6 Reasons You Need to Read Saga Right Now

In telling the story of Marko and Alana, star cross’d lovers from two warring alien civilizations on the run and desperate to protect their young daughter, whose existence could change the face of a generations-long conflict, writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples have created something truly special. It’s a series that will appeal to almost anyone—comic reader or not, sci-fi fan or not—and here are six reasons (of many more) you need to start reading it today.
Catch up/no waiting
From Star Trek: The Next Generation (“Mr. Worf…Fire.”) to Game of Thrones, there’s a rich tradition of teeth-gnashing cliffhangers in SF/F. And while they say waiting builds character, there’s something to be said for binging on a great story until you’ve consumed all of it. All the more reason to jump into Saga now—no, the story isn’t over (30 issues have been released; Vaughn estimates he’s got at least 120 to go), but all the current issues are out in trade paperback, and issue #31 hits your local comic book shop (or ereader) on Wednesday. Issue 30 had a hell of a cliffhanger. Everyone else has been waiting since July to see what happens next. You’ll only have to hold out two days.

Get your space opera fix
As of this writing, there is still, tragically, nearly a month before the opening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But when it comes to big, splashy space opera with explosive firefights and over-the-top aliens, Saga shows Star Wars how it’s done (to be fair, it’s a lot cheaper to draw a stunning sci-fi landscape than make it come to life in a film). Brian K. Vaughan first came up with the series in his childhood, inspired by George Lucas’ cinematic universe. But he and Fiona Staples approach every issue with one mandate in mind: to create story that is basically impossible to adapt to film—because it’s louder, bolder, and bigger than any movie could hope to be (sorry, J.J.).
The universe
Not to harp on the Star Wars point too much, but part of the reason I love that other saga is the galaxy far, far away: the larger world that exists beyond what we see on the screen (enough to power decades of fanfiction and a whole expanded universe). Vaughan and Staples have created a universe nothing like Luke and Leia’s—the endless military conflict that drives the plot it is so much more complicated than a light side/dark side dichotomy, and no one seems to have any particular problems with sand—but just as filled with wonder, from weird and wild alien races (androids with giant TV heads? Sure. Tiny walking, talking walrus guys? The more the merrier. Sexy spider-bodied bounty hunters? Actually, that one is making me feel a little funny…) to nutty, lived-in flourishes (revolutionary tracts disguised as pulp sci-fi romances! Virtual reality TV networks that put you inside the drama! Living spaceships! A space cruiser made from the skull of a giant dragon!). The fanfiction writes itself.

The characters
 If Star Wars has taught us anything, it’s that action set pieces and intricate political machinations don’t mean a hill of bantha poodoo without compelling characters. Saga has them in spades—in fact, we’d call it a complex relationship drama first and a star-touring adventure second. The love between Alana and Marko—messy, complicated, bittersweet, adult—and the risks and sacrifices they take to preserve their impossible little family get your blood pumping and engage your emotions as much or more than a face-off with a giant peeing space dragon or 100-foot-tall naked troll. And their relationship is but one among many: each and every character has a life that feels like it exists off the page, and the threads that connect them—frayed, tenuous, often snipped with a harsh, terrible finality—weave together a vivid tapestry. And I’m not just saying that because some of them are, like, horned cyclopi.
The stakes
The problem with falling in love with characters is it hurts so much to lose them, and oh boy, is Saga painful at times. Vaughan and Staples aren’t the least bit shy about sneaking up behind you and slipping the knife between your ribs when you’re least expecting it. Across the first 30 issues, I count at least five wrenching character deaths, and just as many instances of intimate conflict and separation almost as brutal. But then, this is a galaxy torn apart by a generations-long proxy war that is growing uglier with each brutal battle and each savage betrayal. It’s not going to be all hearts and flowers.
There’s nothing else like it
If there’s one problem with Saga, it’s that once you run out of it, that’s all there is, and there’s nothing else quite like it. There are other sci-fi graphic novels, of course—some of them outstanding—but nothing that offers quite the same blend of romance, family drama, wacky and wonderful imagery, soap opera plotting, and stomach-dropping twists. It’s a series with no readalikes, and that’s both a blessing and a curse. Guess I’ll just have to read ’em all again.
Are you a Saga convert?