Review - Saga #11

Family pulls together in trying times. The frequency of those times being to escape a giant space fetus are few and far between for sure, but that won't stop parents, sons, daughters-in-law and ghost from uniting. That's the scenario that plays out in Saga #11 from Image Comics.

Brian K. Vaughan continues writing, Fiona Staples continues illustrating and Fonografiks is on the lettering.

Alana and Marko continue to find themselves in harm's way. The difference this time is that the new parents are with some older parents in the form of Marko's and a ghost with a tree-like spaceship. There's some crafty thinking on both Marko's and his father's part to help them escape the terrors of deep space. There's also some awesomeness on the part of The Will to save a fan-favorite character and look cool doing it. Sounds fun right?

With the eleventh issue, Vaughan is exploring some more of the characters' pasts. The book opens with Alana and Marko in a moment of intimacy and there's another flashback where Marko is learning to ride a "bike." Both memories help to flesh out the present relationships that much better and really get you feeling something for the characters. Of course, if you haven't felt anything to this point you're probably not really enjoying Saga. It also helps that Alana has the mouth of a sailor at times, which spices things up a bit.

What's so great about the book is the characters are so rich and have such intertwined backstories. Their paths cross not only through sheerly being near one another, but also because of their heritage and societal histories. Alana and Marko shouldn't be together, but are. Marko and his dad have a sort of rocky relationship that many sons have with their fathers, but they realize love in the other. It's those types of relationships that make Saga feel like a well-thought out world.

Staples art continues to be nothing short of amazing. She's got such control of her craft that it really shows through in the pages, with sharp lines and a wisely chosen color palette that allows the art to breathe. Her renditions of space-scapes are pretty breath-taking and really make you feel that there's so much more out there than what we already know. She's definitely up to the task of illustrating Vaughan's masterful story.

The latest issue of Saga just keeps a good thing going. Alana and Marko continue to move out of the frying pan and into the fire and The Will has a renewed desire to continue his hunt. There's some tragedy in the issue and how everyone reacts to it will be interesting to see. Still, Saga #11 is just the latest hairpin turn in what continues to be a long, enjoyable ride.

Saga #11 is in stores March 20 with interiors below.

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