Saga has been one of the best comics on the stands for some time now. The take on relationships is mature, the plot complex and there are plenty of shock moments to keep our blood up. This is also the last issue before the next hiatus.
I take a look at the latest issue and ponder: is it good?
Saga #30 (Image Comics)
If you’re just joining us Alana has been kidnapped by a radical named Dengo who wants to get the word out about his son who could have been saved. Prince Robot had the resources, but he was too poor, but when Dengo finds a baby from the two warring species he knows it’s his chance to get heard. He’s recently hooked up with a radical group to do that, but they double crossed him. Meanwhile Marko is hot on their tails so that he might reunite with his child and Alana. Unfortunately his ship has crash landed. Things are not looking up!
I guess that’s a shocking moment!
Overall this is a beautifully written issue, but also a tame one. Writer Brian K. Vaughan progresses the plot adequately so by issue’s end a major shift has occurred and the characters are scrambled in all sorts of ways. In some ways the last issue was the climax leaving this issue to deal with some quieter moments. Of course there’s still some ultra violence to be had here, with some definite periods put on major deaths, but at the same time nothing too shocking. Point being, a dragon sucking itself off is not happening in this issue.
The narration from the child is quite nice though and does a nice job explaining how Marko and Alana are messed up people who just want to do the right thing. They are the better people, it just took a hell of a lot of crap to get them to figure that out about each other.
Uh oh…
It does seem like Vaughan is wrapping some things up rather quickly though. It seems like forever and a day ago we have been watching Dengo kill, kidnap, and whine about his problems. To see his story end with but a whimper is a bit sad. You’d think there’d be more for him. The rebels also get a short end, and with all the buildup of their formidable-ness it’s sad to see how quickly they are taken out.
Fiona Staples’ art continues to impress however and it all looks very nice indeed. There isn’t a lot to this issue as far as movement or location changes, but she does a good job mixing up the panels to keep things interesting. Two major splash pages in the issue look nice too, one a very important one for Marko and Alana, and another revealing Dengo’s fate. They are at once simple, but poignant and are definitely some of the more important pages she’s drawn yet.
That’s beauitful.
Is It Good?
Overall this is a good issue, albeit a tame one. There isn’t a lot here that wasn’t expected, and some of it handled more to clean up shop before the next arc starts, but all in all the narration about relationships makes this one worth a look.
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