Image Comics, $2.99
The second issue of Saga is here, but it’s still impossible
to tell what the book is about. Brian K. Vaughn’s two previous creator owned
works, Y the Last Man and Ex Machina had clearly defined premises
from the start, but that is not the case here.
While the book tells a compelling
story, and is introducing interesting characters, it’s impossible to tell what
the book is going to be about at this juncture. It could be that this is simply
the story of a family beings chased through the universe, but that rings false
somehow. Vaughn has stated that Saga is
going to be longer than both Y and Ex Machina. Unless you’re Robert Kirkman
it’s impossible to make a story about being chased last a hundred plus issues.
So what is Saga, exactly? It’s beautiful for one thing. The book’s art is gorgeous,
weird, and surprising enough that it demands a slow attention to details. The colors... well, the colors could be the
best thing about this book. They’re never static. The backgrounds dim and
brighten, and most of the pages seem to have a strange light shining through
them.
Saga is probably worth your three bucks, even if it’s just for the
purty pictures. The story isn’t quite there yet, but it indeed has potential.
Image Comics, $3.50 Print, $2.99 Digital
Secret is the second ongoing from mad
scientist of the moment Jonathan Hickman.
The first, The Manhattan Projects, came out about a month ago, but this
is the better first issue of the two.
The Manhattan Projects seems to be a sort of done in one type book,
each issue featuring a story that loosely relates to the overall plot. It works
to a point, but that first issue, as good as it was, somehow felt a little
lacking. Secret #1, on the other
hand, is the best single issue Hickman has written since The Nightly News ended.
It’s impossible to say much about
this book without giving anything away. You’ll want to go into Secret blind. The book shocks you
immediately with its use of color, and a couple pages later the design will
widen your eyes again. The way Ryan Bodenheim uses angles and detail is
impressive as well.
Don’t wait for the trade on this.
This is the kind of comics goodness that comes along so rarely that you’ should
dive in immediately. It’s available digitally on Comixology. You should go there
now.
-- Jeffrey Whitelaw
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