I learned of this series in a comment from emmalita and I’m very grateful! I TORE through Volumes 1-5 last year, trading volumes with my best reading buddy. It’s the last time I remember staying up until 2am to read. This is my first time reading a graphic novel series, and I’m still blown away by the art and the ability to convey so much story in each frame.
I reviewed Volume 5 before diving in, which was a good idea after a long break. This is a space opera, continuing the tale of lovers from warring worlds, Marko and Alana (#MarkoandAlana4EVA !!), and their daughter Hazel. When we last saw the family, Marko and Alana had been reunited, but had lost Hazel, and in Volume 6 they are tirelessly searching for their girl across a huge, weird universe. Marko and Alana are better together, so there’s such joy and power in their union, even though they are in a dark time. It never fails to delight me that Alana is typically presented as brave and Marko is more sensitive, gender roles that are typically reversed in fiction.
I don’t want to give too much away, so I’d just strongly encourage starting with Volume 1. (Fair warning that adult content abounds.) The hardest thing for me to do is to take my time. I want to speed through the story, but I have to remind myself to savor each page and glean the depth of the plot from the art.
My criticism probably has more to do with my inexperience in the genre. The story is getting so big now that it’s a bit hard to keep track of all the subplots. And it’s hard to fit all the characters in one volume while maintining a cohesive narrative. Plenty of Saga’s many characters make an appearance in Volume 6 but there is NARY A MENTION OF LYING CAT. Still loved it, but I’m gonna need more Lying Cat.