If you know anything at all about comics, then you know Brian K Vaughan. You know him for good reason. He wrote Y: the Last Man, Ex Machina (the comic, not the movie), and also worked on tv’s LOST. Y is one of my favorite examples of a uniquely comic book-based story, as well as an example that comics can deal with adult themes while also being entertaining. Ex Machina is interesting for its political elements and themes (if not its art. LOST is one of the most interesting tv shows in years, and one that I enjoyed spending countless hours thinking about. I say all that to preface that I like Brian K. Vaughan as a writer and a person and recognize that he is talented. What I don’t like is Saga. A lot of people love this series, and I am not one of them.
If you follow comics, you’ve probably heard of Saga, which is equal parts Romeo & Juliet, About Last Night, and Mos Eisley Cantina. If that doesn’t make sense to you, try this: Two aliens from warring planets make a love child and then go on the run to try and keep the baby (and love!) alive. It’s full of weird, memorable, and beautifully drawn characters and worlds. This is a review of the hardcover collection of issues 1-18 of the ongoing series.
Many of the pieces I enjoy individually – sci-fi/fantasy, memorable characters, beautiful art, sassy dialogue, a poignant story. Somehow, the way that Vaughan is putting them together is just not working at all for me. It’s like mixing nachos, chocolate cake, and Earl Grey tea. I like all of those individually, but together it would be bummer of a time. Specifically, one of the things that I don’t like is the length of the series. It will take years to finish the series, and I don’t have the budget or interest in any of the characters to invest that much money and time. Some of my favorite comic runs are shorter than volume one of this sprawling story (to be fair, it’s called Saga). I also find one of the main characters grating, so anytime she almost dies I am hoping she does. The side characters are much more interesting to me, and I would probably prefer reading a story in which they star. Finally, the book is a little crass for me. That is not something that usually bothers me but in this case it felt mostly gratuitous.
Even though I don’t care for Saga, I can’t speak highly enough of Fiona Staples’ art. What she has done in this book and over in the first few issues of Mark Waid’s Archie is fantastic. Everything she draws is so alive and fun. Another thing that I really enjoyed in this collection were the bonus features. All of the collaborators explain how the comic goes from an idea to a script to a draft to a finalized product to be printed and sold. It’s fun to the see the nuts and bolts of how the book is made. I would imagine it would be interesting and inspiring for anyone, but especially creatives.