Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by Fiona StaplesY: THE LAST MAN writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN returns to comics with red-hot artist FIONA STAPLES for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. The adventure begins in a spectacular DOUBLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE, with forty-four pages of story with no ads for the regular price of just $2.99!
If you still haven’t heard of “Saga,” you clearly don’t pay too much attention to comics current events. One of the most popular writers in the industry joining forces with one of the most promising artistic talents for a creator-owned series from Image? Saying people have been excited would be an understatement.
Follow the cut and find out if the first issue of “Saga” was as good as everyone hoped, or if those hopes were dashed on the asteroids. Icebergs of the sea, they are.
I can tell you why you should purchase this first issue without even getting into the matters of writing or art, and it should only take one sentence (and a sentence that’s in the solicit, at that). This issue contains forty-four pages, for a cover price of $2.99. That is twice the amount of pages than your average $2.99 comic, depending on the publisher. This gives us a 6.8 cents per story page ratio, approximately half the ratio of most single issue comics and almost even a third of some of the more disproportionate ones. The only better deal in printed, issue-by-issue comics that comes to mind is Vertigo’s $1.00 #1s – which, I note, were not present in the mini Vertigo relaunch this month – but there is one reason why I would always prefer a double-sized #1 to a $1.00 standard-sized debut issue, despite the slight difference in price.
A #1 in a series that isn’t built around one-shots is at a lot of disadvantages. Within twenty-two pages, the creators have to introduce character, setting and conflict, all while keeping the issue entertaining and finding a way to convince the reader to come back next month. That is a lot harder than it sounds. There are many issues out there with a massive First issue of a brand new series! on them out there that try their best to address all the essentials, but come off as boring information dumps that don’t really go anywhere. Conversely, there are more than a few #1’s that try their best to make sure that the first issue is packed with action, so that the reader is not bored right away, figuring characters can be fleshed out and setting can be established later. Without any sort of exposition, though, these comics are reduced to a blur in the memory within a matter of hours, and by the time the second issue rolls around, all interest has faded. By doubling the size of a first issue, the creators are able to establish all the important elements of their story, while still allowing the comic to breathe; in other words, they are able to do exactly what Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples accomplish with the first issue of “Saga.”
Over the past few weeks, I have tried to convince some non-comic reading friends to read “Saga,” and, after a brief “pitch,” the response has almost been unanimous: “So, it’s Romeo and Juliet in space?” And, in a sense, it is; even though a major part of the story is going to revolve around Alana and Marko’s child, something the classic star-crossed lovers never had, the basic idea of the comic can easily be reduced to the classic dilemma of two lovers from conflicting backgrounds. There’s nothing at all derivative about this, though; as has been remarked many times, there are a finite number of plots. What is important is how the plot in question is made different and improved. Yes, “Saga” is set apart from other stories sharing its heritage by being set in space, and by having all the trappings of science fiction, but that alone is not what makes it stand out.
Continued belowBrian K. Vaughan’s greatest talent as a writer has always been his knack for characterization, and the first issue of “Saga” makes it obvious that this series is going to be no different. Just in the opening birth scene, we get a good deal of substantive dialogue from Marko and Alana, developing them better in six pages than many comics achieve in five issues. Despite the parallels one might draw, Marko is no Romeo, and Alana is certainly no Juliet. It’s not just the protagonists, either; this first issue is packed with a multitude of characters, and every single one who speaks more than a sentence or two has substance, and manages to sound different from each of the characters that came before. A story like this can’t be plot-centric. It positively needs to center around believable characterization. If we couldn’t believe that Marko and Alana are hopelessly in love with each other, this issue would be worthless. Despite Marko’s horns, though, and Alana’s wings, Vaughan has created two real characters, who share a real love, all in the span of one forty-four page issue. If you only checked this out for the already touted price and the names attached, that should be enough to convince you to come back next month.
It certainly isn’t all Vaughan, though. Fiona Staples may not be as big of a name as Vaughan, but you can bet that by end of this series she will not be far behind. Her lines are tight and clean for the most part, with only the slightest bit of scratchiness for stylistic effect. She has worked in the past as a colorist, and it shows; the color of this book does just as much as the line work in making the book appear visually striking. Whenever the panels pull away from a personal view and focus more on landscapes – or spacescapes – the art takes on a painterly quality that is nothing short of beautiful. The various creatures that appear are brilliantly designed, and the action scenes are easily readable. These are all secondary, tertiary, and so on and so forth, though. Staples deserves acclaim primarily for the same reason as Vaughan: there is so much character in every one of her faces and figures. Without her art, the page where Marko holds his baby girl for the first time could just be seen as a sappy moment, but its her expertly crafted expression that sells the page. Even if you erased the tears from the page, there is nothing Marko could be doing but crying tears of joy. Many comic artists have to oversell their expressions a bit, or else risk being misread, but her expressions are so natural that there is no mistaking them; an admirable quality in a story driven by characterization.
This could be a mediocre comic, and the price tag alone would sell it. Thankfully, it isn’t. This is one of the best first issues I have seen, and will hopefully set a precedent for other comics to follow. The hype surrounding Brian K. Vaughan’s return to comics was massive, and almost impossible to live up to, but with the helping hand of the outstanding Fiona Staples, every expectation for this first issue was surpassed. Bring on issue #2.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – But for the price, it’s a perfect ten.
