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Saga #1-3

Saga, Book One

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At long last, a deluxe hardcover of the Eisner and Hugo Award-winning SAGA is finally here!

"It's easy to run out of accolades for this superb series... The dialogue is smart, arch and always rings true, and the visuals, rendered digitally, are alluring and inventive. The Stalk, an eight-eyed, eight-limbed female bounty hunter, remains a creepy favorite." -The New York Times

At long last, a deluxe hardcover of the Hugo Award-winning Saga is finally on its way! Collecting the first three trade paperbacks (issues #1-18) of the smash-hit series, this massive edition features a striking new cover, as well as special extras, including never-before-seen sketches, script pages, and a roundtable discussion with the creators about how Saga is really made. Altogether, this hardcover contains over 500 pages for less than fifty bucks!

Written by Eisner Award-winning "Best Writer" Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, The Private Eye) and drawn by Harvey Award-winning "Best Artist" Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40) Saga is the story of Hazel, a child born to star-crossed parents from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war. Now, Hazel's fugitive family must risk everything to find a peaceful future in a harsh universe that values destruction over creation. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in a sexy, subversive drama for adults that Entertainment Weekly called, "The kind of comic you get when truly talented superstar creators are given the freedom to produce their dream book."

Collects: Saga #1-18.

504 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2014

About the author

Brian K. Vaughan

959 books13.8k followers
Brian K. Vaughan is the writer and co-creator of comic-book series including SAGA, PAPER GIRLS, Y THE LAST MAN, RUNAWAYS, and most recently, BARRIER, a digital comic with artist Marcos Martin about immigration, available from their pay-what-you-want site www.PanelSyndicate.com

BKV's work has been recognized at the Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, Shuster, Eagle, and British Fantasy Awards. He sometimes writes for film and television in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family and their dogs Hamburger and Milkshake.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,293 reviews
Profile Image for Anne.
4,390 reviews70.2k followers
May 5, 2021
So...Saga.
Cheeze-us on a cracker, right? I'm not really sure what I can say about this one that hasn't already been said a million times.
Fantastic! Amazing! Hilarious! Heartfelt! Excellent!

description

Ok, well I'm not big on re-reading stuff that I recently finished, and I had just read the first 6 issues (volume 1) as part of a buddy read with a friend earlier this year. So my original plan was to skim & skip till I got to the new stuff.
Ok, I started out on the first page with my eyeballs ready to start the process of quickly flashing over the pages.
Aaaaaaaaand?
Hey! That was a good part! I'll just read for a minute. And that, because it was interesting! And that! And that was funny, too. I'll just keep going for a little bit longer...
The Whole Thing.
I read all of the first volume again before I realized what I'd done.
And if you've ever done something like that, then you know what kind of a fantastic, amazing, hilarious, heartfelt, excellent kind of story it has to be for that to happen.

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As for the new stuff I read?

description

I have a girl-crush on Gwendolyn, in case you were wondering.

Plot, plot, plot...
So much happens that I don't think I could adequately convey the plot. And, quite frankly, I don't want to. It's better if you go into it with no preconceived notions of what to expect.
I will say it's about family.
The one you're born with, and the one you choose.

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You don't think Saga sounds like something you'd like, you say?

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Take it from someone who doesn't enjoy weirdo indie stories about weirdo people with weirdo horns from weirdo planets. Stuff like that can go quickly wrong for me, and I end up finding them (most of the time) unrelatable and dorky.
But.
None of those other ones had Lying Cat...

description
Profile Image for Kai Spellmeier.
Author 7 books14.7k followers
February 9, 2017
“Once upon a time, each of us was somebody's kid.
Everyone had a father, even if he never provided anything more than his seed.
Everyone had a mother, even if she had to leave us on a stranger's doorstep.
No matter how we're eventually raised, all of our stories begin the exact same way.
They all end the same, too.”


Oh wow.
Wow wow wow.
Wow.
Never really was into graphic novels, but now I might as well be. This is awesome, from start to finish. Beautiful art, intruiging plot, unexpected twists, incredibly interesting characters, unique ideas are just a few things that make this the ultimate page-turner. I absolutely don't know where this is going but I will one hundred percent find out.

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Profile Image for Gavin.
1,219 reviews89 followers
February 6, 2015
description

OK I almost feel like I need to invent a 6th Star to account for how much awesomeness just rolled all over me. I had wanted to read this for some time, and thanks to the good folks at Humble Bundle and Image, I was able to, in a handy dandy digital version!

In a way I'm sad I missed out for this long, but in a stronger way, thank GOD I waited so that I could take in 18 Chapters/Issues all at once. BINGE!

