This is part of an ongoing series of reviews here at GPS. These will be (to the best of my ability) spoiler-free, so as not to ruin the fiction ones I do, as well as relatively brief. I won’t just be reviewing “skeptical” works, but instead a large portion of what I read. I’m a voracious reader, even when I am swamped with other work (it’s what I tend to do instead of watch television), so I’ll probably put out one a week or so. If you’re interested, I’ve actually been tracking exactly what I’ve read (book and GN-wise, anyway) for almost the past four years on LibraryThing.
GPS Review: Saga (Volume One) by Brian K Vaughn & Fiona Staples
Brian K Vaughn has written some of my favorite comics over the past decade (Y the Last Man and Ex Machina, in particular) as well as worked on one of my all time favorite television series (LOST). Even his early superhero work (Young Justice, Runaways) is outstanding. So, when I learned he had put together a sci-fi/fantasty epic, I was pretty stoked. I was less familiar with the artist, Fiona Staples, but knew she was highly regarded, having been nominated for an Eisner Award and winning a Shuster Award for her cover work. Given this information and the recommendation of a couple friends, I was eager to start on Saga, the relatively new title they are putting out with Image Comics.
First, this is an absolutely gorgeous book. Staples’ art is astounding and completely draws the reader into the rich world that Vaughn has created. Her painted covers are just beautiful, and the interior work (although not as detailed) is a great fit for the story. She has to draw a wide range of character types, terrains, and emotions and succeeds admirably in every respect.
Vaughn’s work is, as usual, top-notch as well. He has apparently been percolating this story since he was a boy, and the tantalizing peeks we get into the much wider universe the story is set in are proof that he’s got a richly developed setting ready for long-form story telling. His characters are well developed, the dialogue is believable and well complimented by Staples’ facial artistry.
The story itself doesn’t move very far in the first collection (the first six issues of the series), but definitely sets up what will be the major themes of the series: parenthood, loyalty, love, power, and loss. Even in these first six issues there are a number of unexpected twists and things that happen to the characters. The mix of sci-fi and fantasy works quite well (which is usually not the case), and I will definitely be awaiting the next volume in the series.
In sum, you’ll love it. Buy it and thank me later.
