Saga Review

I recently read Saga Volumes 1 and 2 (Volume 3 just came out), loaned to me by the boychild, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples. He had it lying around and I grabbed it because it isn’t often that you see a breastfeeding momma on the front cover of ANY book, let alone a graphic novel…

And one with wings, no less (the mom, not the novel). Anyway, Saga is described as a combo of Star Wars (with which the author is slightly obsessed) and Game of Thrones. I didn’t compare it to either while reading it, but love the crazy alien world and fighting for family interspersed with some seriously funny goofiness…

Marko really wants to uphold a nonviolent lifestyle, even when it comes to cutting the umbilical cord of his first child, especially now that he’s a daddio. This becomes increasingly difficult when you live in a universe that is being torn apart by war. Vaughan says he first envisioned the series in math class as a kid, and becoming a parent just solidified the story arcs.

After finishing Volume 1, I chased the boychild down for Volume 2…

And then demanded all future volumes. DAMMIT. There is only one and it just came out. Ah, a mother-son obsession I can get behind. This is a great story…it drives me crazy to have to wait for the collected volumes to come out, of course, but I will survive. We did have a discussion about how it was incredibly inappropriate (sexual innuendo, naked parts, etc.), and how it was good that he was a legal adult (ha!), so I didn’t have to worry about his poor addled brain dealing with all that. There is one monster-like creature with enormous testicles that is disturbing no matter what your age.

That said, Volume 3 will be here shortly (I hope). If he’s lucky, I’ll let him read it after I’m done.

Sheltered

I am a fan of apocalyptic fiction, although I have a really hard time spelling that word, so when Sheltered showed up on NetGalley’s pages, I grabbed it. I knew nothing about it when I started reading it (I didn’t even really read the blurb), which I think was a good thing, because this comic was a bit of a surprise…people gathering together to try to survive some giant event (in this case, volcanic eruptions are believed to be some predictor of future earth-damaging issues). Safe Haven is a place where they have gathered to increase their chances of survival.

The story itself is good, although not amazing…it kept my attention and surprised me a bit…I wasn’t expecting it to go the way it did, but it raises the question of how we would expect kids to think if we raised them in an over-planned pre-apocalyptic world…

The art is standard fare, although there are some very good full-page splashes (I had to go look up that term, which is ironic, considering I used to work in publishing…the brain deletes what it no longer needs). This is Volume 1, which collects issues 1-5, so you know what that means…Ed Brisson and Johnnie Christmas will be back with more story (I’m kind of curious about where they will be able to go with that…), in fact, issue 6 is already out. If you’re wondering what the Preppers do before the disaster actually hits, and how all that paranoia might affect this kids, then this comic will help you worry even more about that scenario.

Monsters

Wow. Great art. I recently read Monsters by Gustavo Duarte…

I guess “read” is the wrong word, because these three stories have no words. The first story has some amusing surprises, the second story is the weakest of the bunch although still worth the read, and the third is absolutely wonderful.

(Apparently eating semi-trucks causes indigestion)…But what makes this graphic novel truly enjoyable and well worth owning an actual physical copy (something I don’t often recommend) is the art. Duarte’s graphic style, so minimalist, very little color involved, communicates a wide variety of emotions and movement. He has an incredible grasp of negative space and composition that is truly enjoyable to view.

Many thanks to Dark Horse Comics for publishing this and allowing me to review it…and to NetGalley as well. It was a true joy to turn each page.