I just don't know where to start...I mean from the first page it grabs you...


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Hooked! Profanity? Poop? Hells to the yizzle!

The colours...I mean...gorgeous. This may be the most colourful book I've ever read...I stopped at one point because I feel like this could be just distributed across the world in colour with no words, and I still feel like it would produce great joy. I feel like Rainbows and Skittles come to read this book to get an idea of how colour works.

Did I say I liked the colours?

On top of that, this is one of the funniest things I've read too, not just smirks, observations, but laughing out loud and having to go and show my wife (who doesn't really care, but seems to enjoy my prattling on like a dumbass about how funny the Ram-Man and the Flying-Girl are.)

This book also has a lot of inter-species erotica, including Robot Sex! A whole planet of debauchery, and it's explicit. There's no PG for kids here, and it manages to be sexy and funny at the same time...this bit about coming inside? I mean my GOD, I was on the floor.

description

I love the word Twat. It's so good. I love that they use the c-word, my God, I love that there's no fear at all. They're just gonna do what they're gonna do. Bravo Mr. BKV as the peeps call you...oh and Ms. Staples? You are a goddess of artistry. I wasn't sure what to make at first, but pretty soon I was wondering how I'd lived my life so long WITHOUT this art...

I could gush and gush some more, but sometimes, you just get so immersed in a world, and it's so real and lush and intoxicating, there's nothing better than diving in.

Oh, and on top of it, the leading assassin in the galaxy saves a 6-year old child prostitute from that nightmare. (Want to endear everyone to a character? That'll do it.)

A war between Ram-people who live on Moons and Flying-People who live on Earths...do the Ram people speak some kinda Spanish/Italian/Portuguese hybrid?
Throw in the forbidden love, the outlaws on the run, the cute baby, family story, grandparents, a Gigantic old Tree that's a spaceship! (Say WHAT? I shit you not.)

description

Then there's all the inside jokes about writers, and the underlying message about peace in wartime and the parallels about war and it's devastation and unending cycles...I mean this just has so much going on...wow.

Did I mention there's a Pink Ghost who babysits the baby? Oh and she's missing half her body, including her vagina, which is helpfully pointed out!

Don't forget the violence too...

Oh and there's a fantastic narrative throughout the whole story done by the now somewhat grown baby (Hazel) which is sorta painted into each panel like ether, it just sorta floats there. At first super distracting, but then, very cool, now, actually a very enjoyable part.

And don't forget the COLOURS! I almost wish I had some acid so I could read this again and smell the colours. A book this imaginative doesn't have the right to be this funny AND original AND colourful AND gorgeous AND an addictive page-turner.

But no matter what, don't forget:

description

I literally cannot WAIT for Vol. 4...I may shit myself in anticipation.

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Profile Image for Lono.
169 reviews107 followers
February 14, 2015
description

I’ve got some mixed feelings about this one. Part of me is wondering why the hell I waited so long to start reading this book and part is so friggin’ glad I did so I could read the first 18 issues all at once in this monstrous collection. And, it has about 70% of a boob on the cover. Cha-ching. The breast feeding baby chugging away is a bit of a bonerkill, but whatever.

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Brian K. hasn’t delivered like this for me since I finished Y The Last Man. I think it's my love for that series that foolishly left me wondering if he could make magic again and not just leave me wishing I had just reread Y instead. NO disappointment here. 18 issues of awesome. He does such a phenomenal job of creating characters I give a shit about. He takes some pretty unusual looking folks and gives them genuine voice. Alana’s wings or Marko’s horns almost fade away when they start to talk. They’re real people. I guess that’s what every good author should be able to do. This also helps Brian in building authentic feeling relationships between his characters. The connections between lovers, the interactions between parents and their children, and emotions between friends and enemies just rang true to me here. Brian K. Vaughn got me to give a shit about an overgrown fairy, a newly liberal satyr, and giant cat that says one word. Thought it was not possible. Then he goes and throws in just enough edginess to reel in a guy like me. A generous amount of violence peppers this one and it’s got the c-word. And how can I not just fall in love with a girl that says “Please shoot it in my twat”. Fuckin’ Shakespearian.

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This is all topped off some pretty amazing art. Fiona Staples deserves as much credit as Vaughn in building this insane universe. She did an unbelievable job of giving faces to Brian’s wonderful voices. Her art is beautifully drawn and consistent. And she doesn’t shy away from the crazy shit either. Although Fiona completely freaked me out with The Stalk. Just too creepy no matter how much ground she can cover in the sack.

