I’ve decided that I should try to share some of the many
comics that I read each and every week. In my Comic Book of the Week feature, I’ll
select my favorite comic from the week that I read it and not necessarily the
week that the comic was released – although I will try to pick comics that
are recent enough to be available at your local comics shop.
I have a small confession to make. Every Sunday morning –
when most people are either going to church or nursing hangovers; or in some
cases doing both – I am relaxing in bed with a cup of my favorite coffee and
reading comic books. I buy on average twelve to eighteen comics every six weeks,
which I pick up from my subscription service at New England Comics (Hi, Doreen
and Tom!). I then read two or three of these comics every Sunday morning.
Because I gave up reading superhero comics published by Marvel, DC or any other
company, I read a lot of horror, science fiction and fantasy comics that have
nothing to do with men-in-tights. I’m always looking for something new and
exciting, so that means I buy a lot of new comics series. My latest new series
that I’m trying out is Saga.
COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK! SAGA #1
Saga is a continuing series published by Image Comics that
the company describes as a “Star Wars-style action collides with Game of
Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers.”
It is written by Brian K. Vaughan, whose best known for his sci-fi Vertigo
series Y: The Last Man, a post-apocalyptic science fiction series about the
only man to survive the apparent simultaneous death of every male mammal on
Earth. Saga is drawn by Fiona Staples, who previously worked on The Secret History
of the Authority: Hawksmoor with writer Mike Costa for Wildstorm and Mystery
Society with writer Steve Niles for IDW Publishing. I have never read any
Vaugugh’s books, except for his four issue stint on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season Eight for Dark Horse comics, so I had no idea what to expect
stylistically from him. My only exposure to Fiona Staples’ artwork was her work
on The Mystery Society for IDW that ran as a five issue miniseries, which I did
thoroughly enjoy. The combination of the concept and the art was enough for me
to give Saga a read.
Saga #1 is a real bargain, as it is forty-two pages of full-color
comic story with no advertisements for just $2.99! It tells everything you need
to know about the main characters and the galactic-wide world that they
inhabit. The story centers on Marko and Alana, who are a man and woman that are
on opposite sides of an interstellar war that find each other and end up having
a child together. This causes them no end of trouble and they end up being
chased by both warring factions. These factions are the supporters of the
planet Landfall and its opposing side the supporters of its satellite Wreath.
Now a mercenary has been hired after Marko and Alana’s initial escape, to hunt
them down and kill them, but take their child back to the Wreath. Meanwhile,
the Robot Kingdom’s King has sent a prince to find and kill Marko and Alana as
well. In the midst of all this, Marko and Alana are given a map that discloses a
location that may or may not lead to their freedom… or something more!
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WARNING: Explicit language on this page of SAGA #1!
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I absolutely loved Saga! Vaughan has done something
incredibly difficult: he has merged the hardware of science fiction and the magical
elements of fantasy and combined them into an epic space opera adventure
series! In this first issue alone we see robot-head people, winged people,
horned people, a giant “lying cat” and a vast assortment of other fantastical creatures
and people. All these things are wonderfully realized by the art of Fiona
Staples. Her work is somewhat reminiscent of the more realistic Manga artists,
but her loose brushed line work and dynamic cell-style coloring make it very much
her own unique style. A word of caution for people who assume comics are for
readers of all ages: Saga is rated by Image M for Mature. If Saga was a movie,
it would definitely be rated R. Saga uses explicit language, features graphic
violence, complete nudity and even open sexual scenes. As an older reader,
these elements did not bother me and in many ways contributed the reality of
fantastic elements in the story. However, if you are sensitive to these adult depictions
and situations, then Saga is probably not for you.
If you like something that combines the best qualities of
science fiction and fantasy, give Saga #1 a read!
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