The Backups: A Summer of Stardom

About the Author\nAlex de Campi is the Eisner-nominated writer of Archie vs. Predator, Kat & Mouse, No Mercy, Agent Boo, and Semiautomagic. She lives in Maine with her awesome daughter and two dogs. Find her online on her website and on Twitter!\nLara Kane is a freelance artist for animation and comics. She has worked as a storyboard artist for animation studios such as Tandem Films, HIT Entertainment and Brown Bag Films. Her previous comics work includes Flash Gordon and Semiautomagic.\nDee Cunniffe is an award-winning Irish designer who worked for over a decade in publishing and advertising. He gave it all up to pursue his love of comics. He has colored The Dregs and Eternal at Black Mask, The Paybacks and Interceptor at Heavy Metal, Her Infernal Descent, The Replacer and Stronghold at Aftershock, Marvel's Runaways, DC's Lucifer, and Redneck at Skybound.\nTed Brandt is a UK-based inker, though he works mostly in the American market. He has worked for Action Lab on the acclaimed Raven: the Pirate Princess, as well as Marvel’s Mighty Captain Marvel and Steve Rogers: Captain America. His most known work is the Eisner- and GLAAD-nominated series CROWDED, from Image Comics.\nStep into the spotlight with The Backups, a graphic novel from writer Alex de Campi and artist Lara Kane about crushes, confidence, and catchy choruses!\nSpending an entire summer on tour as a backup singer for pop star Nika Nitro? What?! That’s the DREAM, right? Especially for Jenni, Lauren, and Maggie, three misfit performing arts students with hopes of making it in the music world.\nBut being twenty feet from fame isn’t easy. Between crushes, constant rehearsals, Nika’s sky-high expectations, and their own insecurities, this dream is starting to feel more like a nightmare. And that’s before they accidentally start a beef with a rival band threatening to reveal a secret that could end Nika’s career.\nCan this trio of new friends come together to save the tour, or will the Backups be kept out of the spotlight forever?\nAn Imprint Book\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 7 Up-Three Brooklyn Performing Arts High School juniors land the gig of a lifetime. Jenni, a fat white aspiring singer; Lauren, a Black cellist with a tendency toward perfectionism; and Maggie, an Asian drummer, accustomed to the sexism of the heavy metal scene, will be singing backup on pop star Nika Nitro's tour. However, lengthy rehearsals, constant criticism, and the lingering effects of pretour drama make this dream job more like a nightmare. Plus, Nika's no-dating policy hampers a burgeoning romance between Jenni and former boy-band star Tommy Vincent. On the first stop, in Miami, the girls agree to a musical grudge match with Maggie's favorite metal band right before their first official tour show. Will the Backups successfully harness their musical talents-and make it back in time for Nika's show? Readers will cheer on the Backups as they find their creative footing, stand up to poison-tongue haters, and forge a fierce friendship. Stylized, clean-lined art focuses on characters over backgrounds and conveys an upbeat tone that matches the pop music vibe. With the book focusing primarily on tour preparation and depicting only the first tour stop, some will wonder whether there is an intended sequel. Though the premise of a pop singer hiring inexperienced high school students strains credulity, readers likely won't mind. The cast is diverse in terms of ethnicity, body type, and LGBTQIA+ identities, and de Campi explores relevant issues, such as body-shaming and bullying. VERDICT Come for the wacky shenanigans; stay for the heartfelt friendships. Ideal for teen pop enthusiasts.-Pearl Derlaga, York County P.L., VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

De Campi, Alex

Children's Books

Imprint

Step into the spotlight withThe Backups, a graphic novel from writer Alex de Campi and artist Lara Kane about crushes, confidence, and catchy choruses! Spending an entire summer on tour as a backup singer for pop star Nika Nitro?What?!That's the DREAM, right? Especially for Jenni, Lauren, and Maggie, three misfit performing arts students with hopes of making it in the music world. But being twenty feet from fame isn't easy. Between crushes, constant rehearsals, Nika's sky-high expectations, and their own insecurities, this dream is starting to feel more like a nightmare. And that'sbefore they accidentally start a beef with a rival band threatening to reveal a secret that could end Nika's career. Can this trio of new friends come together to save the tour, or will the Backups be kept out of the spotlight forever? An Imprint Book

NOMINATED FOR THREE EISNER AWARDS, INCLUDING: BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM, BEST WRITER, AND BEST LETTERING In this heart-pounding, starkly colored, and visually stunning graphic novel, three women have twelve hours to get out of Cuba with six-million dollars on the night of New Year’s Eve 1958. Gangster’s moll Carole, jazz singer Taffy, and mambo queen Ana all have their reasons for needing to escape the El Eden Casino in Havana. And on the tumultuous night of New Year’s Eve, when Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista flees the country and the nation falls to Fidel Castro, they get their chance...with the help of six suitcases filled with stolen dirty money. Of course, it’s one thing to get the cash...and quite another to get off the island alive. From the Eisner-nominated writer Alex de Campi and virtuoso artist Victor Santos, this story of three strong and multifaceted women struggling to leave their pasts behind in a tension-filled getaway is timely, fast-paced, and gripping.

