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.