Time Before Time Vol. 2

Time Before Time (collected editions)

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

As the Syndicate and the Union wage war across decades, Tatsuo and Nadia continue their journey to reunite Nadia with her family. But a shocking surprise awaits them in the year 2042…

The hit crime/time travel series continues in this thrilling second volume!

Collects TIME BEFORE TIME #7-11

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

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2022

About the author

Declan Shalvey is an Irish comics artist and writer.

Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kevin's pretty cool!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The crime families are at war and chasing Tatsuo and Nadia through time.
Also Kevin. <--the only robot who can survive time travel.



Nadia is still searching for her family but what she learns in this volume puts them a few more jumps away. Can Tatsuo survive those jumps, though?
And after the death of his son, Helgi has been usurped by Marston, but he has his own plans for his career in the Syndicate.



I'm really enjoying this one in a B-movie kind of way. And by that, I mean that this isn't some grand tale that I'd push on just any old reader. But if you like time travel, sci-fi, and graphic novels, then you'll probably get a kick out of this one.

Recommended.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was glad to jump back into this world. So Tatsuo and Nadia are in the 2040s looking for her family. There is also a robot that Tatsuo brought back from the future that has now turned on and ran off. Tatsuo feels like they need to track him down because his presence could alert the wrong people that they are here. Nadia has also discovered her family is not here in this time. Later in the book she discovers what happened to them. An intriguing mystery that I’m sure will be explored in the 3rd arc. The Syndicate also had a meeting where they were attacked from some new unknown players. With all the story beats rolling along in this volume, I can’t wait for vol 3.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of the same, which is pretty good TBH, and I guess when you are writing a time travel story that is already contrived you can pick and choose however many other contrivances to suit your needs- the fact that no digital tech can successfully time travel (except one very special and foulmouthed robot) being the most pronounced one here.

I will continue to read, though I wish Hoopla would add an omnibus edition should one be available.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked, didn't love, the first Time Before Time volume. This second volume significantly ups the ante, building the world in complex ways that don't depend on relentless time jumps. I mean, there are still like, five different storylines taking place in different years, but there's far less "now we're here, now we're there!" to keep track of. It's a mercy.

The art's a little looser, but I've no complaints there because it's still unique and interesting. Nadia and Tatsuo struggle to find her family while keeping their existence in the timestream under wraps, made all the harder by the surprise arrival of a sarcastic robot from the future. In that future, the Syndicate's leader bargains with a far-far future crime leader to get more time machines for help taking down the Union. It's a fascinating scramble for time-territory that makes more sense than in the first volume. I'm very intrigued by this group from the 4000s and excited to see what future volumes hold.

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Still a fun action-packed story with some colorful art that sure fits the bill. My favorite part on this one was Kevin, the robot, and all the 2042 plotline; because, you know, all the temporal jumping kind of gets a bit confusing at times, specially with so many factions on play (we even got another one from the 4000s?).

Oh, yes! I was also forgetting Stan. That was a really interesting twist there, and I'm wondering if he might be coming back later on and we'll get some insight on where he went and what's happening with him... Just that makes worthy to keep reading this series.

[Alex Sarll]

The complications of a gang war where both sides can travel in time start mounting, all the more so for the leads, who are no longer affiliated to either. Plus, there's now a robot from the future running around, though not in a Terminator sense – this one is very much a consumer item, though he's not too happy about that. Also, he's called Kevin, which is even funnier if that's the name of your knock-off Roomba, as is the case for me. More than that, though, the appeal here is Palmer's art, which gets more abstracted by the issue while never letting the character or storytelling slide. He's off to do a project all his own after this volume, and I wish him every success with that, while worrying that he'll be a tough act for Time Before Time to follow.

[Zedsdead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadia and Tatsuo (now with funny robot Kevin!) continue to hunt for Nadia's family while running from the Syndicate and the Union. I suppose there's a bit of plot progress but it doesn't feel like there is. It's not a bad read, and it's certainly quick, but the story is treading water.

[Jukka Häkkinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nokkelaa sarjakuvaa aikamatkailevista rikollisjärjestöistä. Meno ehkä hiukan hyytyi ensimmäisestä osasta, mutta edelleen omaperäistä tarinointia.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made of the same stuff as Vol. 1. but with less wibbly wobbly time stuff

[Roshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Before Time, Vol. 2 (2022)
Writer – Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville
Artist – Joe Palmer
Series – Time Before Time #7-11
Genre – Sci-Fi, Thriller, Crime

Synopsis: In the year 2140, the criminal organization, the Syndicate, offers to transport people back in time for a better future. One of their smugglers and an FBI agent steal their machine, leading to a manhunt by the Syndicate and their arch enemy, The Union.

