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Time Shifters: A Graphic Novel
Luke is a hero in any time and dimension! When Luke investigates an eerie blue glow in the woods behind his house, he doesn't know what he'll find there. But a scientist, a robot Abraham Lincoln riding a friendly dinosaur, and a sassy ghost were the last things he could have imagined stumbling upon. Now as Luke and his new companions are pursued by a bickering trio of bumbling henchmen who are after the strange device locked to his arm, he's forced on a crazy, headlong adventure in a parallel dimension! Will he find his courage in time to save the day and get home or will he be trapped in a weird alternate reality forever?
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2017
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154 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
July 21, 2017
Pretty damned random and that's a good thing. I laughed more than I thought I would. The art is vibrant, colorful, and quite engaging. The grief at losing one's sibling, then losing one's self is heartfelt without going into melodrama. It's a time travel/dimension hopping plot, so anyone looking for it to make any kind of logical sense can go jump into a vortex because none of it ever makes sense in any book. If there's going to be a sequel, I really hope they take the time to develop a few of the characters better. I mean, you can't get much more developed than a robot Abraham Lincoln, but Doc and Artemis deserve to be explored further. Also, as much as I enjoyed the three henchmen (and believe me, I really did. They stole the show) I wanted more of the actual, universe domination aspiring super villain. Hopefully more will be revealed with a sequel. I will be purchasing this for my library's collection. I see it being quite popular. I finished it in one sitting.
July 11, 2017
I wanted this to be so much better than it was. Matthew Loux's Time Museum was a superb time travel story, unfortunately Time Shifters did not live up to it. I was much more interested in Luke's storyline with his brother than his random adventures with a scientist, Abe Lincoln in robot form, a dinosaur and a poltergeist. It also kind of bugged me that one of the villains strongly resembles Skeletor. Very random with a sad lack of character development, I wanted to know so much more! With all this said, I'm sure I will find some readers who enjoy this one. It's definitely rather silly and quirky.
December 15, 2017
Some YA graphic novels try too hard. It’s like they just slap together random character traits (a French-speaking cybernetic butterfly! the zombie clone of Walt Disney! etc.), stuff them into a generic sci-fi-type setting (an elvish outpost on one of Neptune’s moons? sure!), sprinkle in some rude humor, and then sit back and watch the money roll in. They’re desperate to be quirky and original but they just come off as lackluster copies of better comics. However, when it’s done well, it’s magic. I wish I could figure out that magic formula as well as Chris Grine has with his silly, sweet, and idiosyncratic graphic novel, “Time Shifters.”
“Time Shifters” starts off as a pretty affecting family drama as young Luke mourns the death of his beloved older brother, but things quickly escalate and turn pretty strange. While investigating an odd glow in the woods behind his house, Luke finds himself in possession of a device that can travel between dimensions and across time, a device that a skeleton astronaut, a mummy, and vampire Napoleon are desperate to acquire for their shady master. So, of course, Luke is helped by an old scientist, a robotic Abraham Lincoln, a teenage ghost, and their pet dinosaur to make sure that the thingie doesn’t fall into the wrong hands and destroy the universe. Okay, I know I was just complaining about YA comics being way too random and derivative but trust me: Grine gets it all right. Luke is a great protagonist, the family scenes feel natural, all the goofier characters are well fleshed-out, and it’s actually really funny. Plus, Grine has a great sense of design and his art is clean and frenetic. It’s a fun ride and perfect for readers that may be a little too old for Ben Hatke’s “Mighty Jack” series but aren’t quite ready for something as surreally violent as Rob Schrab’s “Scud: The Disposable Assassin.”
Sure, all of my criticisms of YA comics are pretty subjective but “Time Shifters” checked a lot of boxes for me. It’s a fun, humorous, and inventive graphic novel and I think Grine has a lot of room left to expand and explore his characters even further. This one’s got the magic.
“Time Shifters” starts off as a pretty affecting family drama as young Luke mourns the death of his beloved older brother, but things quickly escalate and turn pretty strange. While investigating an odd glow in the woods behind his house, Luke finds himself in possession of a device that can travel between dimensions and across time, a device that a skeleton astronaut, a mummy, and vampire Napoleon are desperate to acquire for their shady master. So, of course, Luke is helped by an old scientist, a robotic Abraham Lincoln, a teenage ghost, and their pet dinosaur to make sure that the thingie doesn’t fall into the wrong hands and destroy the universe. Okay, I know I was just complaining about YA comics being way too random and derivative but trust me: Grine gets it all right. Luke is a great protagonist, the family scenes feel natural, all the goofier characters are well fleshed-out, and it’s actually really funny. Plus, Grine has a great sense of design and his art is clean and frenetic. It’s a fun ride and perfect for readers that may be a little too old for Ben Hatke’s “Mighty Jack” series but aren’t quite ready for something as surreally violent as Rob Schrab’s “Scud: The Disposable Assassin.”
