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A review by doctorwithoutboundaries
Saga #55 by Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughan
4.0
THE MAJOR COMICS EVENT OF THE PAST THREE YEARS!
8.5/10, though my rating will probably change when I read this again in the trade. I hate reading floppies because of the disjointed experience, and a month-long wait always increases my expectations. But of course, I'm going to continue to read the single issues... This is SAGA, for fuck's sake, and I must know what happens next. Recording my thoughts for now:
And with that meta opening, Saga is back! I still marvel at Hazel's voice and narration; its haunting and plaintive yet cheeky quality makes me feel deeply for these characters. There's been a consistent theme throughout this series about the evolving nature of families, and we see that here with the heartwarming addition of a new member or two. The first half of this double issue did a good job of both catching us up and keeping the sense of danger and momentum alive, despite a drawn-out scene. The second half is where this lost a star: too much exposition, a lot of telling, and some abrupt and gratuitous showing, too! The events and the dialogue came off as forced. But if you've missed these characters and been waiting for a certain ship to sail, you'll be pleased.
At the close, the creators show us once more that dichotomies like 'heroes and villains' only exist in fairy tales; theirs is a story that mirrors reality, instead. It's one where everybody is their own kind of fucked up in a world full of war, desperation and injustice. My recent re-read of the first nine volumes helped me appreciate the plotting, the foreshadowing and the way that the story outline was cast. So I trust BKV when he says—in his note to the readers—that he spent this overlong hiatus carefully mapping the second half of this series. I don't doubt that this is all adding up to something special. Fiona's beautiful splash pages are back to round up this momentous return!
8.5/10, though my rating will probably change when I read this again in the trade. I hate reading floppies because of the disjointed experience, and a month-long wait always increases my expectations. But of course, I'm going to continue to read the single issues... This is SAGA, for fuck's sake, and I must know what happens next. Recording my thoughts for now:
"This is how an idea survives. It grows and it changes... often far beyond the intentions of its creators."
And with that meta opening, Saga is back! I still marvel at Hazel's voice and narration; its haunting and plaintive yet cheeky quality makes me feel deeply for these characters. There's been a consistent theme throughout this series about the evolving nature of families, and we see that here with the heartwarming addition of a new member or two. The first half of this double issue did a good job of both catching us up and keeping the sense of danger and momentum alive, despite a drawn-out scene. The second half is where this lost a star: too much exposition, a lot of telling, and some abrupt and gratuitous showing, too! The events and the dialogue came off as forced. But if you've missed these characters and been waiting for a certain ship to sail, you'll be pleased.
At the close, the creators show us once more that dichotomies like 'heroes and villains' only exist in fairy tales; theirs is a story that mirrors reality, instead. It's one where everybody is their own kind of fucked up in a world full of war, desperation and injustice. My recent re-read of the first nine volumes helped me appreciate the plotting, the foreshadowing and the way that the story outline was cast. So I trust BKV when he says—in his note to the readers—that he spent this overlong hiatus carefully mapping the second half of this series. I don't doubt that this is all adding up to something special. Fiona's beautiful splash pages are back to round up this momentous return!
