Storied Arcs

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"Technology will always advance. But we need to be careful as we advance that we have humans always at the center of our best interests."

Mike and Alex are back to dive into right into Alex + Ada Volume 2 (issues #6-10) from Sarah Vaughn and Jonathan Luna. The guys discuss how much they enjoyed this story arc versus the opening one and what they thought was improved between the two (hint- it has something to do with one of the title characters actually becoming a character). They also dive deeper into the larger theme of AI sentience and how it's exploration in the comic reflects onto our real-life society.

The final story arc for Alex + Ada awaits so go read Volume 3 (issues #11-15) wherever you get your comics and join us back here next week for our concluding discussion!

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"It's complicated, what makes a person. I think... part of it is experiences- whether you seek them out or they come to you- and your reactions to them."

In this new season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex jump back into the world of robots and androids and artificial intelligence as they begin their deep dive into Sarah Vaughn and Jonathan Luna's sci-fi love story, Alex + Ada Volume 1 (issues #1-5) from Image Comics. They discuss what they find different about this specific AI/robot story that sets it aside from some of the other, more well-established takes on the topic, and what landed for them in this opening story arc. They also debate some of things that may have worked less well for them, like the pacing of the story, before taking a look at perhaps the most divisive part of the comic, Luna's artwork (spoiler alert- taste in artwork is totally subjective and completely dependent on the person viewing it; crazy, I know).

Thanks for joining us for the start of our discussion of Alex + Ada. The conversation continues next week as we dive into Volume 2 (issues #6-10) so go read it wherever you get your comics and we'll see you then!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

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For the next season of Stored Arcs, Mike and Alex are jumping back into the world of androids and A.I. as they dive into Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn from Image Comics. The guys talk about what drew them to this book (and why it maybe took a little longer for them to start reading it than some other books) and give a little, lightly spoiled, tease as to what it's all about. Then as usual, they give a rundown of the creative team's other comic credits, hitting some of the other places where you might find Luna and Vaughn's work. 

We'll be starting off with Alex + Ada Volume 1 (issues #1-5) next week so find it wherever you get your comics (the Complete Collection Deluxe Edition is probably the most readily available) and join us back here again to kick off the discussion!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

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• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
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"He's always got some eminently pragmatic blanket solution for a world that's complex and irrational and... and human."

We've come to the end of another season of Storied Arcs, but before we move on, we have to discuss the final part of Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris' political-slash-superhero tale, Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 5 (issues 41-50 plus Special #4). Mike and Alex dive deep into what they did and didn't like about the end of the series, and why they thought some parts (the political machinations) may have worked better than others (the origin of Hundred's powers). They also break down the literal final pages of the story and try and parse what they think they mean, if anything. Finally, the guys also speculate some more on what a hypothetical real-time follow-up series could look like, as well as the movie adaptation starring Oscar Isaac that is totally a thing that's still happening.

We hope you enjoyed our look into a slightly less renowned, but no less important, work from one of the biggest names in comics currently. Thanks as always for following along and we'll see you here next week to jump into another great comic!

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 'Great Machine' was nothing but a burdened White paternalist who thought he could swoop down out of the heavens to save the helpless people of the ghetto."

We're into the home stretch as this week, Mike and Alex dive right into Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 4 (issues #30-40) by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. The guys work their way through the two major story arcs in this volume and discuss why those arcs worked for them and how they rank those stories in the overall run thus far. Then they take a look at the one-shot, stand alone stories contained in this run of issues and break down why those worked less well for them. Finally, guys close by breaking down the most meta of meta issues, Ex Machina #40.

There's just one collection left to discuss in this season of Stories Arcs, so find Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 5 (issues #41-50 plus Special #4) wherever you get your comics and join us back here again next week to close out another great comic!

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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"If the city gets too comfortable in the belief I'm going to personally fix everything, they'll stop striving to solve problems on their own."

In this week's episode, Mike and Alex are here to discuss Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 3 (issues #21-29 plus Special #3) from Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. The guys dive into how the use of flashbacks is (or isn't) working at this point in the comic and whether their reaction to them as a narrative device is affected by the condensed reading of a collected edition. They also explore the internal tension that exists within the book between telling a political story and telling a superhero story, and how this volume of issues manages to balance that near perfectly. Finally, the guys use the stand-alone issue on Bradbury's backstory as a springboard to have a chat about character development for everyone in the comic not named Mitchell Hundred.

