Time Before Time, Vol. 1

Time Before Time (collected editions)

by Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, Joe Palmer (Illustrator)

2140. To escape a world with no future, many turn to the Syndicate, a criminal organization who, for the right price, will smuggle you back in time to the promise of a better yesterday. Tatsuo -- a smuggler for the Syndicate-- wants to leave his life of crime behind, but when an FBI agent disrupts his plan to steal a time machine, they both find themselves hunted across time by his former employers.

A mix of SAGA and Looper, TIME BEFORE TIME is a sci-fi crime tale that shows the one thing you can never escape is your past. Collects TIME BEFORE TIME #1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Crime

136 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2021

About the author

Declan Shalvey is an Irish comics artist and writer.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A time travel book where organized crime owns all of the time machines. They're ferrying people back to the past where things are better while also smuggling future tech back to their time. The book travels through a lot of different times but the years are always stated. I never felt lost since they typically are only jumping back and forth between a couple of different years at a time. There's some complex world building going on with rival gangs controlling different eras of history while our main character just wants to get out of the game before his time runs out.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel! Who doesn't like a bit of time travel. And why not make it so that time travel basically is controlled by organised crime, who offer people the chance to move from their awful time period to a better one? So you have time travel people smugglers. And the people who operate the radiation-laden time machines have to do so to pay off debts. Ah, but wait! Then also make it so that there are different criminal factions spread through time that offer this service, and they're battling eachother. And the FBI still exists, but doesn't seem to be very effective.



Because there's time travel involved, things quickly become complicated.



I really enjoyed this, it's ridiculous and fun, and has a heart to it. The art reminded me of European comics art from the 80s, and is very well done.

Recommended!

(Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to the Future!
No just kidding, the future sucks and rival gangs make bank smuggling people to places like the 80s. Right in the middle of terrible hairstyles and the AIDS crisis?
Yes. <--which ought to let you know how bleak the far-flung future is going to be, sir.



The idea is that these two friends who are working off what they owe to one of the gangs decide to grab a time travel machine and make a run for it.
But things happen and nothing goes according to plan.
Now one of them is on the run for his life and stuck directly in the middle of a gang war, in which both sides want him dead.



The art didn't do much for me, but I liked the plot and the characters enough to give it a pass. I'm also dying to see if I'm right about what I think happened at the end of this one.
Damn cliffhangers.
So yeah, I'm definitely grabbing the next one.



Been eyeballing this one for a while so when it popped up as a bonus borrow on Hoopla, I jumped on it. And hey, it was pretty good!

Recommended.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel! 3.5 stars!

[Kadi P · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

*More like 3.5 stars than 3.*

An interesting take on a criminal time travelling agency. Not bad, but not amazing. Mostly it had potential and was a quick read.

This managed to still be enjoyable despite the fact that all the time jumping in the plot was basically impossible to keep straight in your head and much about how the criminal time travel agency called “The Syndicate” wasn’t explained. All the year’s were helpfully listed each time the year changed, but there were just so many different seemingly random years. Despite this, the general gist of the plot wasn’t hard to grasp. And this comic pretty much did what it said on the tin: it’s about time travel and it delivered on that.

The characters were interesting, and the few scenes of backstory helped to give the protagonist’s more personality, yet it didn’t feel like enough. The action of the plot often got in the way of those much-needed scenes required for further character depth. Still, there was a good foundation laid down for the next volume to build on.

The art was certainly an interesting style. It was all long faces and odd pockmarked skin. The colours were a little boring mostly but adequate enough, I suppose. The covers and variant covers were really amazing and seeing them made me wish the art in the interior pages could’ve been a little more exciting too.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was pretty cool. There’s this outfit called the syndicate. They smuggle people and items from and to the future and past, for a fee. An employee of this syndicate is tired of the crappy time he’s in and tired of making these jumps as they wear down your organs. He has made up his mind that he is going to steal a time travel pod and leave for good. This is interrupted by an FBI agent and now him and her are trapped in some future. Pretty solid story. I thought this was going to be a self contained story but after reading, I see that this is going to keep going. I’ll definitely check out the next volume when it drops.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember the movie Looper?



The good news is that this series is better than Looper. So far, at least.

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If you're lost, you can look and you will find me..."

A man in debt to an evil "travel" agency is tired of being fooled by the system. After his best friend goes missing, Tatsuo decides its time to get out....
This one made me feel a lot of things. All good things, but I wasn't expecting this to be an emotional rollercoaster. Good action, interesting drama, and time sequences that are easy to follow. It feels like a detective series while being a story about rebels, family and saving yourself. I think this series will take off now that it is a graphic novel. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this gets picked up for another form of media later on.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel, gang warfare, undercover operatives, smuggling. There are ways to take all these elements and reinvigorate them with incredibly original ideas and complicated storytelling techniques. Or you can do what Declan Shalvey has done and just tell a straight-forward, intriguing story using characters with simple but believable motivations.

Also, the use of time travel in this book isn't to change any history, it's smuggling drugs and technology on a very lowkey scale.

