Paper Girls Vol 5 by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Paper Girls Vol 5 written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang is the fifth volume in the ongoing series. As I discovered after finishing it (and suspected while I was reading) this is actually the penultimate volume of the series. And it shows. In a good way.

Can anyone escape fate? That’s what Mac and her fellow newspaper delivery girls must discover as they escape the year 2000 and travel to the distant future. Plus, the truth behind the mysterious “old-timers” is finally revealed.

After finding the previous Paper Girls volume a little bland, I was pleasantly surprised by how much this one upped the ante. It starts off much like the previous volumes have, with the girls in a new time and finding Cleveland less familiar than they’d like, but quickly raises the stakes. As I was reading, especially towards the end of the volume, I got the sense that the story would be wrapped up soon, which just made it more exciting. The overarching plot, which has always been in the background and has mainly been too confusing for the girls to piece together, is brought to the fore in this volume. Suddenly, a lot of things (almost) make sense and we are made aware of just how badly everything can go wrong. It was an exciting read.

I enjoyed this volume a lot and I definitely recommend it to any fans of the Paper Girls series. If you found the previous volume to be a bit bland, then I urge you to persist. This volume is more interesting and the end of the series is nigh. I am very much looking forward to the concluding volume and am a bit disappointed that I have to wait months for it to be completed.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: December 2018, Image Comics
Series: Paper Girls volume 5 of 6 planned. Contains issues #21–25
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Purchased at All Star Comics in Melbourne

Paper Girls Vol 4 by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Paper Girls Vol 4 written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang is the fourth collected instalment of Paper Girls comics. This is the kind of comic that tells one continuous story over several volumes, so I don't recommend jumping in at volume 4 if you haven't read the previous three.

The mind-bending, time-warping adventure from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as intrepid newspaper deliverer Tiffany is launched from the prehistoric past into the year 2000! In this harrowing version of our past, Y2K was even more of a cataclysm than experts feared, and the only person who can save the future is a 12-year-old girl from 1988.

This volume continues the story, as expected. This time, the girls find themselves in 1999 on New Year’s Eve when things are a little bit strange. And that’s without the giant robots and other time travellers. To me this volume felt like it was mostly running around and avoiding violence (or not, at times). It did progress the overall story but not quite as much as I would have liked. We did get to meet another future self of one of the girls, which was interesting.

While I wouldn’t say this was my favourite volume, I still enjoyed it and I still intend to read the next volume soon. This is a very sequential series and I don’t recommend staring part way through. New readers are best severed starting with volume 1. For continuing readers still invested in the story, I see no especially compelling reason to skip this issue, so read it if you haven’t already.

4 / 5 stars

First published: 2018, Image Comics
Series: Paper Girls vol 4 of ongoing series, collecting issues 16 to 20
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Purchased from All Star Comics in Melbourne

Saga Volume Seven by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga Volume Seven written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples is the seventh volume in the ongoing comic series. As with the previous volumes, it tells the next chapter in the story, collecting issues #37–42.

From the worldwide bestselling team of FIONA STAPLES and BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, “The War for Phang” is an epic, self-contained SAGA event! Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat, and the refugee experience.

I didn't actually read the blurb above before reading this volume, and, having read it, would not have called it an "event" in the traditional comic book sense. Marvel events completely disrupt series, which was not at all the case here. "The War for Phang" was more just a more coherent story arc in a series that often has a few different threads on the go at once. So if you have comic events, best to just not think of this book as an event book.

It is nice, actually, to have a more contained story arc in Saga. There was less trying to remember what those side characters had been doing (though still a bit of that) and more coherent narration by future Hazel across the whole volume. Of course it dealt with a lot of the same issues that earlier parts of the Saga narrative have delved into: racism/interracial relations, war, death. Tying it all together with most of the story set on Phang increased the impact of some of the emotional points. Speaking of emotional points, the ending was also powerful (no spoilers).

