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Time Before Time (collected editions)
Time Before Time Vol. 5
In the final chapter of the critically acclaimed time-hopping saga, Nadia Wells embarks on a dangerous mission to take down The Syndicate once and for all. Can she succeed before time runs out for everyone? Collects TIME BEFORE TIME #25-29
127 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2024
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Rory McConville
215 books9 followersRory McConville has been working in the comic book industry since he was sixteen. In that time he has written for DC Comics, Newbold Enterprises, Shadowline Comics and Fan-Atic Press. He currently studies English and History at University College Cork.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 5, 2025
This was such a disappointment.
I was hoping for something cool and twisty and I got slapped upside the head with a wet blanket.
Sorry I wasted my time (pun intended) with this series.
Sometimes an entire series can hinge on its ending for me, and this one was a prime example of that.
I thought it would take quite a different turn and surprise me, have some twist that would make this fun, or a big reveal that would make the whole thing take on an exciting turn.
It did not.
Bottom line? If you like quasi-sappy stories about life being a predetermined and inescapable journey, you might like this one.
Not my cuppa.
I was hoping for something cool and twisty and I got slapped upside the head with a wet blanket.
Sorry I wasted my time (pun intended) with this series.
Sometimes an entire series can hinge on its ending for me, and this one was a prime example of that.
I thought it would take quite a different turn and surprise me, have some twist that would make this fun, or a big reveal that would make the whole thing take on an exciting turn.
It did not.
Bottom line? If you like quasi-sappy stories about life being a predetermined and inescapable journey, you might like this one.
Not my cuppa.
June 3, 2024
Certainly not a bad ending, but glad it's over.
The art was good, but not really my favorite, and the story ends up being way too convoluted, especially because the temporal jumps are way too many in just a single volume, which doesn't always help with following the actual plot.
The last issue was pretty sweet, and I'd dare say emotional, if you got attached to the characters. Not necessarily my case, since, as I said before, I came to these two final volumes after far too long, and I lost my connection with Tatsuo and Nadia. But at least I always enjoyed Kevin...
The art was good, but not really my favorite, and the story ends up being way too convoluted, especially because the temporal jumps are way too many in just a single volume, which doesn't always help with following the actual plot.
The last issue was pretty sweet, and I'd dare say emotional, if you got attached to the characters. Not necessarily my case, since, as I said before, I came to these two final volumes after far too long, and I lost my connection with Tatsuo and Nadia. But at least I always enjoyed Kevin...
March 10, 2024
There is action and drama throughout this final volume, all arcs closing off or reaching a point of closure. The character work here is really exceptional, and has always shines throughout the series, grounding the story when the time hopping and faction conflict became confusing. A perfect ending.
January 17, 2025
Grand finale.......except that there's apparently a volume six now for some reason.
Nadia wages a one woman war on the Syndicate; Tatsuo is old and gray; Kevin just kind of reappears.
There's a lovely time-travel enabled denouement that ends the series on a nice--if a little abrupt--note.
Nadia wages a one woman war on the Syndicate; Tatsuo is old and gray; Kevin just kind of reappears.
There's a lovely time-travel enabled denouement that ends the series on a nice--if a little abrupt--note.
January 26, 2025
Time Before Time, Vol. 5 (2024)
Writer – Rory McConville, Declan Shalvey
Artist – Geoffo, Joe Palmer
Series – Time Before Time #25-29
Genre – Sci-Fi, Thriller, Crime
Synopsis: In the year 2140, the criminal organization known as the Syndicate offers to transport people back in time for a better future. After stealing a pod, Tatsuo, Nadia, and Kevin face the ramifications of their actions across time.
The finale of the series picks up on the stories of the trio after Volume 4. Nadia is still fighting against the Syndicate, while Tatsuo silently works at his old job to pay off his debt. Things change when Kevin is retrieved from the future and returned to 2144 for his delivery.
Volume 5 brings to a close the main story arc of Time Before Time. It is bittersweet, emotional, and still packs a punch as the chapters roll toward the end. However, the volume ultimately has to confront the inevitable costs of any time-traveling story: the consequences. This rushed conclusion is evident, as it hastily wraps up the arcs for Sebastian, Marston, and even the main trio. By the time you finish reading, you realize the complications of this story and how little any of it truly means. This is largely due to the approach of treating time travel in a very safe manner while carelessly bouncing around through time. At the end, it feels off not knowing what happened to the various characters we got to know through the series.
The artwork is average and lacks finesse.
Overall, Volume 5 provides a conclusion, but at the cost of rushing through the stories of everyone involved.
RJG Rating – 3.5/5
Goodreads – 3.85/5
Writer – Rory McConville, Declan Shalvey
Artist – Geoffo, Joe Palmer
Series – Time Before Time #25-29
Genre – Sci-Fi, Thriller, Crime
Synopsis: In the year 2140, the criminal organization known as the Syndicate offers to transport people back in time for a better future. After stealing a pod, Tatsuo, Nadia, and Kevin face the ramifications of their actions across time.