Some of my personal favorites are, of course, The Stalk.

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Fard, the Fumunda-cheese giant.

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Izabel, the bowel dragging ghost.

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And Prince Robot IV smashing out.

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So far Saga is just simply a great story about a couple trying to keep their child safe and everything that happens to them along the way. I would recommend this book to anybody. I don’t think I’m gonna to be able to wait for the next 18 issue collection.

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Profile Image for Metodi Markov.
1,554 reviews384 followers
June 8, 2024
Този омнибус ��ъдържа първите 13 книжки от поредицата.

Страхотен арт и прилична, макар и малко наивна и разпиляна на моменти история - достави ми удоволствие. Ще видим, как ще се развият героите в следващите части.

Любимец - паякообразната жена, безжалостен наемен убиец.

Моята оценка - 3,5*. ;)

Не съм сигурен обаче, дали ще си купя останалите части от поредицата.
Profile Image for Donovan.
725 reviews80 followers
January 3, 2022
"Until only the darlings remain."



Saga is one of the most difficult comic series to appraise, at least for me, because of its notoriety, genre-defiance, and shortcomings (yes it has those). So let's jump in.

Brian K. Vaughan's story is imaginative yet familiar, tender yet vulgar, fantastic yet socially commentative. It's a real page turner full of sex, drama, violence, and humor. But it also has an annoyingly zealous fan base, it tries so hard that it can feel overwritten, and characterization, after three volumes, is lacking. But I still really like reading it.

Because it's fantasy and space opera, the characters are quite diverse. Horned, winged, robotic, magical, ghostly, alien. They each have their strengths, weaknesses, and trademark quirks. But for 400+ pages I want more development. They aren't characters as much as the beginnings of characters, caricatures, sketches. But there's a lot more to this.

And this isn't a total shortcoming, because I believe this is mostly due to the absolute epicness and drama of the story. Think about Star Wars, the inevitable comparison. Luke, Han and Leia aren't the deepest characters. Yet we still sympathize and identify with them, become invested in their stories. By comparison I feel that Marko, Alana and co. are even deeper and more unique because of their diversity, i.e. they aren't just white humans. And this story is deeper than Star Wars because it isn't just space opera, it's so much more.

I also wonder about the suggestion and presence of mass market fiction (D. Oswald Heist) and daytime soap opera (The Open Circuit) as an explanation for these characters. Quick characters in a long form drama, where the moderate character development is supplemented by a rich and dramatic plot determined by their decisions. It's not that they're shallow or common, they're just constantly on the move, subject to outside forces and their own emotions, seemingly insignificant in a vast and epic "saga." And much like mass market fiction or daytime soap opera, I imagine these characters will grow immensely over time through the sheer epicness of the story. That's my guess anyway.

On another note, there's also the theme of taboos, as paraded blatantly on the covers with breastfeeding (Book One) and nose-picking (Book Two). Then there's sex, blowjobs, menstruating, birth, drugs, alcohol, farting, you name it. This gives Saga elements of exercising freedom of speech and a sort of rock and roll rebellion while dealing with these issues in a generally open and realistic manner. That none of these things are deserving of quick and harsh judgment, even drug or alcohol use, but rather they are very real and arguably necessary parts of what make us human, for right or wrong. The exploratory testing and limit-pushing of our physicality is itself an expression of our humanity, isn't it? An exploration of sentience and consciousness and free will? If we can't behave like apes when we want to, what's the point in having the choice?

"The whole point of having enemies abroad is getting to ignore the ones back home."



The artwork is the highlight because it is pure joy. Clean lines, deep textures, and total color saturation. Fiona Staples's illustrations are cinematic and polished, dynamic and beautiful. Her coloring is dreamlike and otherworldly, painterly and rich. And the whole page and splash page illustrations are stunning. It's rare when you can't imagine different art with the story, because it's perfectly in sync, but this is one of those times.

Saga is weird, very weird. It's violent, dramatic, epic, and funny. It's button-pushing and boundary-leaping. It's vulgar and pornographic. The artwork is among the best in comics today, seriously, it's that good. And the combination, honestly, is pretty shocking. If I hopped in a time machine to recommend this comic to myself like three years ago I probably would have thought it was a joke. Space opera? With graphic sex and profanity? Crass bodily functions? Gratuitous violence? From Brian K. Vaughan, of all people? Sounds like...Star Wars with no boundaries. Sounds...unpublishable. Right? I guess that's why Vaughan talks about saving the darlings. Don't kill them. Combine them. It seemed to have worked, at least this time.

