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Onion Skin
Rolando's job was crushing him... and then it literally crushed his hand. Now he can barely get out of the house, binging TV and struggling to find meaning. On a rare night out with friends, he meets Nera, a woman who lives only in the moment. Dazzled by her hedonistic attitude, Rolando sees a new life opening before him.
Together, these restless youths fix up an old food truck and hit the road for a wild journey. But have they truly found the spice of life? Or has Rolando bitten off more than he can chew?
Discover a bright new star of Mexican comics in this romantic and thrilling tale, stuffed with adventure and delicious food. Onion Skin became a sensation in its native land for its rich narrative, captivating characters, thrilling action, and positively delicious artwork. It's a feast that will leave readers eager for a second course. Winner of Mexico's first ever National Young Graphic Novel Award!
Together, these restless youths fix up an old food truck and hit the road for a wild journey. But have they truly found the spice of life? Or has Rolando bitten off more than he can chew?
Discover a bright new star of Mexican comics in this romantic and thrilling tale, stuffed with adventure and delicious food. Onion Skin became a sensation in its native land for its rich narrative, captivating characters, thrilling action, and positively delicious artwork. It's a feast that will leave readers eager for a second course. Winner of Mexico's first ever National Young Graphic Novel Award!
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2016
28 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
May 28, 2021
Sorry, but this one was a mess. It's hard to differentiate between the flashbacks and the present day, and the main characters are two of the least interesting people I've ever encountered. I love the idea of a graphic novel centered around a food truck war, but the author spent way too much time detailing the backstories of a very dull couple, and not nearly enough time on the food truck. As this is an over-the-top plot, the tale also could have used a bit of humor. Who knows - maybe something was lost in the translation.
The only compliment I can give this book is that it did make me hungry for enchiladas . . . though I really doubt this was the author's intention.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a look at this one.
The only compliment I can give this book is that it did make me hungry for enchiladas . . . though I really doubt this was the author's intention.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a look at this one.
May 25, 2021
With a title such as ‘Onion Skin’, I was expecting a beautifully layered graphic novel with either contextual meanings or character self-realisations. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t live up to the promise suggested by the Goodreads summary. I see that this novel has won some Mexican graphic novel award, so it could be my taste is very different from the Mexicans or there is something lost in translation and the Mexican magic failed to recreate itself in English.
Though the story seemed to have promise (Rolando deciding to break free of his mundane job because of live-for-the-moment Nera and the two of them setting up a food truck – unusual and interesting), the haphazard structuring of the narrative makes it difficult to assimilate the story. There are flashbacks and current timelines randomly going to and fro. Even at the start, the story seems to begin midway because of this odd pattern of narration. I might have enjoyed it a little more if the story were narrated in a chronological order.
Saving grace: Quite a few pages have no dialogues, so the 162 pages go by much faster than expected.
The artwork is decent, nothing mind-blowing, not my preferred style of art.
Thank you, NetGalley and IDW Publishing, for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
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Though the story seemed to have promise (Rolando deciding to break free of his mundane job because of live-for-the-moment Nera and the two of them setting up a food truck – unusual and interesting), the haphazard structuring of the narrative makes it difficult to assimilate the story. There are flashbacks and current timelines randomly going to and fro. Even at the start, the story seems to begin midway because of this odd pattern of narration. I might have enjoyed it a little more if the story were narrated in a chronological order.
Saving grace: Quite a few pages have no dialogues, so the 162 pages go by much faster than expected.
The artwork is decent, nothing mind-blowing, not my preferred style of art.
Thank you, NetGalley and IDW Publishing, for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews
May 22, 2021
Mad Max in food trucks by way of , that does not go down smooth and leaves you with heartburn.
I really loved the description of the graphic novel, but was hugely disappointed when I got to reading it.
It’s very confusing at the outset, starting with a flash forward of some crazy action. Then it rewinds to the start of the relationship between Rolando and Neera. Sadly the flash forward was clearly the only way to entice readers as the lead up to the nonsense action (there’s some food truck war where you dress up like clowns to attack your competition?).
The artwork is fine, the story just isn’t compelling. The idea seemed muddled and did not get converted into an actual plot
I really loved the description of the graphic novel, but was hugely disappointed when I got to reading it.
It’s very confusing at the outset, starting with a flash forward of some crazy action. Then it rewinds to the start of the relationship between Rolando and Neera. Sadly the flash forward was clearly the only way to entice readers as the lead up to the nonsense action (there’s some food truck war where you dress up like clowns to attack your competition?).