I definitely recommend this volume to anyone who has enjoyed the previous volumes of Saga. It's not an especially good place to pick up the story since it really is a long ongoing saga. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume, which will hopefully be soon since it's already out and in my possession.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2017, Image Comics
Series: Saga ongoing series Volume 7 of at least 9
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Some local comic book shop

Paper Girls Volume 3 by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Paper Girls Volume 3 written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang is, obviously, the third volume in the Paper Girls comic series. I have previously read and reviewed Volume 1 and Volume 2. This is the kind of series that tells a single ongoing story, so I don't recommend starting anywhere other than Volume 1 if you haven't already read the previous volumes/issues. This review contains spoilers for the previous volumes.

The multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues, as newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac and Tiffany finally reunite with their long-lost friend KJ in an unexpected new era, where the girls must uncover the secret origins of time travel... or risk never returning home to 1988. 

In this volume we see the four paper girls in prehistoric times continuing their disturbing adventure. They meet some more strange people as well as some... slightly less strange people. Some strange aspects introduced earlier start to make more sense in this volume, while other new mysteries are encountered.

I found this volume to be an enjoyable continuation of the ongoing story. I feel like this is getting to be one of those series where it's hard to review a volume on its own (I have similar problems reviewing Saga) because it really is just a chapter in a story that isn't finished. I am enjoying the format which introduces the setting of the next volume at the end of the previous one. It gives me something to look forward to when I get my hands on Volume 4.

I have been really enjoying Paper Girls and I recommend it to fans of SF, time travel, and weird stuff. For the optimal reading experience you should definitely start with Volume 1 rather than coming into the story in the middle. This is a series I plan to keep reading to completion.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2017, Image Comics
Series: Volume 3 of 4 so far, containing issues #11–15
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Local comic book shop

Paper Girls Volume 2 by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Paper Girls Volume 2 written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang continues the story begun in Volume 1, which I read after it was shortlisted for a Hugo Award last year. I really enjoyed the first volume, so I took the opportunity to pick up volumes 2 and 3 when visiting a comic book shop recently. This review contains spoilers for volume 1.

After surviving the strangest night of their lives in the Cleveland suburb of Stony Stream, intrepid young newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac, and Tiffany find themselves launched from 1988 to a distant and terrifying future... the year 2016.

What would you do if you were suddenly confronted by your 12-year-old self? 40-year-old newspaper reporter Erin Tieng is about to find out in this action-packed story about identity, mortality, and growing older in the 21st century.

This picked up the story right where it left off and, even though it's been a while since I read the first volume, I didn't have trouble getting back into the story, even if I didn't remember all the details. This is an ongoing story so this volume just covers the next arc of story rather than coming to any final conclusions. I think it did a good job containing a linked story with obvious entry and exit points.

The story is set mainly in 2016 and follows the twelve-year-old paper girls from 1988 as they try to work out what's happening and navigate the unfamiliar world of their future. Meanwhile, for reasons related to their time travelling, a lot of bad stuff is also going on, which forms the backdrop to their story. (Why does all the pop culture love giant tardigrades, btw?) This instalment doesn't raise as many questions as the first one did, but that's partly because we have some grounding in the world now and also because some of the same questions come up again.

I am continuing to really enjoy Paper Girls and I am definitely invested in the story. I've already got Volume 3 in hand and I plan to keep on reading as long as the comics keep on coming. If you enjoyed Stranger Things but would have liked more science fiction rather than horror, this may be the comic for you. That said, I didn't actually like Stranger Things at all, and I love this series, so the similarities may end at the part where the 80s are involved. I can't think what else it's comparable to though.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2016, Image Comics
Series: Paper Girls volume 2 (of 4 so far), containing issues #6–10
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Real life comic book shop

Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

Paper Girls Volume 1 by written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang is the first book in what I believe is an ongoing series. I picked it up because it was shortlisted for a Hugo Award and conveniently presented to me in the Hugo voter packet, but I had previously heard good things about it and it was already on my radar to eventually buy. So yay Hugo packet. What I didn't realise until I was reading it was the genre. From the cover art of Volume 1 and the freaking blurb I was expecting something geeky and female-driven. And I mean, it is... but there are also very distinct speculative elements to it.

In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

Which part of that blurb suggests anything about, like, aliens or time travel? NONE OF IT! And saying that here might be a bit of a spoiler, but I think not knowing would put potentially interested readers off more than I have spoiled just by saying that. So. Young girls, aged around twelve, in 1988, who deliver newspapers and encounter aliens and time travel. What's not to like?

