Comic Review: Saga #s 1 through 6

I like comics, but one thing I've realized since I started getting back into the scene is that I'm not following them as closely as I did back when I used to review.  For example, I had no idea that Brian K. Vaughn had a new book out, called Saga, and that sucks because I really, really like his stuff.

Beware!  This book contains copious amounts of breastfeeding,
and an ever-present baby-sling!

You probably know Vaughn because he was a writer on the TV show Lost.  But before that, he wrote for Marvel and DC, doing both typical work-for-hire on established characters and breaking new ground on brand new stuff.  For example, he wrote Runaways for Marvel, Y: The Last Man for DC's Vertigo imprint, and Ex Machina for DC's Wildstorm imprint.  How awesome was that stuff?  Well, Runaways was so awesome that Joss Whedon actually demanded to write it after Vaughn finished up the initial 18-issue run that kicked off the series.  Meanwhile, Y: The Last Man was generally considered the best comic on the stands during its 60-issue run.  So yeah, it was good stuff.

The cover for Runaways #25.
But don't let it fool you;
the first 18-issues are set in California.

Saga is great, too.  It's an exploration of what it's like to be a new parent, but set in a sci fi/fantasy universe that, honestly, is the key to really capturing that, "Holy Shit, our baby just pooped!" experience that all new parents go through.  So yeah.  There's magic and ray guns and space ship-rocket trees, and there are bounty hunters and intergalactic brothels and even robot sex.  But there's also exhaustion and frustration and elation and all the other stuff that's actually important--when you're a new father or mother.  Really, it's a weird and delightful mix.

In terms of the art, Saga is terrific.  Fiona Staples has, in six issues, proven that she can and will draw anything.  Moreover, the book makes extensive use of full-page layouts and large-scale spreads, making good use of the nature of the sequential medium in order to establish the story's weird new ideas in all their awesome grandeur.

Honestly, I don't know what else to say.  This book is totally unlike anything else I've ever seen.  It's a wacky genre mash-up, but it's also a small scale family story set amongst  desperate circumstances.  It'll make you laugh; it'll make you cry.  It's better than Cats.  Go check it out.

By the way, for checking it out, I highly recommend Comixology.  Back issues are $1.99.  New issues are day-and-date release at $2.99.  Or you can just do what I'm gonna do and tell your Local Comic Shop (LCS) guy to add Saga to your Pull List.