Saga Book One: 1 (SAGA DLX ED HC)

Ive put off reading Saga for a while now, not because it has the same name of an over 50’s magazine but the synopsis just was not grabbing me despite some of my favourite authors raving about it on social media. Please note: I have not read any many graphic novels except marvel stuff. Until doing research for review, I had no idea of any of this- Telling the story of a family escaping an interplanetary war, SAGA is an ongoing comic book series, released monthly by Image Comics. It has won a Hugo Award, a British Fantasy Award, and multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards. All three volumes of SAGA have reached number one on the New York Times best sellers list, and volume one has been in the top ten for more than seventy weeks. – See more at: https://imagecomics.com/content/view/saga-gets-the-deluxe-treament#sthash.LnEHBF6Y.dpuf As I had been debating over whether to read comic/graphic book Saga. I was presented with the deluxe hardcover on my amazon recommendations for £24.99 (which is an excellent price for a really good quality hardcover.) I thought I would give it a go and I was blown away by how gripped I was. I devoured it in 5 hours and could easily just read it again. The narrator is the child of a Alana and Marko, whose families have a hatred for each other similar to the capulets and montages. “If there was ever a time these two got along, nobody remembers it.” Alana is winged from the largest planet in the galaxy Landfall whilst horned father Marko is native to Wreath Landfalls only satellite. A multicultural relationship between the two is forbidden, so when Alana helps Marko to escape a day before his execution they become fugitives, Marko get the horn and Alana becomes pregnant. The child is narrating in a commentary style from somewhere in the future, these comments add an emotional contrast to some of the more adult goings on. The language suggests Hazel may still be young , she looks on her parents lovingly but sadly as if missing them, that is not reached by the end of this book (hence i don’t see it as a spoiler.) So why is this rated M, for mature? Brian & Fiona have not been afraid to explore the possibilities of some sci-fi and fantasy perversity and sexploitation including brothel Sextillion where debauch obscenities are emphasised by some pretty awesome art. Furthermore theres violence portrayed by some gory imagery. I couldn’t help thinking if Tarantino wrote a graphic novel, id expect something like this. The characters these guys have created are brilliant. The Stalk, a combination of alien spider and female upper body but with more eyes . The Still (probably my favourite) reminds me a bit of John McClane from die Hard, he’s badass but he does have a conscious and has a sidekick in the shape of a green sphynx that is known as ‘the lying cat’. And Prince Robot IV, humanlike body with a television head that often shows him thinking some pretty filthy stuff. There are many other characters that I will leave as a surprise. Yes this is for an adult audience (do not leave it laying around) but these scenes all work within the context and can be at times erotic if cosplay is your thing. (Except maybe for big balls, don’t look.) Saga has really impressed me, the art of Fiona Staples is exceptional, whilst the storytelling is engaging with just the right balance of everything as well as addressing many struggles within our own society . Highly recommended. 5/5 Published by image comics. Hardback. 504 pages. ISBN13 9781632150783 https://thefantasybookcollector.wordpress.com

Lovely deluxe hardcover version of the much loved saga of, well, you know what I mean….

Why buy the deluxe edition? It's hardback (with specially designeed cover) and collects the first three volumes of the trrade paperbacks (issues 1-18). The most important reason to buy this version is that Saga is very readable. It's one of those modern serials where there are often 1 page or 2 page spreads with very little dialogue. Don't get me wrong, the 1 pagers and 2 pagers in Saga are way more deserved than most. This is my first acquaintance with Fiona Staples. I liked her art. No I love it. I was compelled to find out whether she did the backgrounds or whether this was some sort of collaboration with a colourist. Turns out it's all her, those simplified (but imbued with character- just read Scott McCLoud's understanding comics) foreground figures are rendered by the same person that conjures up the glorious backgrounds and figures of galactic presence. This is the best way to read Saga because Sage is quick to read. I will wait for the next deluxe edition to carry on with it. For me, anything less would be unsatisfying. This book tugged on my heartstrings, shocked me, made me see sci-fi, and family, differently, If you can't wait for volume 2 go and read Y the last man or Ex Machinea (both by writer Brian K Vaughan). Truly more than the next hot creator-owned property and a work that really needs to be picked up.

