Storied Arcs

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Mike sits down with the writer, penciler, colorist, and letterer for Gospel... Will Morris! They discuss the book's meaning, especially the ending, and how/why there was a change from the single-issue release to the trade paperback. Will also settles the score on the debate Mike and Alex had during their discussion of Gospel- which pop culture theory of interpretation is more correct, Big Fish or The Usual Suspects? The answer will shock you (okay, probably not, but it's still a fun debate). They also discuss other influences on Will's work, which include other American comics, manga, anime, feminist histories of medieval Europe, and some popular films! You can follow all of Will's work over at this website as well as on Instagram, Bluesky, and the thing we're still calling Twitter. 

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"Joan of Arc never sought to be martyred, nor to be venerated. She wanted only to deliver France from oppression. That is what I want. To deliver my friends from danger."

Mike and Alex are back for another one-shot episode, this time discussing Will Morris' book from Image Comics, Gospel. The guys take time to praise Morris' wonderful artwork before exploring how the specific historical setting of the comic (the English Reformation) adds layers and context to the world. Then they tackle the underlying theme of the book, one that seems to be present in a lot of the comics they discuss- what is the meaning of stories and storytelling. Is the act of telling a story more important than the event depicted in it? Are stories only meaningful if they're true? Is the old man who's narrating the story an immortal soul bound to this Earth and charged with passing on the history of the land, or is he Keyser Soze? These are the things we talk about. That, and The West Wing. Again.

We hope you enjoyed this under-the-radar book. Next week, we are pleased to once again present an exclusive creator interview as we (well, Mike; Alex had to sit this one out) chat with writer/artist Will Morris about Gospel and his career in comics. Stay tuned for that, you don't want to miss it.

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Welcome to a new season of Storied Arcs! In this entry, Mike and Alex will be diving into the Gospel from cartoonist Will Morris and Image Comics. They'll talk about what drew them to the book (and maybe why Alex missed it when it was initially released) and also give some big picture thoughts on the story to set-up the discussion. Then as usual, the guys give the lowdown on the series creators and contributors, starting with cover artist Ver before moving to writer/artist/colorist/letterer/etc. Will Morris.

We know that Gospel and Will Morris may not be names that are readily recognizable to a lot of comic fans in the U.S. and North American market (your two co-hosts included), but we think this is a really cool book from a very talented creator that's worth checking out. So find Gospel (either in trade paperback collection or single issue #1-5) from Image Comics wherever you get your books and join us back here next week for our deep-dive discussion!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

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• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
• Or specifically, find us on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Twitter/X.
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In this one-shot, Mike sits down with Javon Harris. Javon has dreamt of writing and publishing manga (Japanese comics) since the 3rd grade. Now, he's making it happen. In 2022, he founded what is now an international collaboration of creators and he's trying to get the word out.

Know someone who is a manga fan? Be sure to share this episode with them!

Be sure to support his efforts by reading and commenting on new chapters at:
www.lumebento.net

Follow them on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter/X

The Mike-approved manga series mentioned in this episode are:
Spy x Family (comedy espionage)
Pluto (mystery sci-fi coming soon to Netflix)
Death Note

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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[Content note, the language in this interview get a little spicy, but hey, it happens sometimes.]

After speaking with both the artist (Alexandre Tefenkgi) and writer (Pornsak Pichetshote) of The Good Asian, Mike and Alex had to keep it moving and snag the colorist as well, the great Lee Loughridge! We talk about his lengthy career to date and go back to his origins getting into the comics industry nearly 30 years ago now (spoiler alert- it involves a faux ransom note, which kinda tells you everything you need to know about Lee). Then the guys dive into The Good Asian and explore how Lee's colors enhance the storytelling on the page. They also discuss some of Lee's past work (like Fables), and what he has coming in the future, including his own creator-owned books where he served as the writer (and colorist, naturally). Links to his work can be found here at our website, StoriedArcs.com.

We can't thank Lee enough for joining us. You can follow him on Instagram as well as his comics studio, Zylonol Studio, to keep up with his latest projects and announcements!