Sure, all of my criticisms of YA comics are pretty subjective but “Time Shifters” checked a lot of boxes for me. It’s a fun, humorous, and inventive graphic novel and I think Grine has a lot of room left to expand and explore his characters even further. This one’s got the magic.
May 29, 2017
(Review of digital download from Edelweiss Above the Treeline) The graphic novel section in my library is widely used by all students on my 4th-5th grade campus, no matter the gender, race, or academic ability so I am ever on the lookout for books in this genre that will entertain and possibly make my patrons think about what they are reading. This particular book might entertain some, but I found its delivery very awkward and the storyline difficult to follow as the dialogue jumped from the good guys to the bad guys. Sad, too, because the first section with the two brothers taking a short cut through the woods and behaving in a classic love-hate way had me anticipating the rest of the book. And I was completely engaged until the time shifting began and the plot became confusing and downright ridiculous. After forcing myself to continue, I put the book down at about the halfway point and I will not be buying this one for my students.
November 28, 2025
This is a "fun" adventure that ends somewhat predictably, given the whole " + time travel" setup. I mean, obviously that's not going to be FUN in the sense of comparable adventures (though, Amulet starts with the same tone, I guess).
It's a pretty wild read, though, between "Vampire Napoleon" ("Vie do you alvays call me VAMPIRE Napoleon? I'm just Napoleon!") and Robot Abraham Lincoln and poltergeist and beaked dinosaur with holographic cloaking technology... and I'm leaving out a LOT of stuff!
Probably the main downside IS that it IS a LOT OF STUFF happening. However, it wraps up in one volume (with an open-ended ending, so it isn't *impossible* to rule out a series, but as far as I know that hasn't happened YET), so I guess everything that was ever GOING to be included, HAD to be. A shame, because it feels like it could've been spaced out a bit to make at least a duology if not a trilogy (and it wouldn't be the worst trilogy). Not really as such COMPLAINING that it's a single volume, though.
Recommended for time travel fans, especially fans of absurd humour!
It's a pretty wild read, though, between "Vampire Napoleon" ("Vie do you alvays call me VAMPIRE Napoleon? I'm just Napoleon!") and Robot Abraham Lincoln and poltergeist and beaked dinosaur with holographic cloaking technology... and I'm leaving out a LOT of stuff!
Probably the main downside IS that it IS a LOT OF STUFF happening. However, it wraps up in one volume (with an open-ended ending, so it isn't *impossible* to rule out a series, but as far as I know that hasn't happened YET), so I guess everything that was ever GOING to be included, HAD to be. A shame, because it feels like it could've been spaced out a bit to make at least a duology if not a trilogy (and it wouldn't be the worst trilogy). Not really as such COMPLAINING that it's a single volume, though.
Recommended for time travel fans, especially fans of absurd humour!
January 16, 2018
Luke lives with the guilt of his brother’s death. While sitting on his front porch moping, an explosion nearby draws him to investigate. He spies on a trio of strange creatures (the bad guys) searching for something in the snow; they seem to find it, then leave. Luke picks up whatever it was they were looking for (they had found his flashlight that he inadvertently dropped) and the device attaches itself to his arm. The creatures return and try to capture Luke and the device after they spot him hiding. Another loud sound brings another group of creatures (the good guys), who zap the first group and nab Luke – leaving with a blorp. The good guys are transported to sometime in the future, when the Earth is inhabited by giant insect-like creatures. Once the bad guys also zoom into the future, it becomes a chase to retrieve friends captured and the device. When Luke is returned to his time period, he realizes that it is before his brother died – that he can prevent the tragedy…but it comes at great personal expense.
Although this story sounds very convoluted, sci/fi fans will enjoy the ride in graphic form. Characters are quirky, but solid. Artwork is great, as Eisner nominee (for Chickenhare) Grine does a great job of using shapes and colors to delineate each character and background settings play a strong role in storytelling. Grine makes great visual use of the ghostly Athena and her “smoke”, as she pops in and out of scenes. Humor abounds in the storyline and will delight even the most reluctant of readers.
