Comics in February - The Saga Series by Brian K. Vaughan - A Review

In February, a group of us read comics. I am all over the place in my participation each year... Sometimes I mention it, sometimes I want to join and hardly do, and then other February's are all about the comics... And, here I attempt to discuss some of the comics that I read. 

Saga - Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

From bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan, Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.

The series starts off where we are introduced to basically all the characters we are going to come across in the series. A few others will make appearances later, but these are the characters we mostly want to concentrate on in the series anyway. The story is told by Hazel, the daughter of Marko and Alana. Marko and Alana met under strange circumstances, he is a prisoner and she is a guard, and they fall in love. When we meet them, they are on the run with their daughter. The idea is that Hazel is looking back on her life and narrates the events. It works really well for the story. I especially love how the women in this series are written as strong, powerful women. The mix of different cultures, races, skin colour, gender, etc. is handled really well right from the start.

From award-winning writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (Pride of Baghdad, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist FIONA STAPLES (Mystery Society, Done to Death), SAGA is sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and horrific monsters, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters her strangest adventure yet... grandparents.

Enter the grandparents... Marko's parents to be exact. They understandably think the worst about the fact that Marko has run off with another race and do not react well to the union. Things get interesting really quickly because when they arrived, Marko's mother banished Hazel's baby-sitter, a ghost named Isabel, to another planet and Marko finds himself having to go rescue her. His mother joins him, so that leaves Alana, Hazel, and Marko's father to do some bonding. They are also still on the run from hired mercanaries. We learn that one of the people after them is Marko's ex, Gwen. Then there is The Will who is accompanied by Lying Cat. I love Lying Cat! There is a lot seemingly going on, but it all works and the artwork by Fiona Staples is fantastic!

From the Hugo Award-winning duo of Brian K. Vaughan (The Private Eye, Y: The Last Man) and Fiona Staples (North 40, Red Sonja), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Searching for their literary hero, new parents Marko and Alana travel to a cosmic lighthouse on the planet Quietus, while the couple's multiple pursuers finally close in on their targets.

In this volume, the family finds themselves on Quietus. You see, there is this author that wrote a book that at first glance is a silly romance, but when you get to the depth of it, you find a story of the war. It is a book that is essentially about what is happening with Marko and Alana. Alana is a huge fan and she really wants to meet the author who lives on Quietus. This detour doesn't go well, though, because some of the people after them catch up with them. One such is the Robot Prince. We have known for a while that there is something not quite right with him, so he is always a presence when he makes an appearance. Gwen and Alana also meet. Cue the awkward moment!

From the Eisner Award-winning duo of Brian K. Vaughan (The Private Eye, Pride of Baghdad) and Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, Thor, SAGA is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. As they visit a strange new world and encounter even more adversaries, baby Hazel finally becomes a toddler, while her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana struggle to stay on their feet.

This fast forwards a bit with Hazel being a toddler instead of a baby in this volume. We are to understand that a bit of time has passed for the family as they attempt to hide and make ends-meet. It is apparent that things that cannot stay quiet for long. There is tension between Marko and Alana. Alana has joined the Circuit, which is basically a version of television in this universe. She is terrible at it and very unhappy, so she starts taking drugs to cope. Marko is the lonely stay-at-home dad. And then someone new is on their trail and catches up with them in a very dramatic way. This series is getting to be a page turner!

Multiple storylines collide in this cosmos-spanning new volume. While Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko makes an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV to find their missing children, who are trapped on a strange world with terrifying new enemies.

I mentioned how Gwen and Alana met, but didn't mention that Gwen's focus has shifted. Prior to her meeting up with Alana and Marko, The Will, her unlikely partner, was injured and now she is attempting to save his life. This leads her off on her own adventure with Lying Cat and involves The Will's sister, The Brand. I really like her! Then Marko and Alana have become separated. Marko and Prince Robot IV have become unlikely allies because they find they are both separated from their families and the same man is to blame. Alana, Hazel, and Marko's mother have their own problems to deal with. And, we have the set up for some exciting adventures in the future!

The bottom line: Overall, I LOVE this series. The art is fantastic. Brian K. Vaughan is a fantastic writer. I really enjoy Alana's kick-ass personality. Marko's mother is one of the best women I have come across in graphic novels. I look forward to learning more about Hazel and enjoy her narration. Lying Cat is my favourite character in the series, but that is not surprising. I also enjoy Gwen. Oh, and The Brand was awesome. As a whole, this series is a page-turning, edge of your seat adventure read. It is character driven, but you are also wrapped up in all the different storylines. I cannot wait to see what happens in Volume 6!