Saga (comic book)

Saga
Cover art for Saga #1 (March 2012). Art by Fiona Staples.
Publication information
Publisher	Image Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Epic Space opera/fantasy
Publication date	March 2012–present
Number of issues	42
Main character(s)	Alana Marko Hazel Prince Robot IV The Will
Creative team
Writer(s)	Brian K. Vaughan
Artist(s)	Fiona Staples
Creator(s)	Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Collected editions
SC Vol 1 (#1–6)
SC Vol 2 (#7–12)
SC Vol 3 (#13–18)
SC Vol 4 (#19–24)
SC Vol 5 (#25–30)
SC Vol 6 (#31–36)
SC Vol 7 (#37–42)
HC Vol 1 (#1–18)

Saga is an epic space opera/fantasy comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, published monthly by the American company Image Comics. The series is heavily influenced by Star Wars and is based on ideas Vaughan conceived both as a child and as a parent. It depicts a husband and wife, Alana and Marko, from long-warring extraterrestrial races, fleeing authorities from both sides of a galactic war as they struggle to care for their daughter, Hazel, who is born in the beginning of the series and who occasionally narrates the series as an unseen adult.

The comic was described in solicitations as "Star Wars meets Game of Thrones", and by critics as evocative of both science fiction and fantasy epics such as The Lord of the Rings and classic works like Romeo & Juliet. It is Vaughan's first creator-owned work to be published through Image Comics, and represents the first time he employs narration in his comics writing.

The first issue of Saga was published on March 14, 2012, to positive reviews and a sold-out first printing. It was published in trade paperback form in October 2012. It has also been a consistent sales success, with its collected editions outselling those of The Walking Dead, another successful Image comic.

The series has been met with wide critical acclaim, and is one of the most celebrated comics being published. It has also garnered numerous awards, including a number of Eisner and Harvey Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The first trade paperback collection won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story. It has also been noted for its diverse portrayal of ethnicity, sexuality and gender social roles, and for its treatment of war.

Writer Brian K. Vaughan conceived Saga in his childhood, calling it "a fictional universe that I created when I was bored in math class. I just kept building it." He was inspired by such influences as Star Wars,Flash Gordon and children's books, and has also invoked the awe and wonder of first seeing the Silver Surfer, which seemed an "incredible and different" concept to him. It was not until his wife became pregnant with his second daughter, however, that he conceived of the protagonists, the winged Alana and the horned Marko, two lovers from warring extraterrestrial races who struggle to survive with their newborn daughter, Hazel, who occasionally narrates the series. It was also at this point that the central theme that Vaughan wanted for the book emerged. Vaughan explains, "I wanted to write about parenthood, but I wanted to Trojan-horse it inside some sort of interesting genre story, to explore the overlap between artistic creation and the creation of a child." Vaughan, who intended to return to writing a comics series following the 2010 conclusion of his previous series, Ex Machina, and who notes that the publication of Saga #1 coincided with the birth of his daughter, saw parallels between the caution advised by colleagues against launching a new book in the poor economy and those who cautioned against bringing a new child into the world, observing: