Storied Arcs

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"And when it comes down to it, really, time is all we have. And it doesn't matter how long you live if you're not spending it the way you want."

This week, Mike and Alex are here to wrap up their discussion of Time Before Time from Image Comics with Volumes 5 and 6 (issues #25-29 and #6, #12, #18, and #24). They start at the end (of the narrative, at least) and discuss how the story concludes, how it works for each of them as an ending, and whether the actual end of the story is issue #28 or #29. Then they dive into the one-shot stories that make up Volume 6 and examine them from all angles, from how those issues read and fit into the overall narrative when presented at the end of said narrative to if any of those stories would have been better served being more integrated into the main narrative. It's not easy to end a story, and with these one-shot issues collected at the end, Time Before Time presents an interesting discussion point in the single issue reading vs. trade reading debate. We're not going to tell you one way is better than another; we just want people to read as many comics however they can.

That brings another season of Storied Arcs to a close. We hope you enjoyed our look into Time Before Time, and be sure to join us again next week as we get ready to do it all again with another great comic!

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"I really thought things were going to be better when we came back here. Maybe the world's just cruel no matter what time you're in, though."

Mike and Alex are here to continue their trip through time and space with Image Comics' Time Before Time, this week examining Volumes 3 and 4 (issues #13-17 and #19-23). They guys discuss the introduction of a new character who gets his own two-issue mini-arc and how it meshes (or maybe doesn't) into the main narrative. Then they dive deep into the story, debating what parts are working for them and what parts feel a little extraneous, and try and work through how the "closed loop" presentation of time travel is being utilized and presented in the comic. Finally, they tip a hat to some of the subtle differences in page and panel layout seen in these volumes that come with the addition of guest artists into the series.

There's only one trade volume left of the main story, but two trade volumes left of the comic, and we're eager to discuss the how/what/why of it all. So pick up Time Before Time Volumes 5 and 6 (issues #25-29, and #6, #12, #18, and #24) wherever you get your comics and join us next week to finish out the discussion!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

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• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
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"Well, let me put it this way... if the past could be changed, do you really think the world would be like this?"

It's been a while since Mike and Alex have tackled time travel (you have to go all the way back to the very first book they covered, Paper Girls), and it felt overdue in returning to the concept. So inn this season of Storied Arcs, they're diving into Image Comics' Time Before Time from Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, and Joe Palmer with the first two trade paperback volumes (issues #1-5 and #7-11). The guys do their best to break down the various time jumps while not losing track of what the "present" time of the book is. They also examine the world that's being created for the reader, from the rules that govern their version of time travel (closed loop system, technology doesn't travel, etc.) to trying to decipher why the future is so bad, you'd indenture yourself to a crime syndicate just to escape it. And before they wrap up their discussion, they highlight some of their standout storytelling elements, from the artwork to the coloring to the letters.

The end of Volume 2 really sets the story in motion, perhaps more so than the end of Volume 1, so we're ready to dive right into our next discussion. Find Time Before Time Volumes 3 and 4 (issues #13-17 and #19-23) wherever you get your comics and we'll you see you back here next week!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

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• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
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Welcome to another season of Storied Arcs! This go-round, Mike and Alex are ready to tackle time travel paradoxes head on as they dive into Time Before Time from Image Comics from Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, and Joe Palmer. The guys start by giving a run down of the full creative team behind this book (to start, at least; a roster of guest artists come into the series after issue #11, and we'll talk about them when we get to those issues), including colorist Chris O'Halloran and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, before talking a bit about why they chose this book, what drew them to it in the first place, and a little tease to get you into the story.

Time Before Time ran for 29 issues, and has been collected into 6 trade paperbacks. We'll be covering the story two trade paperbacks at a time; we feel it flows better that way. But if you're reading in single issue, be aware that every 6th issue (#6, #12, 18, and #24) is a stand-alone one-shot story, and those issues have been collected separately to comprise Volume 6. So in accordance with the trades, we'll skip over those issues as we go and cover them all at once at the end of the story.

The time travel logic can get tricky, so give yourself time (and space) to read Time Before Time Volumes 1 and 2 (issues #1-5 and #7-11) wherever you get your comics and join us back here next week and be 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
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In honor of Halloween, Mike and Alex are delighted to chat all things horror comics with special guest and comics connoisseur Rosie Knight, co-host of X-Ray Vision! They start with a big picture look at horror as a genre and why it has such lasting appeal in comics, and also discuss their own history consuming horror stories. The trio then each give their top three horror comics recommendations for folks to check out (plus many, many sidebars and honorable mentions) to keep Spooky Season going year-round.

You can follow Rosie on Instagram and at her website, and track all of her work online on Authory. You can purchase Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp, Rosie and Oliver Ono's middle grade OGN, here or at your local comic shop.

