Saga (2012) #1
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples
Published by Image Comics
Review by Eric McLeod
In an industry ruled by comic book properties that have
lasted for decades, it’s always good to see a new comic with no connection to
any previously established continuity. Brian K. Vaughan, creator of original
comics such as Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina, has done it again with his
new fantasy comic series Saga.
Summary:
In a galaxy full of people with wings, horns, and sometimes TVs
for heads, a war rages on between a planet named Landfall and its moon Wreath.
Two soldiers, Alana and Marko, desert their respective sides to get married and
give birth to a daughter. Now everyone wants them dead. Being a parent is hard,
but it’s certainly made no easier when the entire galaxy is after you.
Story:
What’s most notable about the story is the way it’s told.
Throughout the story, a narration in sketchy text will pop up, occasionally
explaining the story and even giving hints of the future. The narrator in
question is Alana and Marko’s daughter, telling the story in the future. The
reader is immediately aware that she will live, but the fates of Alana and
Marko are left ambiguous.
The story starts with the birthing, which aside from one
awkward line, is handled with much class and shows the closeness of Alana and
Marko. Shortly afterwards, they’re forced to run from death, and even by the
end of the issue, they keep finding trouble. I have a feeling the daughter will eventually
take over as the protagonist, but I’m happy with Alana and Marko. It’s rare to
see a parenting couple as the leads in a comic, and they have been
realistically portrayed as such.
There are also the two factions chasing after them, Landfall
and Wreath. A bounty hunter known only as The Will is called to hunt them down
and bring their child back as proof of their deaths, and he has a pretty sweet
talking cat that can detect lies. The villains are looking as interesting as
the heroes.
Art:
Brian K. Vaughan is an excellent writer, but Fiona Staples
deserves just as much credit for drawing the book. There are your typical
animal people, but the major characters are human-looking aside from having
horns or wings. The most interesting designs are the TV people, the allies of
Landfall. They look completely human aside from having old-fashioned TV sets
for heads. Both the humanoid characters and bizarre characters are drawn with
accurate proportions and realistic facial expressions (well, the characters
with faces at least). There’s a two page spread of a battle that’s simply
stunning, if only because of how fantastic the scope is.
There is a sex scene, but for a mature series, it’s pretty
tame. There are exposed boobs and penis, but this is far from a porn. A lesser
artist would draw more attention to this fact, but the only time exposed
breasts are focused on are for breast-feeding.
Final Thoughts:
This is a strong start for what I’m sure will be a long
fantasy saga. It says as much in the title, and the title so far does not lie.
The world has been built up significantly for a first issue, and considering
the sheer size of the galaxy, there’s more world building to be done. I might
be jumping the gun here, but this may be the best new comic of the year. I was
that gripped by the characters and the world they reside in.
Since I do not give a number rating for stories at the
moment, I’ll just give this a strong recommendation for fans of large fantasy
settings or strong family themes. I know I’ll
be picking up the next two issues as soon as I can.
Best of all, each comic is around 30 pages for 2
dollars on Comixology. In an age where Marvel is charging 4 dollars for shorter
books, that is a great deal.
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