Written by: Brian K. Vaughan
Art by: Fiona Staples
Colours by: Fiona Staples
Letters by: Fonografiks
Cover by: Fiona Staples
Published by: Image
Cover Price: $2.99 (USD)
I’m not sure how, but after the first issue of Saga I wasn’t completely convinced that this series could live up to the hype created in the preceding months. However, after this second chapter I am sure that this is going to be a great comic.
Firstly, the cover is incredible. The image of hands reaching out for each other is classic and has been done countless times before, but the combination of the pure innocence of baby Hazel’s hands reaching towards a monstrous claw-like hand is frightening, yet not devoid of tenderness.
Aside from the cover, there’s plenty more brilliant art inside. There is something about Saga and the world that Vaughan and Staples are creating that makes it seem like it shouldn’t work, but somehow it does. This is largely because of Staples’s design work and ability to capture emotion in even the most outlandish of alien species or strange creatures.
Of course, comic books are a team effort and Vaughan’s scripting is spot on. There are some really good character moments in this issue and despite the danger that Alana and Marko are facing, there are still humorous moments that made me laugh out loud. The dialogue is excellent and I really get the sense this comic is being written by a parent, as however strange the situations get, there is a true believable quality to the family.
However sweet the family are though, there are people out to get them and this is where the story is most impressive. It is mentioned at the beginning of the issue by Will, one of the mercenaries tasked with capturing Hazel, that another freelancer called The Stalk is after the child too and when The Stalk arrives, it’s hard not to be freaked out and also very impressed by Staples and Vaughan once again.
The ending is terrifying and funny and I need to know what is going to happen next. Already this series feels epic in scope, but also intimate. A lot has happened and there are many plot threads, but character is never lost. Vaughan’s scripting has improved already since the first issue, Staples’s art is flawless and at $2.99 there is no excuse not to try this series.
8/10
