Intro to Romulus & Creator Spotlight: Bryan Edward Hill and Nelson Blake II
09/05/24 • 52 min
Welcome to a new season of Storied Arcs! This time around, Mike and Alex will be driving deep into Romulus (issues #1-4) by Bryan Edward Hill and Nelson Blake II from Image Comics. Never heard of it, you say? Not surprised. Neither Mike or Alex have ever met another person who's read this book other than each other. In fact, this book was a topic of discussion the first time the guys had a conversation at the comic shop, thus one could argue that without it, there would be no Storied Arcs. But it's more than that. It's a book that had a lot of promise in its setup that never got a chance to live up to its potential, be it great or terrible, because it was canceled after four issues when there were clearly more stories to be had. And that possibility of "what if?" head canon is what the guys are interested in exploring. So after running through the comic resumes of creators Bryan Edward Hill and Nelson Blake II, Mike and Alex will try and sell you on why you should read a comic with zero conclusion and no hope of every being continued (it's not as bleak as it sounds; this is fun book, even if it's ultimately just an prologue for would have come later).
So next week, it's a one-shot discussion of Romulus Vol. 1 (issues #1-4), the only volume of Romulus there is or ever will be, which should hopefully be available wherever you get your comics. Find it, read it, and join us back here 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!
Welcome to a new season of Storied Arcs! This time around, Mike and Alex will be driving deep into Romulus (issues #1-4) by Bryan Edward Hill and Nelson Blake II from Image Comics. Never heard of it, you say? Not surprised. Neither Mike or Alex have ever met another person who's read this book other than each other. In fact, this book was a topic of discussion the first time the guys had a conversation at the comic shop, thus one could argue that without it, there would be no Storied Arcs. But it's more than that. It's a book that had a lot of promise in its setup that never got a chance to live up to its potential, be it great or terrible, because it was canceled after four issues when there were clearly more stories to be had. And that possibility of "what if?" head canon is what the guys are interested in exploring. So after running through the comic resumes of creators Bryan Edward Hill and Nelson Blake II, Mike and Alex will try and sell you on why you should read a comic with zero conclusion and no hope of every being continued (it's not as bleak as it sounds; this is fun book, even if it's ultimately just an prologue for would have come later).
So next week, it's a one-shot discussion of Romulus Vol. 1 (issues #1-4), the only volume of Romulus there is or ever will be, which should hopefully be available wherever you get your comics. Find it, read it, and join us back here 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!
Previous Episode
Spider-Man: Blue
"I guess when you look at the way my life turned out so far, it's about the only way you can look at it. Good after bad. Kind of amazing."
In the final installment of Storied Arc's look into the selected works by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Mike and Alex swing into Spider-Man: Blue (issues #1-6), the second book in the Loeb-Sale Marvel Colors Quadrilogy (which is totally a word). The guys again start with their personal histories with the character of Spider-Man, before jumping right into the book. Mike had a lukewarm reaction to it back when he first read it (he's higher on it now), and Alex feels it's one of the best Spider-Man stories every told, so they unpack those viewpoints and try and work through where and what the divide is. They also discuss how Blue would work as someone's first Spider-Man story, and why it might not be as successful as a introduction as some of the other Loeb and Sale collaborations we've discussed on the show.
We really hoped you've enjoyed this little detour into the world of Big Two Superhero Comics over the past handful of weeks. There's always a chance we'll do it again sometime, too, because as far as we're concerned, good stories are good stories, regardless of who publishes them. But in the meantime, we will be here next week to dive back into the familiar waters of independent, creator-owned comics. 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!
Next Episode
Romulus by Bryan Edward Hill & Nelson Blake II
"They are the history behind the history. The hands that turn the world. We are their beasts. Their reckoning."
Here at Storied Arcs, we like to celebrate completed runs and stories of independent, creator-owned comics. Sometimes, that means a book wraps up after 24 or 30 or 54 issues because that's what the story required. And sometimes, that means a book is canceled after its first arc because that's just how it goes. Romulus (issues #1-4) by Bryan Edward Hill and Nelson Blake II from Image comics is one of the latter, but that doesn't mean there aren't things to enjoy and celebrate about it. Mike and Alex dive deep into this short-lived comic that is ultimately little more than a really good pilot episode for a TV series that wasn't picked up, discussing everything from the panel layouts to coloring choices to the character designs. They also let their story-pilled brains run free with pitches for the hypothetical next issues and arcs that will never be but they can't help to consider because the world presented in Romulus had so much potential. It's a bummer when a book gets canceled before it really has a chance to do the things it wants to do, but that's comics. They'll break your heart.
Thanks as always for listening and following along! We'll be back next week, ready to dive deep into another great comic (one with an ending this time, hopefully)!
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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