We've passed the halfway point in the story with just two deluxe volumes left, so go find Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 4 (issues 30-40) wherever you get your comics and join us back here again next week for our penultimate 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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"I don't know when I went from hero to villain in this town, but it sure as s*** happened fast."

In this week's episode of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex tackle Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 2 (issues #12-29 plus Specials #1-2) from Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. The guys jump right into the various storylines presented in this volume and discuss how they do or do not fit with the flow of the comic. They also look at some of the weightier political issues addressed in this volume, with specific focus on the language of the time and the state of society in this county post-9/11 (again, it ages poorly but that seems to be kind of the point). They guys also ask the big question everyone is thinking about- are we sure Mitchell Hundred is even a good mayor?

Next week's discussion will focus on Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 3 (issues #21-29 plus Special #3), so go find it wherever you get your comics and we'll see you back here 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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"Everyone was scared back then, and when folks are scared, they want to be surrounded by heroes. But real heroes are just a fiction we create. They don't exist outside of comic books."

Welcome to the new season of Storied Arcs, where Mike and Alex are diving deep into Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris' Ex Machina, originally published by DC Wildstorm. They guys start by discussing first issues and how BKV may be the best first issue writer in comics before going into how the ending of Ex Machina's first issue completely reorients the reader's perception of what kind of story they're reading. They also examine how the comic has aged over the past 20 years, looking at what the perspectives of both the creators and the readers would have been at the time (the immediate aftermath and wake of 9/11) versus what they might be to approach a book like this today.  And finally, Alex goes to the mattresses to defend his professional colleagues over a single line in a panel that you the reader/listener probably gave zero second thoughts to. Apologies in advance.

The discussion continues next week with Ex Machina Deluxe Edition Volume 2 (issues #12-20 plus the Ex Machina Specials #1 and #2), so find that volume wherever you get your comics and join us back here again!

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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For the new season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex strap on their jetpacks and soar into the sky as they get ready to discuss Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, originally published by DC under the Wildstorm imprint beginning in 2004 before moving over to the Vertigo imprint and then eventually to the Black Label imprint. The guys start off by giving the CliffsNotes of the CliffsNotes about the history of Wildstorm, from its founding as a studio by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi as part of the creation of Image Comics in 1992 to its sale to DC Comics in 1998-1999, and how all of that affects where the book ends up when imprints get shuttered and shifted. Then they give you some background on the creative team behind the book, mainly focusing on artist Tony Harris, inkers Tom Feister and Jim Clark, and colorist JD Mettler (we covered writer Brian K. Vaughan and letterer Jared Fletcher way back in the very first episode of this show while previewing Paper Girls). The guys also give a spoiler-free preview of Ex Machina, including a content warning for some things presented in the comic that were meant to be provocative 20 years ago and remain provocative today, but perhaps for different reasons now. All the more to discuss when we dive deep into the story.

There are many ways to find and read Ex Machina (the series is 50 issues plus 4 specials), and we've decided to use the Deluxe Editions as our guide. The issue breakdown is as such:
Deluxe Edition Volume 1: issues #1-11
Deluxe Edition Volume 2: issues #12-20, specials #1-2
Deluxe Edition Volume 3: issues #21-29, special #3
Deluxe Edition Volume 4: issues #30-40
Deluxe Edition Volume 5: issues #41-50, special #4

We can't to get into our discussion, so go read Ex Machina Deluxe Edition Volume 1 (issues #1-11) and join us 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
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Welcome to a very special bonus episode of Storied Arcs! This week, Mike and Alex are ecstatic to bring you a conversation they had with writer Lydia Sherrer, the author of the Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus series aka The Lily Singer Adventures! They get into everything here, from how Lydia built and planned her book series from the start to some specific storytelling choices she made in her books (but all done so in a non-spoilery way). We really go deep into the world building and story creation aspects of the series, in ways that we think will be interesting and insightful to fans of all stories. And if you like what you hear, we definitely recommend checking out the Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus series. You can follow all of Lydia's works at the links below:

Lydia's Website: https://www.lydiasherrer.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lydiasherrer/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydiasherrer/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lydiasherrerauthor/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/757417044407402
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15009385.Lydia_Sherrer
Website-Formerly-Known-As-Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaSherrer

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!