by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
Publisher: Image Comics
Format: Paperback
Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Date: October 23rd, 2012
Goodreads
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Finding myself run out of graphic novels and at a little bit of a loss as to what to pick up next, I eyed up my shelves and decided to do a re-read of what is, quite frankly, one of the best long-running graphic novel series out there, and also probably the one series of graphic novels where I have quite a few of them. Can’t wait to get my hands on the next one, but in the meantime I’m re-reading, and going to review from the start.
So! Saga! Marko and Alana are from two warring races. No one can really remember how the war started, but it has spread from a planet and its moon across the galaxy, drawing in various fractions on both sides. Alana is guarding Marko, and reading cross-species romances while she’s at it. The pair fall in love, Alana falls pregnant, and they escape together. This is the point where we join the story, narrated by their child, Hazel. But horns and wings aren’t supposed to be together, and the pair are caught in the middle of this huge war, trying to escape the planet so they and their daughter can be safe.
This book is Beautiful. And Twisted. The first time I read it I spent ages kind of mesmerised by the most random, gorgeously fucked up shit. There are layers to everything here, and it’s really fun to go back and remind myself of where these characters started. I love Alana and Marko, but the supporting cast are just as intriguing, and even the antagonists have multiple layers to them. The Will is a freelancer (bounty hunter) who initially ignores the job and ends up on a planet that’s just about sex, where we see he does actually have some morals, at least. Prince Robot IV is a man doing what he sees as his duty to his planet, but it’s getting in the way of his home life and his desire to return makes him very ruthless. There’s The Stalk, another freelancer, and various others who either help or hinder the star-crossed pair.
The worlds and different aliens depicted are imaginative if sometimes very strange, and this revisit just confirms for me why this series is so popular and endures so well. The way the story moves keeps you on your toes, and you can never quite see far enough to always know why the characters do what they do, but there’s no doubt every action has a consequence, and for Volume 1, everything about this instantly ropes you in.
Unwrapping Words 