This might be the best showcase of his work yet. Some of the most gorgeous splash pages and intricate panel work I've seen him do. The level of detail and work put into some of the pages in this issue hearken back some of George Perez's greatest works in the business. He must have busted his ass on this issue, and every Batman fan should be grateful for that.

John Rauch as a colorist really shines in this book. The colors pop and compliment Gus Storms' art perfectly.

Towards the end of the issue we get some action, but it's heavily foreshadowed early on and already have an idea of how it's going to go. Again, sometimes that stuff works great. For me, it wasn't clicking. Perhaps some people will find it refreshing that the book takes it's time and let's itself breathe in the first issue, but it wasn't really working that way for me with this title. I can totally get into dry material, or slow paced material (and I often do. I read quite a bit of Golden Age and slice of life comics), but it has to be compelling in some way.

Part of what makes this issue great is how it jumps right back in without rehashing what we've already been through. Often a post hiatus book uses too much page space to recap stuff you've already purchased. Here, we're reintroduced to the characters organically by seeing where our heroes (and villains) are some time after the last issue. We get more background on Prince Robot the IV (one of my favorites) as well as what Alana and Marko have been doing to get by. Fiona's brilliant cover featuring Alana is one of her best outings with a Saga cover yet. And, in traditional Saga fashion, the issue ends off making you only want to read more.

First issues of creator owned properties are always really tough. You really need to get as much into it as possible, somehow get an audience to care about these characters that they still don't know and probably won't for at least a few more issues, and leave enough of a hook at the end to get them wanting more. The story was compelling enough to get me to want to pick up the next issue. The hook itself was a bit too out of left field for me, but I had already made my decision before getting to the end of the issue.

I really do feel these guys work really well together. I'd be interested in seeing them collaborate on other kinds of projects in the future, if the opportunity arises.

Palle Schmidt on the art really helps this story move along. I'm a fan of minimalist coloring and I think it works extraordinarily well in this story. The art itself has a nice blend of feeling somewhat minimalist, but also having a great deal of detail in the backgrounds. I was unfamiliar with Palle prior to this book, but the art really shines through here and is quickly making me a fan. I look forward to seeing where this story takes us.