So I guess I am one of those hopeless zealous fanboys. I can't help it. Okay okay, maybe I'm not quite a diehard, mouth-foaming fanboy. I mean, it's not infallible. I still want more from these characters. But it's not over yet, there's time and space for growth. And damn, there really is a lot happening in this book. It's got dimensionality and literary depth. It makes you think. And for me that's five stars.
Profile Image for emma.
153 reviews631 followers
June 21, 2017
this was really fucking weird but also really cool and interesting and fun.....I'm gonna try to write a longer review later but this book is really hard to describe
Profile Image for Richard.
1,021 reviews447 followers
June 16, 2017
It's so refreshing to experience a book series like Saga, a singularly imaginative creation that, amongst the wacky-looking aliens and fantasy action, manages to still be irresistibly charming and deeply heartfelt. In it's story about star-crossed alien lovers born to opposing sides of a galactic war and their fight to stay ahead of a galaxy that sees their newborn child as a threat, Saga truly has something for everyone including romance, an unforgettable and diverse cast of characters, and exciting sci-fi set-pieces. It's a fearless quirky space opera that wears its heart on its sleeve.



I reviewed the separate volumes of this book previously. You can find them here:

Volume 1 ★★★★★
Volume 2 ★★★★★
Volume 3 ★★★★★
August 19, 2017
So I just scored this beautiful hardback deluxe edition of the first three volumes today for FREE because GRAPHIC NOVEL SALE (buy 2 get 2 free) and ALLLLLLLLLLL my friends love it, so why not? Gonna start this one soon.

____________________________

4.5 stars. RTC.
Btw, I am KINDA in love with The Will.


But it may only be because of Lying Cat.


Give me the second deluxe volume NOW!

Please
Profile Image for Trish.
1,395 reviews2,651 followers
April 3, 2015
Both the writer, Brian K. Vaughan, and the illustrator, Fiona Staples, are such profusely talented collaborators that their work must be outstanding examples of the genre. Perhaps best of all, in the final pages of the hardcover version of Volume I Vaughan lets us in on the magic of creating graphic novels. Since the writer and illustrator both have unmatched imaginative and artistic skills, their generosity in sharing the techniques of creation seem unlikely to infringe upon their respective positions at the pinnacle of graphic novels.

Residents of a world are war with the residents of their moon. Their fight has drawn in residents of other locales throughout the galaxy to fight proxy wars on their behalf, “waged mostly by unlucky draftees or conscripts from other worlds.” The original enmity remained and fighting had gone on so long that offspring of the surviving combatants knew only to hate “those with horns” or “those with wings.” When Marko finds himself an “enemy combatant” and falls in love with his jailor, special agent Alana, they escape but must live on the lam.

The explicit images and language at the beginning of this book strangely do not label it “not for teens” because the language and temperament are all about teens and youthful idealisms. But it can be satisfying fare for adults as well because of the exquisite portraitures and expressions we recognize, and the heavy doses of physicality and fornication elicit something more than morbid curiosity.
“The opposite of war is not peace.”

Both Marko and Alana are devotees of a particular self-deprecating author, D. Oswald Heist, who churns out volumes of sci-fi bodice-rippers from a lighthouse on the on the planet of Quietus “to pay the bills.” Heist has a major following because his books have a philosophy and a worldview that his readership find enthralling.
“The opposite of war is not peace. The opposite of war is .”

I take Vaughan’s point. I don’t agree with it necessarily since the idea is (literally) sketched and not fully developed as a concept, but I see what he is about. But perhaps we should just take Vaughan’s graphic novels as the starting points for discussion in or outside the classroom. Surely just the awesomeness of the paired writing and drawing should be a subject of study: the difficulty of culling physical and verbal communication to their essence without losing the particular personality of the speakers.

Personally I was more taken with the visual component of Saga Vol I rather than the arguments presented in support of the anti-war philosophy, but I think together they make a marvelous combination. And I appreciated the To Be Continued section of the book in which the finesse, attention to detail, and the agonizingly slow process of creation, correction, and distillation is highlighted. Vaughan claims to be quoting Twain when he says “Try to feature at least one hideously enlarged pair of testicles in every story you tell” and he’s right—it adds to the overall drama.
Profile Image for The Lion's Share.
530 reviews90 followers
March 28, 2016
Fantastic story an a epic 'Saga'. This is something I really want to follow. It feels like the beginning of something big. Almost like Lord of the rings or Star Wars.

