Saga, Volume Two

*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

The thing that I adore about this series is the fact that Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples can create such a huge, sprawling universe (genuinely - there's planets) with such minute detail.

The art is beautiful and so well-polished, and I adore the colour saturation in all of the panels. I think the thing I love most about Saga, though, is its characters. All of the characters are all intertwined in this intergalactic war, and I've started to fall in love with every character, no matter what side they're on.

... the problem is that I've become so attached to all the cast, and I want everyone to live happily ever after, even when one person's happily ever after directly contradicts another's.

I consumed this series, I was so engrossed I show more read it within a few hours. I can't wait for the next instalment, and I'm going to check out the rest of Vaughan's and Staple's work. show less

I enjoyed the first volume of this series. But this one? Damn. So good.

You've got everything here: Life. Death. Sex. Violence. Love. Hate.

And even more brilliant? The comparison of a single relationship to a war that never ends. The writing is superb. The art is sublime. It's fantasy, and SF, and keenly observed relationships all mashed into something that not only works well, but is also entertaining as hell.

Read this.

Saga simply has no right to be as good as it is!

It's all amazing, but #11 took every ounce of strength I have to not spit take my coffee as I was cracking up at the post coitus dialogue and in the same issue I first got choked up and then was actually crying by the end.

Oh yeah, because of The Will's fantasies about The Stalk, I'm now a monster fucker, I guess? Cheers for that.

So if you haven't read volume 1, this review could be a bit spoiler-ish.

Volume 1 leaves off with Marko's parents teleporting in under the assumption that he'd been captured. Volume 2 starts off with Marko introducing his parents to Alana and Hazel. Marko sets off to find the babysitter, whom Mom has banished to a nearby planetoid. Mom, thinking that Marko is incapable of not screwing up, follows him, thus leaving Dad alone with Alana and Hazel. Vaughn then explores the relationship dynamics between the two generations.

Marko's mom is full of piss and vinegar; Marko's dad is the softie. Mom harps on every mistake Marko has ever made. Dad wants to see baby Hazel and make sure she's "normal." He means healthy, but it comes across awkward. show more Gender stereotypes flipped! I enjoyed how Vaughn handled the conflict resolutions on both sides.

Meanwhile, we're introduced to Gwendolyn, Marko's ex-girlfriend. She's come by The Will's place to check on his progress in hunting down our protagonists. She's annoyed that he's moping over the death of his former lover. In return, he psychoanalyzes Gwendolyn's motives—with the help of Lying Cat—and reveals another dilemma plaguing his conscience. Gwendolyn offers to help with it if he promises to get off his ass and back on the trail. Gwendolyn turns out to have some traits in common with Marko's mom.

We're also treated to flashbacks to when Marko and Alana first met, the book that inspired both of them, and their daring escape from Marko's prison.

The art continues to be fantastic. I thought that Staples' depiction of the planetoid landscape, the way the star's light cast shadows through the ruins, was rendered especially well. And the scenes inside the rocketship-tree were a great mix of earth tones that were vibrant instead of dull. A warning to those who have sensitive eyes: There's a giant naked troll that leaves little to the imagination and, when Prince Robot IV lies unconscious on a battlefield, gay porn plays on his TV monitor for two panels.

Two other scenes deserve mentioning. One is a flashback to when Marko was a kid learning how to ride a giant cricket with his father offering encouragement. The dialogue is in Marko's native tongue and offered without translation, but the artwork explains it all. The other is something Marko's dad says: "Your first grandchild is nature's reminder that your warranty's about to run out." show less

I read this immediately after the first volume (and now I'm waiting impatiently for the third to become available from the library).

I love Alana and Marko. I loved the flashbacks about how they met, and I loved their interactions with Marko's parents - those were surprising and poignant. I feel like I'm getting more of a sense of Hazel's personality through the narration, too - she seems smart and sharp, like her parents. (Possibly smarter, but she has the benefit of hindsight.)

I think I like that the villains, or rather those playing that sort of role, aren’t completely awful. At least, one of them seems to have something resembling a conscience and an awesome cat sidekick...

There are definitely still a lot of things about Saga show more which I don't like - but none of them feel like poor storytelling, just things which don't appeal to me, and so far they've avoiding being too dark and disturbing.

All this may quickly turn into something I no longer want to keep reading, but for the moment, I really want to know what happens next. And I’m hoping there’s more about Alana and Marko’s history, too.

Alana: For everything we have in common, I’m still from Landfall and you’re still from Wreath. I mean, if the two of us had a kid, what would we even call it?
Marko: Well, I’ve always wanted to call my son Barr.
Alana: Like a tavern? Like a soap?
Marko: My father’s name is Barr.
Alana: Oh. And I love it!
In that moment, my mother prayed with all her might that their firstborn would be a GIRL.
Sometimes dreams really do come true. show less

I was reading this on the plane home for a weekend. I spent the ride snickering to myself and slowly realizing that I shouldn't be reading it in a public place!

I love Saga's usually humorous, sometimes dark, but overall matter-of-fact treatment of sex and sexuality. I think this was the volume with a lot of fourth-wall pinging humor that made me laugh out loud more than once. For instance, turning the page and being slammed with a full-page pin-up of Marko saying "Oh, do keep reading."

Also, can I just say: the cover. The cover. I have stared at it for up to 15 minutes at a time, and I could go on staring at it forever. Wow. So much story there---the blood, the wings of some unknown dying creature, the sword, and Marko's vague and show more distracted look---in one simple panel. show less