Storied Arcs
Welcome to Storied Arcs! A read-along deep dive into comics, one story arc at a time...
In each episode, we will discuss one story arc, typically in the form of a trade paperback, for a completed comic series. In general, we will be avoiding ongoing or continuing series so that we can discuss a work in its entirety.
We’ll also be avoiding the “big two” (Marvel and DC.) While we love those comics, there are plenty of podcasts covering characters like Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and so on. Instead, we’re excited to explore some of the great creator-owned stories. We’ll deep dive into the story while evaluating the prose, art, and all the easter eggs we can find.
Learn more at www.storiedarcs.com
Storied Arcs
Intro to Ex Machina & Creator Spotlight: Tony Harris, Tom Feister, Jim Clark, and JD Mettler
For the new season of Storied Arcs, Mike and Alex strap on their jetpacks and soar into the sky as they get ready to discuss Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, originally published by DC under the Wildstorm imprint beginning in 2004 before moving over to the Vertigo imprint and then eventually to the Black Label imprint. The guys start off by giving the CliffsNotes of the CliffsNotes about the history of Wildstorm, from its founding as a studio by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi as part of the creation of Image Comics in 1992 to its sale to DC Comics in 1998-1999, and how all of that affects where the book ends up when imprints get shuttered and shifted. Then they give you some background on the creative team behind the book, mainly focusing on artist Tony Harris, inkers Tom Feister and Jim Clark, and colorist JD Mettler (we covered writer Brian K. Vaughan and letterer Jared Fletcher way back in the very first episode of this show while previewing Paper Girls). The guys also give a spoiler-free preview of Ex Machina, including a content warning for some things presented in the comic that were meant to be provocative 20 years ago and remain provocative today, but perhaps for different reasons now. All the more to discuss when we dive deep into the story.
There are many ways to find and read Ex Machina (the series is 50 issues plus 4 specials), and we've decided to use the Deluxe Editions as our guide. The issue breakdown is as such:
Deluxe Edition Volume 1: issues #1-11
Deluxe Edition Volume 2: issues #12-20, specials #1-2
Deluxe Edition Volume 3: issues #21-29, special #3
Deluxe Edition Volume 4: issues #30-40
Deluxe Edition Volume 5: issues #41-50, special #4
We can't to get into our discussion, so go read Ex Machina Deluxe Edition Volume 1 (issues #1-11) and join us 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
Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Google Podcast, or anywhere else fine podcasts are found!