Saga, Volume One

”It's not like I grow up to become some great war hero or any sort of all-important savior...but thanks to these two, at least I get to grow old. Not everybody does.”

Saga was a pleasure to read. The story is intimate and compelling, even the midst of a cinematic and galaxy-spanning setting. This offsetting in scope was handled extremely well, and it is used to turn the tired tropes of science fiction and comics on their head. There is a realism to the story that often is lost in these genres.

While Saga's plot is deftly constructed, the characters are the real stars. The interplay between Marko and Alana is at times funny and charming, but the two are playing for desperate stakes, and it's hard not to empathize. They are, in the show more grand scheme of things, fairly unremarkable, that makes their story so relateable. Marko and Alana aren't alone here though, and the side characters highlighted so far have been intriguing. I'm especially interested to see what role Izabel and The Will play in later volumes, as both have had interesting moments. Perhaps the most interesting choice is the narration by Alana & Marko's child. It comes through sparsely, used just the right amount. Not only serving to bookend chapters, the narration elevates and highlight's the story's themes.

Saga moves quickly and is a fast read, but Brian K. Vaughn isn't content to just tell a story of action and adventure. Saga strikes me as a meditation on the meaning of family. It shows how much we all owe to our parents and those who came before them, no matter if their sacrifices are somewhat more mundane than those in Saga. In less capable hands this theme could be sappy and artificial, but Saga weaves optimism and realism in it's depictions of hope, love, and sacrifice.

On The Art: Fiona Staples' art stands out from other comic book options. It's both clean and dynamic, and complements the story. The coloring is good. show less

There are a lot of writers I love, but only a few that I go TOTALLY FREAKIN' WILD FOR. Brian K. Vaughan is one of those writers. And I cheered -- quite literally and loudly -- when I found out that he was returning to comics. When I found out the plot of this new series -- star-crossed lovers from warring nations running for their lives ... IN SPACE -- I cheered some more. This is a story that I had no idea that I desperately wanted to be told.

"Saga" is so wonderfully bizarre, eye-poppingly dirty, and fantastically intense. I love that our two lovebirds, Alana and Marko, feel like real people with a rich history as a couple and as individuals. Vaughan's dialogue, as ever, is unique which serves his story and draws the reader in. The show more politics, the war, the royal robots, the bounty hunters, the people and races we meet (LYING CAT! GHOSTS! MAGICIANS! UNICORN-LADY!), and the, um, let's say, DIVERSITY of the planets are all rich amazing threads that would turn into a knot in another writer's hands. Vaughan has created an epic world that sprawls galaxies and takes you along for the ride on magical tree spaceships. show less

Marko is an escaped prisoner, who fell in love with his guard, Alana. They are from two different planets that have been at war with each other for so long that no one remembers why, but now they’re in love, and have a baby, and are on the run through strange and distant worlds.

Theoretically I really enjoy this, and I do find myself still thinking about it a few days later. The story is simple and the world is complicated. The characters are so odd…I understand who the people with horns are and the people with wings, but I don’t understand why the prince of the winged people has a tv for a head, or how everyone else fits in. It’s intriguing enough for me to keep going, but the Brian K. Vaughan of it all keeps me from really show more loving it. The edgelord-y ‘00s vibe is just not for me - I don’t think any book needs to start with the words “Am I shitting?”, the nudity and sexual exploitation are gratuitous, and there’s an R-slur that I thought we stopped using in the ‘90s. I might keep going, but I’ll get future volumes from the library. show less

A supernova of ideas and stunning images wrapped around compelling, fully realised characters and the old but ever compelling idea of forbidden lovers. It opens with… not a bang, but the result of a good bang and rarely pauses for breath thereafter. Artist and writer combine to make the characters we meet some of the most fully realised in comics; while the standards of modern comics dictate maximum action it’s all rooted in the conflicting wants, needs and desires of the characters. On top of that body language and dialogue is distinctive and appropriate for each character. On this evidence easily one of the best series currently being published.

When a book opens with a childbirth scene and the first line is the mother yelling, “Am I shitting? It feels like I'm shitting!” how could I not read on?

This is mostly a prologue, like many volume 1 trades are, but I'm hooked. From the kickass Alana to her laid-back husband Marko to the ethically-complex bounty hunter The Will and his sidekick Lying Cat (a cat that says only "Lying" when someone isn't speaking the truth) to the wide variety of side characters, I want to see more of this universe caught up in a war between Alana's home planet and the moon Marko is from.

That a copy of a romance novel, complete with clinch-style cover, looks to play a role in the effort to hunt down Alana and Marko only sweetens the deal.

*review of volumes 1-3 as a whole*

Each of these volumes collects about five issues of the comic book Saga, which follows two soldiers from opposite sides of a centuries' long war who have fallen in love, had a child, and are now on the run from a variety of baddies who are trying to track them down. The story is first rate, with action, humor, and truly touching moments in about equal measure. And the bad guys are just as interesting as the goodies (I want them all to be okay. This is not possible. And some of the baddies have done very bad things to the goodies. But they have their own reasons and lives and. And and and. Squee.) I'm about as invested in this story and these characters as I have been in any story I've ever read, and I show more can't wait until the next volume comes out (and I'm just OCD enough about editions that I'm making myself wait for the next collection rather than trying to hunt down the individual issues). The artwork is also gorgeous. Recommended. (Do take heed of that "mature" rating, though.) show less

I've been meaning to check out Saga for a while. Brian K. Vaughan being one of my favorite modern comic writers, I'll give anything with his name on it a shot. This has been on my list for some time, and I picked up this used copy of the first collected volume while talking about it with Jake, owner of my favorite local comic shop. We were on the topic of Saga when he remembered the store had just gotten this copy in, so I grabbed it.

The world is a beautiful blend of sci-fi and fantasy; two different alien factions at war with one another, one led by robotic royalty, the other a group of horn-headed magic users. In this long and bloodied war, two members of the opposing forces fall in love and have a child. This is where the story show more opens, quite literally with the child's birth.

The story is told through narration. The narrator, we soon learn, is the newborn. Her parents, a former prison guard and a soldier-turned pacifist, are on the run from their respective peoples who don't want word of a union between the two races reaching the "rank and file." I mean, that could spoil the war. The first volume deals with this new family's escape from the planet they are currently on as they set out to make a new life for themselves.

I love everything about this first book. The character designs are amazing, the world-building is unique and beautifully handled, Fiona Staples' art is fantastic, and the dialogue and characterization are on point. Seriously, this is one I would recommend to anyone, as long as you're okay with a bit of language and some graphic violence. Can't wait to pick up the next volume! show less