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Review: Saga #22
This is gonna get good. Do you ever get that feeling reading a comic? Do you flip through the pages, read the dialogue, scan the pictures, and get that feeling in your gut that all of this is going somewhere and it’s gonna be awesome? I got that feeling reading Saga #22. The last few issues have been pretty low key, and I’ve rated them as such, but now writer Brian K. Vaughn is starting to move his chess pieces around the board. All the characters he’s introduced, all the plot lines he seeded, start swirling together in the new issue, and it’s rather exciting.
Saga #22
Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but I think this Saga comic is gonna be pretty good.
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples had a lot to introduce coming into this new volume. They did a time jump, so there was a lot they had to get readers up to speed on in the universe before they could restart the story proper. I get that. Nothing wrong with that. But it made for a few issues that were just setting up the scenery. And it was depressing scenery. Can you believe that Vaughn and Staples are doing to Marko and Alana?! Man, what a drag. But in the end, there’s no denying that it’s going to be a great story, because that’s what these to do: they make great comics!
Things start to heat up in a bad way between Marko and Alana in this issue. We knew it was coming, and Vaugh just slaps us in the face with it. But they’re just the beginning. Were you, like I, wondering where all this crazy janitor stuff was going? Oh yeah, it’s going there. It’s going right there, and Vaughn is going to destroy us with it.
Well I say bring it on!
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Saga #21
Much like last issue, Saga #21 is still just strolling along in the current storyline. It makes sense in context. Saga is a real saga. Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples are telling a story that covers entire lives, if not generations. So of course there were periods in these characters’ lives when they weren’t having exciting adventures. That’s how it is for most people. Just look at my Saturday nights for the past few years. Vaughn has created such a wonderful cast, that I would enjoy an issue of these characters eating breakfast. But sometimes that slowness is a little too mellow.
Saga #21
I really hope Vaughn is going somewhere unexpected with these storylines, otherwise they’re going to end up being painfully slow. At least Hazel remains obnoxiously adorable.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
It’s hard to be hard on Saga. The series as a whole remains strong, and I’m confident Vaughn has all manner of great storytelling in store for us. But the past few issues have been a bit of a lull…unless, of course, they’re leading somewhere amazing. That’s the great thing about Saga: I have no idea what to expect! So whether it’s Marko’s impending infidelity or Alana’s drug use, I can’t bring myself to assume that the obvious is going to happen. It feels like the obvious is going to happen, but I don’t know, and that’s why these scenes are both boring and fascinating.
On a different level, the story of the Robot Kingdom continues in this issue, and I have absolutely no idea where it’s going. The evil janitor still has Prince Robot IV’s kid in tow, and in this issue, the Prince himself gets involved. But we know so little about the Robot Kingdom and this evil janitor’s motivations that who knows what to expect? That is good storytelling, if slightly marred by the fact that we know so little about the Robot Kingdom. I’m not personally invested in them very much. And I definitely don’t know what to think yet about this evil janitor.
I can only hope the evil janitor plans to bring Prince’s kid and Hazel together to be the best of friends!
Join me after the jump or a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Saga #20
Sometimes, Saga can be the most amazing, devastating comic book on the market. And sometimes, writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples just need to get from Point A to Point B. Those issues aren’t bad either, but they’re not as exciting or as emotionally driven as the really great issues. That’s definitely not a bad thing, because Vaughn and Staples are producing one great comic. And sometimes you just need to let your story grow. Sometimes you’ve got a twist you need to drop or a point to make, or you need a few scenes to let Hazel be absolutely adorable.
Saga #20
Either way, whatever those two are doing, it makes for a good issue of Saga.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
The last issue of Saga was devastating. It was like a punch to the gut. I wanted to cry, but I’m too manly for that. So I sucked it up and spent the last month hoping it was all a dream – that didn’t work. And here we are at Saga #20, the next chapter in the end of the beautiful relationship that is Marko and Alana. Vaughn wastes no time in putting temptation in their path, and it’s a little heart-breaking. Part of me thinks he’s putting one over on us, because the events of this issue are so obvious. But it’s probably just Vaughn doing what he has to do, which, of course, is break our hearts.
