Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina and many more) hits us with a new series that makes some big promises but starts off a little slow. Saga #1 (Image Comics) introduces a very intriguing world that can only be describe as a genre melting pot. The terms genre-bending and slipstream both feel inadequate. In typical Vaughan fashion, the characters are full and interesting, strongly voiced, and immediately lovable. Even though this first installment didn’t exactly blow me away on its own, I am eagerly awaiting the next one. Read on to find out why.
I’ll say this much, drop all your preconceived notions of genre before you crack this one—sorry, make that: all your preconceived notions, period. (It’s also worth mentioning ahead of time that Saga sports more than a few NSFW pages.)
The story follows Marko and Alana, deserters from opposite sides of a galactic war, as they try to escape the war to raise their brand new baby in peace. But most of this double sized issue is dedicated to establishing the universe for the story. Depending on how much you like Brian K. Vaughan, this could be either intriguing or frustrating; Saga #1 is heavy on the world building and a bit light on story.
Your initial experience of Saga is a little disorienting. First, you’re introduced to a ram-horned faun and a woman with fairy wings in a contemporary environment with an otherworldly feel. They give birth to a baby—well, she gives birth to a baby—with adorable little horns. You may think you have some idea where this is going, but you don’t, and it’s about to get a lot crazy. Next up you’ve got a robot with a MegaMan style cannon for an arm, angel-winged thugs with laser pistols, and an anthropomorphic monkey mechanic. Yes, you read that right.
Confused yet? What if I told you a stag-antlered guy and a troop of horned, robed henchmen are about to show up in a gout of flame then battle the robot and laser-wielding angel thugs? Also that they’re going to use swords and spells? Guess what, you’re not even 15 pages in yet. Believe it or not, Saga #1 still has plenty of surprises for you.
I don’t want to give away too many more specifics, but if the above doesn’t have you intrigued then you might be on the wrong site right now.
Fiona Staples is the artist, and she does a fantastic job. Saga may not have that computer-crisp look of comics like Y: The Last Man but it has a very human quality that I find endearing. Don’t take that the wrong way, this is quality artwork and Staples has a great sense of cinematography. She doesn’t go crazy with the grid, but her subtle manipulations are very effective particularly because they’re used sparingly. The backgrounds are subtle with a bit of a watercolor feel that fits nicely with the mysterious world Vaughan has created, while hard lines are reserved for scene actors. This dichotomy gives Saga a bit of a unique look, and goes a long way toward punching up the characters in every frame.
Vaughan has created an impressive and expansive universe with this one, and the first issue is only the tip of the iceberg by necessity. In fact, based on the beautifully lettered, past tense narrator it seems like like the eventual protagonist of the series doesn’t even make an appearance yet, except as a newborn. Saga #1 isn’t an Origin story per se, it’s a Birth story.
It may be 45 pages of “WTF” but you won’t regret reading them, plus it’s cool looking. The universe of Saga is complicated, but I trust Vaughan as a storyteller and I fully believe this is all going to pay off big time. I think he’s proven himself worthy of that trust. I’m going to keep following Saga, so if you’re still on the fence keep an eye out for my future reviews and I’ll let you know how things pan out.
[Did you read Saga #1? What did you think? We’d love to hear it below.]
[Connor Cleary is a video game columnist and critic, a freelance web and graphic designer, and an aspiring fiction writer. He is a reviewer at GameShark and an occasional opinion and analysis columnist at Gamasutra. His freelance design business is Four Stair Multimedia and Design. You can follow Connor @The_Blue_Key, or at fb/TheBlueKey, or check out his writing archive on tumblr, The Blue Key.]