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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This week, Mike and Alex are incredibly excited to be joined by the creators of Revival, Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. They start by discussing the origin of Revival (it helps when you work in the same studio) and how it evolved to incorporate multiple different genres, all working under the umbrella of "rural noir." Tim and Mike then dive into on how and where they feel Revival fits in (or doesn't) with some of the other zombie/vampire/monster/horror stories that were becoming increasingly popular at the time, and what they did as an intentional zags away from what they saw as traditional horror comics. They guys also discuss the cover art of Jenny Frison and its importance to the series, the sometimes uncomfortable prescience of Revival, and how they might approach the same subject matter differently if they were to tackle it today versus a dozen years ago. Finally, Tim and Mike say what they can about the upcoming Revival TV adaption on Syfy that, at the time of this recording, is currently in production and speak on the comic's journey to get to this point.

You can follow Tim at his website as well as on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky.
You can follow Mike at his website as well as on Instagram and Bluesky.
You can follow their studio at Four Star Studios.

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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"But after Revival Day, we all went back to being within reach of the scythe. It made us remember how little time we get together. It made us honest. It made us human."

This week, Mike and Alex warp up their discussion of Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's rural noir, Revival, as they dive deep into Deluxe Volume 4 (issues #36-47). The guys start at the end and break down the comic's final moments, looking at what does and doesn't work for them from both a story (aka "what happens") and plot (aka "how it happens") standpoint. They also discuss the relative happiness of the ending (in which Mike has one specific exception with) and what they think the final coda page means, if it's supposed to be mean anything at all.

We hope you've enjoyed our deep dive look into Revival. But wait, there's more! Next week on the feed, we're super excited to present an exclusive interview with Revival co-creators Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. The chat covers all aspects of Revival, from its origin to its presentation and storytelling to the upcoming TV adaptation of Syfy. You don't want to miss it!

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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"Or, Martha Cypress... maybe, our paths crossing again is meant to redeem us both. Maybe this moment defines what we do with our gifts."

Mike and Alex are continuing their deep dive into Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's rural noir Revival from Image Comics, this week breaking down Deluxe Volume 3 (issues #24-35). They start by looking at the some of the big reveals given in these issues, from both narrative and character standpoints, and discuss how those reveals were handled and deployed within the story. The guys also revisit the idea of Seeley and Norton continually ratcheting up the tension in the town and how that culminates in a literal explosion, only to then find a way to ratchet up the tension even more in the aftermath. Finally, Mike and Alex both take aim at some visual motifs that start to become more prevalent in this volume, namely water and red thread.

We're in the home stretch now and we don't want to spoil the ending, so go find Revival Deluxe Volume 4 (issues 36-47) wherever you get your comics and join us here again next week for the epic conclusion!

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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"I don't know what makes that kind of monster, Martha. And I don't know what has to happen to make a person decide they have to take a life to protect their family."

In this week's episode, Mike and Alex continue their discussion of Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's farm noir tale Revival from Image Comics. The guys jump right into the Chew/Revival crossover issue included in this collection and break down its surprising significance to the overall narrative, and why that's unusual for a publisher crossover book. Then they take stock of the story as a whole and how they're feeling about what has and hasn't been revealed, what's being set up for the back half of the run, which characters they find compelling and which just feel like plot devices, and how reading this comic in single issues as it was released would have been a vastly different experience than reading it now in collected form, knowing there's an endpoint. 

There's a fairly big cliffhanger at the end of this arc, and we don't spoil anything coming afterwards, so if you want to know what happens, go find Revival Deluxe Volume 3 (issues #24-35) wherever you get your comics and join up back here again next week for another deep dive 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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"If you add more weight onto the backs of the people here... if you push them just a little farther, someone might just... snap."

Welcome to the newest season of Storied Arcs, where Mike and Alex are heading to small-town Wisconsin to deal with the not-zombie zombies of Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's Revival from Image Comics. The guys dive deep into how the comic wastes no time in introducing the reader to the book's premise (recently deceased come back to life), sprawling cast (over a dozen or so seemingly major and semi-major named characters), and supernatural undertones (glow-y demon spirit thingies in the woods), and how the storytelling decision might affect the reading experience of this book as a monthly release versus as a complete series binge. They also take a look at what Seeley and Norton are setting up with the Revivers as stand-ins for "otherness" and the role politics and religion will play going forward. Finally, they end by discussing how the comic doesn't really look or feel like other horror and horror-adjacent books it often (fairly or not) gets compared to, and why that's probably a good thing.

As per usual, we're doing our best not to spoil anything about the story beyond what've covered thus far (it is a whodunit detective story at its core, after all). But you can remedy that fear by reading Revival Deluxe Volume 2 (issues #12-23 + Chew/Revival #1) and joining us again next week for another deep dive 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!