“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 apps and websites utilized by the characters, and discuss the various layers of satire and commentary they present. Then they look at how Crowded works as a tried-and-true buddy cop/odd couple story and try and break down why the trope continues to work so well (and lament why it isn’t used more). Finally, they praise the entire art presentation, from the lush colors by Triona Farrell to the distinctive lettering by Cardinal Rae. This is a fun kickoff to a very fun story.
The discussion continues next week as we dive into Crowded Volume 2: Glitter Dystopia (issues #7-12), so go find it wherever you get your comics and come be a part of it!