The story introduces a new character, Kevin the robot, which gives the group a more rounded balance. Much of the story is set in 2042, where Nadia searches for her family, while Tatsuo goes searching for Kevin. Meanwhile, the Syndicate is trying to rebuild their bases, while the Union is looking for revenge against Tatsuo and the Syndicate.

This is a solid outing for the group. The story is fast-paced, and the time jumps are more limited. The build-up of the story in terms of both the future (Syndicate) and the present is done well. As with the first part, no character is free from protection, and anything can happen at any time. This delivers some big moments, which was surprising. An improvement from volume 1 was slightly more relatable characters.

A major issue with time travel is the final output and how it ends up, and this is something the series does not seem to be taking seriously. By never addressing it, the series creates a space for its storytelling but at the cost of creating huge loopholes later on.
The artwork is good and consistent across the stories.

Overall, Volume 2 develops the story and builds up the concept for the next volumes to carry forward.

RJG Rating – 3.80/5
Goodreads – 3.78/5

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia and Tatsuo are on the run...

They've barely escaped being captured by a secret double agent of 'The Syndicate' and they've managed to steal a time machine. Nadia's family is still out there somewhere. When Nadia was a child, they made her parents choose who would stay behind and who would jump to a 'better time'. Maybe the year 2042 holds the answers she's after. If not, they can always check on the package Tatsuo was forced to pick up in the mid 3000's.

What could go wrong?
(Organized crime time war FTW!)
======
Bonus: Radiation poisoning is a thing, right? Tatsuo has done HOW many jumps unshielded?

[Luke John · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many factions, so many times, so many vaguely interconnected plotlines. Volume 2 brings more questions to the table, with little in the way of answers. I'm keeping up with things so far, but if any more factions enter the fray I may lose my way. Still a great series, I just worry that it may eventually become too complex for my simple brain to process. Let's see at what point this intellectual bucking bronco throws me on my arse.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this! The first volume I liked the concept but the anti needed upping. In volume two I definitely felt more invested in the story and the characters (Kevin!) and now I am buzzing to see where it’s gonna end up going.

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable time travel comic series.

The adventure continues for Tatsuo and Nadia with a fair amount of action as the entities, the Syndicate and the Union pursue their rivalry. It's good reading on the whole with some surprises but time travel stories can end up quite confusing. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways, some of the important story beats that have continued to evolve over the past couple of issues feel unresolved at the end of this installment, which leads to this arc feeling a bit unsatisfying.
This series continues to enthrall and flips the concept of time travel into a commodity that causes tension in the lives of the characters in play. But if you're likely to be confused by non-linear storytelling, you may need to look elsewhere.

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadia's and Tatsuo's romp through time quickly complicates here. A lovable curse-word-slinging robot named Kevin joins them before all three split. Nadia is trying to figure out why her family aren't where they paid to be, Tatsuo gets roped into solving how this series will deal with paradoxes, The Syndicate and The Union escalate their war, and the boss's Dad looks into solving his son's murder. It's a lot of plot threads and at times they converge and other times they just play out. Tatsuo, Nadia, and tje cool robot do meet up again at the end and it looks like their next trip through time will be interesting. Similar to the first volume, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out. It's been two volumes now so enough has been set-up and I'm hoping for some payoff and resolved threads.

[David Cordero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great run.

[Stephanie Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun romp with great characters and cool art. Year headlines make the frenetic action easy to follow. Excited for more of this story

[Adam Sequoyah · Rating 2 out of 5]

MPA ratings: R for violence and for language

[StephanieNicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series feels like a cross between The Sopranos and Back to the Future. Volume 2 was even better than the first.

[Metabull · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story developes nicely with more characters and time jumping. Am enjoying this series for now. 3.5 stars.

[David Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*
Love time travel scifi. Don't get how actions of the time travelers don't interfere with the future, maybe that'll get answered in future volumes.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues to be a pleasant, passable story, though things are getting pretty complicated by the end of this arc. The artwork continues to be functional, though not much more than that.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic, I'm all in now. The mechanics of the plot and development of the characters converge just in time to lay out the framework for the remainder of the series. Masterfully done!

[Christa Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is turning into a really fun series. Looking for Vol 3.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for all six volumes:

Self-described as "A mix of SAGA and Looper".

Sometimes marketing gets it right.

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads password SNAFU locked me out from April to October, so I’m just adding all the books at once. Read dates aren’t accurate.