Release Date: September 25th, 2013
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publisher: Image Comics
Written By: Brian K. Vaughan
Art By: Fiona Staples
Price: 2.99
Review:
Saga is one of those books that has something for everyone. Vaughan can magically appeal to any and every demographic with just a few pages of sequential storytelling. This issue is one of those that blend soap opera-style storylines with space adventure and a love story and it all makes sense. It’s gorgeous to look at and resembles nothing else on the market.
The first two pages of this one are hilariously funny and show the range Vaughan has as a writer. More and more I’m starting to believe that that little cute ghost girl torso is a reflection of his non-geek readers inserted into his Saga universe. She always quips about the situation at hand as if she’s watching it from a screen and from a different perspective than I am as a geek. I’m not saying she’s at Deadpool’s level of breaking that 4th wall but she’s pretty damn close. With that being said, the scene with him puking on the baby was just over the top. Alana and Marko aren’t the best parents but handing your baby over to a drunk, washed up writer is probably in my top ten list of things I would never do to mine. Meanwhile, Slave Girl struggles with finding a purpose, Gwen catches the hell out of some space sharks, and The Will kisses her. Then Gwen knocks him out. I love how his dead ex goads him on to go in for the kiss. Hilarious. The interaction with Lying Cat and Sophie is very touching and confusing at the same time. It broke my heart and then had me wondering whether Lying Cat is capable of Lying. Paradoxical. Damn you Vaughan and your skill as a writer! I also dug the conversation between Heist and Marko’s mom. Beautiful storytelling. The cliffhanger is great as well and The Will may just get some revenge.
As usual the art is just as perfect as the writing. Fiona Staples transports the reader. She makes you believe you’re not on Earth anymore and that this is indeed a space adventure. The above-mentioned touching scene with the two jilted parents is made possible by her unique ability to convey emotion and intention with simplistic style and the fewest word balloons possible. She needs to come out with an artbook ASAP.
I don’t really have very many criticisms of Saga other than one I’ve mentioned in my WordPress blog. And it’s that there are very few moderates in his universe. The whole entire galaxy is either left or right and there are maybe, like, THREE people who aren’t just completely disgusted by the inter species erotica. One of those is Marko’s mom so she doesn’t count and the other is his Dad and he’s dead. The writer is just about the only character who hasn’t spontaneously regurgitated at the thought of the union. Granted there are presumably more but I’d like to see these two get some form of support from more than their parents or a ghost kid. Everything else about Saga is perfection. If you like Firefly you should be reading Saga. If you like space operas and comedy you should be reading Saga. If you like good storytelling and beautiful art…yeah.