The Saga Re-Read #19: A major shift in the plot

December 14, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

Saga #19 was first released 5/21/2014. — **Saga #19** was first released 5/21/2014.

By Zack Quaintance — There’s a lot going on in this week’s Saga #19. This is the first issue back from one of those Saga hiatuses, a five-month break which now in retrospect seems downright abbreviated. There’s been a time jump, characters have moved around, and the central family seems to have settled into a new status quo. More on all of that later. What I’d like to touch on briefly in this intro is what Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples were working toward here.

Saga, especially in its early days, was a book built on not shock value, but definitely on provided comic book readers writ large with visuals, feelings, and even a few ideas that had maybe never before been captured on the paneled page. With the start of its fourth arc, there’s definitely a feeling here that the creators are working to keep things fresh, to keep readers on that unpredictability high, and to find new places in this universe that will enable them to do so. I remember on first read being just a bit ambivalent at times in this arc (just a bit, because, as this feature should probably make evident, Saga is my favorite comic), and I’m anxious to see how it plays on re-read.

With that in mind, let’s get to this week’s comic!

Saga #19

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #19, which was first released back on May 21, 2014. We were all so young then...sigh. Anyway, here’s the bygone solicit text for the book…

Saga returns! New planet, new adversaries, and a very new direction, all from the same old Hugo Award-winning team. Mature Readers.

Saga took a five-month break between #18 and #19, and when it returned, it came back with a time jump (teased at the end of last issue) and a new direction. This is the point where I recall the book not exactly losing momentum but definitely settling in after a pretty rapid pace of plot developments over the course of its first three arcs. I’m interested to see how my memories square with the actual story upon reading reading.

The Cover: The new direction mentioned by the solicit text is evident in this cover, which like some of the other most memorable covers is clearly indicative of the Saga world and aesthetic, yet basically contains nothing we’ve seen before. This one is also different, in that it features an established character in a costume/storyline that we’ve barely seen hinted at as of yet.

The First Page: So, this one’s a doozy...a close-up shot of Prince Robot IV’s baby being born, like a really close-up shot, as a voice from off panel yells, One last push! This is one of those Saga first pages that reminds you what this book is really about: an unflinching look at love and life and family, depicted with some of the wildest sci-fi designs you’ve ever seen. The baby having an old TV stand-by pattern on its screen as it’s born is also incredibly funny, btw.

The Surface: This first issue of the arc didn’t represent as drastic of a shift in the plot as I seemed to remember, potentially because I’ve read another 30-some issues past this and can see it in the context of the whole. Either way, at our slow one-issue-per-week pace, Saga #19 to me felt like a pretty natural extension of all that has come before it, even if what the characters are actually doing is a major shift. Alana has a job acting on the pirace circuit, Marko is a stay-at-home dad, and Prince Robot IV is MIA. Notably absent are Gwendolyn, Sophie, The Will, and Lying Cat, who were all pretty instrumental to the climax of the previous arc.

The Subtext: There’s not much room for elaborate metaphor in this issue. There’s a lot of subtle work done to hint at what’s gone on with the characters in the time jump, though. There’s also a couple of hints (granted, easily missed) that the raging forever war has maybe not done wonders for the economy, that everyday folks—the janitor for the Robot royals, as well as our central family—are facing a larger challenge to provide and survice. That all makes sense given that this came out in 2014 and was presumably written and drawn sometime before that, when we had maybe just then started to really put some distant between ourselves and the devastating 2007-2008 global recession.

Saga #19, the book simultaneously being ominous and adorable. — **Saga #19**, the book simultaneously being ominous and adorable.

The Art: Staples often seems to put together some of her best work in the return issues following a Saga hiatus, and this one is no exception. In addition to the opening page splash, there’s a more vibrant full-page here that depicts a now-toddler-sized Hazel playing in a bouncy castle with other kids, her little horns now starting to show with an expression of pure joy on her face. It’s incredibly well done and also welcome after the danger the family has just faced (at least in our minds as readers), and Staples nails it. Also, shout-outs to the one-pager with Alana smooching another actor on set amid a buzzing throng of adorable flies, and the ending page with its perfect mix of dread and cuteness.

Foreshadowing: Tons of it in this issue, really. This is the story of how my parents split up. That last line, of course, sets the tone for the marital drama that will play out in this arc. There’s also Alana’s job stress and Marko’s hesitant friendship with the dance instructor on the playground. Meanwhile, in the Robot Kingdom, the presence of the embittered janitor who broadcasts a skull on his television face screen when someone walking away mentions the royals is something to keep an eye on. Also interesting is how this issue starts to pay off so much of the foreshadowing done in the last arc: Alana acting on the circuit, the job being important, the kids settling into family life, etc.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.

The Saga Re-Read #18: End of a well-built arc

December 07, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — I think the fact that we’re doing a literally 54-part series on Saga, which is written by Brian K. Vaughan, speaks to the respect and admiration we have for Brian K. Vaughan as a writer. But you know what? All of these weeks in now, I don’t know if we’ve really heaped much praise on the guy, especially not his scripting.