Heartfelt, adult, thrills with twists and turns and fantastic characters.
Profile Image for Maricruz.
465 reviews69 followers
February 26, 2022
¿Por qué he tardado tanto yo en comenzar a leer Saga? Me lo pregunto incluso con reproche. ¿Cómo he pasado tanto tiempo ignorando un cómic tan rematadamente bueno? Las veces que he leído algo de Brian K. Vaughan me ha sorprendido su talento para crear historias tan originales al tiempo que verosímiles. Da igual la dosis de fantasía o de probable realidad que maneje, tengo la sensación de que Vaughan es de esos creadores que no se limita a inventar una historia, sino que la desarrolla en su mente hasta el último detalle y uniendo cada fragmento de ese mundo hasta que hace un satisfactorio «clic». Y qué decir de los dibujos de Fiona Staples aparte de que son soberbios. Tengo la sensación de que el uso de los medios digitales en el cómic a veces arroja soluciones un tanto facilonas o forzadas, pero Fiona Staples usa la tableta gráfica como si tuviera el Photoshop integrado neuronalmente. Parecería que dos personas tan talentosas trabajando juntas solo podían llegar a algo tan genial como Saga, pero a veces eso sencillamente no sucede porque no todo encaja. En ese caso sí, rotundamente.
Profile Image for Vicky N..
437 reviews61 followers
February 7, 2017
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2017 - A book with pictures. 4/52

I was never a huge comic book lover until Saga.

Saga is the story of two star crossed lovers.
Landfall and its moon had been at odds for as long as they can remember. Their war had traveled throughout the whole galaxy making planets choose sides.
Until Alana and Marko, two soldiers from each side fall in love and have a baby, coexistence between this two species seemed impossible. Saga starts with the greatest happiness, the birth of their baby and follows with the constant fear that they might lose their little girl to the war.

description

Saga is a mature sci-fi/fantasy story filled with adventure, laughter and great worlds. Each panel made me fall in love with its characters and its story a bit more.

Each character that makes even the smaller appearance will stick with you and they go from the bizarre, to the just plain weird. And I love it.
description

I admire Brian K. Vaugh and Fiona Staples so much, how they have managed to understand each other so well, and they each know when it's time to let the other shine.

Some of the best parts of the story are when Brian lets Fiona's art speak for themselves without any dialogue or when Staples does a simple background to let the character's dialogue resonate.

Saga is at times funny, at others touching, and sometimes even maddening, but every single page has managed to astonish me. It is and will always be one of my favorite comics because it made me fall in love with the genre.

And I would recommend it to both comic book fans and non comic book fans. It is a good story, made even better through the great art of Staples.

It reminded me of when I was a little kid and what reading a great fantasy novel for the first time felt like. It felt like the discovering of a world where everything was new and wondrous.


Profile Image for Javier Muñoz.
828 reviews95 followers
April 3, 2018
Saga es fantasía, es space opera, es una road movie espacial con su puntito de sexo y violencia, pero sobretodo es un comic sobre la familia, o mejor dicho, distintos tipos de familias.

Esta colección cuenta la huida de Marko y Alana, dos nativos de dos planetas (en realidad un planeta y su luna) que mantienen una cruel guerra a lo largo de toda la galaxia desde hace mucho tiempo. Alana, una piloto de naves degradada a vigilante de una cárcel por cobardía en el campo de batalla se enamora de Marko, un prisionero enemigo en el que ve un alma gemela y se fugan juntos... este hecho no tendría gran importancia si no fuera porque ambos tienen una hija, un híbrido prohibido con los atributos de ambas razas, los cuernos del padre y las alas de la madre, un símbolo de que la guerra entre ambos mundos quizás no sea necesaria. los tres son perseguidos por distintos planetas por varios cazarrecompensas y distintas facciones.

hablé antes de familias porque aunque lo más evidente es esa familia formada por Alana, Marko y Hazel (con las posteriores incorporaciones), también en sus perseguidores los vínculos familiares (reales o improvisados) tienen una gran importancia... el principe robot IV por ejemplo quiere capturar cuanto antes a los fugitivos para poder volver con su mujer a tiempo del nacimiento de su primer hijo; otro grupo de perseguidores formado por The Will (cazarrecompensas), su gato mentira, Gwendolin (antigua prometida de Marko), y sophie (una niña que fue esclava sexual y que rescató The Will), forman también una forma de familia disfuncional e improvisada, y en muchos de los personajes que van apareciendo en el camino de los protagonistas y los perseguidores se va viendo la importancia de los vínculos familiares actuales o pasados.

esta historia de huida es narrada en tiempo pasado por la propia Hazel, supuestamente cuando ya es una adolescente o joven adulta. esto para mi es un acierto, nos permite ir descubriendo el mundo y los personajes de manera fluida, sólo con los diálogos (excelentes y nunca forzados) y las palabras de Hazel, que en realidad habla sólo desde su punto de vista, aunque nos va dando pistas del futuro, ya que no puede evitar comentar cosas que pasarán después o hablar de personajes que más adelante conocerá.

