Storied Arcs

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"I mean, what's the point of doing something unless you can tell the whole world?"

This week on Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex continue to make their way through Social Media Summer with Unfollow Volume 2: God Is Watching (issues #7-12) by Rob Williams and Michael Dowling from DC Comics/Vertigo. The guys discuss how narrowing the story into two or three main threads works to its advantage as it allows the book to more easily juggle the number of characters it wants to follow. They touch on all the main characters...

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"The great terror comes form the universe's actions that do not have a cognizant mind behind them. What if all we are is swept away by something that wants nothing? That means nothing?"

Welcome to book two of Social Media Summer! This week, Mike and Alex begin their look at Unfollow by Rob Williams and Michael Dowling from DC Comics/Vertigo with Volume 1: 140 Characters (issues #1-6). The guys dive right into the comic, breaking down the overall narrative setup (a tontine established by a dying billionaire tech genius involving 140 randomly-chosen social...

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This week, Mike and Alex setup the next book in their Social Media Summer series, Unfollow from DC Comics/Vertigo by writer Rob Williams and artist Michael Dowling. They guys first give some background on the creative team, including colorist Quinton Winter and letterer Clem Robins, as well as acknowledge the handful of guest artists brought on the pinch hit for an issue here and there (more on them when the discussion reaches those issues). Then they give a spoiler-free preview of Unfollow and discuss briefly how it fits into the decline of...

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"I put the gun in their hands and I trusted them to use it wisely. Just like Tunisia. Just like Sirine. And they used it to kill. I have to stop them. There's no other choice, this is my responsibility. It's on my hands."

This week, Social Media Summer continues with Hacktivist Volume 2 (issues #1-6) from Boom Studios by Alyssa Milano, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Marcus To. Mike and Alex start by airing some of things that they bumped on in this volume with regards to some of the specifics...

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"It's Moore's Law. Every two years, transistors double on integrated circuits. This is a constant since 1958. That means that we the people, the ones with the technology, we're getting more powerful by the day."

Welcome to the first entry in Social Media Summer! This week, Mike and Alex are jumping back to 2014 to dive into Hacktivist Volume 1 (issues #1-4) by Alyssa Milano, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Marcus To from Boom Studios. The guys reminisce about social media's stature and place in society in 2014 and discuss how different it looks now...

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In this episode, Mike and Alex introduce their latest themed set of books (see: Death Month from January 2025), only this time, instead of just a month, it's going to stretch all season. They're calling it Social Media Summer and they're focusing on four comics that utilize and comment on society's relationship with technology, specifically social media. And those books are: Hacktivist by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Marcus To from Boom Studios, Unfollow by Rob Williams and Michael Dowling from Vertigo/DC Comics, Thumbs by Sean Lewis and Hayden Sherman from Image Comics...

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This week, Mike and Alex are honored to be a joined by artist Marcus To, one of the co-creators of Joyride! They start with an quick overview on Marcus' work on Hacktivist with Alyssa Milano, Jackson Lanzing, and Collin Kelly (a comic you may want to consider picking up soon for discussion on this podcast) before diving into Joyride. Marcus lets us in on the origins of Joyride and how sci-fi storytelling, specifically Star Trek, impacted him as a storyteller and creative, as well as how he and the Hivemind workshopped and developed...

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"Good and bad, humanity can transform anything into something. We express. We create. Even when we're under a dictator. Even when we can't see the stars, we imagine them."

In this week's episode, Mike and Alex return to Earth to wrap up their discussion of Joyride from Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Marcus To with deep dive into Volume 3 (issues #9-12). The guys start by looking at how the story wrapped up, both in a narrative sense (which they both generally enjoyed) and a structural...

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"The dead are dead-- and their sacrifices kept me alive. They made this place possible. They made me possible. Moments like this... they matter 'cause they end."

