Review: The Castoffs: Byte Back

This was my first trip into the world of The Castoffs, however I felt like I was in familiar territory. While I am not a huge reader of YA or Young Adult titles, I have made a sincere if not expansive foray into the genre mostly prose novels like the Harry Potter and Hunger Games books. The few YA comic books and graphic novels I’ve read have been well written and dynamic, usually featuring diverse characters and timely subject matter which is certainly true of The Castoffs: Byte Back.

The latest volume of The Castoffs is the continuation of the ongoing narrative featuring a group of young magic users called mages. The de facto leader of this group is a teen-aged girl named Ursa who is reunited with her estranged mother only to find that she has become the Priestess and leader of an evil army of Surrogates. These robotic creatures are controlled by the Priestess and made to do her sinister bidding which is to unleash her will upon the world beginning with the peaceful town of Plumstead and its inhabitants including her own daughter. Along with her friends Charris and Trinh, Ursa rallies a force of mages and Plumstead residents to defend the town and thwart the malevolent Priestess and her sinister Surrogate army. However, Ursa is being aided by another mage, Duncan who is casting a barrier spell strong enough to hold the evil forces at bay.

The overall narrative is one of good vs evil and how friends can overcome great adversity by sticking together. These are of course wonderful messages, but that’s not all that there is to this complex and extensively detailed story. One of the most impressive elements of The Castoffs is the fantastically dynamic cast of characters. The diverse group of protagonists is virtually all inclusive, there is someone for everyone to identify with here. That is not to say these characters are lifeless amalgamations of tropes mindless thrown together to tick boxes, far from it. In fact it is the deeply developed and well written characters that give the narrative such dramatic weight. The familial upheaval of Ursa and her mother rivals the Skywalker family in its tumultuous struggle to find some semblance of love, the inner struggle of Duncan as he faces the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good calls to mind Spock as he teaches us the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one and perhaps my personal favorite, the shape-shifting Lockwood who is something of a lost soul on a journey of self discovery. Many of the tropes at work here are tried and true, I saw some Harry Potter elements, some Hunger Games as well, but they were woven into an imaginative tapestry that told a new tale.

The overarching narrative of The Castoffs is one of transcending, not just of good over evil, but of each of these characters transcending on a personal level. The narrative structure and fast paced action is enhanced by the authenticity of the dialog. These characters speak like real people, series writer M.K. Reed obviously knows her target audience and how they interact, that is evident in how well these characters relate to one another. Whether friend or foe there is a realism to the relationships that inform the entire work thus allowing the reader to more fully dive into this world.

Visually, Brooklyn based illustrator Wyeth Yates, also credited as co-writer brings these characters fully to life. There is an obvious Manga influence to Yates’ work that is completely congruent with the narrative, thematically as well as tonally. The character designs are just one aspect of Yates’ world building that works so well. The lavishly detailed and rendered environments allow the narrative to unfold in a completely formed world, but even more it pulls us that much deeper into the story. Colorist Marissa Louise works actual magic with her pallet of vibrant colors. There is an otherworldly intensity to her work that completes the world that Yates and Reed have built.

The Castoffs is a property I could easily see becoming an animated series or even spawning a live action version, whichever avenue this extremely talented creative team decide to use to continue telling this engrossing tale I looked forward to following the adventures. However, currently we have the graphic novels and this one is one heck of a good read. Its fun, exciting adventure told via some of the most well defined and developed characters you are likely to encounter in any YA story. If you are like me and relatively inexperienced with the genre, I certainly suggest giving The Castoffs a try. 4/5

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Writers- M.K. Reed, Wyeth Yates
Illustrator- Wyeth Yates
Colorist- Marissa Louise