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
Ex Machina Deluxe Volume 01
"Everyone was scared back then, and when folks are scared, they want to be surrounded by heroes. But real heroes are just a fiction we create. They don't exist outside of comic books."
Welcome to the new season of Storied Arcs, where Mike and Alex are diving deep into Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris' Ex Machina, originally published by DC Wildstorm. They guys start by discussing first issues and how BKV may be the best first issue writer in comics before going into how the ending of Ex Machina's first issue completely reorients the reader's perception of what kind of story they're reading. They also examine how the comic has aged over the past 20 years, looking at what the perspectives of both the creators and the readers would have been at the time (the immediate aftermath and wake of 9/11) versus what they might be to approach a book like this today. And finally, Alex goes to the mattresses to defend his professional colleagues over a single line in a panel that you the reader/listener probably gave zero second thoughts to. Apologies in advance.
The discussion continues next week with Ex Machina Deluxe Edition Volume 2 (issues #12-20 plus the Ex Machina Specials #1 and #2), so find that volume wherever you get your comics and join us back here again!
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