Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume Two– Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume Two– Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Recommended for adults

I’d only just finished writing my review of the fantastic Saga Volume One when I started Volume 2. I thought the first volume was absolutely brilliant, and one that I want to spread the word about to everyone that I know who loves this type of material. Having read the sequel, I’m even more determined to keep spreading the message.

*SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE FIRST BOOK AND MILD PLOT SPOILERS FOR VOLUME TWO*            

Having successfully fled the planet they were stuck on with their newborn daughter, Alana and Marko find themselves confronted by Marko’s parents. Having sent Izabel down to a random planet, Marko and his mother are sent to retrieve her, whilst Alana and Marko’s dad, Barr, bond on the ship. A secret at the heart of the planet that Izabel is on is about to cause a whole bunch of problems, as is the ship tracking them containing the bounty hunter, The Will, and someone from Marko’s past.

*END SPOILERS*

The story here continues in much the same vein as the first story, which is great because the story is wonderfully told, with the snappy dialogue that was a highlight of the first volume still working to great effect here. The addition of Marko’s parents is a great move, highlighting the conflict that they would face from the rest of society for crossing the divide between their people. Marko’s mother is completely against it, whereas his father just wants to get to know his granddaughter and spend some time with his son. Elsewhere, The Will is still trying to rescue the slave girl from the brothel planet, marking his bounty hunter character as a much more interesting type, and the addition of Gwendolyn, someone from Marko’s past, brings in yet another element of danger for the heroes of our story. There's a lot of fleshing out the background to the main characters, particularly in how Alana and Marko met, which makes it a slightly slower paced volume, but a wise move to give us more understanding into why these characters work well together.

The illustrations continue to be as eye-catching as before, bringing everything alien to life perfectly. There’s a wonderful and unforgettable creation awaiting Marko and his mother on the planet they land on, which happens to have a secret of its own hiding at its core, which is again a great sci-fi concept. I find myself getting more and more exciting to see what Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples can come up with in each chapter, and I really am frustrated that I have to wait until April to read Volume Three.

Everyone should be reading and re-reading Saga. It’s wonderfully written and drawn beautifully, full of imagination with a great story, and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

10/10