Storied Arcs

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"You guys are asking questions I don't think anyone's asked in a long time. It's dangerous, what you're doing... but someone should be doing it."

Mike and Alex are here once again to break down the finale of Outpost Zero Volume 3 The Only Living Things (issues #10-14). The guys give their overall impressions of the book before jumping into the ending (or lack of ending) and what does and doesn't sit with them at the close of the series. They also touch on how the timing of the series' cancellation may have impacted the storytelling coming down the stretch and, as a result of that cancellation, what other stories they might like to see set in this universe. There's always something more to discover out there!

We hoped you enjoyed this season of Storied Arcs! We know that a YA-focused comic like Outpost Zero was a different speed then the books we've covered previously, but that doesn't mean it's any less worthy for discussion. We have special treat for you here in the feed next week so be on the look out for that, and then join us back here again the following week as we get ready to dive into another great comic!

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"When all is said and done, when it's all over... would you want to say you lived your life waiting to die? Or would you want to say something different?"

In this episode, Mike and Alex return with you to Outpost Zero in Volume 2 Follow It Down (issues #5-9) and dive deep into the story as the characters dive deep into their home. The guys discuss how the creators expand their world in the volume, filling out more sides and dimensions to it while continuing to focus on the central coming-of-age adventure. What does it mean to transition from being a child to entering the workforce? What does substance abuse and addiction look like in this world? Is having children just another obligation and duty of living in this society? And what was that giant tentacle thing deep below the Outpost? A lot of real-world parallels addressed in this volume (save for maybe the giant tentacle thing).

No spoilers here for the end of the series, as per usual. Once you've caught up, go out and read Outpost Zero Volume 3 The Only Living Things (aka the final chapter in the collected edition) and then meet us here next week as we wrap another season of Storied Arcs!

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

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• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
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"I wish I could be there. Wish I could see all the incredible alien things. If you're watching this... I guess you were lucky."

Welcome to Outpost Zero and to another season of Storied Arcs! In this opening episode, Mike and Alex gravity-jump straight into Volume 1 The Smallest Town in the Universe (issues #1-4) of the Skybound comic and consider it's place among similar type "kids on bikes" coming of age stories. They discuss the book's re-branding (so to speak) as a more YA story now that the complete collection is out and why that's probably a good decision. They also break down the main characters as a way to examine how trauma is handled and explored in stories like these.

[Content note, this episode does address the issue of teen suicide, as it's a major theme throughout in the comic. We understand that can be a difficult topic to broach but we hope that this story can help lead to a safe, open, and respectful discussion about it.]

As usual, we're not spoiling anything beyond what we've covered thus far, so listen away once you've finished Volume 1. Then go out and read Outpost Zero Volume 2 Follow It Down (or just read the next chapter in the complete collected edition) and join us back here next week for another deep-dive episode!

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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Welcome to another season of Storied Arcs! For this outing, Mike and Alex will be covering the YA-focused (that's Young Adult) series Outpost Zero by Sean Kelley McKeever and Alexandre Tefenkgi from the Image Comics imprint, Skybound. They guys will talk about why they choose a YA book for discussion and what appealed to them about this specific comic (generational ship, last ark to save humanity, kids on bikes adventure but make it Hoth- you know, things like that). Then as always, they'll give you the background of the series creative team and talk about why McKeever, who has a long history of writing comics focused in and around teen characters, and Tefenkgi, who made his US comics debut with this book, were the perfect combo to tell this story.

If you find the label "YA comic" off-putting, I implore you to give Outpost Zero a shot. It's a fun coming-of-age story that deals with real-world topics and issues and doesn't shy away from them. It's a book that can be enjoyed by someone in that middle-grade reader age range from 10 to 14ish, as well as readers significantly older (like your two co-hosts). So go find Outpost Zero Vol. 1 (issues #1-4) wherever you get your comics and join us back here next week for our deep-dive into the 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
• 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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"Role-playing games are conversations in quotations marks, letting you talk about true things with a little distance, as a fantasy. But for all of that, they're still conversations. And you should listen to what you are telling the game and what the game is telling you."

We've reached the center of DIE and Mike and Alex are here to break it all down as they discuss Volume 4 Bleed (issues #16-20). They reflect on the end of the game and the end of the story and explore how each character's journey wrapped up in the finale. They also dive deep into the meaning of it all- of DIE, of role-playing games, of storytelling, and of life (maybe). It's an incredible end for a spectacular comic book.

