Oh man, I am so glad Saga #17 isn’t the last issue before the next multi-month break. The big confrontation between the good guys and the bad guys has arrived, but Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples cut it off with another tense cliffhanger. This issue is the opening salvo of the next big climactic encounter, and it’s pretty devastating in and of itself. But the juiciest stuff is probably being saved for next issue. I can live with that…barely.

Saga #17

Saga #17 sets everything up for a big, exciting battle to come, but it is not without its own charms and horrors.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

Prince Robot is at the door! He has tracked Marko and Alana to Heist’s lighthouse on Quietus, and Vaughn is ready to have some wicked fun with everything he has set up so far. I have no doubt in my mind that he has the entirety of Saga planned out in advance, he simply must. So the events of this issue, I know, are part of a larger, better, bigger story, and that makes them even more exciting. Saga isn’t just Vaughn making it up as he goes along. Saga is Vaughn at the top of his storytelling game.

Taken alone, there isn’t much to this issue. It’s a solid chapter, with some truly exciting moments, but it’s all mostly set up for next issue. Saga #17 is Vaughn and Staples getting the ball rolling, and I’m going to guess next issue is when the ball smashes through the wall and brings the whole darn lighthouse down! Possibly literally!

Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!

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And so we finally come full circle back to Saga #12, with Prince Robot IV interrogating Heist, and Marko and his family hiding in the attic. But of course, considering all the time we spent getting back here, there are a few new wrinkles to add to make the scene even more tense and exciting. Saga #17 looks like it’s going to be pretty awesome. But we’re not there yet. First, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples need to drop the last few pieces into place. And as I’ve come to expect from this series, those pieces are just as much fun as can be!

Saga #16

Also, we quickly find out what the point of the hallucinations were on The Will’s paradise planet, so at least there’s that. So much for all my grumbling in the last review.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

Like most issues in this volume of Saga, this one is about fleshing out the world and getting to know the characters. We’re solidly in Act 2 of this saga, I would say, and we’ve got a long way to go. One test of a good comic book series – or any fiction, for that matter – is if the writer can make the characters fun to read even when they’re just sitting around having coffee or playing board games. Vaughn succeeds. The conversations haven’t necessarily been as exciting as when they were all on the spaceship, but then Barr was a special kind of awesome. As was his brief relationship with Alana. Their scenes together were some of the best in the series so far.

That’s not to say everybody else doesn’t pick up the slack. There are a lot of great scenes in this issue between Heist and the family. He’s no Barr, but he’s still a fun character. And in this issue, everyone just works so well together, which is what we’ve come to expect. Plotwise, everything moves forward, especially the sub-plot about the two reporters. That might be taking a big leap forward.

But in the end, this is a penultimate cliffhanger issue. It’s all about finishing the set-up for what will hopefully be an epic climax!

Join me after the jump for a fully synopsis and more review.

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Saga #15 is a kind of fill-in issue, but that’s not a bad thing. Not every issue of Saga can be a mind-meltingly amazing experience. Sometimes Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples just have to take a step back and move the story along on an issue-by-issue basis. We’ve got plot, we’ve got sub-plot, we’ve got a few fun character moments, and most importantly, we’ve got another good issue of Saga. The story is moving along at a nice little pace, so there’s no harm in Vaughn taking a break to enjoy his world for a moment.

Saga #15

Saga #15 is kind of a way station in the ongoing story. Marko, Alana and the gang are enjoying their time in Heist’s lighthouse, while The Will and his team have their own concerns. The larger narrative takes a step back this issue so that we can enjoy the little things in life.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

I read both of Vaughn’s previous comics – Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina – in tpb form, and that was an excellent way to read each series. Vaughn is a man who writes to the bigger picture. His comics aren’t the typical, never-ending superhero dramas. They have beginnings, middles, and, most importantly, endings. So I’m fairly certain Vaughn already knows the general strokes of where Saga is going and how it’s going to end. So maybe the best time to read Saga is when it’s all over, like a novel. But because I’m such a fan of his work, I decided to go issue-by-issue, and while I’m not disappointed, it does lead to issue like this one.

