Comic Info
Comic Name: Saga
Publisher: Image
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
# of Issues: 6
Release Date: 2013
Saga #8
Reprints Saga #7-12 (November 2012-April 2013). Alana and Marko are on the run but it is the perfect time for Alana to meet her Wreath born in-laws who don’t approve of Marko’s decision to marry a girl from Landfall. As both Prince Robot IV and The Will move in on their location, Alana and Marko decide to seek out the author that brought them together.
Written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, Saga—Volume 2 collects the next six issues of the popular series. Saga #12 (November 2012) caused controversy with graphic depictions of oral sex which led to Apple’s decision not to make the issue available on iTunes.
Saga continues to be one of the best comics on the market, and both Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan never fail to wow me. The series just feels so original by augmenting novel clichés and the art and style propel the series from just a standard comic into something better. I feel pretty good about being on the Saga boat from the onset and that I didn’t jump on later. As the series picks up more and more steam, it demonstrates how it can still shock causing the reader to actually A) Get a good story monthly and B) Eager for the next issue…something most series can’t do nowadays. The cliffhangers in Saga always get people talking.
Saga #9
The idea of the characters hunting down this “legendary” author D. Oswald Heist is an interesting one that reminds me of one of my favorite sci-fi novels. For unknown reasons, Marko and Alana believe that the novel A Nighttime Smoke about forlorn lovers brought together despite the odds has a deeper meaning, and the author will have secret incite. This idea of the wise writer reminds me of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle which has people seeking out the author of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy for answers. This idea that authors can tap into unknown secrets and universal truths is always an interesting one…especially if when their works are taken in different direction than they intended (another great example of this is Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov). It is a concept and idea that is always ripe for examination so I’m glad Saga is hitting on it.
Saga also smartly has strong supporting characters. Both Prince Robot IV and The Will are fun characters and The Will also is joined by Lying Cat, Slaver Girl, and now Marko’s ex-fiancée Gwendolyn. Vaughan and Staples’ strength of storytelling is shown by a massive response to the end of Saga #10 (February 2013) where it looked like Lying Cat was doomed. Saga’s followers are rabid and quickly reacted to the potential death of the popular supporting character.
Saga #12
The quickly infamous blowjob in Saga #12 lit up social media networks like Twitter and brought bloggers quickly to the defense of the series when Apple decided not to sell it as a download. I actually missed it the first read through and had to go back to see what was the problem, and with all the other crazy stuff that has occurred in Saga thus far, felt it was rather weak for Apple to sensor it when other more serious “offenses” are readily available in literature and music they provide. Like most controversies, Apple’s decision really just brought the issue more attention and might have ended up helping the comic (and other venders).
Even you are just seeking it out for the controversy, pick up Saga…or if you are avoiding it because of the controversy, don’t do it. The comic is much more than a couple of images on a couple pages. Saga is one of the best comics out there, and these issues help show why. Don’t fall behind on this series, get caught up on Saga—Volume 1, and you will want this collection immediately.
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