Saga was a book I was highly anticipating. I’ve been a fan of Vaughan’s previous work, and the covers and previews I saw from Staples looked promising. I avoided early spoilers, but the reviews were all positive. Now I’ve read it, and I find myself a lone voice of dissent.
Written by Brian K Vaughan
Illustrated by Fiona Staples
From New York Times best selling writer Brian K Vaughan and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples, Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. 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. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in a sexy, subversive drama for adults.
$9.99 / 160 pages
Vaughan has written some amazing books in the past – “Y the Last Man”, “Ex Machina”, even his early “Batman” stories were decent. Excitement for “Saga” was high from the moment it was announced. Now the first volume is out, and man, is it a let down.
It will be hard to describe the negatives of this book without going into detail, so mild spoilers ahead.
The story is framed with consistant narration by the main couple’s daughter, speaking from several years in the future. The text is not framed in anyway, and sometimes follows the contours of something in the panel. It’s a neat idea, but sometimes makes it easy to miss. It’s largely unnecessary though, either stating the obvious or delivering exposition which could just as well be in a speech bubble.
The characters are well defined, and come across as very real. When Marko, the male lead, goes from espousing a pacifist view to nearly executing a soldier, it doesn’t feel out of place; it feels like a natural fit for someone with a complex mentality in a tough situation. When two mercenaries bicker about a job, Vaughan lets you know they’re bickering about more than just that with subtlety, instead of hitting you over the head with it.
The six issues collected here read well together, with chapter breaks being obvious with splash pages and covers inserted. Most times, there’s a scene change at the breaks, but when there isn’t, the dialogue remains natural and the narrative doesn’t “hiccup” and repeat itself.
Despite how well the characters and narrative are scripted, “Saga” fails in one very important aspect: plot. It doesn’t matter how real the characters are if their situation makes no sense, and it doesn’t matter how well the narrative flows if it’s just meandering around.
The premise for the war threatening Marko and Alana’s relationship seems bizarre. Natives from a planet go to war with natives from its moon, but “outsource” the war to the rest of the galaxy. What does that even mean? Why would the rest of the galaxy allow itself to be torn apart while the two parties instigating it are peaceful instead of saying “screw you two” and annihilating them both?
Adding to the awkwardness of the whole situation is the gratuitous sex in this volume. Not just nudity, but full-on penetration, for no reason. It certainly would’ve been possible to make it clear The Will was in a brothel without showcasing every kind of sex imaginable in the background. In the past, Vaughan’s work has been high quality, the kind you could loan to friends to show them how great comics are. “Saga,” on the other hand, is something which would probably be an embarrassment if a guest pulled it off your shelf and flipped through it. I don’t know if Vaughan specifically requested things like “man with bottle up his butt” to be depicted, or if Staples threw it in for free, but it feels like a forced attempt to be “sexy” and “subversive.”
Speaking of Staples, the art in “Saga” is pretty darn good. It’s stylized but clear, which is very important when most of the characters aren’t quite human. The characters, especially Marko, have a wide range of emotion and Staples represents each emotion with a wide range of expressions.
Continued belowThe colors are vibrant, and help to bring the action to life. The attacks of the opposing sides of the war are color coded, which helps to keep firefights clear. Also, if “GI JOE” taught us anything, the moonys are clearly the good guys; they’re firing blue.
The bonus features in this volume are nonexistant. The story ends on the final page, and “to be continued” is written on the inside of the back cover. Given the discounted price, that’s not surprising. The six issues inside were originally sold for $3 each (and one was double sized!), but they’re collected for a mere $10.
Overall, “Saga” is a book that’s wonderfully written, beautifully drawn, and a great value, but ultimately contains a story which isn’t very good. The premise is weak, and it’s filled with gratuitous sex and violence which make the story feel cheap. I’m glad others are enjoying it, but I wouldn’t recommend this as a purchase to anyone.
Final Verdict: 6- Browse
