Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Saga #13 review

SAGA #13
by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples

When I realized Saga was coming back this week, my first thought was (sadly), "Thank god, something to FINALLY get my mind off of Higurashi."

When each of Saga's hiatuses end each year, that day should be marked as a national holiday. Because it's truly a time for celebrating. Today is a day that people come out of depressions, life has meaning again, and balance is restored to the Force. Because Saga is still absolutely, freaking, unbelievably, AWESOME. Saga #13 actually picks up a bit before the events of Saga #12. We get to see Marko and Alana's first encounter with Oswald Heist (who's wearing the most formal of attire when they meet), the Will and Gwendolyn get closer and a pair of potential new protagonists are introduced. The thing about Saga, is that it has all these plot elements going for it, and swirling around, but it never feels convoluted or overcrowded. In fact, it helps in building the most original universe I've ever seen in comics in a while. There seems to be no end to the originality Vaughn has, it's almost scary.

Fiona Staple's art is the other side of the coin. Why she wasn't given more work before this is beyond me. I mean, this woman can DRAW. The way she draws everything, alive with color and motion is just gorgeous and beautiful. Every single panel is bursting with energy, even the static ones. 

Saga #13, no, Saga overall as a whole, is one of those rare comics that come along once in a lifetime, that break the barriers of what comics are capable of. Now, I know that's some high praise, but this really deserves every last bit of praise it's given. There's a website called Comic Book Roundup, that gathers all the comic book reviews it can gather. When you check Saga under that site, you'll notice the lowest score it's EVER received is an 8 out of 10. And considering how picky critics are, that's an absolute miracle. Just like Saga is.

STORY: 5/5
+ Huge and detailed world
+  Unpredictable
+ Great introduction for Heist

ART: 5/5
+ Everything is laid out and drawn with expertise
+ Colorful
+ Bursting with life

VERDICT: 5/5

No comments:

Post a Comment