Saga #2

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples

Expectations going in to the second issue of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples's new on-going series were high after the near-perfection of the first issue.  I'm pleased to report that those expectations were more or less met.

This issue begins with The Will, the freelance bounty hunter hired by the Wreath to recover Hazel, the newborn child of our heroes Alana and Marko.  He knows that he's not the only hunter after them, but when he finds out that someone named The Stalk is on the job, he decides it's not worth his time, and departs. 

While this is going on, our heroes have been trudging through a very dense jungle on Cleave, looking for a fabled source of ships, so they can escape the planet that is currently a large battlezone for their opposite forces.  The jungle is full of dangers, from the Horrors who are reported to live there, to the aforementioned Stalk.

There is not so much world building in this issue, as Vaughan wisely chooses instead to let the plot move the comic forward for now.  He does give us plenty of chances to learn more about Marko and Alana however, as we see the depth of Marko's pacifistic convictions, and also the lengths to which Alana will go to protect her child.

Staples art is as incredible as it was in the first issue, and the book continues to be visually very inventive.  This series is excellent.