Saga #5
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples
Letters and Design by Fonografiks
Cover by Fiona Staples
Image Comics
Release Date: July 18, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

Any comic that starts off in a bathroom is obviously going to be a lot of fun. Saga #5 delivers that fun and does it with some superbly written dialogue. This is my first look at this series, but I can definitely see why it has gotten so much hype. With a wide array of characters, this series seems to have a lot of stories going at once.

Without spilling the beans, so to speak, I can say that Prince Robot IV receives some stunning news. But even so, he has a mission to complete…one that directly involves Marko and Alana, forcing them to almost cross some personal boundaries. In other news, The Will has a bit of a personal crisis of his own, one that leaves him discontent. But personally, my favorite in the whole comic is Stalk, though we see very little of her in this issue. I cannot say too much, unfortunately, for fear of dropping a spoiler. Trust me, there is a lot going on in this issue.

And with Brian K. Vaughan writing the story, you just know it’s going to be well penned. His skills are almost legendary in the comic field. The way he makes the reader sympathetic to virtually every person or creature is something akin to magic. Backing up this powerhouse is Fiona Staples, giving us some of the best art I have seen in a long time. Just detailed enough to create depth, I found her work to be visually stunning. I think what impressed me most was her concentration on the characters and not the background. Her strong line work gives method and purpose to every panel, providing the perfect accompaniment to her wordsmith companion.

These stories may have only had four previous comics on which to build their plots, but they seem very involved. Enough so that I felt a bit left out. I really, really want to read the first four just to figure out what is going on in this issue. I cannot say this book was new reader friendly, but what I can say is that it mesmerizes you…from start to finish. I think this will be one that I follow consistently because after just one read, I’m invested in the stories. Hardly ever do I feel this hooked, this quickly. People are talking about this one, maybe you should give it a try and see why.