Everything is shit
“Am I shitting? It feels like I’m shitting!”
With these immortal words, the Saga comic series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples kicks off—in the middle of a childbirth scene, no less. If your immediate reaction is to think, “Maybe this is trying to shock me,” well, you wouldn’t be wrong… But hey, it’s the 21st century, so who doesn’t give a FUCK? who doesn’t give a GOOD GODDAMN?
That said, I wouldn’t exactly recommend the Saga comic to prudes in good conscience, as this is far from the ONLY instance like this.
For example, you’ll encounter dangling male genitalia more than once, swinging in all its glory. Then, you’ll visit a brothel planet and stumble straight into a full-blown orgy. Later, you’ll meet a character with more legs than arms and more eyes than ears. And at this point, you might start doubting yourself: could it be, purely by chance, that you’re just a tad bit twisted for thinking this bizarre creature is sexy as hell…?
But oh yes, it’s entirely possible!
(Oh, and she spends every one of her scenes rocking a monokini. So, if you didn’t already know what arachnophilia is, you’re about to find out.)
And yet, all of this is still not the point.
Love is a Battlefield!
The point is: the largest planet in the Saga universe is at war with its own moon. But to avoid trashing their home turf, they’ve outsourced the bloodshed to… well, everywhere else. Sure, that’s monumentally stupid, because it’d be enough if they just stayed the hell away from each other, and that’s it, goodbye. However, other than that, almost everything else is fine in the Saga comic…
At its core, the story follows two star-crossed lovers from opposing sides of the conflict. One’s got wings (and is suspected to be a total bitch), and the other’s a conscientious objector rocking a pair of horns and a cool little magic sword. These two have a baby, and suddenly, it’s the three of them against the universe(s).
The Unimaginable is Imaginable! Effortlessly!
And oh, what universes they are! This story is an absolute explosion of creativity! You’ve got everything from bluebloods with TV screens for heads to ghost babysitters, and even spaceships that grow in the woods. It’s like someone threw The Fifth Element, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and a trophy catalog into a blender, and for good measure, tossed in a dash of Lone Wolf and Cub.
If you’re dead set on nitpicking Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga, you’ll find slim pickings. Sure, by now you know every spell has its price (thanks, Once Upon a Time), but does that price really need to be random BS? Yeah, and the part set on Sextillion is also a bit of an over-the-top, out-of-character exaggeration.
But overall, this whole crazy mess is absolutely insane and totally lovable!
Rating: 8.5/10
Saga: Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
160 pages, Paperback
Published in 2012 by Image Comics
(Saga: Volume One collects Saga #1-6.)
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Review of the next volume:
Saga: Volume Two