WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Book: Saga Volume 1

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Artist: Fiona Staples

Published: 2012 (Image Comics)

This sentence, written on a page dominated by a pair of ram-human hybrids who are fighting winged people for a planet on a different plant – these particular ram-humans have just busted through a wooden rocket ship to travel with their rogue pacifist ram-son who fell in love and married and just had a kid with a rogue not-quite-as-calm winged deserting soldier – and –

“To be continued!”

AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. GAH.

Okay. But you got all that about a galactic war, right? The war has been outsourced to different planets so now it sprawls across the galaxy and these humanoid robots with TV heads are the main forces and they’re chasing the rogue couple because they deserted a prison and they’re not supposed to have kids. They want the kid for SOMETHING THAT I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YET GAH.

I will keep harping on this NOT HAVING THE NEXT BIT OF THE STORY until I can check out the next bit from the Library because it’s the only thing I didn’t like about this story. The war storyline is handled well in how it shows how all-consuming and wearyingly normal this lifestyle has become; it also adds urgency and desperation to the couples’ escape. They don’t know if they’ll ever actually find a safe place.

AND NEITHER DO I RIGHT NOW.

Ahem. The art is awesome; strong lines and bright colors that don’t compromise subtlety of shading or expression. There’s some weird-ass stuff in here, like the TV-head robot monarchy, and the ghost of a girl who got killed by a landmine and is now pink and legless with entrails hanging down from her torso. She’s the planet native that helps the couple and their baby find the rocket ship; she’s a total teenager with a good heart and sarcasm. My favorite mix. And a spider-lady assassin who was chasing the couple was probably the creepiest image. Like a centaur only with spider and boobs. Yeah.

Really great start to a story, very seamless blend of personal and political world crises and how they depend on each other, and I want more, dammit! Sigh. I guess I’ll be patient. This is worth digging into the catalogue and waiting list.

Note: My boyfriend points out that this writer (although not the same artist) wrote Y: The Last Man, which is out in its full incarnation and is just as weirdly wonderful ride as Saga will hopefully be.