As someone on the outside of the comic book world looking in, Saga has always been one of those comics (like Watchmen or Akira) that seems universally loved by fans and respected by critics. So it seems like something I should probably at least give a shot to.
And, if this one book is anything to go by, it’s absolutely deserving of that framing.
Alana and Marko are from two different, warring, extraterrestrial species. Marko was a prisoner, and Alana was a guard tasked with keeping him that way. She didn’t. Now they’re married, and they have a kid – but are on the run from the conflict that brought them together and threatens to tear them apart. They are also on the run from bounty hunters and a….robot prince with a TV for a head.
Alana and Marko are the central characters here, and I’m sure their adventure gets pretty crazy – but I don’t think this story is going to follow the standard: these are our heroes and they’re the center of the universe kind of story. Alana and Marko are kind of on the fringes, here. They’re important to us because they’re the protagonists, and they are likable – but not because one of them is Luke Skywalker.
That’s the feeling I have, anyway.
It’s an incredibly fast paced story with unique characters in a fascinating world with phenomenal art. I can’t wait to pick up the next volume in the series.
If you’re the kind of person who has always been leery about reading comic books, and don’t even know where to start – try this one. Vaughan, early on, described it as Star Wars meets A Game of Thrones. I don’t know who applicable the latter comparison is – but I can definitely feel the former.