Saga #1, by Marc Alan Fishman – Snarky Synopsis – @MDWorld

March 25, 2012 Marc Fishman 1 Comment

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples

Amongst the writers I hold in the highest regards, Brian K. Vaughan holds mental shelf space with only a handful. Infinitely more accessible than Grant Morrison, funnier then Scott Snyder, more balanced than Gail Simone, and cuter than Matt Fraction… he is always someone I keep a keen eye out for on the racks. Because I happen to live under a rock, and never pay attention to comic news (funny that I report comic book news on my weekly podcast you’re not listening to, right?), I stumbled on Saga #1 by complete happenstance. A cursory glace at message boards, and it’s clear rabid fans were awaiting this little rag with foamed mouths. After reading it, I have to say I’m glad I didn’t have time to get excited for the debut of this, the next creator-owned-driven series in Vaughan’s growing library of hits. I’m glad because had I been impatiently awaiting the book, I can’t say that I’d feel it was worth the wait. It’s not bad by a long shot, but it’s not the best thing I’ve seen from him.

Saga takes all the tropes, locales, and moxie of Star Wars, Firefly, and the island of misfit toys to create a truly post-modern space epic that will land on the soft spot of too many sub-culture geeks. This is the part where I freely admit that I’ve never been all that impressed with Star Wars. And while I duck and cover behind this large crate, I’ll also add that while I eventually warmed up to Firefly, it’s not the end-all-be-all of yarns that too many nerds seem to proclaim it to be. That being said, let me stop the grumble-bus long enough to make this clear—Saga is a great read. Even if it’s not quite the flavor I savor.

Our protagonists, Marko and Alana are newly christened parents on the lamb from the oppressive forces of antagonism. Those being Television faced aristocrats, angelic shock troops, and by the book’s end… Han Solo. OK, he’s not Han, but he’s one furry sidekick away from doing the Kessel Run, or I’ll renounce my Judiasm. Vaughan starts us off with the birth of Hazel, doomspawn of our aforementioned fugitives. Oh, did I forget to mention Marko is a horn-headed ex-pat soldier, and Alana is his pixie-winged jailer? It’s adorable, I know. Either way, post birth, we get action-backstory-action. If nothing else, the scripting deftly deals out exposition while moving everything forward at a good clip. In forty pages we have a hearty knowledge of this kooky universe crammed into our grey matter. I will note though, that unlike many of Vaughan’s older works, the ending of the book doesn’t exactly have me rushing back to the rack for issue 2. He’s generally quite adept at cliff hangers. This time around though, he chose a more subdued denouement than I’m generally used to with his books. Not a bad thing mind you… but enough to make me furrow my brow at issues end.

The hook is solid in Saga, but it hasn’t quite pierced my skin enough to snag. While my knee-jerk reaction is to say it’s a function of my malaise for these spacey-stories… I’m certain it’s more for the fact that the issue really is just setting up the pieces, and not necessarily giving a sense of true urgency. Marko and Alana have no greater goal than survival by issue’s end. Of course the secret hiring of the Mercenary ‘The Will’ (Han Solo, with a battle cat), and the prophecy dropped by his employer gives us the needed boost to see where this is all headed. And not to short change Marko and Alana’s goal either. They are apt at this point to just want peace and quiet with their newly minted offspring. As a new parent, I appreciate the grounded realism granted here.

Suffice to say, where I found an over-abundance of originality in Vaughan’s other creations (The Runaways, and Y: The Last Man spring to mind), Saga’s characters all hit me as being too familiar. Maybe I was just grumpy when I read it. Or maybe it was Vaughan’s clunky abuse of foul language throughout the issue that ground me down as I read on. I get it Brian… it’s fun to swear. But the level at which he enjoys dipping this book into the vulgar seems less for story, more for show. Call me a prude, but I could deal with less boob and f-bombs, unless they were serving a higher purpose that I missed.

But I digress—onto the visuals, shall we? Fiona Staples’ art is equal parts beautiful and sloppy. Her style… a sketchy melange of beautifully emotive faces and rushed blocky coloring, is unique if nothing else. Brian K. Vaughan is obviously a fan. The inside back cover serves as a love-letter to her creativity. I don’t knock it. Given that she pencils, inks, paints, and even letters a bit of the book makes me applaud her artistry. Credit where it’s due, Staples’ ability to create this odd world is second to none. While no one would mistake her for Frank Quietly, she does know how to add nuanced details that do really enhance the experience. It’s probably too much to ask to get the quality of the cover in the interior of the book though, and for that, the overall product suffers a bit. Granted, you’re getting forty pages of full color content for 3 bucks. So, my gripes are moot. You get your monies worth and then some with this here rag.

Saga #1 starts up Brian K. Vaughan’s comeback to comics. While I’m not big on expansive space-serials… his unique ability to deliver deep characters (even if they have TVs for faces), and solid unexpected story beats makes up for the book’s shortcomings—the Kevin Smith level of vulgarity, occasionally sketchy panels, and too-familiar trappings of the genre present. I’ll continue picking up the book, no doubt, because I know the real meat of the series isn’t far around the bend. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself. If nothing else, there’s plenty of boob, blow-ups, and babies to be worth your three hundred pennies. Consider this Fish-Man ready to stick around the Saga for the time being.