I look forward to more adventures of Luke and his time traveling companions in this new series.
Recommended for grades 4-8.
Although this story sounds very convoluted, sci/fi fans will enjoy the ride in graphic form. Characters are quirky, but solid. Artwork is great, as Eisner nominee (for Chickenhare) Grine does a great job of using shapes and colors to delineate each character and background settings play a strong role in storytelling. Grine makes great visual use of the ghostly Athena and her “smoke”, as she pops in and out of scenes. Humor abounds in the storyline and will delight even the most reluctant of readers.
I look forward to more adventures of Luke and his time traveling companions in this new series.
Recommended for grades 4-8.
January 9, 2018
An odd-ball adventure across time and alternate dimensions will that will leave readers laughing and wanting more.
Luke and his brother Kyle run into a gang of bullies on afternoon while playing in the woods. The encounter causes an accident in which Kyle dies. A year after Kyle's death, Luke sees a mysterious light coming from the forest behind his house. He suddenly finds himself in possession of a strange device and is chased by a mummy, vampire Napoleon, and a skeleton astronaut. However, Luke is saved by a time-traversing group comprised of a ghost, dinosaur, robotic Abraham Lincoln, and the scientist who invented the multiverse shifting device. In order to get the device off Luke's arm (which is locked on unless you know the code), the groups hides out in an alternate dimension of giant spiders in the Wild West. Pursued by the henchmen and dodgy spiders, Luke and the gang must keep the device away while also saving a kidnapped robotic Abraham Lincoln.
Luke is a great protagonist, and the eclectic bunch of characters are all interesting and well rounded. The slapstick humor is fitting, and is genuinely funny. The art is bright and effective, and conveys the story well. A great title for readers who loved Ben Hatke's "Mighty Jack" series.
Luke and his brother Kyle run into a gang of bullies on afternoon while playing in the woods. The encounter causes an accident in which Kyle dies. A year after Kyle's death, Luke sees a mysterious light coming from the forest behind his house. He suddenly finds himself in possession of a strange device and is chased by a mummy, vampire Napoleon, and a skeleton astronaut. However, Luke is saved by a time-traversing group comprised of a ghost, dinosaur, robotic Abraham Lincoln, and the scientist who invented the multiverse shifting device. In order to get the device off Luke's arm (which is locked on unless you know the code), the groups hides out in an alternate dimension of giant spiders in the Wild West. Pursued by the henchmen and dodgy spiders, Luke and the gang must keep the device away while also saving a kidnapped robotic Abraham Lincoln.
Luke is a great protagonist, and the eclectic bunch of characters are all interesting and well rounded. The slapstick humor is fitting, and is genuinely funny. The art is bright and effective, and conveys the story well. A great title for readers who loved Ben Hatke's "Mighty Jack" series.
February 25, 2018
Grine, Chris Time Shifters 272 pgs. Graphix (Scholastic), 2017. $13. Language: G (0 swears) Mature Content: G Violence: PG13 (drowning) GRAPHIC NOVEL
Luke suffers a tragedy one day in the woods, another day he is swept away on an interdimensional time travel adventure that may be the end of him –or just perhaps just what he needs to alter the past. He meets a strange host of allies and an even stranger host of villains. Well crafted cartoon style illustrations.
This is a wild fast paced adventure with many memorable characters.
I think elementary students would love this book –EXCEPT (Spoiler Alert) –the book starts off with a drowning. I will never forgive my fourth grade teacher for having the class read Bridge to Terabithia and this book visually shows a tragic scene –I can student readers with similar reactions (as well as parents). While that does add brevity to the slapdash plot, I did find myself cringing thinking of the reactions of readers. I would normally jump this book up to middle school –however, the rest of the plot is a bit too childish. Up to you and your student population.
EL –OPTIONAL. Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018/...
Luke suffers a tragedy one day in the woods, another day he is swept away on an interdimensional time travel adventure that may be the end of him –or just perhaps just what he needs to alter the past. He meets a strange host of allies and an even stranger host of villains. Well crafted cartoon style illustrations.
This is a wild fast paced adventure with many memorable characters.
I think elementary students would love this book –EXCEPT (Spoiler Alert) –the book starts off with a drowning. I will never forgive my fourth grade teacher for having the class read Bridge to Terabithia and this book visually shows a tragic scene –I can student readers with similar reactions (as well as parents). While that does add brevity to the slapdash plot, I did find myself cringing thinking of the reactions of readers. I would normally jump this book up to middle school –however, the rest of the plot is a bit too childish. Up to you and your student population.
