SAGA #1

Maybe you don't read comics...but Saga #1 is as big as a new Star Wars movie hitting theaters. It's the biggest new comic book release in years. I'm not sure I can even think of something as big that came out recently...maybe the "new 52" DC relaunch, although that was a cumulative event. It's a big deal because it's the first new Brian K. Vaughn book in three years and it's an ongoing. Vaughn has written a lot before but his big book was Y: the Last Man. If you never read it, well, it's only one of the best comics ever. After his book, Ex-Machina, concluded he went to Hollywood and wrote/produced Lost (he wrote one of the best episodes, that one where Desmond traveled through time to find Penny). Vaughn is back with artist Fiona Staples on a book that's a mash-up of sci-fi and fantasy. It features a couple that has just had a baby and they're on the run from pretty much everyone in the galaxy. The dialogue is typical Vaughn; it's modern, catchy, cute, and funny. Marko, the "hero", is basically Yorrick from Y: the Last Man. But this book is a little different in that it's totally bonkers. There's a butler that happens to be an alligator in a suit. There's a scene where two people with TV sets for heads are fucking (but the guy can't get hard). There's a tiger-like beast that a bounty hunter works with that can detect lies. And the main character has horns and can do magic and his baby momma has wings. This book is, honestly, pretty much perfect. The colors are a little stale but that's about the only negative. It's super-fun to read, totally engrossing, unique, beautiful, and the world and plots that Vaughn has presented open up a billion possibilities. The final page is a cliffhanger and a beautiful splash page and a note-perfect ending to a #1 issue. I cannot wait to read more. Is it a cliche to say it? This is why we all read comic books. ****(out of ****)