Book Review: Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

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BOOK review

Started on: 8.July.2015
Finished on: 8.July.2015

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

Title : Saga, Volume 1
Author : Brian K. Vaughan

Artist: Fiona Staples

Publisher : Image Comics

Pages :  160 pages
Year of Publication : 2012

Price : $ 11.09 (www.bookdepository.com/)

Rating: 4.5/5

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"Once upon a time, each of us was somebody's kid. Everyone had a father, even if he never provided anything more than his seed. Everyone had a mother, even if she had to leave us on a stranger's doorstep.
No matter how we're eventually raised, all of our stories begin the exact same way.They all end the same, too."

The first volume of Saga follows our two main characters: Alana and Marko who comes from different worlds which are currently at war with each other. Alana comes from the largest planet in the galaxy, Landfall, which is technologically advanced. While Marko comes from Wreath—Landfall's only satellite where the people can use magic. Alana was assigned to guard Marko who has become a prisoner of war and was imprisoned on planet Cleave. But soon they fell in love and escaped together. The story starts with Alana giving birth to their daughter, Hazel; and their respective worlds are enraged at the idea. Thus the Landfallians and Wreathers sent troops to pursue them. And things got even more complicated as the pursuers from these two warring worlds conflicted with each other.

image source: here.

A lot of hype surrounded this comic/graphic novel for quite some time and there are a lot of positive reviews, so I finally decided to read the first volume recently when I was looking for a light read during lunch time at work. And I definitely did not regret it because it was really awesome! I'm not really used to reading comics/graphic novels in this kind of art style before (because I'm used to reading Japanese manga), but I think I'm starting to really enjoy it. I do have to warn you that this is an adult graphic novel that might not be suitable for younger audiences—so consider your age before you start reading this. There's a lot of adult content in this graphic novel.

"Violence is stupid. Even as a last resort, it only ever begets more of the same."

What I enjoy the most about this graphic novel is the storyline; and I think this first volume sets a pretty good foundation for the series. The story is actually narrated by Hazel, even though in this story she's just a newborn baby—it's as if she's reminiscing the past: the story of her life and family. The main conflict is obviously Alana and Marko's forbidden marriage; but I think there'll be a lot of minor conflicts surrounding the people who are pursuing this couple as well. There are quite a few side characters introduced in this volume and I'm really excited to see how the story is going to progress in the next one :))

 

"When a man carries an instrument of violence, he'll always find the justification to use it. If we really want to escape this war, we have to stop bringing it with us."

My favorite character so far is probably Alana; because she's so funny and loves to read too. She's also a very badass and strong female character. While Marko is more on the soft-hearted side, even though he's extremely strong as well. I'm also really interested in the side characters such as The Will, a freelancer who's pursuing our main couple. And I think his relationship with a female freelancer called The Stalk will spark another conflict in the story because of what Prince Robot IV (the prince that was sent by Landfall to pursue Alana and Marko) did. I don't really like Prince Robot IV's character that much, but he's pretty interesting because he has a small TV as a head.

I have to admit that it was quite hard for me to get into the story at first; because there are a lot of information to take in and I feel lost. But I think after the second chapter, I find myself already engaged with the story and could not wait to see what kind of adventure awaits in front of them. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story as well as the artwork from start to finish and am looking forward to continue reading the next volumes that are already out. The first volume consists of 6 chapters; and the single issues cover designs are just so stunning—as you can see below ! I absolutely love it! Have you read this graphic novel? Do you have any recommendations on what graphic novels to read next? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below ;)

 

 

  by.stefaniesugia♥ .