Review: Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults. This specially priced volume collects the first six issues of the smash-hit series The Onion A.V. Club calls

People have been telling me to read this since the first issue came out. So why didn’t I read it earlier?

I have no idea. What was wrong with me? This is great!

Vaughan’s writing is clever and easygoing; each character has a very distinctive voice, and even without the visuals, you could easily tell who’s talking. I really love the focus on family, how Alana and Marko are defying cultural expectations and prejudices because they genuinely love each other and their baby.

The story itself is narrated by the baby, Hazel, so we go into the overarching story with the knowledge that Hazel makes it to adulthood safe and somewhat sound. I like that narrative choice, having her tell her parents’ story even when she was too young to know what was going on around her. And the summary sounds like you’re getting into a star-crossed lovers sort of story, but that’s really not what it is. Alana and Marko are from opposing sides in a huge, lengthy war, but they’re no Romeo and Juliet. They’re two people who fell in love despite the odds and who are going to do whatever they have to do to keep their family together and safe.

And to be honest, this is the first and probably the only comic book I’ve ever read that starts out with a woman giving birth. I like it. I love the cover with Alana breastfeeding the baby while they’re on the go. I love how real and normal their struggles with parenting are, even while they’re on the run from bounty hunters and other sundry people who want to kill them. It’s funny and relatable and just plain great.

Fiona Staples’s artwork is gorgeous, imaginative and grotesque and beautiful all at once. The wide variety of species and creatures are absolutely amazing. The coloring is particularly gorgeous; I love how she renders skintones.

I really have no idea why it took me so long to finally read Saga, but I’m definitely picking up all of the TPBs and I’m adding it to my pull list at my comics shop. It’s an amazing comic book, and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a clever, creative read.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2014 Reading Challenges
• Pamela's 20 Book Challenge

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