The finale of the series picks up on the stories of the trio after Volume 4. Nadia is still fighting against the Syndicate, while Tatsuo silently works at his old job to pay off his debt. Things change when Kevin is retrieved from the future and returned to 2144 for his delivery.
Volume 5 brings to a close the main story arc of Time Before Time. It is bittersweet, emotional, and still packs a punch as the chapters roll toward the end. However, the volume ultimately has to confront the inevitable costs of any time-traveling story: the consequences. This rushed conclusion is evident, as it hastily wraps up the arcs for Sebastian, Marston, and even the main trio. By the time you finish reading, you realize the complications of this story and how little any of it truly means. This is largely due to the approach of treating time travel in a very safe manner while carelessly bouncing around through time. At the end, it feels off not knowing what happened to the various characters we got to know through the series.
The artwork is average and lacks finesse.
Overall, Volume 5 provides a conclusion, but at the cost of rushing through the stories of everyone involved.
RJG Rating – 3.5/5
Goodreads – 3.85/5
December 3, 2024
Tatsuo, Kevin, and Nadia...together again?
We've reached the endgame, people. After all that's happened to Nadia, she wants the Syndicate destroyed. Its become her latest obsession. Tatsuo is stuck downing anti-rad pills and shuttling more contraband for the Syndicate baddies. Kevin? He's bored as hell and just wants to live some place that won't try to kill him for being made of metal.
Their paths intersect one last time (ok...maybe twice) and they give the Syndicate the kick in the pants it deserves. All good crime movies have some hidden double crosses and snitches. This stays true to form and plays with all the possible angles.
Plus, that ending at the dinner table is mighty nice.
--------
Bonus: After we've been shown how partially messing with your past can make you literally explode, you'd think there'd be a payoff when someone else tries to interact with their past
We've reached the endgame, people. After all that's happened to Nadia, she wants the Syndicate destroyed. Its become her latest obsession. Tatsuo is stuck downing anti-rad pills and shuttling more contraband for the Syndicate baddies. Kevin? He's bored as hell and just wants to live some place that won't try to kill him for being made of metal.
Their paths intersect one last time (ok...maybe twice) and they give the Syndicate the kick in the pants it deserves. All good crime movies have some hidden double crosses and snitches. This stays true to form and plays with all the possible angles.
Plus, that ending at the dinner table is mighty nice.
--------
Bonus: After we've been shown how partially messing with your past can make you literally explode, you'd think there'd be a payoff when someone else tries to interact with their past
Read
July 4, 2024The timey-wimey gangster series reaches its finale, and probably not before time (DYSWIDT?), which is not to say this isn't an excellent ending. Having spiralled off into prehistory and the far future in its middle volumes, this one comes back around to its core cast and initial settings, and a focus on the indignities, big and small, of organised crime. While I was eventually won over after the change of art partway through, I was especially glad to see them get co-creator Joe Palmer back for the last issue, which makes clever and affecting use of the genre possibilities.
September 1, 2024
Cool ending, but I was hoping for something more Papergirlesque? I don't know. It started out super clever with the whole time traveling universe and it ended up feeling like an action comic in which the time travel aspect wasn't super relevant for the story.
They could have been traveling to different cities or worlds instead of different times and there wouldn't be much difference.
But I liked it anyway. Worth the reading!
They could have been traveling to different cities or worlds instead of different times and there wouldn't be much difference.
But I liked it anyway. Worth the reading!
March 15, 2024
Accidentally deleted the previous review. These little fucking buttons, I swear.
Anyway, I thought volume 4 was the end, so this was a nice bonus. It wraps up some small things and gives a nice coda to bookend the tale. Once this whole story comes out in omnibus format I’m definitely adding it to my collection.
Anyway, I thought volume 4 was the end, so this was a nice bonus. It wraps up some small things and gives a nice coda to bookend the tale. Once this whole story comes out in omnibus format I’m definitely adding it to my collection.
October 31, 2024
Nadia sets out to take down the syndicate. And Tatsuo's still...alive? This volume finishes out the series, which was perfectly serviceable without ever really taking flight. The art is back to messy and kind of slapdash again, so that's also kind of fitting for this final book.
November 20, 2024
The main narrative wraps in a satisfying way, but is good not great. However, issue 29 brings it all home in a very satisfying way.
August 14, 2025
Review for all six volumes:
Self-described as "A mix of SAGA and Looper".
Sometimes marketing gets it right.
Self-described as "A mix of SAGA and Looper".
Sometimes marketing gets it right.
March 3, 2024
It’s a fine payoff.
March 26, 2024
From start to finish, this final volume of Time Before Time delivers strong character work and has a message that feels as though its speaking directly to the reader. It's a heartwarming end to a wonderful series. The big blow out came in penultimate issue but this is all about sending us home happy with the characters we loved along the way. Still, if this is truly the end for Time Before Time, I've largely loved every panel of this series and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who loves comics.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews