Back on the case.
By Jeff Lake
As far as pushing the medium goes, Saga has always been, and seemingly always will be, a book that takes risks. Case in point – at a time where the book’s leads have been scattered across the cosmos, a time where the future of the story has never been more uncertain, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples seemingly decide that the best way for their story to move forward is to go way, way back. It’s a move that pays off in uniquely unexpected ways, though the meaning of said payoff remains to be seen.
As the cover alludes, issue #33 sees the return of reporting duo, Doff and Upsher (or Upsher and Doff for the byline inclined). The scoop seeking couple has been largely inactive over the last few arcs, what with their literal inability to tell the story they so desperately want to, but it appears that with the death of The Brand comes life to this particular plot line. Despite their long absence, writer Vaughan is able to refresh we readers on their status and personalities in a few finely tuned bits of dialogue, in turn restarting the manhunt (well, hybrid-baby-hunt) that lead us to meeting them in the first place. The question is, for what purpose?
Given the singular focus the reporters share this issue, it’s clear that Vaughan is using the pair as a way of viewing his story through another lens. There’s a lot of backtracking to this installment, as Upsher and Doff look to find a long lost trail, and their search brings them across many familiar faces and locales. One face in particular proves a true surprise, both in terms of appearance and the situation they return to, and while it’s far too early to say what this new union means in the long run, it certainly adds a welcome wrinkle to what has otherwise been a pretty straightforward arc.
That said, the issue’s end events do make the preceding pages stand out as a bit convenient, particularly so given how little they ultimately impact the series as a whole. Upsher and Doff are fine characters, and Vaughan explores the various intricacies of their push-pull relationship well, but the speed and ease in which things develop leaves them as feeling like little more than plot devices on the way to something bigger. Hopefully that something bigger will pay off with expected dividends, but as it stands their usage falls surprisingly flat.
Not so, of course, is the gorgeous interior work provided by Staples. Few artists can touch her for sheer artistic consistency, as yet again her clean pencils and smooth palette are a treat to read. This is definitely one of the more talkative issues of late, with little action and comparatively base locales, yet Staples’ assured world building and excellent use of expression again proves arresting. In many ways this may be one of the tamest visual issues of the series yet, which in itself only highlights Staples’ impressive ability to invest.
Saga #33 is a solid issue in a solid arc, Vaughan and Staples again taking the path least expected in exploring their expansive tale. While the pairing Upsher and Doff doesn’t quite prove enough to carry the load on its own, their usage allows the book to realign and reinvent in a way that looks to play larger dividends later.
While not filled with quite the usual wow moments we’ve come to expect, Saga #33 helps revisit the current plot from a new perspective while returning some familiar characters to the fray. It’s a retread to be sure, but there are enough twists and turns, in addition to the typically great art by Staples, to keep things interesting.