If you wish Doctor Who was one very contained storyline that didn't involve aliens and space travel, this might be the book for you. Be warned, in this story the companion kidnaps "The Doctor".

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this was something more original and took creative risks. It's essentially about feeling stuck and trying to find a new life... or more specifically, the business surrounding it. Since that means human trafficking it goes into the moral gray areas and the emotional toll on people who made the mistakes to get there in the first place. From debt, regrets, trauma, and the need to fix things, every choice and mistake looks at how tragedy brings every character together. The time travel element just adds to how choices can become an even bigger tragedy. That is if they ever had a choice at all; if debt is anything to go by in media, it usually revolves around some systemic problems. One of the villains meanwhile was born into this business and is under the pressure to perform well for his father. Everybody wants to survive and it looks like a bigger conflict is coming.

[Alex Sarll]

2140: time travel exists, but mostly it's used for smuggling, not least smuggling people back in time to live in eras which are less shitty than 2140, even if that means learning to live without wi-fi. Two members of the Syndicate which handles this, increasingly realising they'll never work out their debts, decide they might as well smuggle themselves back too and start a new life. And because this is the sort of crime story about no-hopers where one thing after another goes wrong, that plan turns to crap, and then everything just keeps getting more desperately out of hand. Joe Palmer's art is a bit Paul Grist, with occasional moments of John McCrea, and the spareness works well for a story which could easily have become cluttered if the various timezones were overly rendered. In terms of the writing...yeah, I suspect it's fudging the temporal mechanics, but unless you're doing Primer that tends to come with the territory, and I did love the line "If the past could be changed, do you really think the world would be like this?" Which said, contrary to the doomed world I'd expected from the pitch, 2140 looks only slightly shittier than now, which feels madly optimistic – never mind the fact they know that even beyond that, humanity has a future! As a technological civilisation! Luxury, I call it.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Adam M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting enough introduction to this world, but it left me with more questions than it answered and I'm not sold on the art. My full review is available on No Flying, No Tights here.

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, as it was fun and interesting enough.

Action packed and with time travel as the main plot point here, "Time Before Time" is an engaging story, that holds good promise for future issues... we'll see what happens.

Some good characters, and an interesting set up for the Union vs Syndicate clash.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a very succinct telling involved in this graphic novel, which uses only a few panels per page and not much in the way of dialogue, to capture the speed of the sci-fi caper at the core of it. In this world two crime syndicates seem to have the monopoly on time machines – Brundle-sized capsules allowing just a handful of people to go back in time (popular for people escaping the coming dystopia) or to fetch the medicines of the future (most lucrative, too). One smuggler, who seems to need to keep working til he's dead just to pay back the hire of the pods, wants out – but when his time comes to get himself to a safe time where he can change track, he finds he's suddenly not travelling alone.

Cue chaos, but it's not the usual chaos where the impossible happens, and paradoxical events are lumped on to the page for the sake of it. There are a lot of timelines here to keep track of, but that's actually made possible by the linear, cause-and-effect, unshowy plot we get. The characters are a bit one-note, especially the smuggler's initial boss, but the lack of fat on the story is definitely to its credit. There's a sense the world-building could have made things a little clearer, such as the source of the machines and the rules behind them, but I left this book confident the creators know what to tell us and when. It didn't startle me into loving it, but it was pretty good drama, all told – four stars feels about right.

[Trike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is super great. I love a good time travel tale where all the various pieces fit together like a good… well, timepiece. And this one does. Now I just need a time machine to see how it all turns out.

[Mik Cope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, action-packed multiple heist timey-wimey yarn which was a joy to read. The artwork is "chunky cartoony" and fit the tone of the story perfectly. I'm curious to see how this one develops.

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Organized crime gangs are using time machines to smuggle people and tech around roughly 2000-4000CE. Two lowly time pilots decide to steal a machine and retire somewhere the gang can't find them, but (natch) nothing goes to plan.

A fun first volume. We visit so many different times that tracking could have been a nightmare but Shalvey manages to maintain a semblance of order. The illustration is serviceable if not particularly impressive.

An entertaining, low-investment read and I'm looking forward to v2.

[David Turko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine the film 'Looper' in a comic book. I really enjoyed this. An action-packed comic with time travel, an engaging story, and a clash of rival groups. Can't wait to read the next volume.

[Mariano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I couldn't put it down. Super fun and good time travel writing!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty freaking cool story. I get a feel of old school Dark Horse Comics with a splash of Frank Miller and John Byrne thrown in.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun but a bit difficult to follow. I'm definitely excited to see where this goes. Looper meets Saga is the pitch and it's a good one. Two bad organizations duking it out with illegal time travel. Nefarious characters everywhere.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time Before Time is a truly timeless work, sure to appeal to fans of dystopian science-fiction. The neo-noir time travel crime thriller ends with a bang taking a familiar plot line and upending all expectations. This story could go anywhere moving forward and that's exciting. It also looks properly grimy and sordid thanks to the art team. I don't think it will win over any who aren't already fans of the genre, but this is a solid opening volume for what promises to be a good graphic novel.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different take on time travel. It is controlled by criminals. And getting out can be hard.

