Graphic Novel Review - Saga Volume 4 - Brian K Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
Recommended for Adults
There’s not much I can say about Saga that hasn’t been said before; it’s one of the most exciting,
well-written, and humorous comics available today, and every time a new volume
comes out it instantly becomes the most essential item on my reading list. Volume 4 is no exception, though it does
come with more sorrow than ever before.
Marko and Alana are still trying to hide away with baby
Hazel, Alana trying to eke out a living with a virtual theatre/television show
while Marko tends to their daughter. The strains in their relationship are starting
to show by now, and with the addition of Alana’s drug taking and the threat of
another woman befriending Marko, things aren’t exactly losing rosy for their
relationship.
Elsewhere, there’s a new royal baby robot being kidnapped by
a disgruntled insane janitor forming the bulk of the rest of the story, with a
welcome return at the end for Marko’s ex-wife, Gwen, and her companion, Sophie.
The storytelling is fast-paced with Brian K Vaughan’s trademark witty dialogue,
and Fiona Staples truly wonderful illustrations, and the volume ends all too
quickly, as ever.
There isn’t quite enough of Izabel this time round, because
you could make a whole book featuring nothing but Izabel and it’d be wonderful,
but Alana’s slow descent into drug use as she gets fed up with how her life is
panning out is the most captivating part of the story, and goes a long way to
making up for the lack of Izabel. The ‘other woman’ storyline for Marko is
nothing new, but it all ties in brilliantly to show the strains of his and
Alana’s relationship.
It’s doubtful that Saga
will be displaced as Image Comics’
no.1 comic anytime soon, and I’m counting the days until Volume 5 comes out.
5/5