As always, thank you so much for joining up on this season of Storied Arcs. We'll be back next week, ready to jump head first 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
• 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'm presuming that's a reference I don't remember because I grew up and actually got a life."

In this episode, Mike and Alex delve deep into DIE Volume 3 The Great Game (issues #11-15) as all the answers of DIE are finally revealed. Or are they? We see how all the pieces fit together, from the Brontë sibling's wooden soldiers to the dice that brought our Paragons to DIE in the first place, but there's still some timey-wimey stuff going on. A LOT of timey-wimey stuff. Things that happen in the future that cause events in the past to have already occurred; time loops are apparently a recurring topic for is. It's like we're trapped in a repeating cycle of events or something.

We're almost at the end so there's no way we'd spoil the finale now. So go read the epic conclusion in DIE Volume 4 Bleed wherever you get your comics and join us back here next week to wrap up 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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"'What is Twitter?' 'It's a place devoid of any sentient life, entirely hostile to humanity. A lot like here, really.'"

Welcome back to DIE! In this episode, Mike and Alex breakdown Volume 2 Split The Party (issues #6-10) from Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans. They dive deep into the mechanics of the game, what the rules are and how they govern the players, and why that's so important to establish for Gillen and Hans. They also continue the discussion on self-identification and how that manifests through role-playing games. There's also the One Big Issue to cover, so I hope you're up to speed with the Brontë sibling's juvenilia. 

No spoilers in this episode for anything to come down the line in the comic so if you're reading along, listen freely. And when you're done, go read DIE Volume 3 The Great Game wherever you get your comics and join us back here next week for another great 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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"While our peers back on Earth were doing their A-levels, we were trapped here. The world of Die taught us different lessons. I was the Dictator. I learned how to tell stories."

In this episode, Mike and Alex roll for damage as they enter the world of DIE from Keiron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, published by Image Comics. They dive right into Volume 1 Fantasy Heartbreaker (issues #1-5) to discuss the players of the game and how the line between fantasy role-playing and real life gets blurred when the characters are forced to return to the game. They also touch on the various historical and literary references featured in this first volume, from JRR Tolkien to the Bronte siblings to Prussian Army war games. All very normal things to encounter in a fantasy game.

As usual, we don't spoil anything about the comic beyond what's shown in this volume, so if you're reading along with the show, you should be safe. But keep on reading because we'll be right back here next week to continue our deep-dive discussion into DIE with Volume 2 Split the Party. Go read it wherever you find comics.

Thanks for listening to Storied Arcs

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• Find all links here: https://linktr.ee/storiedarcs
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Mike and Alex are back with another zero episode to get ready for the next season of Storied Arcs, DIE from Image Comics. As always, the guys first focus on the creators of the comic, Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, before giving you a preview of why you should read the book. They review Gillen's vast resume of Marvel and creator-owned comics, as well as Hans' relatively few entries (as an interior artist, that is; her work as a cover artist is extensive and flawless), but discuss how what interior work Hans had done, specifically with Gillen, suited the style we see represented in DIE.  Gillen once described DIE as "goth Jumanji" which is simultaneously too flippant and dismissive of what the comic is and also describes it perfectly. It's an immersive fantasy adventure that never forgets the real cost stories like these can have. 

Don't worry if you're not a tabletop RPG gamer, it's not a requirement for reading this book. Trust me; neither Mike or Alex play or played D&D or other such games and they still find the comic very enjoyable. So go out and read DIE Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker (issues #1-5) wherever you can find it and join us back here next week for the start of 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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"Humans are like a bucket with a hole in it. You try to fill it up with happiness, but you can't. It runs out as fast as you pour it in, so you're always trying to find ways to get more. Every wish we grant is the same wish. I wish I had enough."

In this one-shot episode, Mike and Alex jump into Charles Soule and Ryan Browne's recently concluded hit, Eight Billion Genies (issues #1-8)! They discuss the structure of the storytelling, the mechanics of the wishes, and the note-perfect ending (well, almost note-perfect, if you're Mike). They also talk about how they would use their one wish and what that wish might be, potentially revealing buried character flaws along the way. But that's what this comic does; it forces you to ask yourself "what would I wish for?" and then deal with that your answer is. Who needs therapy when you can just read a comic book?

We hope you enjoyed diving into a recent release comic like this one, and definitely recommended pick up the deluxe hardcover collection that's scheduled to be released later in 2023 (or that's already available, depending on when you're listening to this). We'll be back next week for the start of another season of Stories Arcs. 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
• 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!