Dear reader,
You have stepped into a world where there is no real return from, as comics like Saga are a gateway drug to visual fiction, OTPs, and fan fiction. Why, you ask? Because it is series’ that are so expertly constructed like Saga that you can’t help but fall into them head first. Let’s talk about what it did to me.
I used to have a life outside of comics. I used to know what the sun felt like, the smell of grass after a rain storm…but no longer. Now my life has been consumed by possibly the greatest comic I have ever read. Have you read the great gospel of our Lord and Master, SAGA?
Saga is an epic space opera by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, think about if how the situation would play out if Romeo and Juliet never committed suicide, instead of Capulet vs Montague we had Horns vs Wings, and Shakespeare jumped into a blender with Star Wars. What we’re left with is a nice Saga smoothie. It’s a great smoothie too as the art and writing flows so well together sometimes you can’t tell the two apart. When that happens you get moments like this.
Vaughn weaves a story that is simultaneously out of this world and incredibly grounded. Fiona Staples’ art is unique, and her lines draw your eye towards the action. While there are tons of things to love about the main characters Alana, Marko, and their daughter Hazel who serves as the narrator, the supporting cast really shines from the bounty hunter The Will to Prince Robot IV.
You might be asking yourself,
“Self, how do I get Sub Cultured to tell me where to start reading this amazing and exhilarating piece of visual fiction?”
Well, weird reader that refers to themselves in third person personal (or first person possessive, I always forget which one you are using), there are more than a few places you can find Saga. Image has a really incredibly priced trade paperback (softcover) for the first six issues and sites like Comixology allow you to keep it on your mobile device or tablet. You could also go the route of the collector and hunt each individual issue down.
Whatever it is you decide to do, make sure to find a way to read this book.
There are a lot of great comics right now: Chew, Scott Snyder’s Batman, The Manhattan Projects. But Saga is the BEST comic being written and drawn right now. I’d add that if any readers of your post were on the fence – the first issue is available FOR FREE on Comixology. It was the same first issue that got me hooked from page 1.
Independents in particular have been TOP NOTCH this past year. Five Ghosts & East of West are my new faves, but we will see if they reach Saga levels of epic.
Thanks for letting us know about the #1 for free on Comixology! If you love those titles look at Nowhere Men, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, The Wake, Five Weapons, Five Ghosts, and Conan The Barbarian by Brian Wood.