“The birds scream as they see them approaching from the east. Fly away. Fly away now. But I push back. It is time to fight.”
Welcome to the first episode of Brave and the Book Club. I am Jake from The Brave and the Boys and I am joined by my buddy Mark as we finally pull Rook Exodus off the shelf and talk about it like it has been sitting in our heads for months.
We break down what Ghost Machine is, give a spoiler free pitch for Rook Exodus, then dive into full spoilers to talk about Rook as a survivor, his fear of being left behind, the fight or flight theme, and the moment he finally trusts the birds and chooses both. We also dig into Jason Fabok’s art, Brad Anderson’s colors, the giant animal Wardens, and why this story hits harder in an oversized format.
If you want to read along or grab Rook Exodus and other Ghost Machine books, you can support the show by ordering through Panel Bound Comics. Tell us in the comments which animal would bond with you as a Warden and why.
Click here to subscribe for more awesome content from us!!! https://bit.ly/TBATBYOUTUBE
Check out Panel Bound Comics: https://bit.ly/TBATBOPB
Buying 1 to 3 books? Save $2 with our code Braveboys
Buying 4 or more books together? Save 5% with our code Braveboyssit
Thank you for watching, and until the next time, keep reading and stay brave!
Connect with us on social media:
Our Discord: https://discord.gg/ju6JcKM4zJ
Our Instagram: https://bit.ly/TBATBInstagram
00:00 Cold open and fight or flight quote
00:35 What is Brave and the Backlog and how the show works
02:00 Who and what Ghost Machine is plus where Rook Exodus fits
04:30 Spoiler free pitch for Rook Exodus
07:30 Full spoilers begin Rook as runner and reluctant hero
12:00 Rook’s past, control issues, and fear of abandonment
18:00 Wardens, helmets, and the world of Exodus as a dying planet
24:00 Ursa, Swine, Direwolf and the pressure that forces Rook to change
30:00 Birds, Poe, and the moment fight and flight finally meet
35:00 Art talk Jason Fabok’s designs and Brad Anderson’s colors
41:00 How this arc lands, what we want from volume two
46:00 Reading order ideas, what to read next, and tease for episode two
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.