Read Saga Book One Brian K Vaughan Fiona Staples Books

Product details Series Saga (Book 1) Hardcover 504 pages Publisher Image Comics; Deluxe Edition edition (November 25, 2014) Language English ISBN-10 1632150786

Saga Book One Brian K Vaughan Fiona Staples Books Reviews

• Note that reviews for all editions of this book seem to be combined, so it's a bit confusing to get the right one! I ordered the hardcover thinking that it was the beautiful edition everyone raves about in their reviews, but the cover looks like it was printed on a home computer...turns out I bought some library/school version. Apparently, if you want the good hardcover edition, you have to buy the Saga BOOK 1 (not Vol. 1) in hardcover edition. Hopefully my review can save a few people the hassle of returning!
• I was skeptical going into this, there's no way this "Saga" thing could be as great as they all say. I mean whats with the horns and stuff?
  Safe to say I was completely and utterly wrong, and I'm so glad I was. This series is amazing!! Everything they say about it is true! Hands down the best 18 issues of a comic book I've read in a long time. You will find yourself instantly captured by the characters and their struggles. The world is crazy but somehow not so crazy that it doesn't make sense, the art is immaculate and you never feel like the creators have wasted any panel in telling their story.
  
  Often comic books don't have their characters change or develop but every issue of Saga something of note happens, and that is extremely refreshing. I feel I've gotten more story in these 18 issues than I have in hundreds of issues of superhero comics.
  
  If you
  1) are bored of superhero stories
  2) love space fantasy like Star Wars
  3) are looking for high quality art and storytelling
  then this book is for you!
  
  Do yourself a favor and read it. Trust me.
• I see buzz on Twitter about the Saga comic series when it wins awards – and each collected graphic novel volume seems to win several apiece. It sometimes feels like a year-round buzz cycle (in fact, the only comic my feed loves more is Ms. Marvel. which, for the record, I also enjoyed). It was inevitable that I’d finally take a look, especially when I realized that there was good female representation and the premise was “journey in space.” I picked up Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples after I saw a great deal in the Book Riot email list, so I now know what all the fuss is about.
  
  Brian K. Vaughan has created an adult comic (I feel like I have to clarify that it’s adult, because YA is my default expectation for this space) for fans of science fiction, star-crossed love and action adventure. The first volume has a lot going on birth, death, berserker rages, interspecies conflict, a sex planet, ghosts, crazy spaceships, and a life-changing romance novel (that bit made me laugh)(in a good way).
  
  This comic does a lot of things well multiple threads of story tied into the main plot line via an unusual omniscient narrator, exciting visuals, star-crossed love just fighting to survive, and humorous dialogue throughout. It is also a set-up for a wide-ranging epic, but the volume has enough skirmishes, close calls, and surprises to make it satisfying and interesting as a standalone.
  
  That said, I was not impressed by main heroine Alana’s dialogue. Whether it fits the character in the context of the series or not, I can’t say. I was just disappointed to read pages of the jealous/nagging wife cliché when there were other more interesting (and life-threatening!) things going on at the same time. So that bit into my enjoyment – and I am going to skip reading further volumes. The one plot thread that really got its hooks into me was that of the Robot Prince – I thought the robot royal characters seemed really innovative and suited to the comics medium.
  
  If you’ve been thinking you’d like to “try” comics, like science fiction, and don’t care for superheroes, Saga is a good place to start. Just be aware that this first volume pulls no punches – it’s R-rated. And if you’re more of a fantasy fan, I’d suggest starting out with Bill Willingham’s Fables.
  
  Recommended for comics newbies and veterans alike – basically anyone interested in a complex space adventure with enough action to keep the story moving and enough depth to hook most readers for the long haul.
• 2.5 stars. It's okay, not terrible but really not that good and I'm not sure what the hype is all about. My main problem with it is it's tone. When I read about what this was all about I was hoping for an exciting and intense adventure. Especially with all of the comparisons to Star Wars and Game Of Thrones, I was really left wanting a lot more than what I got. It actually started off okay, it was exciting and I wanted to know more but the more I kept reading the less interesting it became. The dialogue here is a big problem. To put it bluntly, its childish. It's just poorly written, for the most part. There are times when the dialogue is decent but the characters mostly talk like teenagers who try to be edgy. I wanted something darker and more serious, the humor here is just not my style, it's just not funny. So the story constantly shifts between serious and humorous and it can be pretty jarring.
  
  As for the characters, it's a mixed bag. I really don't like Alana, she's just cocky and obnoxious. It's kind of hard to see what Marko finds attractive in her personality, considering the way she treats him much of the time. Marko is okay but kind of bland to me and his background isn't handled that well. Alana and Marko certainly look appealing as they both look like models, but the personality and likability isn't there. The Will is a complete cardboard cutout and his "save the sweet little girl from the bad people" subplot isn't as convincing and heartfelt as it wants to be. Other characters like The Stalk and Barr are complete throwaways who we don't get enough time to know. Prince Robot is fine, the teen ghost is annoying. Others show up for a brief time or here and there and they don't leave an impression. One character I did like was the author Heist. The overall world building isn't that good because we never know why the war is going on and why for so long. Also all the character designs are decent at best but there's so many different races and no actual scale to anything. It's a huge galaxy and planet but every other page there's a new race, again, no scale to it.
  
  Some things that were good? The structure is pretty solid and the way it's told with Hazel's narration on many pages and the flashbacks. The dialogue and story at times can be gripping and exciting even though too often it goes in odd directions that you don't want it to. The art is nice, not exactly my style but it's well done and colorful. Overall this wasn't that interesting of a story and I'm very hesitant to pick up the second volume. For a comic that is so acclaimed this seems to be for someone with a very specific taste. This was not really my cup of tea, it's not what I expected it to be, although I suppose I can see the appeal. As for the sex and violence, normally I don't mind that at all, but the implementation of it here was off. Maybe this is good for some random and absurd and ridiculous fun, but for something to take seriously? Absolutely not.