The only downside of Paper Girls is that it's a volume 1 in an ongoing series, meaning that the story is in no way complete, many (most) questions are left unanswered and it ends in a cliffhanger. Happily, the second volume is already out and the third is coming relatively soon, so I am looking forward to continuing the story in the near future, just as soon as I get around to making a trip to the comic book shop.

I recommend Paper Girls to fans of nostalgia, girls and spec fic. I'm not entirely sure where the story is going, but I am very happy to continue along for the ride.

5 / 5 stars

First published: 2016, Image Comics
Series: Paper Girls, ongoing series, contains issues #1–5
Format read: watermarked PDF
Source: Hugo Voter Packet

Saga Vol 6 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga Vol 6 written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated Fiona Staples is the sixth volume in the ongoing space opera comic book series, Saga. I have reviewed all of the previous volumes: Volume One, Volume Two, Volume Three, Volume Four and Volume Five. The story picks up more or less where the previous volume left off, with a bit of a jump forward in time (I think of a few years, but I'm not entirely sure).

After a dramatic time jump, the three-time Eisner Award winner for Best Continuing Series continues to evolve, as Hazel begins the most exciting adventure of her life: kindergarten. Meanwhile, her starcrossed family learns hard lessons of their own.

To be honest, after waiting more than a year and a half since reading Vol 5, my recollection of where the plot was up to was vague at best. And yet, I found it really easy to get back into the story. I was only slightly confused about some of the details, and that was more with regards to the secondary storylines.

Overall, I quite enjoyed reading this volume. However, since it's volume six in an ongoing series, I am again lost for what to say about it. It's not a self-contained story; it's a continuation of what's come before. Obviously, this isn't going to work very well as a standalone (I don't like it's odds for the Hugo for that reason). But if you've been reading and enjoying Saga, then definitely continue reading with this volume. If you haven't read any Saga before and the idea of a cross-species war-time love story space opera appeals to you, then go start with volume one and catch up to six (or seven, which is also out). Highly recommended.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2016, Image Comics
Series: Saga, volume 6 out of 7 so far in the ongoing series, containing issues #31–36
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: A shop. I bought it last year and I don't remember in which country.

Private Eye (Deluxe Edition) by Brian K Vaughan

Private Eye (Deluxe Edition) written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Marcos Martin is a self-contained science fiction comic. This edition contains all ten issues of what I gather was originally a web comic (maybe?). As mentioned in the blurb, they are presented in landscape format, which makes it ideal to read on iPad (although my ARC was a digital version of the hard cover, so it may not be relevant.

Because retailers, readers, and ROBERT KIRKMAN demanded it, the online sensation from PanelSyndicate.com’s BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (SAGA, PAPER GIRLS) and MARCOS MARTIN (The Amazing Spider-Man, Doctor Strange: The Oath) is finally coming to print with this gorgeous deluxe hardcover edition, presented in the story’s original widescreen format!

Years after the digital cloud “bursts” and exposes all of our worst secrets, THE PRIVATE EYE is set in an inevitable future where everyone has a secret identity. Following an unlicensed P.I. who is thrust into the most important case of his life, this sci-fi mystery explores the nature of privacy with frightening prescience.

This was an interesting read. It's set in the future after the internet ceases to exist and everyone is obsessed with privacy. Most people (over 18) go around with masks or other disguises on and are allowed to have several identities (kind of how you can currently have several online identities...). The main character is a private eye, not dissimilar to the usual archetype. However, rather than police, the law-keepers of this world are the Fourth Estate, i.e. the press. And our PI lead isn't so much called a PI by most people, but one of the paparazzi.

That's a bit of a weird set-up, as is the fact that we're first introduced to the main character in a rather negative light. Basically, he seems like a peeping tom and I, at least, kind of expected the other guy, who looked more like a detective to be the main character. But he turned out to be a minor part of the plot. As a result, it took me a while to warm to the main character.

The science fictional setting was actually the main source of humour, especially when it came to the grandfather complaining about not having internet or wifi or anyone to play online games with. I didn't enjoy the part where his (i.e. our) generation was demonised, but you can't win them all.