This week, Mike and Alex throw a planet-wide rave and jump into Joyride Volume 2 (issues #5-8) by Jackson Lanzing, Colin Kelley, and Marcus To. The guys start by discussing the heavy character focus this volume takes, and how that (mostly) pushes the narrative forward. They also praise the art team of Marcus To and colorist Irma Kniivila for their incredible work, from dynamic splash...

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"Right now, you gotta get it through your propaganda-themed brain that you're not the one giving me the choice. It's 100% the other way around. I'm not going back to a world without stars."

Kicking off this season of Stories Arcs, Mike and Alex hijack a spaceship and head out into the unknown as they dive into Joyride Volume 1 (issues #1-4) by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Marcus To from Boom Studios. The guys chat about how the story pacing feels for this first volume, knowing that for at least one issue...

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For this season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex are heading back into outer space to dive into Boom Studios' Joyride from co-writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (aka the "Hivemind"), artist Marcus To, and colorist Irma Kniivila. The guys run through the comic book history of the full creative team (including letterer Jim Campbell), along the way noting on how and when each of them first came across the book, and discuss how the creators are far more recognizable names now than they were when the book first came out. Then they...

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“Just look above you. Do you see? That is called the Immense Board of Lights. And there is the Great Black. And, strewn across it, small and surrounded and vulnerable and brave… there is the Great White.”

This week, Mike and Alex wrap up their discussion of Top 10 by Alan Moore, Gene Ha, and Zander Cannon with Volume 2 (issues #8-12) of the initial run. They guys jump right into issue #8, The Overview, and discuss the major themes it presents. They also delve into why the issue so highly regarded and the effect...

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"Listen, I got a call for you and Slinger. Irma and Li are at Seventh and Macaroni handling some kind of psychokinetic Santa."

Welcome to a new season of Storied Arcs, and Mike and Alex are here to dive into Alan Moore, Gene Ha, and Zander Cannon's Top 10 Volume 1 (issues #1-7) from America's Best Comics/DC Comics. The guys jump right in, discussing the denseness of Alan Moore's writing and the way he, Ha, and Cannon build their world so it feels both new and recognizable at the same time. They...

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For this season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex will be tackling the critically-acclaimed, multi-dimensional police procedural comic Top 10 (issues #1-12 of the original series only) from America's Best Comics (aka Wildstorm aka DC) by Alan Moore, Gene Ha, and Zander Cannon. They start with some background on America's Best Comics and use that to track the publication history of Top 10 and its subsequent spinoffs and sequels through the years. Then the guys attempt to (briefly) cover the comics history of writer Alan Moore (he's Alan Moore, folks), along with the works of...

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This week, Mike and Alex have the good fortune to be joined by another incredible member of the Deep Cuts team, all the way from Italy, artist Helena Masellis! Helena starts by describing the comic scene she was exposed to growing up in Brazil, from both the US and Asia, and how that influenced a whole generation of Brazilian artists. They also discuss into the importance of having diverse voices from all different backgrounds contributing to comics and how the widening of the talent-pool net has led to better stories. Then they dig...

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In this week's episode, Mike and Alex are elated to be joined by Joe Clark, one of the co-writers/creators of Deep Cuts! Joe starts off by giving his origin story, both in comics and in music, and tells us how the meeting of those two things in high school led him to befriending Kyle Higgins, this co-writer/creator on this project. Then the guys go deep into Deep Cuts, discussing where the idea came from, how Joe got involved, and what the process was like working (and juggling) with six completely different...

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"Jazz, America's music, was born from a combination of uptown and downtown, of high art and low places. Now, it combines the free, the electronic, the spiritual, the revolutionary, the ancient, the immediate."

In this week's discussion, Mike and Alex jump right into Deep Cuts by co-writers Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark and a stable of brilliant artists from Image Comics. In a break from the usual, the guys (mostly-ish) go through the book issue to issue, touching on the era of jazz each issue covers and highlighting each issue's artist...

