Storied Arcs

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This week on Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex get you prepped for their next deep dive comic, Shutter by writer Joe Keatinge and artist Leila del Duca from Image Comics. First, the guys run down the creative team behind the book, including colorist Owen Gieni (who they previously covered in Manifest Destiny) and letterers Ed Brisson and John Workman. Then they give a spoiler-free intro and synopsis for Shutter and discuss what they're looking forward to with this book.

We're jumping right in with Shutter Volume 1: Wanderlost (issues #1-6) next week, so find it wherever you get your comics and join back here then!

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This week, Mike and Alex are honored to be joined by writer Zack Kaplan for an exclusive sit-down to talk all things comics! They start by diving deep into Zack's writing process and what goes into planning his comics work given that his books tend to be contained mini-series. Then, the guys jump into Mindset and Masterminds, the two books of Zack's they've covered on the show, examining some of the parallel idea explored in each comic and looking at how project is a reflection of the time it was written. Finally, they discuss some over-arching themes that feel present across all of Zack's work and why those themes, intentional or not, are so important to him. We can't thank Zack enough for spending some time with us, and we can't wait to see what he has coming next (aside from, you know, the THREE books he has currently ongoing as of the time of this release: Only the Savage are Left, The Smart Division, and Kill All Immortals III- you should pick them up!).

You can follow Zack at his website as well as on Instagram, Bluesky, and the site formerly known as Twitter.

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
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"You were so excited to get ahead... you didn't even look where we were going."

On this week's one-shot episode of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex try and level up as they dive into the world of Masterminds (issues #1-5) by Zack Kaplan and Stephen Thompson from Dark Horse Comics. The guys break down the various themes and ideas they picked up throughout the book, from the ego-driven "chosen one" protagonist to the mix of old-school thriller with new-school tech. They also discuss how games and gaming culture have permeated real life and how that gamification has effected our society. Finally, the praise the art team of Stephen Thompson and Thiago Rocha for how their choices in layout, paneling, and color shading help elevate the tension of the story.

Next week, we're beyond excited to share an exclusive interview with writer Zack Kaplan, where we discuss Mindset, Masterminds, and whole slew of other topics. It was a great conversation, be sure to check it out!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
• Learn more about our hosts, the show, or where to find us at www.storiedarcs.com

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In this one-shot season of Stories Arcs, Mike and Alex are jumping briefly back into the world of tech and gaming to discuss Masterminds by Zack Kaplan and Stephen Thompson from Dark Horse Comics. The guys covered writer Zack Kaplan as part of Social Media Summer in 2025 with Mindset, the book he did with John Pearson, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou with just about every book they've covered in the past year and change, so this week, they'll focus on artist Stephen Thompson and colorist Thiago Rocha. Then they'll give a spoiler-free pitch and synopis for this book and chat a little bit about why the chose it (hint- it might have a little bit to do with a potential interview).

We dive into Masterminds (issues #1-5) next week, so find it wherever you get your comics and join us then!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
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"The Red Rogue was never real... but I am."

Mike and Alex wrap up Fandom Culture Month with the most extreme of the titles they've chosen, Rogues' Gallery by Hannah Rose May, Declan Shalvey, and Justin Mason. The guys talk about the bold swing it takes for a first time comic writer to tackle this specific topic right out the gate, and how the expediency of the four-issue run really helps the narrative focus of the book. They discuss what they think this book is saying not only about fans and their relationship to IP, but also celebrities and their relationship to it, and dive into the idea that Rogues' Gallery is a sort of hybrid combo of the previous comics they've covered this month.

That concludes another season of Storied Arcs. We'll be back next week to kick off our discussion of another great comic. See you then!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
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• Learn more about our hosts, the show, or where to find us at www.storiedarcs.com

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"I pretend to be your friend... just like I pretend to be a robot assassin or any other role. And in return, you pretend I'm a better person then I am."

For this week's entry in Fandom Month, Mike and Alex are digging into Parasocial by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson from Image Comics. The guys start with the Misery of it all, acknowledging what the book acknowledges, and discussing how that expectation is actually beneficial for the pace at which the story moves. They chat about the fringe percentage of fandom portrayed in the comic and touch on how the post-COVID lockdown setting specifically fuels the narrative. The guys also hit on the pairing of music with comics, the shifting art style throughout the book, and some of their own experiences meeting celebrities at conventions.