EL –OPTIONAL. Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018/...
July 14, 2017
After stumbling upon a strange device in the forest, Luke finds himself catapulted into another dimension. He meets a group of fugitives who take him under their wing, and he joins their flight across dimensions and time to escape from the evil henchman who are in hot pursuit of them and the device, which is locked onto Luke's arm. Luke's compatriots are a cowboy scientist, a robot Abraham Lincoln, a shape-shifting dinosaur, and a sassy ghost named Artemis. They are on the run from an equally quirky group of henchmen: an undead guy in a spacesuit, a mummy, and a vampire pirate. Really eccentric characters, non-stop action, clever and funny dialogue, and the juxtaposition of humor and danger make the book hard to put down. Although it starts with a tragedy, the book immediately grabs you and doesn't put you down until the end. I wouldn't be surprised if a sequel is to follow.
(The beginning tragedy might put some readers off, although it offers an existential twist at the end.)
(The beginning tragedy might put some readers off, although it offers an existential twist at the end.)
October 30, 2022
Luke’s older brother dies in an in an unfortunate accident in an encounter with bullies. Months later Luke and Mom are still morning, and he has avoided the woods since the accident. He is intrigued by a strange light in the woods. There are three strange creatures (a vampire, a mummy, and a skeleton). Luke accidentally picks up their device, and they have his flashlight. He gets drawn into the world of time shifting – he meets a dinosaur, a professor, a ghost girl, and a robot Abe Lincoln. He finds out about other worlds and that the other three work for an entity who wants universal domination.
So, predictably, the heroes escape, stumble into the world before Luke’s brother dies, save him, and change that world’s timeline. Luke no longer belongs there – another Luke is already there who never lost his brother. Set for more time travel.
Some of it is good, but would like to see more female characters.
So, predictably, the heroes escape, stumble into the world before Luke’s brother dies, save him, and change that world’s timeline. Luke no longer belongs there – another Luke is already there who never lost his brother. Set for more time travel.
Some of it is good, but would like to see more female characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2025
Fast moving and funny. With heart--starts with a tragedy, and ends with hope, then disappointment...resignation.
Luke’s brother Kyle dies trying to defend him from bullies. Months later, a grieving Luke goes back into the woods and meets up with a quartet of time travelers (Doc, the inventor, Artemis, a girl poltergeist, Abraham Lincoln, a robot, and Zinc, a dinosaur) trying to keep their wrist apparatus out of the hands of a madman. Meanwhile 3 ridiculous & incompetent henchmen are trying to capture it: Skeleton in a red wetsuit, Zombie and a Vampire Napoleon (afraid of the sun).
They end up in a bug world like the wild west, and the two sides keep trying to outsmart/outrun each other. Plot twist/ cliffhanger ending re: changing the past.
Is there a way out, or do they just have to keep moving?
Lots of fast action in the illustrations. Zany plot.
Luke’s brother Kyle dies trying to defend him from bullies. Months later, a grieving Luke goes back into the woods and meets up with a quartet of time travelers (Doc, the inventor, Artemis, a girl poltergeist, Abraham Lincoln, a robot, and Zinc, a dinosaur) trying to keep their wrist apparatus out of the hands of a madman. Meanwhile 3 ridiculous & incompetent henchmen are trying to capture it: Skeleton in a red wetsuit, Zombie and a Vampire Napoleon (afraid of the sun).
They end up in a bug world like the wild west, and the two sides keep trying to outsmart/outrun each other. Plot twist/ cliffhanger ending re: changing the past.
Is there a way out, or do they just have to keep moving?
Lots of fast action in the illustrations. Zany plot.
October 25, 2017
I enjoyed this, overall, but there's a good bit set on a world with sentient spiders and bugs, and because this is a graphic novel, those might cause problems for readers with phobias to such things. I'm not phobic, but I found them creepy, so...
The story involves more world/dimension hopping than time travel, but it definitely reads like there will be a sequel. Also, the ending won't surprise anyone who's genre savvy. I didn't find that a drawback, and I think that the intended audience won't necessarily guess what's coming.
The story involves more world/dimension hopping than time travel, but it definitely reads like there will be a sequel. Also, the ending won't surprise anyone who's genre savvy. I didn't find that a drawback, and I think that the intended audience won't necessarily guess what's coming.
