Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume One – Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume One – Brian K. Vaughan  (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Recommended for adults

I’d read a lot praise for Saga before read it, so it was with feverish anticipation that I started it when it finally came into the library. There’s nothing worse than finding out something you’ve been waiting for doesn’t live up to the hype, so I was delighted to find that Saga is even better than I hoped.

It’s the story of a mother, father and their child, and those hunting them down. Mother and father are from separate warring worlds, she the planet Landfall, he its moon, Wreath, and these are worlds that have been locked in conflict for as long as anyone can remember. Because the destruction of one world would push the other out of orbit, the war is outsourced to foreign lands, which is a brilliantly original piece of storybuilding. When Alana gives birth to baby Hazel, Marko must help her try and escape. They are hunted by parties on both sides, including Prince IV of the Robot People on behalf of the planet Landfall, and two freelancers called The Will and The Stalk. Helping them along the way is a ghost called Izabel, as they try to find a way off the planet they are on. It’s a fast paced affair, dealing well with the issue of warring factions in conflict, and what happens when two people from opposite sides of the war fall in love (ignore any Shakespeare similarities...).

For me, the real strength of Saga is the dialogue. It’s so witty and snappy, particularly when ghost Izabel is helping Alana and Marko. It’s also nice how there is some narration from an older Hazel filling in the back story of the world and characters. Talking of the characters, I think Izabel might be one of my favourite comic book creations of all time, already, even though she’s only in the story for a small part. There are a host of memorable characters though - Alana and Marko make for a leading couple that it’s easy to root for; The Will is a freelancing bounty hunter with a conscience, particularly when he discovers an underage slave girl on a brothel planet; and Prince IV of the Robot People is clearly weary of the war and having to fight for Landfall, with a slight hint of crazy about his person.

I mentioned a plot involved rescuing an underage slave girl from a brothel planet – this is definitely a book for adults. There are adult themes and some fairly explicit drawings throughout, and the language is full of swearing. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it’s definitely one to wait to show your kids when they’re older.

Talking of the illustrations, sometimes you feel that the images match the writing style perfectly, and that’s the case here. They’re perfectly fitting for a book about aliens, and the aliens themselves are varied and interesting, The Landfall people have wings, whereas those from Wreath (‘Moonies’) have curved horns on their heads. We see the Robot People who seem to be machines with televisions for heads, which display some of their thoughts at times of high emotion, and there are others such as the ‘lying’ cat (The Will’s companion who knows if someone is lying) and some of the women from the brothel planet who appear to be nothing but legs and a gigantic head. There’s also the most terrifying bounty hunter ever drawn, The Stalk, who is worth seeking out a picture of rather than relying on my description. Collectively they’re some of the most interesting aliens I’ve come across in literature.

Saga is a graphic novel series that I would recommend any Science-Fiction and Fantasy fans should check out as soon as they can. I’m eagerly awaiting Volume 2, which I’m beginning as soon as I finish this review. I haven’t rushed through a graphic novel this quickly for a long time, which I put down primarily to the fantastic dialogue, interesting characters and fun storyline. Please do yourselves a favour and check it out now; if anything is worth the hype, it’s Saga.

10/10