Originally this post was set to be a users guide to Season 2 of Game of Thrones, explaining character names and personalities and family ties and so forth. However, my chronic procrastination has led that to be somewhat unfeesible, since we're almost halfway through the season. If you guys still want me to write that, say something. Anything. Please.
Anyway, on to today's subject. A question I often get asked is "Hey, man, when was the last time you got a haircut?" A question I wish I was often asked is, "What sort of comics should I read?" Of the many titles that come to mind, the first would be Saga.
Saga marks the triumphant return to comics of writer Brian K. Vaughan. Vaughan is something of a legend in comics, having written some of the most unique series of the past decade. Runaways took teenage rebellion to its extreme, with a group of kids discovering that their parents were a cabal of supervillains and, as the title suggests, run away. Y: The Last Man examined gender politics in the post-apocalypse, where a virus kills every mammal on Earth with a Y-chromosome, save for a nineteen-year-old slacker and his pet monkey. Ex Machina followed the world's sole superhero as he undertakes his most dangerous venture: politics. Then Vaughan disappeared, and nobody knew where he went. Actually that's a lie, he went to Hollywood and became a writer on Lost. Anyway, Vaughan is back with his latest gift to the masses, Saga, which is...well, it's Romeo and Juliet meets Star Wars. But's still unique and it's still a damn good book.
The setting is, of course, SPAAAAAAAAAACE! Specifically a galaxy still entrenched in an ancient civil war. On one side are the winged soldiers of the planet Landfall; on the other, the horned mystics of its moon, Wreath. In the process of this conflict, against all odds, love is found between enemies. Alana, a low-level prison guard with the Landfall Coilition, and Marko, a consciencious objector of Wreath, fall in love and elope together, returning nine months later with a pair of wedding rings and bouncing baby crossbreed. Unfortunately for the new parents, both sides get wind of Hazel the hybrid and send their best (or just most expendable) agents to retrieve the child. Alana and Marko are now on a search across the planet and across the galaxy to find a safe place to be a family, along the way dodging mystical horrors, freelance bounty hunters, and the powerful (but funny-looking) Robot Kingdom.
And we're only two issues in.
The books strongest point is its characters, and just how meticulously Vaughan presents them. The protagonists are definately likeable and you root for them, but at the same time you don't know much about them, which gives the book a sense of unpredictability that's rare on stories these days. The intrigue suggests that there's something more to the characters than they let on, which creates an effective hook and keeping the reader invested and the stories fresh. Anything can happen; not just in the sci-fi/fantasy elements, but with the characters as well. The shining example comes when Alana is confronted by one of the bounty hunters. I won't say what happens, but suffice to say she demonstrates a level of resolve that makes a much stronger character.
And then there's art. Oh man, is there the art. Fiona Staples (Woot! Female creators!) uses a sketchy, almost childlike style that adds to the sense of wonder of the book. The big epic images, such as a brief summary of the history of the war have a proper gravitas to them. However, where Staples truly shines is in the characters. Their acting is pitch perfect. Their facial expressions and body language is drawn in such a way that you know them and their disposition immediately, even the faceless members of the Robot Monarchy. It's beautiful artwork that invokes the same sense of amazement one had watching the Original Trilogy as a child (I imagine).
Saga is the book I didn't know I needed until I read it (that and Wolverine and the X-Men). Expertly written, with fantastic intrigue and characterization, coupled with stunning artwork that suits the book perfect. I cannot recommend it highly enough. DO. NOT. MISS. THIS. BOOK.
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!
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