The multiple award winning, bestselling comic book phenomenon SAGA will ring in 2022 with the arrival of the long anticipated issue #55.

The press release follows:

Media Release -- Image Comics is pleased to announce the return of multiple award winning, bestselling series Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples to shelves. The long anticipated Saga #55 issue will kick off a new story arc and land in stores on Wednesday, January 26 from Image Comics.

"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. "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 added: "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!"

At long last, Hazel and her star-crossed family are finally back! But where the hell have they been? As thanks for fans' endless patience, the Saga team is proud to return with a double-length issue—44 pages of story for the regular $2.99 price point—without variant covers or gimmicky renumbering. Just more pulse-pounding adventure, heart-wrenching character drama, and gloriously graphic sex and violence, as Saga begins the second half of the series and the most epic chapter yet.

"Saga launched at Image during the company's 20th anniversary in 2012, so it seems more than fitting that the series is returning to shops just in time for our 30th anniversary next year," said Eric Stephenson, Chief Creative Officer and Publisher at Image Comics. "I can think of few better ways to celebrate what Image is all about than by welcoming back one of the most incredible storytelling teams in comics history as they embark on the second half of a true epic-in-the-making."

Saga has sold seven million copies to date across single issue, trade paperback, compendium, hardcover, and digital editions and has been translated into 20 languages. The series also boasts multiple Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, a Hugo Award, British Fantasy Award, Goodreads Choice Award, Shuster Award, Inkwell Award, Ringo Award, and more. It has been featured in such mainstream media outlets as TIME, Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, NPR, and more. The series has become a pop culture phenomenon and has been immortalized with references and easter eggs appearing in such popular TV shows as Supernatural, The Big Bang Theory, and The Simpsons.

Saga #55 (Diamond Code NOV210030) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, January 26. Image projects the demand for the issue will be high and encourages fans to contact their local comic shop right away to place their pre-orders before Monday, January 3.

Saga is available for purchase across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Readers interested in catching up on the series before Saga #55 arrives in stores, can binge read Saga in trade paperback, deluxe hardcover, and paperback compendium print formats available now at local comic book shops, independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo:

Saga, Book One deluxe hardcover - Diamond Code: OCT210104, ISBN: 978-1-63215-078-3
Saga, Book Two deluxe hardcover - Diamond Code: FEB170708, ISBN: 978-1632159038
Saga, Book Three deluxe hardcover - Diamond Code: MAR190127, ISBN: 978-1-5343-1221-0
Saga, Compendium One - Diamond Code: MAY190044, ISBN: 978-1-5343-1346-0
Saga, Box Set - Diamond Code: AUG210117, ISBN: 978-1-53432-140-3

Trade paperback collected editions:

Saga, Vol. 1 trade paperback - Diamond Code: AUG120491, ISBN: 978-1607066019
Saga, Vol. 2 trade paperback - Diamond Code: APR130443, ISBN: 978-1607066927
Saga, Vol. 3 trade paperback - Diamond Code: JAN140556, ISBN: 978-1607069317
Saga, Vol. 4 trade paperback - Diamond Code: OCT140644, ISBN: 978-1632150776
Saga, Vol. 5 trade paperback - Diamond Code: JUL150565, ISBN: 978-1632154385
Saga, Vol. 6 trade paperback - Diamond Code: MAR160684, ISBN: 978-1632157119
Saga, Vol. 7 trade paperback - Diamond Code: JAN170850, ISBN: 978-1534300606
Saga, Vol. 8 trade paperback - Diamond Code: OCT170715, ISBN: 978-1534303492
Saga, Vol. 9 trade paperback - Diamond Code: JUL180297, ISBN: 978-1534308374

Select praise for Saga:

"A completely addictive, human story." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"While the book works as a poignant love story and an indictment of prejudice, trippy visuals and clever dialog make this Romeo and Juliet space opera a lot of fun as well." —Library Journal

"Vaughan's whip-snap dialogue is as smart, cutting, and well timed as ever… [Staples'] character designs dish out some of the best aliens around, the immersive world-crafting is lushly detailed and deeply thought through, and the spacious layouts keep the focus squarely on the personal element, despite the chaotic cosmos they inhabit." —Booklist (starred review)

"The kind of comic that you get when truly talented superstar creators are given the freedom to produce their dream comic…Saga is Heavy Metal eclecticism synthesized into a singular, sprawling narrative à la Cerberus or The Walking Dead—a vast sandbox built for never ending castle-building." —Entertainment Weekly

"An unwieldy, profane, and glorious ode to compassion and equality… a sprawling tale that shuffles the beats of numerous genres, including pulp romance, road trip, Western, dark comedy, and political thriller." —The Atlantic

"There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who are reading Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples amazing adult sci fi/fantasy Image comic Saga, and those who haven't yet. The former people are leading happier, fuller lives, because Saga is amaaaaaazzzing." —io9/Gizmodo

"Saga is the space fantasy comic of our times." —BookRiot

"The humanity that BKV imbues on his characters is rich and relatable, and the danger that surrounds them is fierce and ever present." —IGN

About Brian K. Vaughan:
Brian K. Vaughan is the multiple Eisner and Harvey award winning writer known for his work on such comic books as Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, The Private Eye, We Stand on Guard, Paper Girls, and Saga. He has also written for hit TV series Lost, Marvel's The Runaways, Stephen King's Under the Dome, and the upcoming Prime Video TV adaption of Paper Girls. He lives in Los Angeles, Calif.

About Fiona Staples:
Fiona Staples is the multiple Eisner and Harvey award winning artist known for her work on such comic books such as North 40, DV8: Gods and Monsters, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Saga. She lives in Canada.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.