind is engaged as well.  Plus as an added bonus there’s a bit of history to learn along the way.  If you don’t know your world history then no worries because the answers are provided as well.  However don’t dismiss the importance of world history because the backdrop of this series is literally events that have happened around the world and that adds this whole new dimension to the story. ​    Oni Press is home to some of the most interesting and eclectic mix of storytelling that is meant to blow your mind wide open.

Backtrack #1 Oni Press 2020 Created & Written by Brian Joines Illustrated by Jake Elphick Coloured by Doug Garbark Lettered by Jim Campbell     Guilt weighs heavy on former criminal "wheelman," Alyson, who led an illicit life that left her shattered into pieces. But when she hears about a massive cross-history car race that grants the winner a chance to correct a single mistake in their life, Alyson will drive from the Big Bang to the death knell of the universe for the grand prize.     I have to say this took me by surprise and I am not really sure why. Oni Press has a stellar track record and I have absolutely loved what I read from them. It could have been because the cover gives me this 70's/80's vibe in poster form or that with the title I had no clue what to really expect. I mean has Alyson been wearing pink instead of black this could've been a Happy Days Pinky Tuscadero moment for sure. In hindsight looking at the cover I should have been clued in but hey sometimes the cover has nothing to do with the interiors, mostly these days.     I will hand it to Brian the opening is great and to be honest I really thought that she was dreaming it and then woken up in a drunken mess. I figured that made sense to me. Heh fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me now there best not be a third heh. Though I will say that seeing Alyson's life as it has become is really depressing. Without even knowing much about her, other than she's a drunk, you feel sorry for her and a large part of that is thanks to the interiors by the way as they provide the clues to who she is now, to a degree.     The story & plot development that we see with how the sequence of events unfold and how the reader learns information is exceptionally well done. The set up and the introduction of Casper Quellex is handled beautifully and it really sets thing in motion. Plus it adds a bit of mystery and intrigue into the mix that just ups the ante. The character development that we see is amazing and as Casper tells more about Alyson than we'd ever get elsewhere it reveals a lot about himself as well. The pacing here is great and the way it takes us through pages revealing the twists and turns along the way works with everything else to create an exciting and intriguing ebb & flow to the book.     The interiors here are interesting there is some really thick linework that almost brings this exaggerated feel to the characters and this is balanced out by some finer lines when it comes to subtle details such as in the hands. The attention to detail is really nice to see and the faces and facial expressions give us so much emotion and feeling that it just enhances the characterisation. I also really like the sense of moment that we see here and that's critical to a story such as this. Backgrounds are utilised extremely well and within the composition in the panels they help create depth perception, scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story. The colour work is really well rendered here also as we see some really great utilisation of the hues and tones within the colours to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. ​     This is not at all what I was expecting and yet now it is something I am not sure I can live without. This is so well written with an interesting concept, great complex characters and some absolutely beautiful interior artwork.  

WonderCon 2019: Lion Forge Announces Backtrack by Brian Joines and Jake Elphick #comics #comicbooks #wondercon

Lion Forge continues to ramp up its 2019 line of creator-owned comic book series with concepts every bit as original and unique as the creators behind them. Today, in conjunction with the opening of WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, the publisher announces Backtrack, an all-new, high-stakes series from creators Brian Joines and Jake Elphick! Backtrack is one part Fast and Furious, one part Back to the…