A fun read, but the lack of world building makes the plot hard to follow. However, the characters were really interesting and had plenty of depth. I'll probably keep reading the other volumes, and hopefully it'll get better overtime.

"Earth Sucks. Space Rocks. Let's Dance." This graphic novel is fun and I liked its theme and story a lot. Let's see where it will go.

w I really loved the art for this book, but couldn't get into the story. premise of this story is two young people trying to escape from an Earth that has cut off all contact from the stars and the moon. I just couldn't get into the characters or the story.

Apologies but I am unable to open the acsm file and therefore unable to read and review this book.

Fun futuristic space dystopia. Very nice art.

This was absolutely wonderful!
The art was on point for the entire ride. The colours were vibrant and the environments gorgeous.
The writing was quick and fun, and I in particular enjoyed Bot, who I hope gets a little more spotlighting next round. It was a little deus ex machina regarding how to use the ship, but honestly I'm not here for the rock hard accuracy. This entire volume was an absolute blast and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one.
I enjoyed the idea of humans go defensive regarding space and technology, but was a little confused how they could still have space craft on the same level as the alien technology we saw. But that's more of a minor gripe that I hope to see addressed in later volumes

Okay this just wasn't that good. It wasn't outright bad or horrible, but is wasn't quite good either. The plot was just so lackluster. I didn't feel anything for the characters or find them or what they had going on the least bit interesting. The pace felt really fast yet nothing seemed to happen?? Like they did two things and then it ended?? All that being said, the artwork wasn't half bad. I kinda was diggin it but again, it just seemed kinda boring. Won't be continuing on with the rest of the series.

I received a galley from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Joyride truly was a ride full of joy! Listen, I'll be honest, I was sold from the very first line of the blurb I read & I was sure I'd love this comic book. I was not wrong.

The premise is really rather simple. So we are well in the future and the Earth is run by fascists. It's also isolated from the rest of the universe by a barrier called SafeSky & has been for so long, people don't even remember anymore there are stars in the sky. But of course this wouldn't be the great adventure that it is without one of our protagonists who dreams of nothing else but leaving the planet & exploring the stars. Which obviously would be illegal. Has that word ever stopped Uma before though…

Naturally Uma isn't alone in her space journey. And here we come to the best part about this book: the wonderful cast! There are three teens from vastly different backgrounds, a robot and an alien. Talk about an interesting crew! They didn't all know each other before but over time and thanks to everything they go through together, they learn to listen to each other & love each other. I'll admit I'm a sucker for the found families trope so this was basically a dream come true for me.

Each of the characters is fleshed out and given agenda. And, even more importantly, they are all allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, to grow throughout the story. Their emotions are real, their banter witty & their ideas outrageous. My favorites are definitely mentioned before Uma & the other girl in our space ensemble - Catrin. They both have a complicated past that they're trying to live with and at the same time not let it totally shape them. Honorary mention in my Top Favs category to Bot - the robot who doesn't actually speak a human language and yet remains the cutest & warmest thing in the universe.

I think one of the main strengths of Joyride is how fresh & vibrant it feels. This seems to come from two main sources. One: the teen characters truly feel like teens & themselves bring some novelty to the story. It's not exactly common that dialogues written for teenagers come across as natural and something that seventeen-year-olds would actually say but Joyride excels at that! And two: the story is so packed with action, with adventures that there's just no way to be bored even for a second. Those two elements also connect beautifully in a way that the plot is driven by teens and they all do things that teenagers would do. I mean, the first place they visit in space is a shopping mall! Come on!

I couldn't write a review for a comic book without mentioning the art. The most important part! And OMG it's so incredible???? I absolutely loved all the character designs and the great use of colors. It's honestly a feast for the eyes! It's really hard, at least for me, to find a comic book that has a good plot and a beautiful art so Joyride is a real blessing.

My only complaint would be that sometimes there was just too much action. There were a few moments where the cuts between scenes were so rapid, I was wondering if I didn't accidentally miss a page… But overall it's not much of a flaw and doesn't actually take away from the enjoyment of the whole thing.

Least but definitely not last! I spy with my gay eye a budding relationship! I really hope it's explored even more in the next volume.

All in all, the first volume of Joyride was a great fun! It made me nostalgic for some of my favourite shows, like Cowboy Bebop or Firefly and I simply cannot wait to see what else the series has in store! If you enjoy sci-fi stories with amazing characters, especially ones involving actual space travel, you must check out Joyride.