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For this season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex dive into the beautiful chaos that is jazz as they get ready to discuss Deep Cuts from Image Comics by co-writers Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark along with a litany of incredible artists. A different artist is brought in for each of the 6 double-sized issues of this anthology miniseries: Danilo Beyruth, Helena Masellis, Diego Greco, Ramon Perez, Juni Ba, and Toby Cypress. The guys run through the notable credits of the entire creative team, including colorist Igor Monti and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (who seems...

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This week, Mike and Alex are super stoked to be joined by Matthew Erman, one of the co-writers/creators of Golgotha Motor Mountain! Matthew first gives his comic origin story before diving head first into the entire publishing saga (and that might be an understatement) of Golgotha Motor Mountain. He covers where the initial idea for the comic came from and how the creative team eventually came together, then discusses in detail how changes at the publisher level at IDW trickled down and had a major impact on their final product. It's a...

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"Grief is the ether-like fumes of memory evaporating into nothingness. But from nothing, things can appear. From the void and blackness, magic can arrive."

In this one-shot episode, Mike and Alex travel to the backwoods of Kentucky to discuss Golgotha Motor Mountain by Matthew Erman, Lonnie Nadler, and Robbi Rodriguez from IDW Publishing. They guys break down the larger extended metaphor played out through the story and try and drill down on why stories about these communities seem to be having a moment right now. Then they turn their attention to...

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In this new season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex are diving into a one-shot discussion about Golgotha Motor Mountain from IDW Publishing by Matthew Erman, Lonnie Nadler, and Robbi Rodriguez. They first give a little history about IDW (a publisher they somehow haven't covered properly before), then give a rundown of the full creative team behind the book, including co-writers Matthew Erman and Lonnie Nadler, artist Robbi Rodriguez, colorist Mariss Louise, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, plus back-up story artist Nikola Cizmesija. Then they dip a toe into the comic itself, giving a...

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"Can’t paint on a smile and expect it to work, ya know?” 

This week, Mike and Alex break down the mind-bendy conclusion to Christopher Cantwell and I.N.J. Culbard's Everything from Dark Horse Comics and Berger Books with Volume 2: Black Friday. The guys jump right into the end and discuss how the ultimate reveal for the explanation of the store did or didn't work for them, and how the final story beats retroactively effect their thoughts on the opening handful of issues. They also touch on how while this gener...

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"I just... I just want to be happy. Or at least... happy with being sad."

Welcome to Everything! Mike and Alex are ready to start a new season of Storied Arcs by wandering the aisles of Everything Volume 1: Grand Opening (issues #6-10) from Dark Horse Comics and Berger Books by Christopher Cantwell and I.N.J. Culbard. The guys start the conversation by considering Cantwell's television history and how those storytelling influences, from something like, say, Twin Peaks (RIP David Lynch), are apparent in Everything. They also discuss...

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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...

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"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...

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"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...

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"Who is to say exactly how things end? If there is one thing we have learned, it is that life's endings are bereft of answers."

Welcome to Week 2 of Death Month, where Mike and Alex head to Mumbai (in a storytelling sense) to discuss Ram V and Filipe Andrade's The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (issues #1-5) from Boom Studios. The guys jump right into the story and lay out how its specificity of place and culture is essential to the comic and how that's an invitation to readers into a...

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"The fact that we know things will end actually presents each of us with an amazing choice: What will you do with the limited time you get on this spinning rock?"

To kick off Death Month, Mike and Alex are looking into the W. Maxwell Prince-penned anthology comic Swan Songs (issues #1-6) from Image Comics. In each issue of the series, Prince collaborates with a different artist to explore the end of something- the world (Martin Simmonds), a marriage (Casper Wijngarrd), the end of the world (Filipe...

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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 book...

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"It became this giant spectacle. The more attention it got, the more money it raised. Because it dumb or funny or stupid. Who cares why. People wanted in."

This week, Mike and Alex wrap up their look at Crowded by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt with Volume 3: Cutting-Edge Desolation. They get right to it and start at the end, breaking down everything surrounding the final reveals and revelations the story gives you. Seeing how it all played out, the guys discuss some of the storytelling decisions made throughout the...

