What’s this? Another review telling you how great “Saga” is? Well, pretty much — but we’re coming to the end of an arc here, so there’s a lot riding on this rocket ship issue. Does this lovely series keep up the loveliness right until the end of the arc, ensuring that all readers will still be on board when it returns? You think you know the answer… and you’re probably right.
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by Fiona StaplesThe epic hit series continues, as Alana and her baby finally reach the legendary Rocketship Forest, where everything changes forever.
So far as I can tell, there’s one thing that distinguishes good fantasy from bad fantasy, and it has to do with suspension of disbelief. Not on the part of the audience, mind, but the creators. It’s one thing to invent a universe with its own rules and history; it’s quite another to go against all your saner impulses and convince yourself that this thing you pulled out of the air is worth your continued time, effort, and (most elusive of all) faith. Convincing an audience that you believe in something is always going to be a prerequisite for convincing them to believe in it, and with a project as wide-ranging and rich in invention as “Saga”, the continued fan acclaim is testament to just how strong a feeling of artistic commitment comes through in the reading of it. It’s obvious that Vaughan and Staples really believe in this story, and it’s all the more luminous and satisfying a story for that belief.
Now that Alana and Marko have finally made it to the Rocketship Forest and the arc is coming to a close, that sense of commitment is all but shining out of the pages. Rather than feeling like a sort of hasty-by-necessity cap-off to a certain section of the storyline — which is what a lot of arc-ending issues tend to feel like — this one gets across the feeling of wrapping up without shoving the fact in your face. Along the way, the story advances at its usual steady pace, raising the stakes even higher and giving the reader a lot to speculate on in the wait between issues. But most importantly, the central themes of the series are underscored and illustrated, subtly but memorably, with the idea of parenthood constituting a voyage into the unknown being conveyed in a truly touching manner.
This is more Alana and Marko’s issue than The Will and Lying Cat’s, which is sure to disappoint some, but recalling that The Will had already come to an impasse in the last issue it’s understandable that he doesn’t have much to do in this one (besides, er, react, poor guy). The sacrifice made by Alana and Marko takes center stage instead, informing the thematic concerns of this issue right up until the last page, and it’s more than weighty enough a plot point to make up for the lack of The Will for the moment. There’s the expected amount of banter along the way, and while that still comes off as a bit calculatedly quirky, it’s all so elegantly framed — with just the right plot points coming through at all the right moments — that a surfeit of cute is more than forgivable. The new characters introduced, meanwhile, look like they’re going to be a lot of fun to get to know, and so far as introductions go, they couldn’t have gotten a more dramatic or arresting one.
There’s not much I can say that hasn’t been said before in regards to how wonderful Fiona Staples’ artwork is. In this issue, though, there’s a particularly effective two page spread that does double duty in getting across the scale of the thing it depicts and inspiring a whole lotta wonder. And in an issue full of compelling facial expressions, it’s one of Lying Cat’s during an especially emotional moment that stands out. Actually, when you think of how little dialogue Lying Cat has, it looks like a lot of the love for this perceptive creature lies at the feet of Staples, who conveys both its catlike and the human aspects with such fluidity that you have to wonder whether she has a falsity-detecting sidekick of her own.
As you’ve probably already gathered, it’s looking like this arc-ending issue couldn’t have been done any better. Well, we all would have appreciated a little more The Will, but them’s the breaks. Otherwise this is a fitting end to what has been an exhilarating rocket ship ride so far. The downside to this fact, though, is that we’re likely to miss “Saga” that much more during the multi-month wait between issues. Stay strong, guys. This is one series that’s worth our continued faith.
Final Verdict: 8.8 — Buy, and tell all your comic-shy friends about the trade!