Overall I found this an entertaining read. I, of course, particularly liked that it was a complete and self-contained story. It wasn't my favourite story ever (I mean, I still like Saga more, as far as Vaughan stories go), but it was sufficiently entertaining and adequately science fictional.

4 / 5 stars

First published: December 2015, Image Comics
Series: I don't think there's more than contained here, but I may be wrong
Format read: eARC
Source: NetGalley

Saga Volume Five by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga Volume Five written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples is the fifth volume of collected comics in the ongoing Hugo Award-winning series. If you haven't been keeping up with the series, this is not the point to jump in at. I strongly recommend starting with the first trade collection.

Multiple storylines collide in this cosmos-spanning new volume. While Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko makes an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV to find their missing children, who are trapped on a strange world with terrifying new enemies.

Unsurprisingly, Volume Five picks up and continues the story from where we left off in Volume Four. The story continues incrementally, as it has been, with some progress from all the main character groups. I thought it was tied together particularly nicely by the main character's narration.

I'm honestly not sure what else to say that I haven't said in earlier. I love Ghüs and Lying Cat and the central stories are all a bit tragic. And there's the obligatory horrifying giant genitalia. Basically, if you've been enjoying Saga thus far, there's no reason not to pick up this next volume.

I'm looking forward to rereading the entire series when it's complete (whenever that is) and being able to post a meatier review. As it stands, I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

4 / 5 stars

First published: September 2015, Image Comics
Series: Volume 5 collecting issues #25–30 of the ongoing series
Format read: Paper! Trade paper! Back!
Source: A random comic book store while travelling

Runaways (Deluxe Vols 2 & 3) by Brian K Vaughan and Adrian Alphona

Runaways (Deluxe Vols 2 & 3) by Brian K Vaugh and Adrian Alphona are the two volumes of Runaways containing the second season of Vaughan's Runaways run. My intention was to review each deluxe volume separately, but reading on Marvel Unlimited I accidentally overshot and was halfway through Vol 3 when I realised. I also blame Goodreads for being wrong about which issues were included in Vol 2. So here we are. A review of issues #1–24 of the 2005–2007 run of Runaways, which is regular (non-deluxe) volumes 5–7. This review (and the blurb) contains spoilers for Runaways Deluxe Vol 1.

In True Believers, now that the evil Pride is gone, nearly every bad guy in the Marvel Universe is trying to fill the power vacuum in Los Angeles, and the Runaways are the only heroes who can stop them Plus: What does a mysterious new team of young heroes want with the Runaways, and which fan-favorite Marvel characters are part of this group? In Escape to New York, the Runaways embark on a coast-to-coast adventure, guest-starring Cloak and Dagger AND the New Avengers When Cloak is accused of a crime he didn't commit by the heroes of New York City, the vigilante is forced to turn to the teenage Runaways for help. This story will take our teens to a place they've never been: NYC. In Parental Guidance, the secret super-villain society is back, but this all-new group isn't made up of the Runaways' evil parents. Who are these shadowy players, and what do they want with the Marvel Universe's next generation of heroes? Plus: When the youngest member of the Runaways is separated from her teammates, Molly Hayes must survive a night alone on the mean streets of Los Angeles The 11-year-old mutant girl soon hooks up with a new group of runaways, but is their mysterious leader a hero or a villain? And in Live Fast, the Runaways say good-bye to the past, and make hard decisions about their future.

In the first deluxe collection of Runaways, I thought the single over-arching plot was one of its strengths. In these two volumes the story arcs seem to run more or less over six issues/one regular volume, giving it a distinctly episodic feel in the style of an ongoing TV series. I enjoyed this run of Runaways, but not quite as much as the first one. I think that's partly because of a bit of shuffling of the team members (was some of it caused by external comic events? I got the feeling it might have been).

The first story arc has the Runaways basically running around fighting bad guys as they arise. Meanwhile, a group of adult ex-teenage superheroes start an organisation to help rehabilitate teen heroes and find that with the Runaways, they may have bitten off more than they can chew. This was an entertaining sort of gentle storyline, and I suspect one that long-time comic book fans might have enjoyed picking out the old heroes out of. It also lead nicely into later events.