The artwork is fine, the story just isn’t compelling. The idea seemed muddled and did not get converted into an actual plot
June 26, 2021
A nowhere relationship thing where a depressed dude and manic pixie dream girl meet cute then get caught up in a food truck war. The story only spans a few days but is unnecessarily complicated by repeatedly jumping back and forth in time.
May 3, 2021
Since May is Mexico month for the Read the World 21 challenge, I went digging in my ARC list to see what I had that night work. Edgar Camacho is an up and coming graphic artist in Mexico and Onion Skin comes out at the end of May. It’s about two people who randomly meet and end up starting a food truck together, with a surprising number of adventures.
Mostly good, the art style is a bit rough but consistent. The story has flashbacks which I found hard to follow and would have preferred a linear narrative, just a preference thing. I want to know more about Nera's Grandmother and her magical (?) plants.
I had a copy from the publisher through NetGalley!
Mostly good, the art style is a bit rough but consistent. The story has flashbacks which I found hard to follow and would have preferred a linear narrative, just a preference thing. I want to know more about Nera's Grandmother and her magical (?) plants.
I had a copy from the publisher through NetGalley!
February 28, 2021
A little too short but very charming. I liked the off beat, elongated art style and while there were a lot of unexplained time jumps in the plot it was relatively easy to understand them and get with the flow of the plot. The plot itself was relatively simple, but I liked the themes of self discovery, actualization, tradition, and friendship. Camacho is an artist with a lot of potential.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 13, 2023
Çizimlerin hatrına belki üç olabilirdi ama karman çorman hikayesinden o kadar sıkıldım ki onu dahi övemeyeceğim.
July 12, 2021
2.5 Stars!
“The onion serves to season and enhance the flavour of other foods. I guess sometimes people are like onions.”
I’m still not really sure what to make of this book?...The art style is definitely not for me, but it works well in here. It was packed full of delightful and mouth watering food and there was certainly quite a bit of action and adventure in there too, but I also did find it a tad confusing and frustrating as it took one random twist and flashback after another, and more often than not I felt like I was forever one step behind and I am not sure that I have caught up yet.
August 1, 2022
I wanted to love this, but it was just too quick and messy. I liked the art. The story just needed a little work and a little more depth. It flew through everything and the flashbacks made the story more confusing instead of the intended building of the story. I would like to think that some of it just fell short in reading it in English vs it’s intended Spanish, but who knows…
November 2, 2021
Two timelines and a hot mess of a story that leans standard rom com keep this one from appealing to me much. The words and art work didn't always seem to match up in a coherent way. I wonder if that is from it being a translation? This is my first graphic novel translation, so I have to wonder how much of my like or dislike rests on incorrect cultural assumptions (such as drawn facial expressions) and translation phrasing. I thought the action depicted through the artwork was well done and kept this from being 1 star.
August 31, 2022
I put off reading this one for a while because the art was so dark, but saw it was an award winner, so decided to finally give it a try.
When I mention the dark art style, I mean the color pallette is very muddy. Take mud and mix with green, brown, purple, and orange - bleh. I didn't care for the graphic style either- very angular people, almost like Muppets with dark triangular noses, lips that could be made out of two pieces of felt, and very boxy shaping (unless it's a female character, then the curves are very, ahem, precise).
The storyline is ridiculous. Reminds me of American Dirt which I read recently- about the Mexican cartels that terrorize the towns and police that are paid off to look the other way, except this time it's a rival food truck being run by the Hell Pigs that's after this amateur food truck, run by two people who both claim they can't cook, but somehow are threatening the Hell Pigs business / territory.
This book also gave me a headache with all the sounds drawn/written into the panels. The guy gets home from work and settles in to watch a movie: KRICK, KRICK, RRRRR, KRICK, RRRRR, TUM, CLICK, PIT, TIN, FSSHH, SSSHH, GLU, SHU SHU, PLUC PLUC, TIC TAP 🤕
When I mention the dark art style, I mean the color pallette is very muddy. Take mud and mix with green, brown, purple, and orange - bleh. I didn't care for the graphic style either- very angular people, almost like Muppets with dark triangular noses, lips that could be made out of two pieces of felt, and very boxy shaping (unless it's a female character, then the curves are very, ahem, precise).
The storyline is ridiculous. Reminds me of American Dirt which I read recently- about the Mexican cartels that terrorize the towns and police that are paid off to look the other way, except this time it's a rival food truck being run by the Hell Pigs that's after this amateur food truck, run by two people who both claim they can't cook, but somehow are threatening the Hell Pigs business / territory.
