I was aware of writer Brian K. Vaughan because of his various works at Marvel and DC, especially Y: The Last Man and was also aware that Saga was collecting rave reviews and awards from the start. The first trade paperback collection of issues 1 to 6 won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story and awards do not come much bigger than that.
Issue 1 of Saga has been available for free for some time and I have "bought" it several times in several different comics apps for the iPad intending to launch into it from there. Somehow that never happened.
Then a casual tweet read in the pub informed me that the Hugo Award winning Volume 1 was on short-term sale for just £1.49. I bought it then and there.
Incidentally, easy purchasing is one of the best things about comics apps especially when reading a run on a title as you can seamlessly buy the next issue (unless you use the dreadful new ComiXology app, I use the branded ones from Image and Marvel instead).
The essence of the story is given in the first cover. A mixed-race couple fight to protect their daughter from the many forces ranged against them, including the armies of both their races, robots, ghosts, mercenaries and magic. These strange worlds are designed brilliantly by Fiona Staples who, as illustrator, co-creates the book.
Image describe Saga as "Star Wars meets A Game of Thrones" which is both right and wrong. It has the galaxy-spanning chase of the rebels that Star Wars has and the swords and sorcery of Game of Thrones but it is more human that either with the young lovers and their baby at the heart of the story, not the empires opposed to them. And from this emotional human heart comes a lot of the little detail that makes the book so good. Sagas are far from uncommon, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant come to mind, but this is also a story about a couple who laugh, cry, argue and support each other.
Saga is a very human tale about aliens. I'm hooked.
I have been a Ham resident for more than 40 years, so I wonder if I qualify for a mention in Ham Life as the author of a historical biography "Phippy"- the life of Jonathan Wathen Phipps/Waller (of Pope's Villa Twickenham 1812-1835). Phippy was eye surgeon to George III. I'm giving a talk about him in aid of the Museum of Richmond at 7.30 on 2nd June, at St Mary Magdalene Church, Richmond. If you can send me an email address I can send you a liitle more info.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Ruth
Ruth, sorry for the confusing title. "Ham Life" is about my life living in Ham, not everything that is going on in Ham, so your talk would only get a mention here if I went to it and then only after the event. A better place to try and promote your talk locally is probably via Ham United Group (HUG).
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