In the second story arc we meet Cloak and Dagger (well, mostly Cloak) for the second time in Runaways. Dagger asks the teenagers for help with a problem that squicked me out a bit. I mean, it all worked out in the end, but I didn't like the fact that it revolved around Dagger having been beaten into a coma. The pair's appearances in Runaways have made me curious about them, however. (And hey, at least Dagger didn't have to wear her horrible costume much.)

The third story arc has a new team of nemeses out to screw over our main characters. It's a less scary group of people than some of the bad guys they've fought before, but the group turns out to have more of a bite than expected. The showdown is very dramatic. This was also the storyline with more shuffling of team members than I would have liked. (No spoilers, but I'm not sold on the addition to the team, as well as obviously being sad about the person who leaves.)

The final story arc in Vaughan's run is dealing with the severe ramifications of the previous arc's show down. It's sort of more of an epilogue although I was surprised at how much it set up the next story (surprised because the next story is written by a different writer and I expected more of a clean break even if the issue numbers didn't restart). It did leave me intrigued as to where the story is going next.

I am still enjoying Runaways and I plan to keep reading it, although I'll probably have a bit of a break first. It's refreshing to read a story with a predominantly female ensemble cast. Runaways is a fun series full of arse-kicking ladies and I'm glad it had a good run. I recommend starting from the beginning of the whole series (the 2003 run), but I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes the idea of teen superheroes (and perhaps used to enjoy Buffy).

4 / 5 stars

First published: 2005–2007, Marvel
Series: Runaways, ongoing series, issues #1–24 of the second run
Format read: Digital
Source: Marvel Unlimited

Runaways (Deluxe Vol 1) by Brian K Vaughan and Adrian Alphona

Runaways (Deluxe Vol 1) written by Brian K Vaugh and illustrated by Adrian Alphona is the first season (for lack of a better word) of the fairly long running comic series. I didn't read the actual printed volume, but rather the issues in it (#1–18) in digital form on Marvel Unlimited. This seemed like a sensible unit to review in, so deluxe volumes it is (this deluxe volume, for the record, contains the first three normal volumes of Runaways).

In Pride & Joy, six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains Finding strength in one another, the shocked teens run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives - vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy. In Teenage Wasteland, the Runaways find a kindred spirit in a daring young stranger and welcome him into their fold. But will this dashing young man help the teenagers defeat their villainous parents... or tear them apart? Plus: who do you send to catch a group of missing, runaway teenage super-heroes? Marvel's original teen runaway crimefighters, Cloak and Dagger, make their first major appearance in years In The Good Die Young, the world as we know it is about to end, and the Runaways are the only hope to prevent it Our fledgling teenage heroes have learned how their parents' criminal organization began, and now they must decide how it should end. As the Runaways' epic battle against their evil parents reaches its shocking conclusion, the team's mole stands revealed, and blood must be shed. Which kids will still be standing when the smoke finally clears?

What really set this series apart from other Marvel series I've read recently (so, y'know, a lot of them) is that the story arc is stretched over all eighteen issues, rather than five or fewer. It was refreshing to read something with a more involved storyline and a lot of space for character development. In that sense it put me in mind of Saga (also written by Vaughan), which makes me wonder if the similarity is in the writer or the breadth of the idea.

The basic premise of Runaways is a group of teens whose parents are friends are forced to hang out together once a year when their parents get together to do some boring charity thing. This year, however, the teens wander into a secret passage at the host house during their parents meeting and witness them a) dressed in weird costumes and b) perform a human sacrifice. Naturally they freak out and, as the title suggests, run away.

The story is mainly them dealing with their parents being evil and the challenges of living on their own and on the lam. They also didn't exactly start out as friends, more like people who've known each other their whole lives because their collective parents forced them to spend time together. So there's a bit of friction in the group, but not so much that it distracts from the main story. Oh, and did I mention half of them have super powers? There's also a pet velociraptor, which was pretty adorable and kind of my favourite character.

Runaways was a really fun read and also a surprisingly quick read. Those eighteen issues just flew past, compared with some of the other comics I've read. I think there might have been more larger panels (so less happening per page) but also I think the spread-out story also contributed. Like the more the plot progresses in a single issue the slower it feels? Maybe something like that.