This book also gave me a headache with all the sounds drawn/written into the panels. The guy gets home from work and settles in to watch a movie: KRICK, KRICK, RRRRR, KRICK, RRRRR, TUM, CLICK, PIT, TIN, FSSHH, SSSHH, GLU, SHU SHU, PLUC PLUC, TIC TAP 🤕
February 7, 2021
I kinda wish I had read this in Spanish instead of English. However, it was pretty awesome to have it in my hands in the first place! I think this one could find a home in my graphic novel unit for sure. The storyline kinda moves choppily between past and present which is a little jarring at first, but it makes sense and connects later in the novel. That’s the only criticism I have for this novel - the only tell in the time change is the outfit changes and subtle changes in the characters’ appearances.
It's a quick read, but it's a wild ride. Food truck style.
Essentially, Rolando works creating images/ads/designs for a living, but he's miserable. Nera lives in an old, beat up food truck. Rolando and Nera are brought together by fate when they both go to the wrong location for a concert. They hit it off. Nera has a dream to cook. Rolando has a dream to be something more. They fix up the food truck and embark on an adventure into the world of food, treachery and travel.
I have BEEN DYING to get my hands on more Latin/Spanish/Hispanic graphic novels for my students, so I hope this sparks more! I also hope to find more and more in Spanish!
It's a quick read, but it's a wild ride. Food truck style.
Essentially, Rolando works creating images/ads/designs for a living, but he's miserable. Nera lives in an old, beat up food truck. Rolando and Nera are brought together by fate when they both go to the wrong location for a concert. They hit it off. Nera has a dream to cook. Rolando has a dream to be something more. They fix up the food truck and embark on an adventure into the world of food, treachery and travel.
I have BEEN DYING to get my hands on more Latin/Spanish/Hispanic graphic novels for my students, so I hope this sparks more! I also hope to find more and more in Spanish!
September 25, 2024
Nao gostei mt, achei a historia chatinha, os dois personagens principais achei ok mas tbm nao me interessei mt por eles. Tambem nao amei a arte
August 11, 2022
This was really good! A fun and suspenseful story with great characters.
February 1, 2021
Ok, it does lose a point because the art style is so not my cup of tea, and because the translation from Spanish is a little rough in places (no Mexican person would EVER order a Quesadilla "with cheese", this would be the equivalent of ordering a grilled cheese with cheese!).
But the story is fun - a commercial artist, frustrated with the lack of creativity in his work "accidentally" breaks his arm, gets laid off and spends months and months eating chips and watching TV until he meets a random girl who changes the way he sees life. It's a story revolving around food, with a rogue motorcycle gang of food truck cooks, and even features a gun-toting, tech savvy granny. Super fun!
But the story is fun - a commercial artist, frustrated with the lack of creativity in his work "accidentally" breaks his arm, gets laid off and spends months and months eating chips and watching TV until he meets a random girl who changes the way he sees life. It's a story revolving around food, with a rogue motorcycle gang of food truck cooks, and even features a gun-toting, tech savvy granny. Super fun!
April 15, 2021
It is happening..... I am starting to love graphic novels. How is this happening to a girl who has read almost every classic novel written. This book is like an onion there are many different layers to it. The book does a lot of traveling back and forth between how they started the truck to the current problems they are having with the competition. I enjoyed the book the ending was a little different then I expected but I loved how the author pulled the title into the end. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it. Disclaimer there is some swearing and alcohol use in the the book.
January 28, 2021
More of a 3.5 read, but I’m rounding up because it’s hopeful and I’m in the mood for hope right now.
This was a fun slice of life comic featuring a lovable manic pixie dream girl and the down in the dumps dude she ends up inspiring. And food trucks! And food truck turf wars? Anyway, it’s a fun one and the art style was interesting and really enhanced the vibe of the story.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun slice of life comic featuring a lovable manic pixie dream girl and the down in the dumps dude she ends up inspiring. And food trucks! And food truck turf wars? Anyway, it’s a fun one and the art style was interesting and really enhanced the vibe of the story.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2022
Miserable in his nine-to-five, Rolando makes a drastic move that puts him out of employment and in desperate need of an income. Then he meets Nera. Though neither have a background in cooking or business, the two decide to open a food truck together. But trouble looms -- soon, Rolando and Nera find themselves attacked by masked individuals who seem bent on destroying any potential success.
Onion Skin is about as transparent as, well, an onion skin. There's little plot to be found with a confusing structure that hops between past and present (perhaps through dreams?). There are occasionally visual clues that indicate where in the timeline the story is, but they don't always seem obvious or necessarily reliable. I sometimes had trouble identifying characters, too. Nera's look changed enough between timelines (or there was someone who looked quite a bit like her) that this complicated the plot -- which was very simplistic in its actual concept -- further.