We’ve talked quite a bit about the plotting and the accompanying subtext he brings this series, but we don’t often get into the nuances of his scripts, not past just saying he writes great dialogue most of the time. Here he does one of the things I think is supremely valuable for a good comic book writer to know how to do: he walks an expert balance between stepping aside and incorporating prose-based flourishes, stepping aside during the action and arguing, and incorporating a brief and rapid flourish to almost eulogize poor D. Oswald Heist.

Mom and Dad wanted to stick around for a proper burial, but my devastated Granny argued that Heist would have appreciated where he ended up...mixed amongst the ashes of his creations.

It’s good stuff. Now onto the rest of the issue!

Saga #18

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #18, first released on Jan. 29, 2014, which is (duh) juuuuuust over 4 years ago. So so so much has changed right? I was still living in Austin, Texas back then! Anyway, summary time…

Our heroes' stay on Quietus reaches its inevitable conclusion.

...the ol’ inevitable conclusion. We’ve known this issue has been coming since pretty much the start of this arc, since it kind of tipped what was about to happen (while withholding most of the context) back in issue #13. If you are savvy enough to know these things happen in increments of six, well then, the writing has been on the wall.

The Cover: One of my favorite characters here...but not one of the my favorite covers. It’s an ultra-detailed closeup where Lying Cat has gore of something slain hung from its lips. For those who don’t know the outcome of the arc, though, maybe this whole thing plays as ominous, which makes sense given the shadows. The idea of this cover being aimed at generating suspense connects right on to the issue’s first page...

The First Page: ...which is Lying Cat sticking its fangs into Marko’s mom’s face, while a voice off panel (presumably Gwendolyn's) tells it: If she gives you any trouble, kill her. Now that, folks, is a suspenseful opening to the finale of an arc that has essentially been three plot points heading for a single intersection.

The Surface: The plot in this issue all felt sort of inevitable, which is a testament to the good and thorough job the creators did throughout this arc building up to it. While a bit predictable, the execution is engaging as hell, with the scene where Alana rises up on her wings to save the day (and show us her and the baby aren’t dead) inspiring me to all but through up a fist in triumph. There’s almost a happy ending all around here for a our three separate sects of characters, albeit with Marko’s mom weathering the loss of Heist. Oh! And a time jump at the end of this one sees Hazel develop from infant to toddler.

The Subtext: Like most of the rest of this arc, this issue was pretty light on subtext. Really, there was just too much rapidfire plot for that. The scene with Gwendolyn and Marko felt real and familiar, but it was still pretty overt. I do suppose, though, that the journalist being magically silenced under threat of death (and deciding to ultimately drop their story) is a metaphor for how vulnerable the press can be at times when targeted by vast resources and power structures. Again, as a former newspaperman my own self, I dig this sort of thing.

The Art: The thing that maybe most amazes me about Fiona Staples work on this series is how she continues to improve throughout. The art in this issue is phenomenal, with a panel in which Prince Robot IV emerges ominously through smoke and flames as a standout visual (although all the shots through the flames are absolutely stellar, and also so is the action storytelling and Gwendolyn’s face when she confronts Marko and Alana, and...), but you know what? It’s not even her final form. Not even close. The work in this issue will be topped and then topped again and on and on until we continue through this series.

Foreshadowing: I didn’t think there was any in this issue...until Doff tell’s Upsher No story’s worth dying for...and my heart just about cried out through my chest. Oof. Why am I doing this to myself? It’s only going to get worse...and I can’t wait for the devastation. See you all next week! We are now fittingly within nine months of finishing this long long long reading project.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.

The Saga Re-Read #17: Death of a beloved character

November 30, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — The first time I read Saga, I consumed it rapidly, perhaps even a bit too fast, so greedy was I to get through the story. I was a late-comer to the book, a trade waiter back then who messed up and didn’t get hip to this one until it had progressed well into its 20s. Once I’d gotten the first few volumes though, the issues fell away so fast I maybe missed some key details. The shared structure of each issue of this arc was one of those details. I’m really enjoying the pacing of these issues the second time around, the way they all start with Upsher and Doff, before moving into Marko and Alana, with a splash of The Will and Gwendolyn and Sophie and Lying Cat (do they have one of those t-shirts for Saga? I bet they do…).

It just speaks to something I deeply believe to be true of comics. Talent is one thing. A great idea is one thing. Great creators make great art, though, when they’ve accrued a critical mass of experience. The way these past few issues are structured show off Brian K. Vaughan’s impeccable writing chops, chops that maybe weren’t as sharp while he wrote some of his past efforts (like all of which I love, but just saying…). The bottom line is that during a second a slower read this arc is incredibly tight, with the excitement of each issue owing as much to the telling as it does what happens from panel to panel.

And now? On to the story!

Saga #17

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #17, first released on Dec. 18, 2013, just (obviously) a week shy of Christmas that year, although the issue doesn’t have anything to do with all that:

Prince Robot IV gets everyone into trouble.