Bad Girls

Comics & Graphic Novels

SANTOS, VÍCTOR

Graphic Novels

Gallery 13

Collecting comic book issues #1-4, this GRAPHIC NOVEL tells a brand-new story in Sarah Fine’s RELIQUARY universe!Bestselling author Sarah Fine (Marked, Sanctum) gives hard-boiled noir a magical edge in this stand-alone four-issue comic book adventure—where crime collides with conjuring in the spellbinding world of her Reliquary series. Featuring an action-packed script by Alex De Campi (No Mercy, Grindhouse) and stunning art from Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir).Freelance thief-for-hire Asa Ward’s latest job is heisting a powerful magic relic from a gangster’s lair. But what should be an easy payday quickly becomes larceny the hard way—when he’s dragged into a three-way crime war where mind-bending, body-racking magic is the most lethal weapon of all. And just when Asa thinks he’s scored, the ruthless kingpin he’s ripping off strikes back…threatening the only life Asa values more than his own.

Mayhem and Magic: The Graphic Novel (The Reliquary)

Fine, Sarah

Jet City Comics

Professor Alice Creed doesn't have tenure. And she never will, as long as she keeps ditching her lectures to kill monsters. But when a dark force from between universes begins seducing young souls through an innocent computer game, she packs her occult relics, holy water, and iPad to kick eldritch ass! Throw in a friend unstuck in time, an army of evil mannequins, a college student possessed by a demon, and the worst flight experience ever, and you have a week in the life of techno-occult adventurer Alice Creed! Alex de Campi (Archie vs. Predator) and Jerry Ordway (Superman, Crisis On Infinite Earths) present the first two Semiautomagic stories from their acclaimed runs in Dark Horse Presents!

Semiautomagic

Manga

Dark Horse Books

America's favorite teen meets the galaxy's fiercest hunter! When Archie and friends hit Costa Rica for spring break, partying and beach games are soon replaced by the Most Dangerous Game! Lured by the challenge of Betty and Veronica's unparalleled fierceness, a teenaged Predator from the stars follows the gang back to Riverdale, where it prepares for its most bizarre hunt ever. But will the kids even realize they're in danger before they end up in the creature's horrifying trophy case?! Collects issues #1-#4 of the smash-hit Archie vs. Predator. First time in paperback!

Archie vs. Predator

Reversal

True War Stories: An Illustrated Military Anthology of American Service from Vietnam to Today

Biographies & Memoirs

Krumbhaar, Khai

Leaders & Notable People

IMAGE COMICS +

From the minds of games legend Cliff Bleszinski (Fortnite, Gears of War) and bestselling writer Alex de Campi (DRACULA, MOTHERF**KER!, PARASOCIAL) comes an action-packed story meant for anyone who's ever wanted to pet the dog in a video game (Mom: don't worry, none of the animals die). Scrapper is a good dog, adopted by good people. Sure, he spends his nights patrolling his post-apocalyptic metropolis with his buddy Tank, protecting its citizens from the city's totalitarian overlords, but everyone needs a hobby, right? When a catastrophe sends Scrapper's world spiraling out of control, he will need to rally the city's critters -- strays and undesirables -- to save both themselves and the humans all around them. Collects Scrapper #1-#6. Select praise for Scrapper: "The futuristic canine superhero epic you never knew you needed. But you do. You need this." --Gary Whitta "Never thought I'd love a hard boiled whodunnit with a talking dog as lead detective but here we are. Scrapper seamlessly blends absurd circumstance with painfully relatable human nature... plus, talking dogs!" --Seth Green "There's a new dog in town. Let Scrapper and Tank take you on a tour of the mean streets of New Verona. With humor, pathos and flair, they fight crooks, rats, and the agents of SMITE--and learn the truth about Scrapper's origins. Kinetic canine fun you won't want to miss. --D.B. Weiss, co-creator of Game of Thrones "A badass dog superhero? Yes please!" --Felicia Day "This is my new favorite comic!" --Karen Gillan "I love it!" --Don Bluth "If you love stories about the power of friendship, loyalty, and tenacity, then Cliff Bleszinski and Alex De Campi's new comic book Scrapper is the comic for you! Scrapper shares the riveting adventures of Scrapper and Tank, the world's newest crime fighting canine champions as they seek to protect their domed city of New Verona from the evil that is known as SMITE! Beautifully illustrated by Ryan Kelly and Jordie Bellaire, this all-ages story is as kinetic and powerful as it is heartwarming and touching!" --Jim Lee "In collaboration with the talented Alex De Campi, the comic weaves a gripping narrative that explores themes of police militarization, gentrification, and totalitarian regimes and resonates with readers in an unprecedented way." --Sector

Scrapper

Bleszinski, Cliff

With thousands of parallel worlds to keep in line, an Agent's job is important, not to mention dangerous. But look out, Space City! Boo is about to become the Agents' newest recruit! Sure, she's small, and she does scare easily. But with a little luck, a lot of courage, and a grumpy cat named Pumpkin on her side, Agent Boo will learn that sometimes it's good to be the littlest!

Agent Boo, Volume 1: The Littlest Agent (Agent Boo manga)

Science Fiction & Fantasy

TOKYOPOP Classics

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by De Campi, Alex. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by De Campi, Alex

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by De Campi, Alex. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Backups: A Summer of Stardom

The Backups: A Summer of Stardom

Bad Girls

Mayhem and Magic: The Graphic Novel (The Reliquary)

Semiautomagic

Archie vs. Predator

Reversal

True War Stories: An Illustrated Military Anthology of American Service from Vietnam to Today

Scrapper

Agent Boo, Volume 1: The Littlest Agent (Agent Boo manga)