Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
01/30/25 • 84 min
"Only when you accept that one day you'll die can you let you and make the best out of life. And that's the big secret. That's the miracle."
Mike and Alex are closing out Death Month with a comic that's been on their to-discuss list since the earliest days of the show, Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba from DC Comics/Vertigo. A beautiful and emotional journey through the important moments in one man's life, the guys jump right in and try and get to the bottom of why *these* moments are the important ones, and it says about life and living life that the important moments aren't always the one we think they are. They dive into the storytelling mechanics of the comic and how their perception of the book might have changed had they read it in single issue versus in trade, and discuss what that says about the Moon and Ba as storytellers and creators, and how the themes and ideas presented land on multiple different levels. In the end, this is legitimately one of Alex's all-time favorite books, and the comic he's probably recommended the most to other people, which apparently includes Mike (I don't remember doing that, but it tracks as something I certainly would have done).
We've really enjoyed exploring the concept of death the past few weeks through these four disparate comics, and truly hope you did as well. Theme months will definitely be a thing we return to now, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, reach out and let us know. Until then, we'll be back next week to kick off the discussion of 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
Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Google Podcast, or anywhere else fine podcasts are found!
"Only when you accept that one day you'll die can you let you and make the best out of life. And that's the big secret. That's the miracle."
Mike and Alex are closing out Death Month with a comic that's been on their to-discuss list since the earliest days of the show, Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba from DC Comics/Vertigo. A beautiful and emotional journey through the important moments in one man's life, the guys jump right in and try and get to the bottom of why *these* moments are the important ones, and it says about life and living life that the important moments aren't always the one we think they are. They dive into the storytelling mechanics of the comic and how their perception of the book might have changed had they read it in single issue versus in trade, and discuss what that says about the Moon and Ba as storytellers and creators, and how the themes and ideas presented land on multiple different levels. In the end, this is legitimately one of Alex's all-time favorite books, and the comic he's probably recommended the most to other people, which apparently includes Mike (I don't remember doing that, but it tracks as something I certainly would have done).
We've really enjoyed exploring the concept of death the past few weeks through these four disparate comics, and truly hope you did as well. Theme months will definitely be a thing we return to now, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, reach out and let us know. Until then, we'll be back next week to kick off the discussion of 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
Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Google Podcast, or anywhere else fine podcasts are found!
Previous Episode
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura
"All things that live, die. This is why you must find joy in the living, while the time is yours, and not fear the end. To deny this is to deny life. TO fear this... is to fear life."
Death Month rolls on as Mike and Alex face down monsters with I Kill Giants (issues #1-7) by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura from Image Comics. The guys start their discussion by covering all the ways someone might connect with this story, and how it facilitates multiple re-reads over time by allowing the reader to connect with different aspects and characters each time they return to it (probably contributes to the fact that the trade paperback has had multiple anniversary editions with multiples printings of each). Then they dive deep into the different themes and messages they take from the story, and do their best to break down the actions of a child without sounding like a couple of washed old men. There's a universality to this comic that goes beyond the character's struggle to cope with the idea of death and dying. It's about how it's hard to be a kid, regardless of whatever life factors may be in play, and the guys try and remember back to what they were like at 10 years old (spoiler alert- neither was all that great). What makes this book special is how Kelly and Niimura focus that kid perspective through the lens to death, and the result is an ideal book for our theme month.
Next week, we wrap up Death Month with one of the more weightier books we're ever covered, Daytripper (issues #1-10) by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba from Vertigo/DC Comics. This is literally one of Alex's favorite comics of all time, and it's one that if you have the time, maybe consider taking a short break in between issues and giving your thoughts time to marinate before moving on to the next chapter. It's a book that invites that kind of study, and we'll be getting into all of it next week, so go find Daytripper wherever you get your comics and join in on the conversation!
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!
Next Episode
Intro to Everything & Creator Spotlight on Christopher Cantwell & I.N.J Culbard
For this season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex are talking about Everything. Well, not everything everything, but Everything by Christopher Cantwell and I.N.J. Culbard from Dark Horse Comics and Berger Books. The guys give a quick rundown of the of the creative team, including Cantwell's television work (like AMC's Halt and Catch Fire) and Culbard's many collaborations with writer Dan Abnett, as well as letterer Steve Wands (who we covered in our intro to The Underwater Welder, which you can find here) and editor Karen Berger (who we discussed in the the intro to The Seeds, here). Then they give a short, spoiler-free synopsis of the book and hit on why they picked it for the show.
Like a lot of a books we've covered recently, Everything is a "COVID book," meaning its publishing scheduled was severely effected by the disruptions in the comic industry in 2020. Issues #1-5 were published and collected in trade volume 1, but the remaining single issues that had been solicited were never printed. Instead, the remaining material, what would have been issues #6-10, were published all at once as trade volume 2. So if you're hunting down the single issues, you might still see entries for issues #6 and #7, but know that they don't actually exist.
Everything is a trippy, slow burn story that takes a little while to get going, so stick with it if you feel a little lost at first. Go find Everything Volume 1: Grand Opening (issues #1-5) and join us back here again next week to break it all down!
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!
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