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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In this episode, Mike and Alex are proud to present an exclusive interview with the Eisner Award-winning writer of The Good Asian, Pornsak Pichetshote! We discussed his origin in the comics industry, including his time as an editor at Vertigo Comics where he worked on such books as The Unwritten, Daytripper, Sweet Tooth, and many, many more iconic titles. We also talked about the influences that went into writing both The Good Asian and The Sandman Universe: The Dead Boy Detectives (over at DC) and what it means to represent a people and a culture that haven't historically been featured in comics (though it's getting better on that front). Oh, and there's West Wing talk. Because Mike and Alex just can't help themselves. Links to Pornsak's work can be found here at our website, StoriedArcs.com.

We can't thank Pornsak enough for joining us. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter (or whatever it's called now), and Bluesky to keep up with his latest projects!

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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"You pay attention. When they're nervous. Whey they're relieved. All the different ways they think the world owns them happiness. They'll tell you everything about how they want to be treated. You just have to pay attention."

Mike and Alex are back with another episode of Stories Arcs, this time discussing The Good Asian Volume 2 (issues #5-10) by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi from Image Comics. The guys breakdown the "parlor room" reveal of the mystery at the heart of the story and dive deep into how the mechanics of the storytelling work smoothly to keep the reader on edge but never in the dark. They revisit some more well-worn film noir tropes that appear in this volume and consider how The Good Asian fits in among other neo-noir detectives stories and similar ilk. A satisfying end to an exceptionally well-told tale.

This wraps up another season of Storied Arcs. Thanks as always for listening, but wait, there's more! Just as we were so fortunate to have the artist of Outpost Zero (and The Good Asian), Alexandre Tekenkgi, join us for an interview at the end of last season, we are equally lucky to have had a chat with with the writer of The Good Asian, Pornsak Pichetshote! That exclusive interview with run next week. We can't wait for you to hear 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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"Chasing perfect's normal- it's the ones who get there you have be wary of. The perfect smile. Posture. Part in their hair... perfection takes sacrifice, so you have to be suspicious of anyone sad enough to go through with it."

In this episode, Mike and Alex dive right into The Good Asian Volume 1 (issues #1-4) by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi from Image Comics.  The guys discuss the various film noir/hard-boiled detective tropes utilized by the creative team and talk about why those tropes still work as story elements. They talk about the title itself, The Good Asian, and what that signals to the reader before they even open the book. They also have an extended discussion of color, which is used to great effect here. Finally, the guys (okay, mostly Alex) explore the real-life history of the Asian and Asian-American experience in the United States in the early part of 20th Century and reflect on how that informs every piece of the storytelling throughout the comic. It's a wide-ranging conversation; buckle in.

As usual, we don't spoil anything about the comic beyond what is covered in this volume, and that feels especially important to note for this book, given that it's a mystery story. This was difficult for Mike this time because he's actually read the whole series before we'd covered it on the show! But fear not, the conclusion of this limited series is just around the corner, so go find The Good Asian Volume 2 (issues #5-10) wherever you get your comics and we'll be back next week to wrap another season of Storied Arcs!

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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After getting the chance to talk with Eisner-award winning artist Alex Tefenkgi last week, Mike and Alex felt it was only appropriate to focus the next season of Storied Arcs on the comic that won him that Eisner, The Good Asian from Image Comics. The guys discuss what makes this book special and why it stood out to them in a sea of new comics that are released every month. Then as usual, they give a spotlight to the creative team behind the book (save for Tefenkgi; we covered him in the intro to Outpost Zero last season), including long-time comics editor turned-writer Pornsak Pichetshote (who shared the 2022 Eisner for Best Limited Series with Tefenkgi), colorist Lee Loughridge, letter/designer Jeff Powell, and cover artist Dave Johnson.

We can't wait to jump into this hard-boiled detective story, so grab The Good Asian Volume 1 (issues #1-4) wherever you get your comics and join us back here next week for another season of Storied Arcs!

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 the special episode, we have an exclusive interview with the great Alexandre Tefenkgi, the artist behind Outpost Zero, who was kind enough to chat with us all the way from his home in France. We discussed his origin in comics and how he got into the industry, then dove into his mindset when approaching projects. We also talked about his thought process and some of the creative storytelling decisions he made while working on not only Outpost Zero, but The Good Asian and Once Upon a Time at the End of the World.  He also teased a little bit of what he's working on next, which we can't wait to see come to fruition. Links to his work can be found here at our website, StoriedArcs.com.

We can't thank Alexandre enough for joining us. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with his latest projects!

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!