[David Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guys get time traveling. Read it now.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent time-travel story.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

On paper this should be great…it’s not though.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has Friendship, Adventure, and Inclusion and maybe Romance one day? In any case, it was wonderfully told and I love me some time travel shenanigans

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Time Before Time" is pretty cool. It's about a smuggler who transports people through time. His name is Tatsuo and he wants to get out of the gang. Yet, he is interrupted by an FBI agent named Nadia Wells - and that is when things get chaotic. With a gang war, double crosses, time travel, and dystopian settings, the plot is good and is filled with excitement and adventure.

It also has great characters. I like Nadia Wells a lot. She thinks quickly on her feet and has a great backstory. It is moving and I found her motives to be understandable. I like her interactions with Tatsuo too. They start off as enemies and I like how their relationship progresses too. They work well together. As for Tatsuo himself, his motives for leaving the Syndicate gang are also understandable and he has a great backstory too. I like how he thinks quickly on his feet as well.

I like the worldbuilding and sci-fi elements as well. There is a lot of time travel, and we get a lot of time skips. However, I rarely felt confused and I was intrigued by the different time periods within the book, especially in the future with AIs and dystopian environments. The art is done well and illustrates how bleak it can be.

The pacing is done well overall too. It is consistently fast. Most of the time, it isn't too quick, but a little bit of it is. I think it would've been helpful to spend more time on Tatsuo's debts and situation before the scene in which he tries to leave. Nonetheless, this is a minor issue and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

The main antagonist in the book and Synidcate leader, Helgi, is a decently written one. Shalvey does a great job in showing the pressures that he faces. However, beyond trying to avoid trouble with his father and maintaining his power, I'm not sure what drives him/if there are more complex motives at play. Still though, this book did a good job in introducing and setting up the Syndicate for future stories.

It did a nice job in introducing The Union. The Union is a different gang that also time travels. Kareena Jemisin, the leader of the gang, is strategic and pragmatic. I'm also intrigued to see what actions she will take against The Syndicate. We don't learn much about her motives here, but there is good set up for future stories.

Altogether, this is a good book. It has some great characters and lays the groundwork for future books. The art is decent and the story is solid too. It is an awesome sci-fi graphic novel. I liked it a lot.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Well let’s put it this way Tatsuo. If you think the past can be changed, do you really think the world would be like this?”

– Syndicate

Premise: To escape a world with no future, many turn to the Syndicate—a criminal organisation that, for the right price, will smuggle you back in time to the promise of a better yesterday. Tatsuo, a Syndicate smuggler, wants to leave his life of crime behind, but when an FBI agent disrupts his escape plan, they both find themselves hunted across time by his former employers.

Time Before Time (TBT) is a mix of SAGA and Looper, it is a sci-fi crime tale that proves that you can never escape your past. The creative team is writer Declan Shalvey (BOG BODIES), co-writer Rory McConville, and artist Joe Palmer.

Writers Declan Shalvey and Rory McConville really know how to get a story going in that the two protagonists are transported into the future and that timeline is skewed so badly that the year graphic is totally wrecked. If that preceding sentence doesn’t make sense, just buy the book….it will then.

Shalvey and McConville develop the story in a series of flashbacks and flash forwards which propels the chase story across timelines. Do I know the motivation of the Syndicate? Not yet. Who is Helgi afraid of? I don’t know. These are tantalising mysteries that make me want to read more.

Comic levity can also be found in this tale and there are some real tongue in cheek moments when commentary is offered depending on the year a person is dropped off in. Whether it is music, or the current pop topic at the time, that is a very clever way to write to let you know not only “when” you are, but what the temperature of the time is!

This book cleverly combines crime and time travel stories in one engaging package.

[Roshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Before Time, Vol. 1 (2021)
Writer – Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville
Artist – Joe Palmer
Series – Time Before Time #1-5
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.

The concept for Time Before Time is complicated at first, but as the story unfolds, it becomes relatively clearer. Set in a dystopian future, humans immigrate back to the past in search of a better world. The main character, Tetsuo, is one of the smugglers for the Syndicate, responsible for getting people across time. However, after years of work, he devises a plan to steal the time pod (the device used for time travel). As you might expect, this plan does not go as intended.

The story is engaging and jumps between various time periods. Initially, this can be a bit confusing, but soon you have a plot thread to follow for each time period. The twists as the plot progresses are well-executed, keeping the story fresh and dynamic.

In terms of world-building, Volume 1 doesn’t provide much information, which can make it slightly hard to follow. Positive characters are few and far between, as most characters are antagonists. Additionally, the artwork is consistently rendered throughout the different time periods, but it could have benefited from more differentiation.
Overall, it’s a good start for the series.

RJG Rating – 3.75/5
Goodreads – 3.77/5