Oh, that old storyline again! To borrow a cliche, he sure does—and it wouldn’t be the last time either. We’ll probably talk about this a bit more below, but Prince Robot IV’s role in this story as an interesting one to me. I halfway suspect he was originally planned to be more of a villian than he would later become, but as Vaughan and Staples humanized him, an attachment took hold, ultimately causing the creators to make him into the sort that complicates the plot out of well-intentioned mistakes rather than something like selfishness or greed, but I digress…

The Cover: The cover to Saga #17 combines two of my favorite regular Saga elements: a slight hint of salaciousness and Prince Robot IV. The latter is such a valuable asset for Staples as a cover artist, I think, for a couple of reasons. The first is that he’s a visually-striking character. If newsstand comics were still a thing, I reckon any cover with him on it would sell just a tick better than most of the others. Second, it allows Staples to use his face to broadcast (heh) just a bit more of what’s going on, essentially giving her a cover within a cover from which to convey more plot info, and she uses it well here, as well as in a later Prince Robot IV cover maybe 20 issues or some from now. But more on that in the future.

The First Page: A sweet and understated front page that is basically just Upsher and Doff spooning in bed, with Upsher (I think he’s the reporter, not the photag), pondering the location of the family. The past three issues or so have all opened with Upsher and Doff, pushing their search for the story of our central family along in quick increments before cutting to said family and advancing their action. It’s a sound structure, one that has served this arc well as it works hard to pack in a borderline unwieldy amount of plot, which could be bad but is done so well here it actually helps to make this story all the more compulsively readable.

The Surface: All that plot about to slam together at the end of last issue? Well, in here it does. SPOILER: The biggest twist here is the death of Heist, killed almost inadvertently by Gwendolyn, Marko’s former fiance. He was a great and gone-too-fast character. Here were some other highlights from another packed issue...Great line: Because the only journalists that deserve killing are sports writers. And another: The advice to ‘kill your darlings’ has been attributed to various authors across the galaxies...and Mister Heist hated them all. Also, I love how The Brand shows Upsher and Doff mercy due to their favorite coverage of the Freelancers union during its last strike.

The Subtext: As with all recent issues, there’s some commentary here about the role of reporters in the war and within power structures, but this is again another issue that hems closer to the surface than it does to subtext. That’s not a bad thing. Metaphors have been drawn and meaning bestowed, so Vaughan and Staples are free to wisely let compelling action grow out of all that. We’ll see how subsequent arcs read upon a second time, but I have a hard time imagining any arc other than the most recent will feel as exciting in the moment as this one.

The Art: On week’s like this one where I don’t have much specific to say other than Gee, Staples is such a major talent, wow, I’m just going to start posting a favorite panel from the book. Please see this week’s below:

Foreshadowing: Not much of that (that I picked up on here), although I did think teasing The Will’s death was maybe notable. It felt significant, like a vision of things to come perhaps. His whole arc (especially after Saga #54) continues to intrigue me.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase. He also writes comics and is currently working hard to complete one.

The Saga Re-Read #16: Journalism!

November 21, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — I’m a journalist by trade...technically. I don’t have shadowy conversations with anonymous sources like you see in the movie, and I’ve certainly not been put at wartime risk (although I did cover the Mexican drug war from Texas just a tiny bit in the late ‘00s). Anyway, this is all a means of pointing out that by being a staff writer for a fairly dry trade publication, I have much room in my heart set aside for romanticizing the work done by some of the world’s most daring reporters, including those appearing in stories.

Saga #16 is an issue brimming with romanticize journalism, conveyed right from its cover by this story’s journalistic pair, Upsher and Doff. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I ended up liking it quite a bit. In addition to my proclivity to appreciate journalists in fiction, I’ve just been appreciating the larger function these two are having with Saga, serving as a neutral pair and the first significant set of independent characters to not immediately want our little family to be caught, thereby facing instant annihilation (Heist aside).

So there’s my preamble. Now, let’s get to the issue, the art, and the story!

Saga #16

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #16, first released on Nov. 27, 2013, which was (maybe obviously?) the Wednesday after Thanksgiving that year:

Two war correspondents stumble onto the biggest story in the universe.

Technically, our friends Upsher and Doff don’t really learn much more about the biggest story in the universe than they already knew when this issue started. We do, however, learn that their sexuality makes them endangered on their home planet, should it ever come to light...which as re-readers may remember is a chip played against them later in the plot.

The Cover: Our (relatively) new friends Upsher and Doff make their first cover appearance. It’s also a rare appearance for them, because unlike more visually-intriguing side characters like Prince Robot IV, cover status is a pretty rare thing for these two. There’s a certain irony in that, if you ask me, seeing as they surely are the characters in our story most driven by appearing on page one. Anyway, this cover is a fine one, showing them doing their jobs in a firefight as their obvious status as journalists does little to nothing to protect them, something that will factor into not only this issue but their continued safeties as we move forward.

The First Page: An intriguing and well-done image, to be sure, if not one of the more outlandish first pages in Saga. To be fair, though, that bar has been set pretty high for this book by first pages of the past. This one simply lets us know we’re in wings territory (as is made obvious by what looks like workaday commuters filling the sky). We also know from this familiar sneering face and the no comment that the character in this panel is talking to our cover duo, Upsher and Doff. So it does it’s job that way by jump-starting this issue’s story.

