Storied Arcs

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"If you believe in nothing, how can you accomplish anything."
In this one-shot episode, Mike and Alex dive right into The Nightly News from Image Comics, superstar writer Jonathan Hickman's first-ever published comic work. They talk about how Hickman being the sole credited creator on the book effects the presentation of the story on the page, including how some storytelling elements that would persist throughout his career are present in this comic right from the jump. Then they dig into how a book written in 2006 could feel so prescient that it could easily be mistaken for a book written in 2023 (the heavy plot reliance on the existence of cassette tapes and the lack of smart phones and social media kinda gives it away, though). Is it amazing that a creator could so fully grasp the world around them that they could synthesize a story that would remain relevant and timeless? Or is just that our world continues to have the same problems over and over again so when in doubt, assume the worst and you'll probably be right? I'd say tune in at 11 for more but I don't think anyone watches the news anymore.
Thanks for joining us for another episode! We're done with the one-shot discussions for a little while as we get ready to jump into a new multi-volume book starting next week. See you then!

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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

• 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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"My father once told me that revenge was like a plume of black smoke. It seems tangible... but when you reach for it... you're grasping nothing but air."
In this first episode of the new season, Mike and Alex head to the Old West to discuss Plume Volumes 1 and 2 (issues #1-9) by cartoonist K. Lynn Smith. They look into the history of the Western as a genre in popular culture and examine how Smith uses and manipulates those existing tropes and architypes to tell her own version of a Western. The guys also touch on Plume's origin as a webcomic and how that influenced both its narrative and art styles when presented now in print. They also go off the deep end of the pop culture reference pool this week, ranging from Indiana Jones to Firefly to the Mandalorian to Aladdin. But we swear it all makes sense.
As usual with multi-volume books, we don't spoil anything in this discussion about what happens beyond Volume 2, aka Issue #9 if you're reading in the omnibus version. Head over to plumecomic.com to continue reading along and join us back here next week as we conclude our discussion of Plume with Volumes 3 and 4 (issues #10-17)!

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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"A group of highly-trained spies and killers. And she'd played each of us... with ease. That was when I realized just how dangerous Velvet Templeton actually was."
Welcome to another season of Storied Arcs! Mike and Alex are here to plunge head first into the world of espionage and intrigue as they break down Velvet Volume 1 Before the Living End (issues #1-5) by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting from Image Comics. The guys start by examining how the concept for Velvet fit into the wider pop culture zeitgeist surrounding spy fiction and "reboot" culture in the mid-2010s, and discuss how Brubaker and Epting's clear love and appreciation for the classic spy stories they grew up on shines through in their story. Then they eventually get to talking about the comic, mainly highlighting the incredible colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser and the unique storytelling devices the team employs that only work in sequential art. Alex also bad-mouths baccarat, because it's a silly game that seemingly only exists to be played by shady people in spy stories. No real person plays baccarat.
The conversation continues next week with Velvet Volume 2 The Secret Lives of Dead Men (issues #6-10), so pick it up wherever you get your comics and join us back here again for anther deep dive!

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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Welcome to a new season (and year!) of the Storied Arcs podcast! Mike and Alex have returned with another theme month- DEATH. Or dying. But, living. Or ending. But, continuing on. It’s kinda all the same thing. Every story about death is really a story about life, and that’s the thing we’re hoping to explore with the books we’ve picked for our discussions. They’re a wide assortment of stories from a slew of amazingcreators that all examine the concept of death and dying from different angles and perspectives. Those books are:
-Swan Songs by W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Simmonds, Caspar Wijngaard, Filipe Andrade, Caitlin Yarsky, and Martin Morazzo, from Image Comics
-The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade, from Boom Studios
-I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura, from Image Comics
-Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, from DC Comics/Vertigo
That’s a lot of titles and creators to cover here, so in this episode, we’ll give a very brief synopsis of each book, how we think it fits into our overall theme, and some of the highlights from the creators’ comics resumes. We’ll talk more about each specific team when we cover that book.
We’re going to start off next week with the most unconventional book on our list, Swan Songs (issues #1-6) from Image Comics. It’s an anthology book with a single writer (Prince) working with a different artist for each issue (hence all of the names listed above), each focusing on a different kind of death or ending. It’s a fascinating look at the subject and one we’re eager to dive into. We know death can be a heavy topic, but we’re not looking to make our discussions all downers. We’re far more interested in the portrayal and usage of death as a storytelling device than we are in the actual idea of it (I think). So grab a copy of Swan Songs wherever you get your comics and join back here next week for as we start our journey into Death Month. TO LIFE!

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!