Page 45 Review by Stephen
Hilarious, beautiful, brilliant.
Previously in SAGA VOL 1:
Alana and Marko are in love. She’s from the planet Landfall; he’s from its moon called Wreath. Unfortunately their races have been at war with each other for as long as anyone called remember. But both factions realised a long time ago that either world’s destruction would cause the other to spin right out of orbit. Such an assault would be suicidal.
So what they’ve kindly done is taken their fight right across the galaxy, using other planets as their playground. Which is nice.
Caught in that crossfire is the planet called Cleave. Marko was sent to its frontline, didn’t like what he saw and surrendered. Alana was his captor and freed him. Each, therefore, is now on their run from their own people for desertion… and blasphemy. Because, worst of all, they’ve successfully mated to produce a beautiful baby girl. This unholy union is despised by all sides and, for morale’s sake – to ensure no one else gets the wretched idea that love might be better than hatred – all traces of it must be eradicated.
Marko’s people have dispatched The Will, a phenomenal assassin with a Lying Cat. It is a cat that can tell if you’re lying. Problematically, it is likely to say so right in the middle of your bluff. Alana’s people have dispatched Prince Robot IV from a race of walking, talking, fornicating television sets. You’ll be surprised what pops up on his screen. But Marko and Alana have at least finally found sanctuary in a semi-sentient, organic rocket ship along with an impromptu babysitter from what’s left of Cleave’s indigenous population. She’s a floating, glowing, pink ghost of a girl with her lower half missing, trailing her intestines behind her.
Now: meet the in-laws. They’re not best pleased, either.
The think about SAGA is that it’s so damn surprising, so revealing any more about this volume would not be a kindness. I can tell you, however, that Marko encounters the very last thing you’d like to see in the company of your Mum. So if you’re reading this book at home, beware: Fiona pulls no punches! Also: exes are a right pain, aren’t they? There’s rarely such a thing as a clean break.
Brian K. Vaughn you may already know from Y – THE LAST MAN, the series in which everyone with a Y chromosome (apart from escape artist Yorick) drops dead and EX MACHINA which combines politics with pugilism and had some of the best dialogue in the business. Also, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD about a pride of lions – in Baghdad.
Fiona Staples you probably won’t know from Adam, but you will be knocked out to meet her acquaintance. Her expressions are exquisite, the design work ingenious, and her capacity for underplayed comedy virtually unparalleled. Above all, her work is very, very sexy.
“One more step, and I tell my rocket ship to blow you out an airlock or something. It’s already seen me naked, so I’m pretty sure it’ll do what I say.”
