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
Joyride Volume 1
"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, this was only meant to be a 4-issue miniseries, and what things (if any) might have been altered as the plan shifted into a longer run. Then they break down the three main characters- Uma, Dewydd, and Catrin- and examine the ways each of them both reinforce and subvert the conventional character architypes they fulfill for this kind of coming-of-age story. Finally, they take a look at the ways in which the fictional totalitarian world of Joyride kinda maybe sorta has more relevance to the real world in 2025 than it did when it was first published in early 2016, and wonder a bit if that contributed at all to the publication of its recent complete collection edition. Probably just a coincidence.
The journey into deeper outer space continues next week, so go find Joyride Volume 2 (issues #5-8) wherever you get your comics and join us here for the next discussion!
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!
