Review: Saga #17

Writer: Brian K Vaughan
Art: Fiona Staples
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $2.99
Mature Content

"The Opposite of War"

This issue takes place at the lighthouse home of author D. Oswald Heist. Heist has taken our treasonous lovers and their family into his home and hid them away, while their pursuers hunt them down. There are two groups hunting the family and both are about to arrive at the same time.

The first group consists of :
The Will - A bounty hunter hired to kill the lovers and bring their baby back alive.
Lying Cat - The Will's animal companion and living lie detector
Gwendolyn - Marko's ex-fiance' sent to assist in the hunt
Slave Girl - Who, as her name suggests, was a child sex-slave who was rescued by The Will during his travels.

The second:
Prince Robot IV - A Royal Family member who was sent by his father to capture the lovers as charged by his kingdoms alliance with Landfall.

You can feel the tension building as Gwendolyn and Lying Cat close in on the lighthouse. Their mission is now complicated by the fact that they require the help of Marko, whom they mean to hunt down, in order to save the bounty hunter The Will from a serious wound. It is Prince Robot IV who gets to his prey first. What follows his arrival can only be described as torture/college lecture. Prince Robot IV tortures Heist, who denies hiding Alana, Marko and their baby. All the while they, are in fact, hidden within the house. During the torture, the Prince becomes intrigued by the authors writings and its importance to his prey. This initiates a discussion between the Prince and Heist on what is "The Opposite of War," one of Heist's writings. While the torture continues the family discusses the moral ethics of what they should do while their protector is being tortured right above them.... aid him or remain hidden.

All of the sudden everything, and I mean everything hits the fan in just a couple of pages. Quickly and impulsively the room explodes with emotional action and death just as the tension couldn't have been any stronger. This issue highlights so many of the sub plots and relationships between characters but that never slows down the pace or confuse the narrative building towards the climax. The art by Fiona Staples is spot on. There is a lot of dialogue in this issue but the artist does well to convey the emotions of the characters in their expressions.

I can't recommend this title enough. It is a work of art.

Recommendation: Buy It