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By Fiona Staples, Brian K Vaughn, Fonographiks
It’s been unanimously decided that Saga is the best comic around, right? Then this should come as no surprise it is yet again This Week’s Finest…
As many times as I had TWF pick, I don’t think I’ve ever chosen Saga for one reason or another. Its so good, it becomes hard to find new ways to describe it. For it to merit being named the best comic of the week, not only does it have to be particularly good but the person also has to find something new to say about it. So I’ll say this, Saga is so good at finding ways to surprise you.
When Saga started, Mark and Alana were deeply in love and fearful for their lives, The Will was a bored mercenary looking to blow off stream, Prince Robot IV was a man too consumed by his duties to be with his family and Hazel was a young and innocent macguffin. That’s not a criticism, just an observation that her sense of character was reliant on her narration of the story’s events than her actions.
Now, Hazel has grown into a young girl with an acute wisdom of her situation and adults in general, Marko and Alana are slowly reconciling but confident protectors of their family, Sir Robot IV is a man who doesn’t want to lose what little family he has left and The Will is a man slowly being consumed by the only mission he can muster: revenge for his ex-girlfriend’s death.
The growth of the cast over 35 issues is impressive and only serves to make them feel even more endearing as we silently hope for them to come out alive and happy. As I mentioned, month in and month out Saga is the name to beat right now for comics. As good as it was, seeing Marko and Alana’s family splinter and separate over the last dozen issues has been hard to face and had me desperately awaiting when things would finally turn around for them. When that moment finally came, with such aplomb by Vaughn’s writing, nothing else this week could top it.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t take this chance to discuss Fiona Staples’ sublime artwork that she turns in month after month after month, followed by a well deserved break, then back at it. Her art-style is almost the antithesis of the current art standard in comics (if there ever is one). It’s simplified, bright, and colorful but mature, emotional and honest at the same time. Like a fairy tale for adults to enjoy, but not the bastardized versions movie studios try to sell us. Aliens, cute creatures and robots populate Staples’ pages but they never seem out of place.
Saga #36 isn’t an ending for the series, more of a “To Be Continued”. Aside from the cliffhanger at the end, there are not many earth-shattering revelations. It is a great comic about a family reunited, pure and simple.
Reunited, and it feels so good…