The Surface: This yet another issue of Saga packed with plot, moving forward four separate storylines, three of them to the point of intersection where this arc first started. It’s all well-done too, never feeling like Vaughan and Staples are just moving their people into positions where they need them in order to keep facilitating all that plot. This is, essentially, an organic story that feels real, and that’s largely due in my opinion to the quality of the dialogue, the character motivations giving rise to that dialogue, and the distinct voices each of them have. The family banter within Heist’s home was especially a treat, including basically all of the exchanges that involved Marko’s mom.

The Subtext: As I mentioned in my intro, this reread is really helping me see the value of Upsher and Doff within the larger narrative. They are, essentially, a neutral party, an embodiment of the fourth estate. What’s more, is that Vaughan portrays them in a way that doesn’t play into tired ideas about the media being vultures or seedy or detrimental the world. They’re simply conduits for information, working stiffs who believe heartily in the value of knowledge and truth for society. They’re without question self interested, motivated by their own glory, which for my money is where most journalists go wrong, driven as they are in almost equal parts by societal validation and societal impact.

Foreshadowing: This is a weird issue to discuss foreshadowing in, largely because it ends at a place that a previous issue has already shown us, albeit with a little more context than we had before. It does, however, promise that what’s to follow what we already know is going to be action-packed. So that’s certainly not nothing.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

The Saga Re-Read #15: A steamy if misleading cover

November 16, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — This arc reaches its midway point, again packing an almost-absurd amount of plot into one issue. This particular chapter is split between three continuing storylines: the family in the lighthouse, the journalists in pursuit of the story, and The Will and his crew on the halcyon planet. The first two chug along duly with more character development and insight but no major revelations.

The third, however...well, you’re just going to read or re-read this issue for yourself at some point, now aren’t you? Let’s get down into the weeds on Saga #15!

Saga #15

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #15, first released on Oct. 30, 2013, a rare comic that comes out on or near Halloween and doesn’t do anything overtly spooky:

Everything starts coming together.

My reaction to this teaser paired with that cover is a double eyebrow waggle and a hubba hubba. Working in tandem, these elements seem to promise one of the most salacious issues of Saga yet. To be sure, this book has been salacious in the past but not as blatantly as what seems to be hinted at by this cover. Hinted, however, is the key word, because it’s all a bit of a feint.

The Cover: This cover would perhaps be more at home on the front of a romance novel than it is on this comic, what with the way Marko and Alana’s attributes are both exaggerated (Marko’s biceps, Alana’s cleavage, etc.) plus also the faroff blurry castle in the background, which has no presence in our actual plot and just kind of screams romance novel to me, or at least fantasy. This is all, however, as I noted above a bit of a mislead, with the story behind the cover being one of Saga’s most plot-heavy yet. There’s like three panels about sex, total, and they aren’t very sexy at all, played as they are for laughs versus eroticism.

The First Page: We get one of the Robot royal family standing over a slain alien dinosaur saying, Would one of you overgrown condom failures kindly remove the dead fucking dragon from my runway? While not one of the more iconic openers, this splash is a pure distillation of many of Saga’s core elements: violence conducted with nonchalance, profanity, blunt talk, striking character design, and a distinct-and-confident voice that has increasingly crept into Staples and Vaughan’s story, made evident here somehow by the phrase overgrown condom failures. This whole arc to me has felt like watch out A TON of sh*t is going down, and this issue’s opener continues a precedent that flows right on through to the final page.

The Surface: Plot, plot, plot, with a whole lot going down. Amid the rapid evolution of what’s happening here, we also get some background on what kind of soldier Alana was: one that challenged orders that would cost innocent lives but ultimately carried them out, putting duty ahead of morals. There’s also some work done here to flesh out Upsher and Doff’s passion for their jobs, particularly when the writer (I often confuse their names) is shot by a sniper and subsequently tells the photographer to Just keep snapping pics. This is awards bait, in spite of having just seconds ago suffered a flesh wound. Also, I’d just like to note how clever it is to have Marko’s (surprisingly progressive) mom subvert usual tropes by telling Alana, a new mother’s place is in the workforce. Oh, and I think we’ll go into this more next week, but the twist that The Will et al now face is pretty clever. Me gusta.

The Subtext: Our opening act here gives us a whole more insight into the cost of war and the way forever fighting molds perspective. One of our journalists remarks of a bygone battle, One of our stringers lost an arm covering that battle. To which Countess Robot X responds by calling it unpleasant. Also showing the ambivalence that creeps into forever wars, Countess Robot X contemplates whether her people even chose the right side, so detached is she from the reasons she’s still fighting. We also get a little insight into how nations and individuals justify widespread and continuous death and violence, as Countess Robot X goes on to describe everyday commuters as a few appeasers who welcomed these savages with open arms, which should hit close to home for us readers who have lived through questionable American combat initiatives abroad. This is doubled down upon later in the same scene when the countess orders the top floor of a residential condo complex incinerated before describing the other side’s actions as madness. You (obviously) can’t see this, but I’m shaking my head pretty hard right now.

The Art: Staples work sort of fades into the background here as we are put through a whole bunch of plot development, which is a credit to her sequential storytelling ability. Essentially, in this arc she’s showing herself able and willing to do what the narrative demands, be it big dead monster designs or a group of characters talking over a board game.

Is Hazel continuing to prepare us for a tragic fall?

Foreshadowing: Hazel does a good bit of it in this issue with her narration, again preparing us for a fall (or falls) that is to come as she notes Some parents let their young kids win at games, but mine never did. I don’t think it was because they were particularly competitive, they just wanted to teach me a valuable lesson. Life is mostly just learning how to lose. We, of course, don’t know the ending of this story yet, but Hazel continues to suggest it will be bittersweet at best. Saga #54, as re-readers know, was certainly a big step in a tragic direction.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

The Saga Re-Read #14: Many Moving Parts, One Small But Painfully Heartrending Moment

November 09, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — I think at this point in Saga, we’ve maybe hit our cruising altitude. The tones, concerns, and rhythms of this long story have settled into place. I’m not saying Saga gets predictable from here on out—as we learned from Saga #54, that never really becomes the case—but it does seem as if Vaughan and Staples really lock into their comfort zones, their confidence that this is a vital story 100 percent worth telling.

What’s also worth noting in this quick hit introduction is that we once again get very little of the story’s central couple. They’re hear and they speak, but we learn more about the world and what’s happening in it from newer and tangential characters like Alana’s age inappropriate stepmom Even and the second over appearance of Upsher and Doff. Heist does a lot of work too, quickly endearing himself as a tortured writer type to what is almost certainly a pretty bookish audience.

Now, let’s break it down further!

Saga #14

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #14, first released on Sept. 25, 2013 (jeez, that sounds long ago to me right now):

Gwendolyn and Slave Girl think about the future.

As brief and safe as the usual teasers for these stories thus far, this one actually compliments the cover quite well, cluing us in on the emotions the two featured characters must be feeling. Let’s get to this issue’s individual elements...

The Cover: This cover is simply wonderful. It’s definitely not one of the more ostentatious Saga covers, nor is it one of those that has something grand to say about the story. It is, however, uniquely Saga, very much of Saga’s world with a look unlike the visuals from any other story. In it, two relatively minor characters who don’t factor all that strongly into the plot share a moment together, with the newly-named Sophie staring in wonder to a vast horizon as Gwendolyn, a repurposed civil servant hunting for her ex-fiance out of a desire for retribution and a vague sense of duty, sort o protectively stands over her. A confident, and, as I said before, simply wonderful work.

The First Page: A normal looking winged woman (later revealed as Alana’s stepmom) opens her door and asks, Is this about Alana? Is she dead? The least provocative or scandalous page in sometime. What this does do, however, is set the tone for a glimpse into Alana’s life and backstory, much of which has been obscured thus far in favor of exploring Marko and his past. Far from the most memorable Saga opener, this is one that does work.

The Surface: An old drunk man vomits on an infant. A woman goes fishing with a lance and catches a flying polka-dotted shark out of the air. A man whose head is a television re-fueling a skullship as a giant ferret guy makes a call from a payphone behind him. Some great and farout Saga visuals. Also, weird the most absurd part of all I just listed is the now the payphone. Anyway, kind of a moving parts issue, effective in getting characters into certain places. The highlight of the dialogue is the conversation between grandma and Heist, which is loaded with strong lines, including In the end, nobody really escapes this thing, and all the contemplation about losing a spouse, which really tugs at the heart, as this book is wont to do. Speaking of which, the line where Sophie says I am all dirty on the inside because I did bad things with—and Lying Cat interjects: Lying. Downright wrecked me.

The Subtext: Frankly, I’m not sure there was much of it. Grandma bonding (and probably eventually falling for) Heist was subtle and well done, but for the most part, there’s so much plot in this issue that Vaughan’s script leaves precious little room for metaphor or subtext. The closest is The Will’s internal struggle to fulfill his mission or remain stranded and live off the land, where he is likely to be haunted but peaceful and happy.

From Alana’s goth haircut to the non-plussed look on her father’s newly-wedded face, this one panel reveals so much about her background and character.

The Art: I’d like to isolate one panel here to discuss how effective Fiona Staples artwork can be at its best: the wedding day photo of Alana’s dad marrying her stepmom, who is roughly Alana’s same age, as Alana glowers in the back, presumably made to wear that pink dress and all gothed out. The scowl and haircut are one thing, but Staples just so perfectly captures the closed off, resentment that comes with such a relationship taking root in one’s life. I also really like the visual decision to give Alana’s stepmom butterfly wings, whereas Alana’s own have always kind of looked like a dragonfly or something. Nice touch. The suburban-looking home exterior shot that bookends the stepmom scene is also perfect.

Foreshadowing/UPCOMING SPOILER TIME: A little bit gets done here. Hazel notes her mother never again set foot on the planet where she was born, which could be more evidence to support the idea that Alana will also eventually sacrifice her life for her child, as her husband did before her. Hazel also notes that her and granny do visit that planet much later, which, quite frankly, is a plot point I’ve forgotten...illustrating why this re-read has been so necessary/enjoyable for me.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Saga #13, In Which Fiona Staples' Artwork Takes a HUGE Step Forward...Again

November 02, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — Saga #13 was the first issue after one of the book’s hiatuses, which come like clockwork every six issues, and with its return, the story introduced us to two of my favorite characters—the journalists Upsher and Doff. Full disclosure, I (obviously) make no money doing this site (it actually costs me money, plus all sorts of time) and make my living as a journalist for a magazine about technology. So, I’m predisposed to like the journalist characters.

What I also like about Upsher and Doff—aside from Upsher’s sardonic attitude and the duo having the sweetest romantic relationship in this entire story—is that their role as journalists raise the stakes on the entire situation. More on all that later though, once we get down into our subcategories! Oh, the teasing….

Let’s do this!

Saga #13

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #13, first released on August 14, 2013:

Now that you've read the first two bestselling collections of SAGA, you're all caught up and ready to jump on the ongoing train with Chapter Thirteen, beginning an all-new monthly sci-fi/fantasy adventure, as Hazel and her parents head to the planet Quietus in search of cult romance novelist D. Oswald Heist.

This is the first issue back from hiatus, and what I’m fairly certain is the first in the series with such a verbose preview, although most of it is marketing and not really heavy on details about the plot. No matter! That’s what the rest of this piece is for…

The Cover: Although not even close to one of the most memorable Saga covers, this issue’s is a nice blend of sci-fi and family, depicting cycloptic alien D. Oswald Heist holding young Hazel as she directs an awed and curious infant gape directly into his gigantic eye.

The First Page: A subdued opener for this chapter, in that there’s no sex or violence here. No, instead we see a this world’s version of a veteran’s hospital, complete with a weathered man in a camo jacket and bear pushing a shopping cart brimming with his belongings out front, presumably homeless. This metaphor about the way forever war shapes a society tends to fall into the background a bit, giving way to focus on the family’s immediate plight and complex dynamics—and maybe that’s the point.

The Surface: What I find interesting about at least part of the plot of this issue, is that Vaughan uses realistic inconvenience to hamstring some of the characters. The Will, Gwendolyn, and Slave Girl have a damaged ship, a damaged ship that had some kind of cosmic AAA insurance but is too far out of the coverage zone for repairmen to come running. It’s a small thing, and maybe the writer just did it to keep them from showing up at the same time as Prince Robot IV, but it’s also a layer of realism that most comics (especially of this genre) lack, and it makes the other realistic moments, especially those having to do with family, ring even truer.

The Subtext: In this issue, the family lands on Heist’s planet and must immediately contend with hostile animated bone monsters. It sounds odd to say, but I don’t really see much deeper meaning there. To me, the advent much heavier with subtext is the arrival of Upsher and Doff as journalists chasing this story. Okay, maybe subtext is the wrong word, and, to be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure what the right one is. I just think adding journalists to the group chasing our family is an inspired move. The first two arcs of this story are relatively isolated from the world of Saga, with our heroes relegated to backwater galactic corners as they’re chased by proxies for the respective governments. We know if they’re caught by other side, they will likely be murdered. The journalists, however, are a wild card, coming not with hostile motives but with a cool operative belief in simply disseminating information. Their threat is not a physical one, and, really, we don’t know what exactly would happen if Upshar and Doff were to succeed on their journey. In a word, intriguing.

The Art: I’ve said this in the past (if not on this site than definitely on Twitter) and I’ll say it again—as great as Brian K. Vaughan is as a writer, the MVP of this book is quite possibly Fiona Staples (although it’s hard to discount the intangible nature of such a solid collaboration). Staples once again takes a major step forward as an artist following one of Saga’s breaks, absolutely nailing panels that she could have got away with taking off. I’ve posted some of my favorites below, all of which are otherwise mundane yet in the hands of someone as skilled as Fiona Staples, feature absolutely stellar visuals.

Foreshadowing: Here’s a note for those are you who are all caught up—a ghost version of The Stalk tells The Will that this quest will eventually get him killed. Could this be an indication of what to expect when Saga returns (at least) 39 weeks from now?

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Of Writers and Wars: Saga #12 is a Nigh-Perfect Comic

October 26, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — I’m one of those people who count Saga as my favorite comic. I know, shocking. I only Tweet about it at least once a week. I don’t actively realize, however, exactly why that is, at least not on a regular basis, and, quite frankly, I’ve been a little surprised that to date this re-read project has been short on holy shit moments that remind me—until I came to Saga #12.

This issue is just such a great example of all that this book does so well: the varied cast of characters, the range of ideas and meanings, the lofty conversations that lesser writers would bungle into boring heavy-handed tedium. It’s all in here. It’s perhaps telling that our central family doesn’t even make an appearance until the last panel, that Vaughan and Staples could leave them unseen and still make the stakes incredibly tense, the so-far little-used characters so compelling. Anyway, I could keep fawning or I could get down to the meat of what this re-read project is all about: a weekly thorough examination of individual issues of Saga and some quick categorized talk about why I love them.

Saga #12

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #12, first released on April 10, 2013:

Prince Robot IV makes his move.

I feel like that description can be trotted out a few more times between now and #54, not that it even tells us much, other than to expect plenty of one of my favorites, ol’ Prince Robot IV. Let’s do the individual elements thing…

The Cover: As noted above, I am admittedly partial to covers that feature Prince Robot IV, and while this maybe isn’t one of the best of them, it definitely shows kernels of some of the ideas that will make my favorite Prince Robot cover (Saga #49) possible: specifically alluding here to the way Staples uses the character’s face as an actual TV screen that bears familiar TV imagery from our world. It’s a way to draw a direct connection between our daily lives and the fantasy of this story, and it absolutely works.

The First Page: Speaking of a blend of fantasy and reality, the first page of Saga #12 is a case in point. It shows a Wings shoulder holding an injured Prince Robot IV. The prince is dripping his literally blue blood as the soldier screams for a medic. Basically, here we have a man with what look like peacock-esque feathers sprouting on his back holding another man with a TV head as they both fit into familiar imagery from our own wars. After several issues that dealt more in this tale’s domestic issues, this first page here works as a stark and brutal reminder that the entire world is affected by a forever world. Oh! And not to discount the shock to the prurient that is a finely-honed Saga tradition, look closer and you’ll notice that as he’s dying, Prince Robot IV’s face features fellatio (his face and the war around it only get way more graphic throughout the scene—side note: holy hell do I love this comic).

The Surface: There’s a great deal of plot in this comic, even with its first act essentially consumed with a battle scene that has no discernible purpose other than to (as noted above) remind us of the war and suggest that Prince Robot IV might be suffering from PTSD. It’s good stuff, too, a humanization of a guy with a TV head, a tense roller coaster of an interrogation scene, and a last page reveal liable to really bug your eyes and keep them that way until next issue. I like Saga #12 even more on re-read, as it seems to me like this was is where the story becomes a bit less predictable than it has been so far. If I have one knock on this issue, it’s that some of the writer’s voice comes through too clearly in the Oswald-Heist verbal sparring. More on that below...

Saga #12 features the first appearance of Ghus. — **Saga #12** features the first appearance of Ghus.

The Subtext: There’s a really thin line in this conversation-heavy issue between what’s being said and what’s being meant. We’ve delved into some of the subtext in the early scenes above, but what I’d really like to unpack a bit more in this section is what’s beneath the conversation between Oswald and Prince Robot, which bounces from a tense interrogation to a meditation on the cost and meaning of war, with a sprinkling of the role of the artist in society and some thought about whether succumbing to PTSD makes one strong. It’s a lot, but it never feels heavy handed or forced. That’s not the point of this particular section, however, so let me just note that upon a second read I think there’s a very deliberate idea between the two men here that aspires to say something about the roles of individuals in warring systems, as well as about the things we justify to ourselves for the sakes of our children, born or dead.

The Art: And now we come to the fawning. I’m really struggling to make this section more productive, to write something than other Staples DESTROYS YET AGAIN, because she does, every damn issue. Here perhaps the most notable artwork is her design of Ghus, who makes his first appearance before going on to eventually be immortalized as a plush toy with multiple outfits and (for my money) one of the coolest pieces of merchandise to stem from a paper comic yet to be adapted. It’s a credit to Staples’ versatility and skill that in a single issue she can draw scenes of such horror and creatures of such adorable aesthetic.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.

Powerful Sacrifice and Saga #11

October 19, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — Of all the comics I read (and I read a lot of comics), Saga is potentially the one that feels the most immersive, the most real, the most relatable. I attribute this to the depth writer Brian K. Vaughan has given not just to his characters but to the relationships that bind them. It’s one thing to give us establishing details about individuals, but what Vaughan actively engages in here are flashbacks and other touches that let us know not only how characters feel and act toward each other, but also why.

In the second arc, which started in Saga #7, this has meant dual flashbacks exploring Marko’s relationship with his parents as well as the roots of the romance between Marko and Alana. It’s a great choice, one that subtly nudges readers to make connections between the two, and that’s really what I think Saga #11 is all about—exploring how Marko’s father’s life has informed his own, with a touch of foreshadowing thrown in, too. More on all that below.

So then, let’s check it out!

Saga #11

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #11, first released on March 20, 2013:

It's an intergalactic family reunion, as Hazel's parents and grandparents join forces to escape a dying world.

This issue is nothing if not all of that. Let’s get right to the individual elements that make it so...

The Cover: A beautiful cover, one that captures both who Marko’s father Barr was and the story development awaiting him within these pages. As readers, we didn’t get much time with Marko’s father, but the time we did get with him was certainly telling. Indeed, it gave us insight into both Marko’s gentler side, the one aspiring to never use violence again, and into the romantic dynamic that exists between Marko’s parents, which even armchair psychologists like myself realize heavily informs his approach to romantic relationships in his life. Anyway, if this cover is meant to be a memorial, it’s a beautiful and fitting.

The First Page: Yowzer, this is a classic Saga first page, sporting as it does maybe the most graphic depiction of intercourse in the book, although this is Saga, so I could of course be wrong. Sex on its own doesn’t necessarily merit discussion, especially in a book about relationships. What makes this first page provocative is that the next page immediately reminds us our story is being told by Marko and Alana’s daughter. Yeah yeah, so my mom and dad used to have sex, Hazel says, What? Like your parents just willed you into existence? And we’re off!

