It’s pretty clear that Saga is a unique comic in the current publishing landscape of the
medium. It feels fresh and unique and the creators are having a noticeably good
time working on this book. The third volume presents a lot of the same of what
we’ve seen so far. If you liked the first two volumes, you’ll certainly like
this one. Likewise if you didn’t like it, you won’t enjoy the latest volume.
Eighteen issues in, I think it’s pretty clear that the series has found its
long term identity. By that I mean that it’s found its footing, both
narratively and visually.
Fiona Staples art continues to impress. She appears to
work exclusively with computer software and it shows the most in her
backgrounds. Some of them are picturesque and do a great job establishing the
various settings and locations in which the action takes place. Some of her
other backgrounds present a different style. Things are blurry, muddy, and
undefined. It distracts from the action and the characters stand off and stick
out, as if they do not belong. For the most part, her backgrounds have improved
in these issues. I don’t know what her approach to drawing an issue is but I
can’t shake the feeling that she works on the backgrounds and characters
separately. The art style being used is just too different and it surely
requires her to be in a different frame of mind. All that said, she gets it
right more often than not. When the backgrounds and characters work well
together it’s superb. When it comes to her characters, she has a way of making
them look real. Her work on body language is impressive and her facial
expressions do the job, even on non-traditional (read: alien) faces. Horns,
single-eyed or with multiple eyes, the facial expression get the message
across. I also think Staples is very good at making fashionable and memorable
clothing designs. It helps to ground the series by giving the reader something
real to focus on amidst all the various other space opera visuals.
If you look at the writing, Brian K. Vaughan’s plotting, his
dialogue and the comic’s themes also retain the same overall feeling and style
of the previous volumes. In this case, more of the same is good because there
hasn’t been any loss of quality since the first issue, much the opposite, the
series has gotten a bit better. I didn’t feel it as strongly in any of
Vaughan’s previous comics, but the dialogue in Saga sometimes panders to the reader. While it’s not surprising,
since he had discussed his identity as a father and its influences on this
particular comic, he also uses Saga
to comment on the current opinions of non-traditional families or to provide
parenting tips and tricks. It works more often than not, but every once in a
while it pulls me out of the story a little. Likewise, the narrations from
Hazel were more metatextual this time around. She provides the reader with
information regarding certain aspects of writing. Unfortunately, off the top of
my head, I can only think of an example from the second volume in which Vaughan
and Staples, through Hazel, tell the story of the main characters’ “meet-cute”.
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| One example of muddy backgrounds to be found in volume 3. To give credit where it's due Staples backgrounds were better than in the previous volumes. |
In most of his previous comics, Vaughan would use a lot
of pop culture references in his dialogue. Since Saga doesn’t take place in our universe (well, at least not our
galaxy), references to the nature of something real in our universe such as
“meet-cute” just doesn’t fit. It makes the characters too self-aware. I can’t
quite figure out what it is about their dialogue but something about it feels
off. It doesn’t stop it from being entertaining as characters regularly say
things that I enjoy.
When it comes to plot, Vaughan focuses a lot on providing
readers with an interesting cliffhanger at the end of each issue. It’s another
staple from his writing bag of tricks. You can also expect a more meaningful or
more shocking cliffhanger at the end of each six-issue arc. This volume is no
different and it shows the reader that the story has jumped ahead in time. It’s
exciting and it makes me anxious for the release of the next volume. I really
like the cliffhangers but sometimes the structure of a particular issue reads
as though it’s geared entirely towards producing that final page. You would
think that three volumes into the series Vaughan wouldn’t need to put as much
effort into baiting the reader to come back for more and that he could trust
his story to do that job for him. At the very least, Vaughan’s focus on
providing end-of-issue shockers helps to move the story along at a brisk pace
which keeps things exciting for the reader.
As for the themes, they’re old
as hell. Saga is about love, war and
family. Despite being well-trodden themes, Vaughan makes good use of them here,
particularly family. He’s updated it for modern audiences it and family means
more than just blood, it’s also about choices, dependability and trust. Family
is also a group in which love and war can, and do, take place. It’s like the
universe but in smaller doses, many individual elements all coming together and
forming a whole. I don’t have a whole lot to say on this subject but, like most
of the items I brought up in this review: it’s more of the same. That’s a good
thing though as it’s familiar yet different and that’s contributing to the
comic’s success.
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| An example of one of the better backgrounds. The city skyline is better suited to Staples's digital art. It doesn't work as well for more organic or natural backgrounds as above. |
Three volumes in and the creators have clearly
established their tone, style and direction for the comic. The same goes for
you and any other readers. If you’ve enjoyed the comic so far you’re likely
along for the whole trip. Readers who didn’t like it or who were still sitting
on the fence have likely taken their leave. I know that I’m here for the long
haul and I’m sure I’ll continue to enjoy Saga
as Vaughan and Staples are at the top of their game. My only concern is whether
or not the creators can maintain this high level of craftsmanship to the
story’s conclusion. It’s a small concern though since Vaughan and Staples make
a good team.
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