We close out Fandom Month next week with Rogues' Gallery (issues #1-4) from Image Comics, so find it wherever you get your comics and join back here again to break it all down!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
• Learn more about our hosts, the show, or where to find us at www.storiedarcs.com

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"What we do is all that's important. In the end, any life, any culture, any convention-- it's just people."

On this episode of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex take a trip through the history of comic conventions as they crack open Con & On by Paul Cornell and Marika Cresta from Ahoy Comics. The guys dive right into the book's depiction of cons past and break down how the creative team has chosen to show the evolution of conventions through the eyes of all the people you're likely to see at a show. They discuss how their own con experiences map onto the experiences shown throughout the comic, and attempt to drill down on what the creators are trying to say, if anything, about comics, the comic book industry, convention culture, or the idea of conventions themselves.

Fandom Month takes a hard left turn next week as we transition into a more focused story about fandom, Parasocial (it's an OGN) from Image Comics. Find it wherever you get your books and we'll see you back here next week!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
• Learn more about our hosts, the show, or where to find us at www.storiedarcs.com

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"I love the smell of Con in the morning. It smells like... better than it will in the afternoon."

Welcome to Fandom Month! To kick things off, Mike and Alex are diving into The Long Con by Dylan Meconis, Ben Coleman, and EA Denich from Oni Press. The guys can't help but bring their own convention experiences to the table while discussing this book, and they found a lot of fun and joy in seeing some of those micro moments reflected back to them in silly and absurd ways throughout the comic. They chat about how some of the deeper flaws that exist in fandoms are mined and explored here, and what that says about fandoms in general that something so specific can apply across the board. The guys also break down how it reads in 2026 to have an A.I. entity at the center of your story, and how that does or doesn't age well.

The convention madness continue next week with our second entry in Fandom Month, Con & On (issues #1-5) from Ahoy Comics. Find it wherever you get your comics and join us back here again to be a part of the discussion!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
• Learn more about our hosts, the show, or where to find us at www.storiedarcs.com

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On this season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex are diving back into a theme month, this time covering a topic that hits fairly close to home: Fandom. Conventions, meet ups, interactions with creators and celebrities- comics love taking meta looks in the mirror, and nowhere is that more prevalent than when there's a comic about fans, creatives, fandom, and conventions. For this month, we have four very different comics that all approach the idea of fandom from very different angles:

-The Long Con by Dylan Meconis, Ben Coleman, and EA Denich from Oni Press

-Con & On by Paul Cornell and Marika Cresta from Ahoy Comics

-Parasocial by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson from Image Comics

-Rogues' Gallery by Hannah Rose May, Declan Shalvey, and Justin Mason from Image Comics

We've covered a few of these creators in the past, but most of them are new to us, as are publishers Oni Press and Ahoy. We'll touch briefly on each creative team in this episode as well as give a quick synopsis of each book and a little explainer as to how we think it fits into our overall theme.

We're starting off next week with The Long Con (issues #1-10) from Oni Press. The entire series is 10 issues/2 TPBs, but we're gonna cover it all in one go. So find it wherever you get you comics and join us back here again to kick off Fandom Month!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
• Learn more about our hosts, the show, or where to find us at www.storiedarcs.com

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"It's space. There are, like, a billion ways for the universe to screw us."

On this week's Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex reach the actual end of Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra's The Manhattan Projects with Volume 6: The Sun Beyond the Stars (issues #1-4 of The Manhattan Projects: The Sun Beyond the Stars). The guys dig into how they should view this final volume of the comic in relation to the main story, as it serves as an accidental stand-alone coda and a vision for what we could have gotten down line. Then they discuss why they think this storyline was the first one Hickman and Pitarra wanted to explore post-main series, and if it's any sort of commentary on the preceding 25 issues. Finally, the guys share some thoughts about the (as of yet) unrealized other potential Manhattan Projects miniseries and the kinds of things they would have liked to have seen for them (it's never to late, Hickman and Pitarra!).

This wraps up another season of Storied Arcs. We'll be back next week to intro our next comic and kick off the discussion!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

• Find us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star review!
• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
• Learn more about our hosts, the show, or where to find us at www.storiedarcs.com

Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Google Podcast, or anywhere else fine podcasts are found!