I really hope I can make it through this volume of Saga.
This is a fine issue that really focuses on the characters. Almost everyone gets a bit of spotlight, and it’s all nice for building their character and presenting more of their current situations. Alana is still on that weird TV show. Marko gets to play papa. And there’s some insanity about to go down in the Robot Kingdom. Oh yeah. That’s the big hubbaloo in Saga #20. In fact, I bet this whole volume is going to focus more on the Robot Kingdom and what they have to do with everything. They’re a weird bunch, to be sure, and I bet Vaughn has something big planned.
He’d better, because my heart can only take so much torment. Join me after the jump for the full synopsis with FULL SPOILERS and more review!
Review: Saga #19
Back for one issue and already you’re breaking my heart again, Saga. You’re a twisted, cruel, evil comic that toys with my heart strings like a child playing with ants! I haven’t read a cliffhanger ending this inhumane since you nearly killed Lying Cat all those issues ago! Why must you destroy me like this? Why must you be so damn good, only to kill everything I love?!
Saga #19
We’re talking ‘Red Wedding’ levels of sadness here, folks. Prepare yourselves for the return of Saga!
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
I’m as pleased as anybody to have Saga back in my hands. Saga, by writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples, is one of the best comics being published today. It’s thoroughly enjoyable, features a universe that never stops sprawling on and on, and is probably the most deeply emotional comic book I’m reading these days. I don’t even feel this deeply about Multiple Man, my favorite superhero. The story of Hazel and her family is simply beautiful. In less than 19 issues, and Vaughn and Staples have crafted such a wonderfully warm and touching cast of characters. I was in love with them from issue #1. And I’m so glad they’re back.
But man, my heart is in tatters.
From the end of the last volume to this new issue, we’ve skipped ahead a few months or years, depending on how long it takes for baby Hazel to grow into toddler Hazel. I don’t know babies. But she’s walking and talking these days, and that’s going to be a delight to behold, I can already tell. Saga #19 is mostly spent getting us all up to speed with how things are and what the family unit has been up to for the past few months. They’re hunkered down on a safe planet, Hazel is growing up, Alana got a weird job, and everybody’s kind of getting on everybody else’s nerves – typical family stuff. So it’s a light, scene-setting issue that showcases Saga‘s usual level of enjoyable storytelling and character building.
Until a final page that will gut you.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Saga #18
As finales go, this one was a bit anti-climactic. As cliffhangers go, this one was fantastic! We come, once again, to another Saga finale. After every major volume, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples take a few months off to get caught up on the next volume. And for art as good as Staples’, I’m more than willing to give the Saga team some time off. Fortunately for us, they don’t end on too much of a nail-biter, but you better believe I can’t wait for the next volume after that last page. Plot lines get wrapped up, characters are forever changed, and the world of Saga just got infinitely bigger, my friends.
Saga #18
Saga #18 feels like it should be a major turning point in the ongoing adventure, but something about the action just seems a bit anti-climactic, especially considering how much actually happens. Regardless, the issue is as bombastic as they come, and that final page will leave you squealing for joy.
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
The cliffhanger in Saga #18 is unlike any we’ve seen in the series to date, but it’s so simple and obvious, I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming from a long ways off. It definitely took me by surprise. I won’t spoil it until we get to the synopsis, but this opens up the world of Saga in so many ways. It makes Saga a whole new series, an even more exciting series! I know I say it all the time that I can’t wait to see what Vaughn comes up with next, and trust me, this cliffhanger makes that more pertinent than ever before. But no spoilers until later.
The issue itself is an exciting one. The fight that started last issue picks up right away, and nearly every character gets a chance to shine. We also get the first encounter between Gwendolyn and her ex in this series, as well as Marco’s new flame. It’s a fun moment, as good as I could have hoped, considering how long Vaughn has been building towards it. The characters have always been the biggest draw of Saga, and Vaughn handles them well in this tense moment. The issue is strong, but I can’t help but feel that some of Vaughn’s choices for some of the characters weren’t the best. The Will does not fare well at all.
We’ll see what it all leads to in a couple of months. For now, join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
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