Saga #4

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples

I've seen some on-line reviewers give Brian K. Vaughan some flack for giving the characters in his new science fiction/fantasy epic such contemporary, Earth-based voices.  Personally, I think that's nonsense.  If this book were all Game of Thrones style weird names with overwrought Shakespeare-lite dialogue, or all based on some invented slang (like Spaceman, which I love), I think it would take away from some of the things that Vaughan is doing.  People are people, he seems to be saying, even if they are winged ex-soldiers, horned pacifists, or ghostly floating torsos.

In this issue, Alana waits with Izabel for Marko to recover from his injuries and wake up.  When he does, she wastes no time before interrogating him about the bride he mentioned while delusional.  Their discussions, and reprieve from action, appear short-lived, as Prince Robot's forces arrive.

Much of this issue is given over to The Will, the freelancer who was hired to hunt down Alana and Marko, but who decided instead to go to Sextillion, a planet-sized brothel.  There, he is disappointed in what he finds, and when a large-headed pimp offers him more refined fare, the book takes a turn for the darker.  Clearly, The Will is going to remain a major character in this series, as he's been given a lot of space to develop.

Fiona Staples continues to do some incredible work with this comic, and Vaughan's writing is as sharp as ever.