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A review by beaconatnight
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
5.0
Saga's first volume already delivers on all fronts. It introduces the reader to immediately relatable characters, there is serious tension from page one, and it features this wonderful modern illustrations by Fiona Staples. The narration not only warms your heart by its melancholic tone and surprising wisdom on the human condition, it leads ahead to tragedies yet to come.
I cannot even point to highlights. All six issues collected here are full of memorable moments in which Vaughan conveys much about the personalities of his heroes and foes. Well, of course it's not as black and white as that. The events take place in an intergalactic war between Landfall and its moon, Wreath. Combat soon spread over to other worlds and their inhabitants were forced to take sides.
Marko and Alana had both been soldiers, only at the opposite sides of the conflict. They are trying to do good—especially Marko firmly endorses pacifist values—but the world is not that easy. To both parties their love is detestable and their child together, an abomination. There are people who want them dead. Many people. They order or hire forces to hunt them down, including Robot Prince IV and a mercenary named the Will. The latter two, on the other hand, both show some honor or even virtue, while certainly being the bad guys.
It continuously reinvents traditional sci-fi and fantasy tropes in surprising and interesting ways. For instance, I enjoyed the wooden rocket ship with a will of its own. By far my favorite was Izabel, though. Apparently, the victims of Cleave—often mutilated by horrific artifacts of war—persist in some ghostly form after their death. Her interactions with the new parents is really quite sweet. In the end Alana is willing to accept her as soul-bound to her daughter, Hazel (as she eventually comes to be named).
There are already quite a few treats of visually daring imagery. The Will's ex-lover and current-competitor, the Stalk, looks absolutely terrifying with her naked female body and spider legs (and her head a combination of the both). After the Prince blasted a hole into her core, the Will promises vengeance in an epic Taken kind of intensity. I'm sure this will develop in interesting directions. Until then he'll still be busy to save and protect the "Slave Girl" from pastel-colored Sextillion, though.
I've already read the whole series (up to Volume 9, of course) a couple of years ago, but since it's actually back (yeah!) I really have to get up-to-speed again. I'm glad that I forgot so many things—now I can re-experience what is easily among the best comic series of the last decade (or more).
Rating: 4.5/5
I cannot even point to highlights. All six issues collected here are full of memorable moments in which Vaughan conveys much about the personalities of his heroes and foes. Well, of course it's not as black and white as that. The events take place in an intergalactic war between Landfall and its moon, Wreath. Combat soon spread over to other worlds and their inhabitants were forced to take sides.
Marko and Alana had both been soldiers, only at the opposite sides of the conflict. They are trying to do good—especially Marko firmly endorses pacifist values—but the world is not that easy. To both parties their love is detestable and their child together, an abomination. There are people who want them dead. Many people. They order or hire forces to hunt them down, including Robot Prince IV and a mercenary named the Will. The latter two, on the other hand, both show some honor or even virtue, while certainly being the bad guys.
It continuously reinvents traditional sci-fi and fantasy tropes in surprising and interesting ways. For instance, I enjoyed the wooden rocket ship with a will of its own. By far my favorite was Izabel, though. Apparently, the victims of Cleave—often mutilated by horrific artifacts of war—persist in some ghostly form after their death. Her interactions with the new parents is really quite sweet. In the end Alana is willing to accept her as soul-bound to her daughter, Hazel (as she eventually comes to be named).
There are already quite a few treats of visually daring imagery. The Will's ex-lover and current-competitor, the Stalk, looks absolutely terrifying with her naked female body and spider legs (and her head a combination of the both). After the Prince blasted a hole into her core, the Will promises vengeance in an epic Taken kind of intensity. I'm sure this will develop in interesting directions. Until then he'll still be busy to save and protect the "Slave Girl" from pastel-colored Sextillion, though.
I've already read the whole series (up to Volume 9, of course) a couple of years ago, but since it's actually back (yeah!) I really have to get up-to-speed again. I'm glad that I forgot so many things—now I can re-experience what is easily among the best comic series of the last decade (or more).
Rating: 4.5/5