Time Before Time Volume 4

Time Before Time (collected editions)

by Rory McConville

Dreams are achieved and losses are mourned in the fourth volume of the critically-acclaimed time-hopping saga. After traveling billions of years into the past, Nadia finally reunites with her mother and sister in the hidden city of Arcola. But the happy reunion is shortlived as the city’s hatred of robots soon forces her to choose between Kevin and her family, all while a mysterious threat plots to tear the futuristic city apart. Collects TIME BEFORE TIME #19-23.

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2023

About the author

Rory 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.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing is what it seems?



It appears that Kevin and Nadia are stuck in the distant past with a bunch of anti-robot colonists that are now headed by her mother.
What's going on here?



Things are heating up, I just hope they can bring this whole time travel debacle full circle and give us a cool ending.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've grown to really like the characters, the world, the different threads they have delivered in such a solid series. The writing is as expected, but Jorge Coelho keeps getting better with each installment. Still, even when I have small complaints about Time Before Time, that doesn't prevent me from being continuously engaged with this series and excited about its future.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start, strong finish

[Mariano · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is ok but SOOOOO much exposition. It feels like nothing happens until the last two issues.

[Roshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Before Time, Vol. 4 (2023)
Writer – Rory McConville, Declan Shalvey
Artist – Jorge Coelho
Series – Time Before Time #19-23
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 their time-traveling pod, Nadia and Kevin, a robot, travel billions of years into the past to Arcola, a utopia.

Volume 4 marks a change of pace and scenery for the series. Taking place after the events of Volume 3, we follow Nadia as she reunites with her family in the utopian city of Arcola. The city is futuristic in its operations but highly paranoid about robots, creating tensions with Kevin in the picture. Meanwhile, Sebastian travels back to claim his bounty, while Marston continues to build his empire.

In contrast to the more hectic nature of the previous three volumes, this section feels lighter. The story remains fresh and manages to deliver some good twists. The artwork by Jorge is commendable.

However, there are some anticlimactic moments, and the Arcola arc seems to serve as a filler with little impactful content. The return of a certain antagonist is a welcome surprise, but his reappearance in the time period lacks the full explanation necessary. At this stage, the writers are being very careful not to create paradoxes, yet their reluctance to take any real chances feels like a missed opportunity.

Overall, Volume 4 is less heavy and lighter, providing a breather nonetheless.

RJG Rating – 3.5/5
Goodreads – 3.85/5

[Estibaliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

For some reason, and especially after the previous volume, I'm feeling disconnected from this story, even though it was pretty emotional at moments (not that much in this volume, necessarily).

I'm thinking this is the kind of story that, because there's so many different temporal lines and characters, and factions at odds, one would enjoy more if able to read it as a whole, and not in instalments.

As things are, just mostly being a "completionist", even though there's some interesting moments in this volume, including the return of Stan... which I kind of remember being a great character back when we met him, but now a lot of that is lost in the fog of time in my brain, honestly.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatsuo saved them for this...
*Nadia (and Kevin) make it to Arcola!*

One way time jumps leave them in an impossible time with an improbably advanced city. Sure, technology can't survive chronal jumps, but the city they live in....in the past... is doing pretty good for having to reinvent future tech.

Nadia reunites with her mother and sister and it goes just about as well as you'd expect. Of COURSE they had to move on. Her mother had to live a dangerous life in this new city. Nadia had to practically parent her parent until he passed. Each grieved in their own way.

Lots more intrigue with the time jumping crime organizations. Hard to see who could hold a monopoly on time jumping when you can just jump (if you have enough manpower, energy, and shielding)
----
Bonus: What if the city in the past is the cause of all the problems in the future?
Bonus Bonus: You can't change the past because it's already happened...or has it??

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! This series is hard to put down once you get past the second volume. Mild spoiler warning here: Tatsua is not dead. It's a time travel book and he's your main character and he's on the cover of future volumes. The what doesn't matter as much as the how and why. Shifting alliances, moves and countermoves from the Syndicate, the Union, and the Guild.

I love the concept of a futuristic city smuggled into 4 million B.C. The characters in the book slowly discover what a savvy reader picked up on in the first volume: the past is overrated. Nostalgia is powerful, but not necessarily truthful.

[Trike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time travel stuff is getting gnarly. The Syndicate solidifies its power. Bounty hunters and rogue cyborgs abound. Nadia and Kevin the robot end up in a “utopia” 4 billion years in the past, where they face their biggest challenge yet: Nadia’s mom.

I love the dialogue in this one, because it just feels real despite all the weirdness going on. And the art is terrific, particularly the designs of outfits and tech from various eras.

[Luke John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrative shift to less time periods/factions and more of a focus on playing out a contained story line (albeit one in the distant past in a utopian civilisation founded by time travelling migrants) works really well here. There are of course moving pieces in other time lines still, but the bulk of the narrative takes place in one period, and those pieces are clearly setting up the final arc, which feels like it's landing at the right time. Can't wait to see what happens next!

[Alex Sarll]

This would doubtless be smoother going were I reading monthly, or in the eventual omnibus it deserves. But from the secret prehistoric city with a burning hatred of robots, however non-Terminator, to the power struggles among the crosstime crime organisations, however many factions splinter and clash, what always comes through is the humanity. By which I of course mean selfishness, venality, hypocrisy, cruelty, and an unshakable belief in simple solutions to complicated problems.

[David Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wrapping up the 4 billion years in the past arc. Think I'm getting a little annoyed that events on the past have yet to show consequences in the future. If this story continues I want more Kevin the robot.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadia is reunited with her mom and sister, but utopia may not be what she's looking for after all. And--Surprise!--Stan returns. This wasn't bad, though a bit of a step back, story-wise, from the previous volume. And the art goes back to being kind of a mess.

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia's reunion with her family is not all she hoped for. Tatsuo finds himself back in the hands of the Syndicate, which--not unpredictably--declines to pay bounty hunter Sebastian what he's owed. The penultimate issue contains plenty of plot progress, drama, and setup for the grand finale.

[Christa Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story keeps getting better. I am really looking forward to Vol 5!

[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.

[Metabull · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice follow-up to volume 3. There is some closure plotwise with Nadia and some new threads for the next volume. We also get some more action with the return of a character from the past (or could be the future, timetravel you know). And Kevin is still going strong as well.

The artwork is drawn by a new team. It matches the earlier work quite well. I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars.