By: Brian K. Vaughan (story), Fiona Staples (art)
The Story: Alana and the Will blow some steam, but only one actually kills anybody.
The Review: If you were ever a fan of Vaughan’s seminal work on Runaways, you probably got hooked by its down-to-earth, naturalistic dialogue and its devotion to making the gang of kids come across as relatable as possible, despite the incredibly weird circumstances they had to live with (e.g. telepathically controlled pet velociraptor). Those same qualities have been a major strength of Saga from the start, getting you closely invested in characters completely unlike you.
And while that remains true, this issue begs you to take note of the potential side-effects from Vaughan’s writing style: a glut of exposition and thus a slowdown on the plot, which—let’s face it—hasn’t exactly run on Indy 500 speed this whole time. By plot, I mean the galactic war going on, and each side’s shared interest in pursuing Marko, Alana, and Hazel. At this point, you still don’t know why there’s a war in the first place, and you have a feeling that our protagonists’ real adventures still haven’t begun.
So it’s a bit disappointing to put all that on hold in favor of a rather lengthy and ultimately tame domestic squabble between Marko and Alana. But you know, this is really me grasping at straws to find criticism, because Vaughan’s sense of voice is just so darned enjoyable that you get just as engrossed in the couple’s exchange as if you were listening in on some epic political intrigue. In particular you have to love Alana’s roller coaster of reactions, leaping from one combustible emotion to another, at one moment grateful and tender and another moment totally wigging out.
But even the most suspicious reader must give Marko the benefit of the doubt. So far, the guy has been nothing but good intentions and big heart toward his family, and you don’t have any other experience to distrust him just on one fevered mention of a past flame. Besides, his explanation of Gwendolyn has a very believable ring of truth (“I was becoming this completely new person, but she was frozen in place.”), not to mention Alana’s own hasty decisions led to this secret remaining secret (Marko: “I asked how many people you’d…been with, and you said that part of our pasts should stay in the past.” Alana: “I was talking about random hookups!”).
Less involved, but no less intriguing, is our sojourn with the Will as he enters Sextillion, a whole planet devoted to the infinite varieties of debauchery a whole universe of sentient species can imagine (and possibly the reason why my comic book shop offered this issue in plastic). Actually, the excessive raunchiness of Sextillion gets into such uncomfortable territory that you don’t get much out of it other than embarrassed giggles. Still, the scene is important in that it gives you some insight into the Will’s complicated moral scope. He may kill in coldness (“You’re a Freelancer!” screams a pimp, “You, you murder children!”), but he’s not a cold man.
Maybe it’s my years of manga love, but the clean, sketchy style of linework always appeals to my heart, and so Staples’ work can’t fail to please me. But even if you never spent countless hours reading xxxHolic or Mushishi, you can appreciate Staples’ expressive art, both strong and delicate at the same time. But where she really excels is her backgrounds, soft and evocative, imbued with colors you only see in dreams.
Conclusion: I’m a little impatient for something big and splashy to happen, but this issue more than satisfied me with its more grounded conflicts.
Grade: B+
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – “Forgive me if I don’t take relationship advice from a dead teenager missing her vagina.” Wow, Alana. Talk about misdirected anger. And way for Vaughan to insert one of the roughest jokes I’ve ever read in any comic ever.
– If all that stuff we see on Sextillion is what the Will considers “safe,” I’m pretty sure that means you’d have to be a brave idiot to share a bed with him.