El dibujo de Fiona Staples refleja a la perfección este mundo lleno de seres extraños, su fuerte está en los personajes y quizás su punto flojo está en los escenarios, quizás se eche en falta algo más de espectacularidad en ciertas viñetas panorámicas y en los fondos, pero por lo demás hace un gran trabajo.

Para mí es de las mejores colecciones que se han publicado en los últimos años, es divertida, original y sorprendente. espero que siga a este nivel durante muchos números.
Profile Image for Chelsea &#x1f3f3;️‍&#x1f308;.
1,793 reviews6 followers
August 1, 2022
God, this series remains one of my all time faves! Just under Y: the Last Man for my all time favorite comic books of all time. There's just something about the worlds BKV builds that resonate with me a lot more than other writers. I can't quite put my finger on it? Perhaps it's because he builds diverse casts of characters (and I mean truly diverse. Not just "one black person diverse".) and the female characters have personality and aren't just present as love interests. He's a truly phenomenal writer and I enjoy 99% of his works that I've read so far.

Of course, I would never forget to thank Fiona Staples for her wonderful work bringing all of these characters to life. This world would be nothing without all the effort she put into make every single setting and every single species unique and engaging to look at.

This is just an all around amazing series and I've been captivated since the very first page. It's impossible for me to put it down.

I just can't say enough how amazing this series is!
Profile Image for Susie.
252 reviews714 followers
April 8, 2015
I love it still. I cannot help myself. Saga has a rich and exciting plot, fully formed interesting characters, and artwork that is out of this world.
Profile Image for Siona St Mark.
2,526 reviews51 followers
June 9, 2019
This was just as good the second time as the first! This is one of the best modern comics I’ve read. I just love the characters, writing, and art. Could not possibly recommend this any more highly (is that correct grammar? Who cares?). Baby Hazel is adorable. I had forgotten how much happened in the first three volumes, but I guess with an Indie comic like Saga there aren’t really any filler issues/arcs.
Profile Image for XenofoneX.
250 reviews332 followers
July 28, 2018
Saga is so vital, imaginative, and beautifully executed, it might serve as atonement for unleashing that vicious blight on the landscape of television drama, 'Under the Dome'. How someone so talented could screw things up so badly, I'll never understand. I've entertained the possibility that it's a case of writing-room compromises or studio interference, but the fact remains that he's the only man credited with developing this attack on narrative coherence. 'Under the Dome: Developed by Brian K. Vaughan.' I hope those words haunt him at night. I hope he wakes up screaming, in a cold sweat, before trying to bury his nightmares about glowing eggs and butterflies in a pillow stuffed with hundred dollar bills.

I'm exaggerating, obviously. Under the Dome is a fucking holocaust of bad ideas, but I think the season 1 pilot and -- perhaps -- the next episode were the extent of his direct involvement, since they were lightly entertaining and fairly well-written... judged against the neuron-killing dreck that followed. They even improved on Stephen King's novel -- although the novel was mediocre even relative to his lesser books -- and got my hopes up that Vaughan would flex his creative muscles and show everyone why he's one of the most respected idea-machines in comics. But instead of building upward, getting better with each new instalment, things went downhill... and beyond downhill. Things got straight-up fucking subterranean, with the hack writers and producers showing up with shovels to dig themselves in deeper, apparently hoping to break through the sewer-pipes and make things as shitty as possible.

With Saga, you get B.K. Vaughan doing what he does best: writing unique, exciting stories full of imaginative plots and fully-fleshed characters, engaging the reader immediately in a fantasy-world of his own devising. Fiona Staples is just as integral to the success of 'Saga', crafting beautiful artwork that suits the material perfectly. The tale begins as a variation on the Romeo and Juliet theme, but both lovers belong to warring alien species instead of feuding families, and neither of them play around with faked suicide gambits. Also, there's a baby in the picture. I won't bother breaking down the story, since the salient points are available everywhere, and spoilers should definitely be avoided for 'Saga'.