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"Charlie, from what I've seen in the last four days, the fact that he knows you doesn't mean he's not gonna try to kill you."

In this episode, the action heats up in Crowded Volume 2: Glitter Dystopia (issues #7-12) by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt, and Mike and Alex are ready to break it all down. They start with some stand-out moments from this volume (spoiler alert- it involves a heist that goes wrong but also still somehow goes kinda right) and discuss how an increased focus on the...

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"You Just pretend to be people's friends. You don't have feelings. I didn't start the campaign, but I wish I could thank whoever did. You deserve this."

Mike and Alex are here to kick off a new season of Stories Arcs by diving into the action-comedy-romance-question mark comic Crowded Volume 1: Soft Apocalypse (issues #1-6) from Image Comics by writer Christopher Sebela and artists Ro Stein and Ted Brandt. The guys jump right in and talk about how the book builds its slightly-skewed version of our world through the various...

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On this season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex are backing the campaign for Crowded from Image Comics by writer Christopher Sebela and the art team of Ro Stein and Ted Brandt. The guys start with a quick synopsis for the comic (crowded funded assassinations, anyone?), their histories reading it (don't judge a comic solely by its cover), and why they're interested in discussing it (over-the-top action mixed with sharp social commentary). Then they give an overview of the full creative team behind Crowded, including Sebela, Stein and Brandt, colorist Triona Farrell, and...

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"And when it comes down to it, really, time is all we have. And it doesn't matter how long you live if you're not spending it the way you want."

This week, Mike and Alex are here to wrap up their discussion of Time Before Time from Image Comics with Volumes 5 and 6 (issues #25-29 and #6, #12, #18, and #24). They start at the end (of the narrative, at least) and discuss how the story concludes, how it works for each of them as an ending, and whether the actual end of the...

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"I really thought things were going to be better when we came back here. Maybe the world's just cruel no matter what time you're in, though."

Mike and Alex are here to continue their trip through time and space with Image Comics' Time Before Time, this week examining Volumes 3 and 4 (issues #13-17 and #19-23). They guys discuss the introduction of a new character who gets his own two-issue mini-arc and how it meshes (or maybe doesn't) into the main narrative. Then they dive deep into the story, debating what...

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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...

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Welcome to another season of Storied Arcs! This go-round, Mike and Alex are ready to tackle time travel paradoxes head on as they dive into Time Before Time from Image Comics from Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, and Joe Palmer. The guys start by giving a run down of the full creative team behind this book (to start, at least; a roster of guest artists come into the series after issue #11, and we'll talk about them when we get to those issues), including colorist Chris O'Halloran and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, before talking a bit...

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In honor of Halloween, Mike and Alex are delighted to chat all things horror comics with special guest and comics connoisseur Rosie Knight, co-host of X-Ray Vision! They start with a big picture look at horror as a genre and why it has such lasting appeal in comics, and also discuss their own history consuming horror stories. The trio then each give their top three horror comics recommendations for folks to check out (plus many, many sidebars and honorable mentions) to keep Spooky Season going year-round.

You can follow Rosie on...

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This week, Mike and Alex are incredibly excited to be joined by the creators of Revival, Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. They start by discussing the origin of Revival (it helps when you work in the same studio) and how it evolved to incorporate multiple different genres, all working under the umbrella of "rural noir." Tim and Mike then dive into on how and where they feel Revival fits in (or doesn't) with some of the other zombie/vampire/monster/horror stories that were becoming increasingly popular at the time, and what they...

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"But after Revival Day, we all went back to being within reach of the scythe. It made us remember how little time we get together. It made us honest. It made us human."

This week, Mike and Alex warp up their discussion of Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's rural noir, Revival, as they dive deep into Deluxe Volume 4 (issues #36-47). The guys start at the end and break down the comic's final moments, looking at what does and doesn't work for them from both a story (aka "what happens") and plot...