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juushikaTitle: Saga Deluxe Edition, Volume 1 (Issues #1-18)
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
Published: Berkeley: Image Comics, 2014
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 500
Total Page Count: 182,320
Text Number: 536
Read Because: dozens of BookTube recommendations, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: The war between one planet and its moon has turned interstellar—and in the middle of it is a pair of star-crossed renegades and their halfbreed newborn. Saga has an engaging narrative flow, thanks in part to the occasional appearance of a literal narrator. It's a carefree science fantasy, more than willing to approximate in order to prioritize storytelling over worldbuilding while still offering the appearance of scope and variety. Staples's crisp, vivid art is a perfect fit. But the tone is absurdly crass, with awkward profanity and obtrusive sex scenes; it often feels "adult" for its own sake, rather than the benefit of the narrative. (And given the controversial censorship of the comic for depictions of gay sex, it sure would have been neat if said sex occurred between named characters—like the multiple depictions of straight sex between cast members.) Character death is narratively gratuitous, if not visually gratuitous—shocking, rather than cogent. Caveats aside, this remains engaging and eminently readable; I look forward to continuing.
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
Published: Berkeley: Image Comics, 2014
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 500
Total Page Count: 182,320
Text Number: 536
Read Because: dozens of BookTube recommendations, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: The war between one planet and its moon has turned interstellar—and in the middle of it is a pair of star-crossed renegades and their halfbreed newborn. Saga has an engaging narrative flow, thanks in part to the occasional appearance of a literal narrator. It's a carefree science fantasy, more than willing to approximate in order to prioritize storytelling over worldbuilding while still offering the appearance of scope and variety. Staples's crisp, vivid art is a perfect fit. But the tone is absurdly crass, with awkward profanity and obtrusive sex scenes; it often feels "adult" for its own sake, rather than the benefit of the narrative. (And given the controversial censorship of the comic for depictions of gay sex, it sure would have been neat if said sex occurred between named characters—like the multiple depictions of straight sex between cast members.) Character death is narratively gratuitous, if not visually gratuitous—shocking, rather than cogent. Caveats aside, this remains engaging and eminently readable; I look forward to continuing.
