SAGA #3
Image Comics
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by Fiona Staples

This new space epic by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples is one of the most exciting and fresh comics on the stands. It channels race relations, wars, politics, and the human spirit into odd and sometimes inhuman creatures. The result is an engaging story that makes even these very alien characters relatable.

Marko is wounded and dying, and Alana is relying on the ghost of a hipster daughter of freedom fighters named Izabel to save his life. Meanwhile there is an intense interrogation scene, and we see relationships between bounty hunters are just as crazy as normal human relationships, even if one of them is a sexy, female, spider lady. The price Izabel wants for helping Alana might be a bit too high, but ultimately Alana pays it. And in the final moments of the issue Marko has a less than lucid moment that will definitely come back to bite him in the butt, I am sure of it.

The story is wonderful, fascinating, and has done more in three issues than most space comics do in whole runs. Everything is grounded in real emotions and the characters are well defined. The stakes always seem high and the imaginative nature of the story never fails to be enjoyable. Leaders with TVs for heads, ghosts in space, arachnid bounty hunters, and more are all on display here.

The art is gorgeous. I love the design work Staples put into the characters, and in the world building. I love the expressive nature of each character and how it adds to the overall affect of the story. Even the cover of this issue is utterly perfect.

FINAL WORD: Has become one of my favorite new series, and this issue is the perfect balance of plot, characterization, and new reveals.

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