Anyway, Runaways Deluxe Vol 1 was pretty great and I will definitely be reading on. It was great to have a single season-length story arc and a distinct ending over the eighteen issues. There was even an epilogue which starts to set up a different story for the next season. I am definitely going to read it as well. I recommend Runaways to fans of YA stories.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2004 with issues published from 2003 to 2004, Marvel Comics
Series: Runaways Deluxe Vol 1, collecting issues #1–18 and regular volumes 1–3
Format read: Digitally
Source: Marvel Unlimited

Saga Volume Four by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga Volume Four by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples is the fourth volume of collected comic issues of the ongoing series Saga. It includes issues 19 to 24 inclusive. If you haven't already, you can read my reviews of Volumes One, Two and Three. This review is definitely going to contain some spoilers for the earlier volumes. Blurb from the back of my (paperback) edition, not Goodreads:

Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. As they visit a strange new world and encounter even more adversaries, baby Hazel finally becomes a toddler, while her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana struggle to stay on their feet.

I always find it hard to review these, because how much is there to say about such a short snippet of story. I can't imagine choosing to read them issue-by-issue. So this review will be brief.

The main new thing this volume brings — thrusts upon us with the opening page — is a baby born to the robot prince couple. What happens to the baby is a significant storyline that is followed throughout the volume. (Side note, if baby robots poop, how do they eat with screens for faces? Inquiring minds need to know.) Related to that, we also learn more about the Robot Kingdom and it's hierarchy. The Prince and Princess have sort of shiny fancy screen faces, as we've already seen, but peasants and other lower classes have crappier TV screens, like with knobs and/or in black and white. And we finally meet the Robot King, but I won't spoil his appearance. Suffice to say lol.

The story of the main family — Hazel, Marko and Alana, and co — jumps forward to Hazel's toddlerhood and the family eking out a relatively stable existence (for the time skipped, anyway). The cover art features Alana bringing home the bacon by acting in entertainment on "the Circuit". It may the source of some tensions. Other characters from earlier in the story also make brief appearances throughout the volume.

I think I enjoyed Volume Four more than some of the earlier ones (although they have blurred together a bit). Mainly, I suspect, because there's less squick factor. Or at least less of my personal squick factor, though I suspect others will beg to differ. Anyway, if you've been enjoying Saga thus far, why wouldn't you pick up the next volume? If you haven't read the series, I strongly suggest starting with Volume One, since the story is highly dependent on continuity.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: January 2015, Image
Series: Saga Volume 4 of ongoing series (containing issues 19 to 24 inclusive)
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Purchased from a real life bookshop's online preorder page ;-p

Saga Volume Three by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples

Saga Volume Three, written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, is (obviously) the third volume of collected comic issues, comprising of issues 13 to 18.

Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Searching for their literary hero, new parents Marko and Alana travel to a cosmic lighthouse on the planet Quietus, while the couple's multiple pursuers finally close in on their targets.

When I read the first two volumes (my reviews of Volume One and Volume Two), I was a little weary of the number of female characters. But as the story has progressed, it seems to have accreted more of them, which I appreciated. The cover art of this volume is a good example; neither of those two characters were proper characters when the story started.

Gwendolyn, the woman on the cover, while not wearing what I would call sensible clothes (but they could be worse), proves herself to be an interesting character. We first learn of her only through Marko, who was engaged to her before he went to war. She initially sounds relatively insignificant but when she shows up in person, we find out that, just as Marko changed when he went to war, so to did Gwendolyn when she stayed back.

One of my favourite characters, who's been around since Volume One but who I haven't mentioned, is Izabel. She's the ghost of a teenage girl who died stepping on a landmine. More accurately, the ghost of half a teenage girl. She's pretty great and not the kind of character I would have expected to see. (Even if we can see her intestines.) Also, she provides a counterpoint to everyone being wrapped up in the war. Although her parents were freedom fighters and despite the way she died, she's not invested at all.

We also get to know two new characters with their own story line: two reporters who have caught the trail of the story of Alana, Marko and their child. They run around trying to chase down leads and, in the process, we learn about their home world. Really, I think it's fair to say that the more we learn about each character, the more interesting they become.

I've been enjoying Saga and I'm sad that I now have to wait for an indeterminate time for the next volume. I also recommend starting from the start if this is the first review that you're reading.