At the beginning it had so much going for it that I originally thought it was going to be seriously good. Two young teens fed up with the usual hustle and bustle of living in a society (screw your rules maaaan) decide to hightail it to parts unknown, escape from this world (literally) and forge their own destiny. I loved the concept of a boxed in moon and the structures on the innards and that humanity hadn't seen the stars because they were hiding from alien civilisations.
But the comic fast-tracked into the mainstream humdrum sloppy story telling that most major comic series are rife with. It just abandoned realism and structure which readers under the age of 10 might be more forgiving of, but I'm not. <spoiler> Dynamite just magically appears in the ship??
An organism the size of a planet has it's own gravitational well but doesn't collapse in on itself and it gets nourishment from minds???Pissant minds??In the vast nothingness of space??
Earth has an elite force that can track people down anywhere in a galaxy, but they don't appear to have even colonised as far as Mars?? C'mon guys</spoiler>
The outcomes to most major events seemed predictable too. It just seemed a waste to have such well defined characters with strong backstories and excellent art being spent on producing another comic with no discipline or drive to create something greater than anything that has come before.

This was enjoyable but not totally my cup of tea. I wish there was more worldbuilding, and I liked what little we learned of Uma's mom. I felt like the pacing was too fast, so I didn't really get immersed in anything that was happening. Just as I was starting to get into it things changed and we were somewhere else.

Still a fun little read though!

'Joyride, Volume 1' by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly is a whole lot of fun.

Uma Akkolyte misses the stars. She lives in a world that blocks them out to folks. She decides to steal a ship and head out to see them with her friend Dewydd, who is less adventurous. Along the way they find more companions, get in all kinds of trouble, and discover secrets about each other that threaten to tear their friendships apart.

The art is great. The color is amazing. The story moves fast, has incredible energy, and I love the characters. I kept thinking that the book needs a playlist and there is one you can play on Spotify while you read the book. I might have to reread it with the playlist.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

A highly interesting and colourful graphic novel. I would highly recommend.

The people of Earth can no longer see the stars. Uma Akkolyte wants to escape into space to finally see the stars. Along with her friend Dewydd, they sneak onto a ship and travel into space. When they try to escape the ship, they are followed by a woman, Catrin. She follows them so far that she ends up leaving with them. Then, they proceed to explore other planets and pick up some friends along the way.

This was a good story. There was a lot of action, and the graphics were good.

I was a little lost sometimes when they brought up new terms. There were new planets and creatures. Also, sometimes they used the word “space” in place of swear words, but it took a while for me to figure that out.

This was a pretty good graphic novel with an interesting plot.

ARC from Netgalley.
"Earth sucks. Steal a spaceship." A hilarious tagline beginning to a great new series!

Uma and her best friend Dewydd (which I think is pronounced Dude, which makes me chuckle every time I hear it) want to escape from the regime-esque galaxy-wide government. The SafeSky shield has blocked out all view of the stars for generations and these two daring adventures hatch their plan. D works for the government so he can get them past the shield and to a rendezvous point, where they meet a robot who will help them escape. But they are being chased by Catrin, a government agent.
The plot unfolds with much action and hilarity as Earthlings are let loose on a galaxy that hasn't seen them for a long time. Shopping at a "space mall", teaming up with Kolstak (the roguish alien) running from the government, Catrin's secrets, D's betrayal, and an encounter with Dewydd's older brother help the flow of this book rocket ahead very quickly.
Excellent first Volume. High recommend. A great time.

My Rating: 3/5

The first line in the synopsis was what made me want to read this book. I mean, "Earth sucks." What? That was so intriguing to me. I just had to read this graphic novel. The rest of the synopsis sounded really cool.

Volume one was a fun read! I loved being on the adventure with all the characters in the book. I loved Uma. She was awesome. I felt she had really good character development to. I loved the relationships between the characters as well.

My only problem with this volume was it was just a bit confusing for me at times. Overall though, it was entertaining to read. I would read the next volume if it appeared on Netgalley. I don't think I would go out of my way to get it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this.

"Earth Sucks. Steal a spaceship!" = best tagline ever. This is a fun graphic novel about a trio of young adults escaping a crapsack Earth ruled by a totalitarian regime and heading out for the freedom of space. Definitely need volumes 2, 3, 4, 5...

Joyride is a fun, space opera set in a simple, yet complicated world. That sentence pretty much sums up the whole volume. I think the storytelling and the art was great, the characters were interesting, and personally I could see this being a neat idea for a tv show. If I get a chance to read more, I definitely will. Thumbs up!

Rebel teens escape a fascist government and have crazy adventures in space. This comic is fun. There's comedy. There's space adventures. It is lighthearted and full of both friendship and familial relationships.

I liked the art. There are some really interesting aliens in this book. And robots. The fashion is also pretty cool.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were developed and interacted well together. I give this volume a 3.5/5.

I really liked the visuals - especially the colours and the spaceship design. The characters took a bit longer to get used to. I found Uma especially annoying most of the time but D and Catrin grew on me. The world building was a bit hit-and-miss. I though it could have been laid out more clearly. It has potential with some every cool stuff - the space mall, the backstories - but it didn't blow me away.