In a story and artistic style that was otherwise muddy and drab, there was one slightly-redeeming character in the form of an elderly woman who aided Rolando and Nera. Her humorous and energetic style brightens up a story that is weighed down by depression and conflict without real discussion of either.
Onion Skin has a fun premise that might have made a great comic, but the plot was a bit of a mess both in terms of sense and tense, the art mostly uninteresting to my tastes, and there was a dark outlook that just felt rather nihilistic and pointless, despite a reasonably happy ending. There's next to nothing for foodies here except a stray and vague plot detail about a maybe-magical herb. This is skippable.
Onion Skin is about as transparent as, well, an onion skin. There's little plot to be found with a confusing structure that hops between past and present (perhaps through dreams?). There are occasionally visual clues that indicate where in the timeline the story is, but they don't always seem obvious or necessarily reliable. I sometimes had trouble identifying characters, too. Nera's look changed enough between timelines (or there was someone who looked quite a bit like her) that this complicated the plot -- which was very simplistic in its actual concept -- further.
In a story and artistic style that was otherwise muddy and drab, there was one slightly-redeeming character in the form of an elderly woman who aided Rolando and Nera. Her humorous and energetic style brightens up a story that is weighed down by depression and conflict without real discussion of either.
Onion Skin has a fun premise that might have made a great comic, but the plot was a bit of a mess both in terms of sense and tense, the art mostly uninteresting to my tastes, and there was a dark outlook that just felt rather nihilistic and pointless, despite a reasonably happy ending. There's next to nothing for foodies here except a stray and vague plot detail about a maybe-magical herb. This is skippable.
Read
February 18, 2023I'm not going to rate this because there was nothing about the story I liked. I can appreciate the story, but that doesn't mean I liked it. Having said that, it feels unfair to give it one or even two stars because it was obviously written with a lot of heart.
I haven't looked it up, but Camacho must be a HUGE Stephen King fan. Possibly just a Dark Tower fan. This entire story is littered with King/Dark Tower references. The numbers 19 and 1999 come up way more times than make sense. A main character is named Rolando (Roland Deschain?), they drink Nozz-ala, and in one panel the carpet is drawn exactly like the carpeting in The Overlook, which is the setting of Kubrick's version on The Shining.
I haven't looked it up, but Camacho must be a HUGE Stephen King fan. Possibly just a Dark Tower fan. This entire story is littered with King/Dark Tower references. The numbers 19 and 1999 come up way more times than make sense. A main character is named Rolando (Roland Deschain?), they drink Nozz-ala, and in one panel the carpet is drawn exactly like the carpeting in The Overlook, which is the setting of Kubrick's version on The Shining.
April 30, 2021
I really don’t know what to say about this one. It seems to defy the categories and expectations associated with American genres, so it seems like it belongs in young adult circles for the most part, but not quite. Also, the narrative structure is somewhat confusing, but I don’t know if that is a cultural storytelling difference or a lack of clear transitioning. Ultimately, it was a bit of a miss for me. I’m glad to see graphic novels in translation, but this one wasn’t my favorite.
Thank you to Edgar Camacho, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Edgar Camacho, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 12, 2024
2.5 rounded up because I’m nice. Main issue with it is time jumping in flash back and flash forwards without any way to mark it for the reader. The whole book is a guessing game in where in the story am I now… I kept thinking the book was printed out of order or something. Made the experience frustrating. If it wasn’t for that, the story would have been okay I think… maybe not… I’m honestly not sure.
February 18, 2024
This one was a fun mess—the artwork is fabulously sketchy and original; I loved it. The story was uplifting-a guy crushed by his uninspired 9-5 (in more ways than one) meets a free spirited lass who is open to trying anything despite having no experience—but she does have a beat-up old food truck. A cheerful, positive read.
November 7, 2018
Es bueno, sin llegar a ser magistral.
June 12, 2021
Really enjoyed this!
September 26, 2021
Utterly delightful.
October 3, 2022
A short story and a quick read, but a little confusing with flashbacks interspersed (and sometimes hard to tell when it switches). I really like the art but the story was not super captivating.
December 26, 2022
Weird.
Read
October 13, 2023No stars DNF
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/HmixdJBhKes
Enjoy!
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/HmixdJBhKes
Enjoy!
March 11, 2024
Is Tommy Wiseau writing comic books under the pseudonym Edgar Camacho? ‘cause it sure felt that way.
1/5
1/5
January 11, 2023
A great story is let down by poor translation, it's hard to translate such a musical language into something as mechanical as English but the themes of this book are what kept me going till the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews