Backways takes you places you are never supposed to go.
Creative Staff:
Story: Justin Jordan
Art: Eleonora Carlini
Colors: Silvia Tidei
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
What They Say:
There is a hidden nation. A nation of magic and madness, one that exists in all the forgotten spaces. Your basement, your attic, the haunted house down the street, anyone of those might be a part of the Backways.
Anna Merrick lost someone in the Backways, and she’ll stop at NOTHING to get them back. Even if it means unleashing something unimaginable.
From Justin Jordan (STRAYER, Green Lantern: New Guardians) and Eleonora Carlini (Batgirl, Doctor Who) comes the BRAND NEW series of magic, mystery and mayhem that is sure to appeal to fans of Harry Potter & The Chronicles of Narnia!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
When I discovered the horror section of VHS rental stores, I quickly gravitated to those contemporary fantasy movies that added an imaginative crossroads that made the real world seem like it might offer more possibilities. Backways does that in a way that fits my contemporary internet-browsing self.
The world of Backways reminds me of a 1980s New Twilight Zone type of story. In our real world lies a secret, magical world in the places and spaces we have forgotten. Abandoned places become the domain for creatures who have “knacks,” magical abilities to control others, intermingle. Issue 1 only approaches the details of the story from the perspective of our heroine, Anna, a teen with attitude. She is looking for Sylvia, who has gone missing after trying to communicate with Anna through a mirror.
While Jordan’s story self-consciously plays with the “through the looking glass” motif, it creates a fantasy world with creatures more suited to basic cable horror shows and comic book villains. That is not a knock at the characters as the writing interweaves many disparate elements into a cohesive fabric the way well-written TV has always found ways to skew the world with enough absurdity that it makes the stories work even when a summary of the episode might cause one to roll her eyes. In Backways, the only eyes that roll are Anna’s as she enters a world that seems threatening to everyone other than her.
When I read the preview pages, I knew I would like to see more of the story. It seems that Anna has had a friend go missing. Eleonora Carlini’s art offers characters in dynamic poses. We see a character, I assume is Sylvia, leaning toward a lit makeup mirror calling for Anna. The character wears pentagram earrings with a background wall holding a poster that appears to be the skull logo of the horror punk band, Misfits. For readers of a certain age, the iconography calls out to the Satanic panic era of the 1980s which establishes the concept of a secret, dark world where mayhem operates unchecked.
Details in the artwork are important, and they provide depth in this issue. When readers are introduced to the supernatural creature, Coyote Bones, she seems decorated like a Dia de Muertos sugar skull with some other spiritual symbols added on. Of note, she wears a Hand of Fatima symbol on her forehead. It seems that the intended reader of Backways should pay close attention to the symbolism when considering the characters and their motives.
Even as the writing and the illustrations develop meanings, Silvia Tidei’s colors shape every panel. Using shadows, juxtaposing values, and a rich set of complementary colors, the book creates shifting moods without calling attention to what it does best.
In Summary:
Backways offers a nuanced narrative that pays off on the surface, visual level with interesting characters and visceral scenes of motion and energy. The target audience will also have the patience to look closely at the artwork for other layers of meaning as panels often contain meaningful symbols that will shape the reader’s understanding if they want to do a little detective work.
Issue 1 doesn’t give up the secrets of the series, but it offers fans an interesting world of a girl who has entered a supernatural space that exists in the forgotten. While not overly upfront with what readers can expect in the future, Backways lays the groundwork for a series that will attract a readership that demands sequential art to engage them on aesthetic and intellectual levels. It looks like it may be a fun supernatural mystery/adventure, as well.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 9+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: December 20th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
