Fans of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples critically acclaimed comic book Saga can finally breathe easy. The series is returning to the stands in early 2022.
The two creators dropped the news during the "In Conversation With Brian K. Vaughan" panel at NYCC. Image Comics confirms the series will resume with Saga #55, which slated for release on January 26, 2022. Just as Saga debuted during Image's 20th anniversary celebration in 2012, the return is meant to mark the publisher's 30th anniversary.
“Other than my own family, collaborating with Fiona Staples on Saga is the most important thing in my life, so I can’t thank readers and retailers enough for their patience,” said Vaughan in a statement. “I think our next 54 issues will be even more shocking, strange, and spectacular than the first 54, so we can’t wait to be back on the shelves at your local comic shop soon.”
Staples said, “I've really missed connecting with readers through the pages of Saga, so I'm thrilled to roll up my sleeves and dive into this world again. The next arc is already going places I never imagined. I'm so grateful that we're able to keep doing this!"
Saga originally went on hiatus with issue #54 in 2018, marking the series' planned midway point. In the letter column for that issue, Vaughan wrote, "“After fifty-four issues and over 1,200 consecutive pages of sequential storytelling together, Fiona and I have decided to take an extended break before we eventually reunite with Saga #55. And unlike our usual three months of 'Vacationanza' between arcs, we plan to pause publication of this series for at least the next year.”
Obviously, that hiatus wound up lasting quite a bit longer than one year. Saga was included in IGN's Most Anticipated Comics of 2019 and Most Anticipated Comics of 2020 lists, with issue #55 failing to materialize either time. We opted not to bother for the 2021 list, but it's a safe bet the series will make one last return appearance for 2022.
If you're looking to catch up on Saga before the big return, Image recently published a Saga Compendium that collects all 54 issues so far.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.