August 30, 2020
I have been reading a lot of graphic novels this summer. It starts out well and grabs you. He is being bullied and his brother tries to save him but ends of drowning. He finds a cuff in the woods, tries it on and their are time travelers.
He ends up getting to know them and going on a few adventures, when destiny steps in and sends him back to the moment before his brother dies. He ends up diverting the bullies and thinks things have gone back to normal. But......... then sees himself. He can't stay. At least his brother lived and he is off with the time travelers.
He ends up getting to know them and going on a few adventures, when destiny steps in and sends him back to the moment before his brother dies. He ends up diverting the bullies and thinks things have gone back to normal. But......... then sees himself. He can't stay. At least his brother lived and he is off with the time travelers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2017
This story had a surprising amount of humor, considering it starts with Luke's brother dying in an accident. There were several times I laughed out loud reading the story, especially when they were in the bug world. The bad guys were obviously bad guys. Not only were they dead creatures, but there mean to each other. They kept blaming other party members for their mistakes to their boss to try to shift blame. Otherwise, it's a pretty standard time/dimension-travel story. At the end, Luke revisits the first scenes and changes them for the better. His brother survives, but now he can no longer be part of that time stream. He heads off with his new friends without even thinking about the fact that he's leaving his family behind. But there are adventures to be had!
April 10, 2018
An enjoyable and humorous adventure story that works well alone, but could be the first in a series given the amount of backstory hinted at. I think the title is a bit spoiler-ish though, given that their device is mainly used for interdimensional travel and even had its time-travel capabilities deactivated .
October 9, 2017
Ok, I just meant to flip through this and instead ended up reading it in one go! It is pretty hilarious (it actually made me laugh out loud quite a few times), fun, easy to follow, and even has a surprising amount of heart. Would totally recommend to Amulet fans and kids into Raina Telgemeier who don't mind a bit more action.
December 3, 2017
Readers who enjoy other time and space travel will like this book.
Some weak transitions between story lines can make this tricky, but the visuals will help readers make connections.
I can’t find if there will be a sequel, but it seems like there’s more stories to be told.
Some weak transitions between story lines can make this tricky, but the visuals will help readers make connections.
I can’t find if there will be a sequel, but it seems like there’s more stories to be told.
January 14, 2018
A fast paced adventure comic (middle-grade) about a boy who gets swept up in an inter-dimensional game of cat and mouse. I hate, hate, hate time travel, but this was easy enough to follow and also very fun. It almost reminds me of Guardians of the Galaxy.
March 22, 2018
This was a decent read but there was a whole lot of pages of the main characters just falling. A lot of it was pretty random. The beginning started strong with an interesting look at grief but then the time shifting stuff started and the plot just got strange.
August 16, 2018
Pretty straight forward time travel story, that delivers a satisfying ending, but still sets the path for further installments in the series. Art is the real star, with great reactions from the diverse cast of characters.
March 28, 2019
Luke really needs to make things from his past right or at least totally change them. When a group of demented time-travelers literally bump into him and cause time to change, what is Luke to do? Wacky adventures happen!
November 21, 2022
This book screams "middle school boy." Monty-Pythonesque, zany humor. This is a Steampunk meets Western SciFi graphic novel with memorable characters. A lot of Star Wars vibes. The story is entertaining enough if you like action and sarcastic jokes. The art is good too.
April 19, 2025
This was a fun, funny book with a zany cast of characters and situations. I admit, I had to look at a review to figure out the ending lol, but I laughed so hard at parts of this book. It was a fun one.
November 19, 2025
I met the author--he seemed nice--and got this book signed for my son, who really enjoyed it, so I decided to give it a read. It's pretty good. Moves quickly, has some funny parts and some touching parts, maybe a bit random but that's all right. The art was good.
July 10, 2017
A fun time travel graphic novel! My keep putting it on hold!
July 13, 2017
Grine should have stuck with a sequel to Chickenhare. I did not really connect with any of the characters in this story.
July 25, 2017
Extremely quick read. Weird but fun and poignant. Can't tell if there will be more adventures with this group or not.
October 9, 2017
I enjoyed this book! The art and story really went well together. This was a fun read.
April 5, 2018
Too manic for me. Might be good for some boy readers out there, but there's better. I liked the plot with the brother.
December 6, 2017
Time is a funny thing. Fixing things adds another trouser leg to time and leaves you outside of it, maybe forever.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews