From Eisner Award winning duo Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples comes the Image comic series Saga. Check out my review of issue #32.
Saga is an epic space opera/fantasy comic book series created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples, published monthly by Image Comics. The series is heavily influenced by Star Wars, and based on ideas Vaughan conceived both as a child and as a parent. It depicts two lovers from long-warring extraterrestrial races, Alana and Marko, fleeing authorities from both sides of a galactic war as they struggle to care for their newborn daughter, Hazel, who occasionally narrates the series.
After being separated from their little girl (or still separated in the case of Marko – poor guy), Hazel’s parents get an issue dedicated almost entirely to them as they raid a records building to try and find clues as to the whereabouts of their child. As always the first page of issue #32 is a shocker. If you compiled every single first page of Saga’s run so far and just lined them all up, then let a grandparent enter the room to witness them all – you may very well become the end of them. Forever. I love how vulgar, disturbing or hilarious (and sometimes all three) they can be and #32 is no different.
I missed the chemistry between Alana and Marko and we’re finally getting to see it again here. It’s been a while and this issue felt like a resurgence of that vibe from the first story arc a couple years ago. Just the two of them talking with each other makes me smile. Fiona Staples has drawn a new badass enemy in this issue too that was one of my favorite visuals of the year – guards with fire cannons on their hands and heads. They looked like one of the little bastards from Puppet Master and I loved it. Staples has had a milestone year too, with her work on Archie’s reboot and continued success with Saga.
I’m excited at the prospect of Prince Robot no longer being royalty (sorry for the minor spoiler but it didn’t matter – trust me) and I can’t wait to see more of his interactions with our main cast in future issues. I’m happy that Vaughan decided to keep this character around and not vanquish him at the end of the third arc like many thought he would be. Saga continues to be weird, funny, awesome and not give any shits whatsoever about who it offends. For that – I am thankful that a comic this good continues to be great this many issues in with no signs of slowing down.
Rating: [star rating=”4″]