Saga #11 features one of the series’ first devastating sacrifices made for family…but far from the last. — **Saga #11** features one of the series’ first devastating sacrifices made for family…but far from the last.

The Surface: This issue continues the second arc’s pattern of using flashbacks to flesh out (heh) Marko and Alana’s love story before advancing the plot in the later acts. The key development here is the sacrifice Marko’s father Barr makes to save his son and his young family. SPOILERS. A different sort of sacrifice is to come later for Marko, under very different circumstances, but after re-reading this issue I feel a little bit better about all of that, knowing that Marko is likely at peace with what happened, being his father’s son as much as he seems to be.

The Subtext: This is the second straight issue where the plot on the page is a little light on deeper meaning. There is, perhaps, an undercurrent of sacrificing for those you love running through here, as Marko’s father gives his life to fuel their escape, while The Will risks his to reel in Lying Cat from the depths of space. It’s all pretty overt, though, which doesn’t make it any less dramatic but does make it perhaps a little less apt to fit into this section.

The Art: There’s not really any new ground nor designs for Staples work to cover in this one, although she is tasked with a pretty wide range of scenes. In this issue, she’s asked to depict coitus, an intensely romantic conversation driven by facial expressions, and a man flying through space to save his floating gigantic blue cat, among other things. And she nails it all. Great versatility.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.

The Saga Re-Read: Saga #10

October 12, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — It’s cliched to say, but change is a constant in Saga, which is part of what makes the story so compelling enough to span the 54 issues we find ourselves pouring back over now. This is my way of announcing that we’re changing our re-read format, with a big tip of the hat to Cory Webber, who is leaving us to focus on life…or whatever. Fortunately, I refuse to let life (or whatever) get in the way of my own online comics grousing (for better or worse).

Now, we’re turning this weekly piece into what I think this site does best: a snapshot of how a particular comic was perceived at a given time. In the case of Saga, what that looks like is an ongoing weekly review of the series (one issue at a time) during the book’s hiatus, which—not to spoil Saga #54—currently finds itself at an emotional turning point. I’ve been having a lot of fun writing about it, and don’t expect that to change any time soon.

What that in mind, let’s get to Saga #10! It’s taken two-and-a-half months, but here we are in double digits...

Saga #10

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #10, which was first released way back on Feb. 20, 2013:

Marko and Alana's long-lost babysitter Izabel finally returns to the fold, but at what cost?

Kind of a dramatic summary, given that I think it’s been four issues tops since we’ve been separated from Izabel (and it certainly doesn’t feel like a long time while reading now, even with a week between each chapter). Still, intriguing stuff, right? Especially that capper: but at what cost? Let’s take a look at individual elements of this issue…

The Cover: There was nowhere to go after last week’s cover except for less thirsty, but here we get action of a different type: Marko’s mother confronting his ghostly estranged live-in babysitter with a giant axe on the ruins of a dying world with a rust-colored sky (that old canard). It’s a nice-enough image on its own, but what I really like about this cover is the way it shares so little in common—from color pallette to composition to content—with pretty much any other cover that has come before it. It really sets this book apart, even if overall this isn’t one of my favorite Saga covers.

The First Page: Did I say less thirsty too soon? Perhaps. On re-reading, I’m noticing this stretch of issues is where Vaughan and Staples really embrace the power of the first page, often reserving it for splashes of the grotesque, unexpected, violent, or, in this case, shirtless Marko, literally beckoning the reader to Please. Keep reading. I had forgotten this particular opener, but, also, it was 2013 and I was not (yet) actively involved with the comics Internet. Perhaps most impressively, this framing of Marko isn’t even gratuitous...upon turning the page we find that he’s talking to Alana, who is currently reading the subversive novel so vital to their love story. The thirsty shirtless shot of Marko on the first page is actually him as seen through his lover’s eyes.

On-Page Action: The first act is almost entirely a flashback of Marko and Alana falling deeper into the infatuation that would become love and ultimately give rise to their relationship, and it’s depicted well, indicative of the dynamic that would later take hold between them. Marko is slightly cautious and hesitant, almost resigned to his fate, while Alana is bolder and a little more reckless in a shrewd way, giving him the spark he needs to do what’s best for himself. After this blissful bit, we get right back to our plot...we search (and find) the babysitter, we have some domestic tension, and we hit a plot point at the end that I didn’t remember came this soon—SPOILER—the potential loss of Lying Cat (I say potential because I don’t remember if this a tease or not…if not, I’ll address it more directly next week).

Deeper Meaning: There’s certainly a motif here about the power of subversive art, about defying norms and conventions that have become twisted and unnatural over time, or maybe were always twisted from the start. That was my favorite subtext this issue. The rest of the themes in Saga #10 are pretty blatant and overt.

The Art: First, I love Fiona Staples’ artwork and think she’s one of the top talents in comics. That much should be implicit every week. Second, I’d like to then use this section to talk about new development in her work or designs that become apparent. This week that takes the form of a ghostly space ape engulfed in flames, as well as his cadre of witch aggressors with upside faces (yes, you read that right…also, see the page included here). Oh, and a planet also hatches.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.