Again, this is in no way a bad issue. It’s Saga‘s usual greatness. But we’re still no closer to the cliffhanger at the end of Saga #12, which I’m really excited to see resolved. Instead, we pause for some R&R. It’s good, enjoyable R&R, but it’s rest and relaxation nonetheless. I’m also a little surprised/confused by the developments for The Will’s team. I’ll get to it in the synopsis, but for now, I’m just not sure what it means for the story as a whole. The Will deserves his own stories, but is this an example of Vaughn writing for the single issues? Or is this new twist part of the larger narrative?

Read on and we shall see!

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I’m in Heaven. Reading a book like Saga #14 reminds me why I love comics. It reminds me why I want to be a writer. Saga #14 makes me feel good about myself. And it underlines why I will always value creativity and originality over the reality TV/celebrity adoration schlock that fills the world these days. Saga #14, and Saga the series as a whole, is pure, unadulterated narrative joy. If comics were a drug, Saga would be the greatest high possible.

Saga #14

Saga #14 is still in the middle of the current chapter, but all of the relationships and back stories that Brian K. Vaughn built up at the start of the series are paying off in ways I couldn’t have dreamed possible.

Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great!

The only reason Saga #14 doesn’t have a perfect score is just because I’m still figuring out the criteria for a perfect score. Also, this issue is almost entirely transition. We’re still catching up to Saga #12, and nothing too big storywise happens in this issue. I’m singing Saga #14’s praises almost entirely on the strength of its characters, the dialogue and the scenes that put them together. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples have created an amazing fictional world and a truly magical cast of characters. I love reading Saga.

This issue also contains the best Lying Cat scene of the series so far. And considering all the great Lying Cat scenes, that’s saying a lot. If the scene doesn’t at least put a smile on your face, you’re a robot.

I have no idea where Saga is going. Is there going to be a battle? Are they going to end the war? Based on little Hazel’s narration, the world stretches far into the future, but I’m sure the series will end long before that. None of the characters or plots are permanent. Prince Robot IV could be killed in the very next issue and I would completely buy that as part of the story. Not even Marko and Alana are safe. That’s a scary proposition, but when the issues are this good, it’s also thrilling.

Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!

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Saga‘s back! Everybody rejoice! After however many long months, one of the best comics out there is finally back to brighten our doorsteps. Saying that might make me sound less objective as a reviewer, but to hell with that. I’m not so much a reviewer right now as a sharer of great comics, and Saga – by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples – is great comics. Just check out the cover; says right there at the top: Eisner Aware winner for ‘Best Series’. Clearly I’m not the only one loving themselves some Saga. Nor should I be. If you’ve ever wanted to branch out from superhero comics, go find Saga. It’s good, quality, exciting entertainment.

Saga #13

Saga stands a chance of being as good as – if not better than – Vaughn’s previous masterpiece Y: The Last Man. Saga is that good, and it still feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface of where this series will go and what it has to offer. But enough rambling, let’s get to Saga #13.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

This issue actually takes place prior to Saga #12, when Prince Robot IV confronted author D. Oswald Heist on the planet Quietus – with our lovely little family unit hiding in the attic. Saga #13 tells the story of the family arriving on Quietus, as well as giving updates to what everyone else is up to, including a few new characters with their own subplot. Let’s hope it’s a good one. So the issue is pretty much just moving the pieces on the board around to get ready for the next chapter. And it’s easy to see why Vaughn didn’t want to end on this story, but instead chose the story of Saga #12 for his cliffhanger. Smart man, that Brian K. Vaughn.

The reasons I love Saga are at the forefront of Saga #13. It’s not the series’ strongest issue, not by a long shot, but it’s definitely a solid example of Saga‘s quality. This is a story about people first, militaristic space aliens second. Saga is the story of a young couple and their new baby on the run from the government, and in a larger sense, on the run from prejudice. I’m no academic. I’m not the guy to write an epic, analytical essay about Saga and all its many themes. But I can recognize the inherent humanity in this story about a goat man making sweet love to an insect girl, and the adorable half-breed baby that popped out.

Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!

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