Time Traveler Tales #4: Not Enough Time

Time Traveler Tales #4 (created by Karl Jacobs with writer Dave Scheidt, artists Kelly and Nichole Matthews, and letterer Joamette Gil) is an exciting all-ages comic that asks the question: if you had the chance to change things, what would you do? Following the events of the last issue, our Time Traveler Oliver is haunted by the dark figure pursuing him: the Clock Master. This issue is darker than previous storylines as it gives us the Clock Master’s villain origin story.

This issue chronicles a young Clock Master, Alexander, as he finds his grandfather dead on the floor of his watch shop. From there, we see that things continue to go poorly for Alexander- the watch shop is closed, he goes through a breakup, and he’s haunted by the memory of his grandfather’s death. All of this follows a central theme in his life: there is not enough time. These events add a darker tone to this all-ages comic series that I found interesting. Writer Dave Scheidt handles these darker themes with a certain lightness that makes them digestible for all ages. The dark tone of this issue also contrasts beautifully with its cute, cartoon-like art.

Unable to cope with the constant adverse events in his life, Alexander remembers the special pocket watches from his grandpa’s collection. He’s able to use one of these pocket watches to travel back in time, in a vain attempt to save his grandfather. Instead, we get a heart-wrenching scene where he watches his grandpa die and is unable to interact with his environment to save him. This is the origin of the Clock Master, as he learns he can control all of time if he collects every time-travel pocket watch.

Scheidt does an amazing job writing the relationship between Alexander and his grandfather in just a couple of pages. This adds to the heartbreaking tone of the issue and makes his mission as a villain feel justified. Reading this issue, I almost found myself rooting for the Clock Master. He just wants to save his grandpa, while we see other time travelers using their pocket watches to hang out with dinosaurs. This issue adds variety to this comic series while staying true to the heart of the story. We get to see the Clock Master as a complex and relatable character, which makes for a compelling villain. The emotional storyline mixed with an adorable art style makes this comic issue a great read.