Love Everlasting with Tom King and Elsa Charretier - Comic Books

·1 hr 6 min·5 clips

Tom King and Elsa Charretier's new comic 'Love Everlasting' traps a woman in an endless cycle of romance, blending Groundhog Day with horror.

The episode begins with host Brian introducing the guests, Tom King and Elsa Charretier, and providing an overview of their comic 'Love Everlasting', describing it as a blend of romance, horror, and fantasy akin to Groundhog Day meets Quantum Leap. Brian shares his excitement after reading the first five issues and notes the comic's release date of August 10th from Image Comics. Tom King explains that 'Love Everlasting' is his first creator-owned project and compares its ambition to Neil Gaiman's Sandman, aiming for a long-running epic of 30-35 issues. Elsa Charretier discusses the artistic challenges, such as designing Joan's character with a consistent hair part across different eras and researching historical periods while maintaining a caricatured style. The conversation delves into the comic's structure, with each issue featuring different time periods and genres, creating an anthology feel with an overarching mystery. Tom King reveals the inspiration came from reading thousands of romance comics from the mid-20th century and blending them with concepts from Quantum Leap and Groundhog Day. The hosts share their personal reactions, with Brian laughing out loud at the first issue's twist and Paul appreciating the surprise after going in blind. The potential for a TV adaptation is mentioned, with King confirming Hollywood interest and having an ending mapped out. Elsa Charretier talks about the collaborative process, noting King gives her creative freedom, and shares anecdotes about character design and research constraints due to tight schedules. The episode also touches on broader comic industry topics, such as the term 'graphic novel' versus 'comic book', and the importance of creator ownership. Tom King recounts how the project started with a Twitter DM from Elsa, leading to their partnership. The discussion concludes with encouragement for listeners to start reading comics with 'Love Everlasting', highlighting its accessibility and potential to become a cultural phenomenon like Saga or The Walking Dead.

As heard by us

A lively comics discussion that makes Love Everlasting's shifting romance loop and planned ending feel clear and tangible.

The episode treats Love Everlasting as more than a tidy comics pitch, circling the central hook of Joan Peterson being caught in one romance story after another.

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Why you'd press play

Want a romance comic chat where Joan Peterson keeps getting pulled from one teary saga into the next?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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