This is SF-Fantasy at it's peak, inspired world-building on the order of Dune, The Hyperion Cantos, Anathem, and of course, Star Wars. Read it. You'll like it... and for god's sake, avoid 'Under the Dome'. Its' next season is going to be accompanied by a warning: "One season of 'Under the Dome' will knock ten IQ points off your intellect". There is still hope that season 3 can somehow be avoided. UN diplomats are working around the clock to find a non-violent solution, and there's a very good chance that the cast and crew will stand trial in the Hague for crimes against humanity. God I hope so. Vaughan can write comics all day long in prison, but it would shut down his TV career completely.
Profile Image for Valerie.
393 reviews203 followers
August 21, 2015
I loved Saga. Loved it. I'm not entirely new to graphic novels as a whole, because I've read tons of manga, but Saga is my first Western graphic novel, and it is pretty much completely different.

You're thrown into a completely different world, and all you can do is accept it.
Robots with TV's as heads, horned people, winged people, a tree spaceship, there's nothing you can do but accept everything that's happening. And why? Because the characters are freaking fantastic. Our two main characters, Alanna and Marko, have found themselves in love and with child, even though they're on the opposite sides of a never ending war. Together, they encounter enemies and allies alike as they travel the galaxy in a tree spaceship.

What makes the story so appealing (other than the squishy baby), is the art, and the way the story is told. Not only are the character interactions entertaining, the story is also sometimes narrated by an older version of the baby, as if she were telling her life story from the beginning.

There is also the originality of, well everything. I have yet to find any similarities between Saga and anything else I have read or watched in my life. What seems to be a simple war between two species (and their allies) has a more complicated message hidden behind it.

I need more graphic novels in my life
If it isn't evident, I could not get enough of Saga, which is why I need to find the second half of the series soon. But at the same time, I don't want to finish it because of how unique it is. I didn't even care about the lack of background information, in the end it fit the overall vibe of the novel.

In conclusion, read this ASAP. It's a fast read, as it's a graphic novel and all, and the art and story are both gorgeous. SO GET ON IT!
Profile Image for Lost in Book Land.
749 reviews162 followers
January 27, 2019
After hearing a lot of people on various book platforms talk about Saga I really wanted to give it a try, however, upon looking at Hoopla (the software my local library uses) there were so many choices for this graphic novel series I was not really sure where to start. So I sat down and did a little looking and research and found that by reading Book One I would be covering a lot of the volumes and starting at the beginning which is everything I wanted to do. So I borrowed book one from Hoopla and set out on my journey of starting Saga!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Saga is the story of Hazel and her family. She is a child born to star crossed lovers in the middle of a war. Her parents are from opposite sides of the war, her mother was a soldier working to guard prisoners on one side while her father was a prisoner on the other side (one that her mother happens to guard at a point). Hazel’s parents have their forbidden love which results in the birth of Hazel and them on the run from several people from all sides out to catch them. There is the Prince out looking for them (told he is not allowed to come home until he catches them), several freelancers who have been hired to hunt them down (who end up having a fascinating storyline of their own), and Gwen (I am sure I may be missing a few of their pursuers). This is bind up is the start of Hazel’s life and her family’s journey on the run. I really do not want to say more than that on the story as I said this bind up contains so many volumes and I do not want to spoil the story but guys I love this graphic novel series and I am so ready to read the next set. The illustrations are amazing in this graphic novel and the storyline kept me turning pages constantly. This was a rather large bind up and I never wanted to put it down and I instantly wanted to pick up the next. I am giving this five stars on Goodreads and if you have not please give these a try!
Profile Image for Aylin.
272 reviews10 followers
June 20, 2024
Saga ; etkileyici görselleri, büyüleyici karakterleri, sürükleyici kurgusu, anı unutturan atmosferi ve zengin bilimkurgusal ve fantastik unsurları ile hayran kalarak okuduğum bir çizgiromandı. 495 sayfalık bu özel edisyonda 18 bölüm ve daha önce hiç bir ciltte yayınlanmayan ek sayfalar bulunmakta.

Galaksideki en büyük gezegen İlktoprak ve tek uydusu Çelenk arasında; çok uzun süredir devam eden savaş; birinin yok olması diğerini de yörüngeden çıkaracağı gerekçesi ile farklı gezegenlere taşınır. İlktoprak sakinlerinden piyade er Alana ve Çelenk askerlerinden Marko; Çatlak isimli gezegende biraraya gelir. Muhafızı olduğu Marko ile beraber kaçan ve evlenerek bir çocuk sahibi olan Alana, ırklar arası savaşta kendi ırkları tarafından hain olarak yaftalanır ve suçlu konumuna düşerler. Marko'nun geldiği yer olan Çelenk'in büyü gücüne sahip halkı ve Alana'nın gezegeni İlktoprak'ın yönetim birimi tarafından tutulan Serbest Çalışanlar, Robot Krallığı'nın varisi Robot, bu ikiliyi öldürmek ve melez çocuklarını ele geçirmek üzere dış uzayda akıl almaz bir kovalamacanın başrollerini oluşturur.

Irklar arası savaşlar, gezegenlerine göre farklı güç ve fiziksel özelliklere sahip varlıklar,ilüzyon yaratabilen hayaletler, doğum yapan gezegenler, uzay boşluğunda yolculuk yapmayı sağlayan ağaçsı yapılar, ayırt edici özellikleri ile farklı gezegenler, insansı özellikler gösteren robotlardan oluşan krallıklar, yalanları ayırteden kediler, beyini enfekte etmesi ile halüsinasyonlara sebep olan virüsler ve daha bir çok olguyu derin bir kurgu ile birleştiren bu etkileyici hikaye Cilt 2 ile devam etse de, son bölümler Türkçe'ye çevrilmedi. En yakın zamanda seriye devam edeceğim. Bu tür kurgulardan hoşlananlara önerimdir.
Profile Image for Tatiana Shorokhova.
301 reviews109 followers
March 25, 2021
Люблю не могу.

Великолепная фантастика и размышление о том, как непросто быть родителями. Очень близко и так далеко. Вероятно, один из лучших комиксов в мире.
Profile Image for Aildiin.
1,377 reviews33 followers
December 7, 2014
The rating should not come as a surprise as I already told everyone I know how I felt about Saga.
This is however a nice addition to the bookshelves of any Saga fan. This book makes it easy to re-read in one sitting all previous issues of Saga while at the same time giving you a way to display your love Saga nicely on your bookshelves.
Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Jamie.
225 reviews126 followers
March 11, 2021
I have completely fallen in love with this world and characters.
Can't wait to read book two.
Profile Image for Librukie.
605 reviews478 followers
May 17, 2022
4.5

Ya lo he dicho varias veces: tengo un problema con la novela gráfica/cómic/manga. Pocas me atrapan y conectan conmigo como lo hacen mucho más a menudo las novelas. No es un problema del formato, es totalmente cosa mía. Por eso cuando una sí consigue llegarme la valoro mucho más. También me cuesta muchísimo valorar los capítulos individualmente porque se me hacen muy cortos, por eso esperé un poquito más para poder leerme los Integrales y tener un poquito más de contenido sobre el que opinar. He dudado bastante a la hora de puntuarla, porque no sabía si ponerle las cinco estrellas directamente... Pero me quedo de momento con las cuatro y media y ya veremos con los siguientes tomos.

Saga es una novela gráfica que se mueve entre la ciencia ficción y la fantasía, cuya historia principal gira en torno a una pareja y su hija. Alana y Marko huyen de la guerra intentando proteger a su hija mientras son perseguidos por mercenarios y asesinos, todo por un único crimen: amarse perteneciendo a especies diferentes que se encuentran en bandos contrarios.
Con esta premisa tan sencilla Saga consigue atrapar desde el primer momento, presentándote a cada vez más personajes carismáticos y entrañables. Combina un lenguaje coloquial y cercano con escenas que van desde lo más gore y grotesco a lo más tierno en unas pocas páginas. Utiliza la fantasía y la ciencia ficción para crear personajes diversos con los que yo al menos he conectado muy fácilmente.
Me gusta el dibujo, me gusta la historia y me encantan sus personajes. Creo que no le puedo pedir nada más de momento, veremos como continúa en los siguientes tomos.
Profile Image for Drew.
1,569 reviews610 followers
December 8, 2014
Just an absolute blast. I could go on and on about the joys of this book - what's another thing I haven't mentioned yet... the scrawled narration, in a different font? the humor? the heartwrenching violence? - but let it suffice that they are all just freakin' great. It's a big ol' sci-fi adventure, written with joy and imagination. Just what the doctor ordered.
Of course with a title like Saga, we have to realize that we're going in for the long haul. The first issue came out in March 2012; it's now December 2014. I know, I know, I could pick up the individual comics themselves in order to stay in the world of the story... and who knows, I might do it. Come back and get the big book(s) later on down the road.
And for the first time in a very long time with a serialized story, I'm tempted to do it. The breadth of this story is breathtaking and in the two hours it took me to burn through the entire collection (seriously), I was as giddy as a kid watching The Empire Strikes Back - or, frankly, as a 25-year-old watching Guardians. Goodness but I want to live in this wild, lurid, crazy, beautiful world that Vaughan and Staples have created. It is that cool.


Full review TK.
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