I'm in awe of Vaughn and Staple's work. Saga is truly an epic comic series. Having already owned the single issues, I decided to shell out my money to buy this beautiful HC. Although I have rated it 5 stars because of the excellence of the story and world-building, I feel as if the extra content could have been fleshed out a bit more, maybe with character bios or something along those lines? However, I do realise that the series does incorporate flash-backs into its narration to try and flesh out the world and the characters so that's quite a minor gripe. Complaints about the packing and the quality of the HC do not apply to me as mine is in pristine condition and the pages don't seem to be crinkled. What people must realise is that a normal HC would be 9-10 issues and so would feel a lot more sturdier. Vaughn and Staples are telling a 'Saga' story, and so they have a reason for making the HC so jam packed with 18 issues. I 'think' the purpose is to show the ageing process of Hazel from infant to adult on each cover. The next HC may be smaller in size... However, I find the quality of the book to be great and I think the people complaining may sadly have had isolate incidents.

Saga is an amazing series. Brian k vaughan is one hell of a writer, he did an amazing job with Y: the last man and he has managed to write another series that is just as good. Saga is great coz it deals with everyday issues we face. Brian touches on a number of important topics. War, politics, racism, etc. He's done this and managed to have a plenty of fun doing so. Saga is random and bizarre and at times I was like wtf. I challenge AMC to make this into a TV show, Good luck. It reminds me of preacher on how random it is but at the same time how clever it is and it will have readers raising lots of questions. The deluxe version is beautiful, good quality, feels good and it was definitely worth the purchase. Image have another winner, they can't do no wrong in my eyes.

I really love the art and the story both, simply an amazing book. I've ordered the first issue of the series separately and when I wanted to continue the story I rather got this book instead of the individual issues - better value for money and there is also some extra content in here.

This book is absolutely worth all the praise it is given. I consider buying Saga when the first trade came out but completely forgot about, then later on i noticed this beauty. There's not much difference in price compared to just just buying the first 3 trades but this will look much better on your shelf ;) . The story is pretty simple Romeo & Juliet meets Star Wars with a pinch of Game of Thrones and Vaughan's wacky imagination. Combine all that and you get this wonderful interesting world that makes you want to know more! Now the art.... that is stunning, but it's by Fiona Staples so what do you expect. Her visuals are breathtaking. If you haven't already got this book, even if you've already read the trades. Buy this. This will never give you buyer's remorse.

top comic book / amazing art / deep character background that keeps evolving as the story goes on introducing more characters and side stories that cross perfectly into each other. Certainly worth buying it in hardcover.

Este libro está compuesto por los tres primeros volúmenes de tapa blanda publicados. Es una edición en tapa dura de gran calidad que venía precintada, por lo que llegó en perfecto estado. En cuanto al cómic, no hay palabras. La historia es original y divertida y el dibujo creado por Fiona Staples es una pasada, te entran ganas de enmarcar muchas de las páginas. Una joya para cualquier estantería.

Este é um livro que eu esperei ansiosamente para comprar. É tão bem escrito que dá gosto de sentar numa cadeira confortável e usufruir dessa grande obra dos quadrinhos. A arte se atribui ferozmente a escrita do Brian. Eu li as obras que ele fez com a Marvel mas não achei tão boas. A falta de diálogos deixava a história um pouco opaca. Mas em Saga isso funciona tão bem. Alguns painéis têm só um balão. Mas isso não deixa transparecer como um defeito. Veja bem, eu não leio algo assim tão bem pensado desde Sandman! Nenhum livro que li neste ano me deixou tão feliz por conhecer a nona arte. Este quadrinho transmite uma ideia muito forte so que é ser um pai ou uma mãe. Bom, Saga conta a história de duas criaturas cujos planetas estão em guerra que se apaixonam e dessa paixão nasce Hazel. Ela é a narradora. Não preciso ressaltar que eles fizeram algo de muito errado e são caçados por desde mercenários à príncipes reais. A historia conta com picos de violência e piadas sujas entre personagens bizarros. Brian também trata de assuntos intensos como prostituição infantil, racismo, pornografia, política. Não é enjoativo. As cenas têm boas sequencias. No fim deste livro tem alguns roteiros e eu achei bem parecidos com os roteiros do Warren Ellis. Enfim, Saga é uma história que merece ser imortalizada. Depois de Sandman é a melhor série desta extensão que já vi. Vamos ver nos próximos volumes. Inclusive, o volume 2 está previsto para ser lançado em Maio de 2017. Brian também está escrevendo Paper Girls. Outra história que vem com um grande roteiro e uma contribuição excelente do Cliff Chiang.

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Buy it. Read it. Love it.

I've purchased this because of the many very good reviews, not to mention countless awards, and an reportedly interesting take on the science fiction theme (or rather space opera?) or family struggle for that matter. So I thought why not going full out and order the hardcoverdition. Man, what a treat. Awesome comic with a stunningly captivating story and beyond beautiful artwork. the high quality of the book itself doesn't hurt either.