4 / 5 stars

First published: March 2014, Image Comics
Series: Saga, Volume 3 of ongoing
Format read: Paper! Glossiness!
Source: Purchased from the Science Fiction Bookshop

Saga Volume Two by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples

Saga Volume Two, written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples is the second volume of collected comic issues. It contains issues 7 to 12. It continues the story right where Volume One left off, telling us more about the background and history of Mako, the narrator's father.

SAGA is sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and horrific monsters, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters her strangest adventure yet... grandparents.

I didn't think about it that much when I was reading Volume One, but I quite like the style of the narration in Saga. The way it's included puts me in mind of voice overs in movies which take place over action-y scenes and that was exactly how I pictured it. It also means that, despite the narrator still being a baby in the comic (not much time has passed since it started), we can start to get to know her as an adult.

Volume Two introduces a few new characters — one in particular that I wasn't expecting to see so soon — and progresses the plot incrementally. That is one of the frustrating things about reviewing comic books; the nature of the medium makes them very brief and difficult to go into much depth over. (I say this before having listened to the Galactic Suburbia Spoileriffic episode; I'm sure they found plenty to talk about for almost two hours.) So I present a few random thoughts.

I was amused that the language written in blue letters is called Blue. I also checked what it was with Google Translate. I had suspected it was Esperanto, and turns out it is. It was an interesting choice to have a couple of pages of dialogue written entirely in Blue. That was the point at which I decided to check what the language was, but I ended up not translating all of it because it wasn't mysterious from the context (and also because lazy). Still, it was an interesting contrast to other scenes where only one person is speaking in Blue and the other doesn't necessarily understand them.

I was also really taken by the style of the historical vision art. (I would call it a flashback but it flashed to before the character's lifetime.) The way it sort of blurred was really cool. It was only used in one bit, but it was memorable.

Saga Volume Two is a recommended read for people who have read and enjoyed Volume One. I don't recommend starting at Volume Two because of plot continuity. I am definitely going to read the third volume.

4 / 5 stars

First published: 2013, Image Comics
Series: Saga, Volume Two of ongoing (? Three so far)
Format read: Paper!
Source: Purchased from the Science Fiction Bookshop

Saga Volume One by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples

Saga Volume One, written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, is the first volume in a science fantasy/space opera comic book series. First volume in the sense that it's the first trade collection of the first six individual issues. I picked it up because I've been hearing some good things about it (and some less good things that still made me curious) and because Volume 2, which I shall get to shortly, is on this year's Hugo shortlist for Best Graphic Story. Also Volume 1 won the same Hugo last year.

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.

The story opens with the baby on the cover being born and is lightly narrated by her future self. This opening volume sets up several story lines: there's the parents trying to keep their baby safe and not get themselves killed in the middle of a warzone, and there are two unrelated character groups trying to track them down and kill them (and capture the baby).

The story deals with forbidden love — the parents come from different races (who, obviously can interbreed) — particularly in the reactions of other characters when they are confronted with the couple. It's also pretty gritty, in that there's a lot of violence and hardly anyone is a nice person (although possibly not as literally bloody as grimdark fantasy, but I'm not so sure). Also there are a lot of boobs, some of them needless. Like the spider lady bounty hunter really didn't need to be topless (and as a bounty hunter, I have to wonder why it seemed like a good idea). By contrast, the only penises that appear are in the background on a (weird) prostitute planet, which still contains more boobs. If you didn't pick it up from the last few sentences, this is not really a PG read; it's definitely intended for adults.

So far, I'm enjoying the story, which is just as well because I already have volumes two and three ready to go. It's definitely aimed at SFF readers and I wouldn't call it anything other than science fantasy, genre-wise. (OK, I lied, I might also call it space opera, but I remain faintly confused about what space opera actually is.) There are some interesting species represented, like the robots that book completely human (to the point of reproducing the same way) except for having screens for faces. By contrast, the welcoming committee on the prostitute planet was a bit weird and alarming.

Saga seems not to be for the faint of heart, but it's not as dark as quite a lot of fantasy books I've read.

4 / 5 stars

First published: 2012, Image Comics
Series: Saga, Volume 1 of (ongoing?)
Format read: Paper! Gasp!
Source: Purchased from Bokus.com (Swedish retailer)