Saga vol. 2
As predicted, now that my expectations have been adjusted to where I’m not anticipating this series to be instant greatness on the level of “Y: The Last Man” or “Ex Machina,” its charms are a lot more evident. Chief amongst them is the way Brian Vaughan continues to expand the cast of the series with interesting characters while showing us more sides to the ones we already know. The previous volume left off on a cliffhanger that introduced Marko’s parents who are shocked to learn that not only are they grandparents, but that their new daughter-in-law is someone from the opposite side of the conflict which has defined their lives. Circumstances force Marko to jump off to a nearby planet with his mother Klara while his father Barr winds up getting to know Alana and Hazel on the ship. Things don’t go as expected in either thread, but that’s all part of the fun.
The volume is full of it as we not only follow the exploits of these characters, but of how Marko and Alana “meet cute” back in the day. You’ve probably already guessed that it went something like what we see here, but the couple’s charisma shines through in the “good parts” version of their history that we get. There’s also The Will, who is still plotting a way to free the slave girl on Sextillion he met previously, and he finds a way thanks to the introduction of a new character with a connection to Marko. Frankly, given the nature of that connection I was expecting to dislike her instantly, but that doesn’t prove to be the case. She’s a competent and resourceful individual who complements the bounty hunter nicely and I find myself looking forward to the complications she’s going to bring to Marko and Alana’s relationship when they inevitably meet.
There’s also the journey of Prince Robot IV, who is quickly becoming my favorite character in the series. Thanks to the “gay sex scandal” from the issue that he appeared in, I thought that things weren’t going to go well for him (and that he was going to feature more prominently in the volume than he did). That turned into a bit of unintended misdirection as his issue focuses on a battle of wits he engages in with the author of the book that wound up bringing Marko and Alana together. It’s a tense issue with a great cliffhanger that left me excited to see what the next volume will hold.
Another thing I liked about this volume is how gleefully profane it can be. Yes, lots of other comics I read use similar language, but Vaughan really knows how to time the use of such right here. Whether it’s at the end of a heartfelt bit of Marko’s history, some weird brain thingy commenting on guard duty with Alana, or Marko repeating an exclamation his lover made during sex, there’s considerably more imagination on display with how these colorful metphors are used than, say, how Adam Warren uses them in “Empowered.” They can even be used in gleefully stupid ways too, like when Alana decides that the best way to deal with an oncoming missile is to start moving towards it.
Of course, I doubt all of this would be as effective if not for the skillful art from Fiona Staples. Not only is she good at making a lot of our familiar comforts appear alien in this series, she also happens to be pretty good at drawing things that are just plain… disgusting. Once you see what Marko tries to keep his mother from seeing in the first issue you’ll understand. Staples also happens to be great with facial expressions as we see in an amusingly endearing scene late in the collection. When Alana expresses her distaste at the thought of naming their son “Bar,” Marko informs her that “Barr” is his father’s name — and she replies, “Oh! And I love it!” with an expression that is equal parts apology and hope that their child turns out to be a girl. Major props are also deserved for making a character like Robot IV expressive almost through body language alone (since the images on his “face” are more symbolic than anything else).
Yes, it didn’t start out at “instant classic” level, but if “Saga” keeps delivering volumes like this one I can certainly see it getting to plain “classic” status by the end of its run. The book doesn’t have any kind of grand, sweeping epic story to tell — just characters compelling enough to make you want to follow their every move. Part of me wonders if ditching the uber-plot in favor of focusing entirely on his cast was something Vaughan hit upon during the time that he worked on “Lost.” If that’s the case, then it’s their loss they didn’t get him onboard sooner.
(Speaking of TV, Vaughan is also responsible for the Stephen King adaptation “Under the Dome” which premiered this week. I normally don’t watch a lot of TV, but with Vaughan + Stephen King Book I’ve Read, I decided to give it a shot. The verdict on the pilot: Not bad. Some of the acting is kinda stiff, as was the exposition, but I generally liked the changes they made from the book to the small screen. Dialing back the outright villainy of “Big Jim” Rennie and his son was a smart move, though I’m less sure about turning Dale “Barbie” Barbara into an apparent killer. As with “Saga,” there was enough good here to keep me interested in seeing if it gets better from the pilot.)