Saga Review (Volumes 1-3)

I've flipped through a couple of graphic novels in the past, very briefly. I'm usually at the library when I've done this and I've always put them back on the shelf, thinking, not for me.  Well, if graphic novels are like Saga, they're for me.

I kept seeing Saga pop up on the websites and social media feeds of my reviewer pals — Sierra, Joy, Megan.  Eventually, due to FOBLO (Fear Of Being Left Out) I decided to broaden my horizons.

So glad I did!

Saga is a space adventure, a space romance, and a space... well, a space family saga.  Our narrator is Hazel, and she is telling us her story, which is also the tale of many other people.  Or perhaps I should say, it is also the tale of many other beings. 

The overarching plot centers upon two waring planets — the immense Landfall, full of winged humanoids, and its smaller moon, Wreath, inhabited by horned humanoids.  The Horns and the Wings loathe each other and have spread their vicious conflict throughout the galaxy.  Hazel's parents happen to be a winged mother (a former prison guard) and a horned father (a former prisoner).  They've fallen in love, run off together, and produced Hazel.  The higher-ups of the Wings and Horns have caught wind of the union and both send killers to dispatch the couple.

The first three volumes of Saga have seen Alana and Marko, Hazel's parents, dodging death at every turn, and attempting to raise their daughter in midst of chaos.  We also get to follow the adventures of the killers who are after the little family, and their stories are no less compelling.  There's robot royalty, a lie-detecting cat creature, a guild of bounty hunters, tabloid reporters, and an ex-fiance, all closing in.

The creativity of Brian K. Vaughan, the series creator and writer, is astounding.  I'm not sure if all graphic novels are like this, but reading Saga made me think of when I'm babysitting and the kids ask for a bedtime story.  When you're making up a story AND AT THE SAME TIME SPEAKING IT, the weirdest, random-est things come to you! Saga had that same feeling of spontaneity.  This is story spinning at its finest.

There is almost constant action, but Vaughan manages to sneak in little moments of love, of humor, of outrageousness throughout.  The artist, Fiona Staples, is no less important to the storytelling as well.  Her illustrations are stunning.  Just, wow. I was especially impressed by her figures (drawings of the human body).  The vividness of the expressions, the movement of the forms all compliment and contribute to Vaughan's words.  Again, I don't know much about graphic novels, but Vaughan and Staples seem to have a harmonious union of text and image.

Saga is a beautiful and exciting story, conveyed by beautiful and exciting pictures.  I give this series five north stars out of five!