Comic Reviews: Saga #1-2 and Saved by the Bell #1

Posted October 3, 2015 / Book Reviews / 4 Comments

Comic Reviews: Saga #1-2 and Saved by the Bell #1Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples
Series: Saga: Collected Editions #1
Genres: Comic/Graphic Novel
Published by Image Comics on October 23rd 2012
Also by this author: Saga, Volume 3
Format: Paperback (160 pages) • Source: Borrowed
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four-half-stars

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 universe. 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 world. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.
Collects Saga issues #1-6.

Aside from a random Adventure Time comic I read at one point, Saga is really my first foray into this… genre? medium? Either way, I’m so glad I randomly decided to read it. I was sitting at Books a Million with Chris and he decided to read a little comics before we left the store, to make sure he wanted to buy it. He’s been getting into graphic novels and comic books lately. I decided to pull Saga off the shelf for literally the millionth time and read the first chapter. I wanted to see if it was for me or not, once and for all.

Well, I ended up reading the entire first volume while sitting there in the store. I couldn’t stop and didn’t want to stop. I’m not experienced at all with what makes a good comic, but this story was SO cool and SO bizarre… I loved it.

It took me a long time to fully understand what the fuck was going on. I mean, they’re on a whole different planet (literally) and there’s some intergalactic war going on. It was a bit confusing at times because you’re kind of thrown right into the action, but I’m not complaining. I can’t give this volume a perfect score because I’m still not 100% sure if I understand it, but it’s pretty damn close.

Overall, Saga has some really cool art, fun characters, and LOL-worthy moments. I’m excited to see what happens next in Volume 2 and will definitely be continuing with the series.


Comic Reviews: Saga #1-2 and Saved by the Bell #1Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples
Series: Saga: Collected Editions #2
Genres: Comic/Graphic Novel
Published by Image Comics on July 2nd 2013
Also by this author: Saga, Volume 3
Format: Paperback (168 pages) • Source: Purchased
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five-stars

From award-winning writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (Pride of Baghdad, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist FIONA STAPLES (Mystery Society, Done to Death), 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.
Collects Saga issues #7-12

After finishing the first one in a matter of hours a few months ago, I waited a while before reading the second. I finally bought a few of them and am so glad I did. This one, for me, was even better than the first. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I better understand what’s happening now. The first volume was kind of confusing, but this one helped clarify some things and give a little more background information on the characters.

Everything is fantastic: the art, the humor, the characters, the action, the story… I can’t recommend it enough.

Although I get confused by the timelines and stories sometimes, I LOVE how connected everyone’s stories are. You can jump from each group of characters and everyone has a related mission. I’ve always loved books that feature multiple characters whose stories intersect.

I can’t wait to see what happens next!


Comic Reviews: Saga #1-2 and Saved by the Bell #1Saved By the Bell, Volume 1 by Joelle Sellner, Chynna Clugston Flores, Tim Fish
Series: Saved By the Bell #1
Genres: Comic/Graphic Novel
Published by Lions Forge Comics on July 1st 2015
Format: eARC (112 pages) • Source: Publisher
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four-stars

The classic TV series gets an update for today’s brand new high-schoolers as the coolest kids at Bayside High start their freshman year!
All your favorite characters – Zack, Slater, Kelly, Lisa, Screech and Jessie (and Mr. Belding, of course!) – are starting freshman year at Bayside High, trading in brick phones and mullets for iPhones and Twitter accounts. Does Lisa’s fashion show get on the air, and will Screech ever leave her alone? Will Jessie get that A+? And, most importantly, who’s Kelly going to go out with – preppy Zack or new star athlete A.C. Slater? It’s alright, ‘cause we’re saved by the bell!

Chris and I have spent an increasingly large amount of time browsing the comics at different stores, every time we go to the mall. I always pick up this Saved By the Bell graphic novel and have been tempted many times to buy it. When I saw it on NetGalley, I knew I needed to request it. My college roommate and I watched the show every day after class and loved it so much.

I’m so glad I requested this. Right off the bat, I was impressed by the same style of language from the characters. It really felt like I was reading the show in book form. I laughed out loud like an idiot. Zack was all over Kelly with his typical commentary, Jessie was feministing, Lisa was making fun of Screech, Kelly was adorable, Screech was making his usual jokes, and Slater called Zack “Preppy.” I CAN’T, GUYS. The point of the comics are to “update” the show to make it more current and I think that was done well! There’s a perfect balance between the classic jokes and cheesiness of the TV show, and bringing it up-to-date enough for newer generations to enjoy.

I like that each issue within the comic is separate so you could really read them whenever; they don’t follow too much or too little of a story. Reading in order certainly helps, but it’s nice to see a bunch of different stories – like episodes! – throughout the book.

One qualm I have is the fact that the story feels a LITTLE choppy. I know that it will get cut down because of the comic form and the different panels, but the flow was a little off. It’s kind of hard to read all of the stories in a row too; it’s like watching too many episodes of the show. It can be offputting to have that many “lessons” in a row.

4 responses to “Comic Reviews: Saga #1-2 and Saved by the Bell #1

  1. Saga is excellent! Brian K Vaughan is one of my favorite comic book writers and I love Fiona Staples art style. I think that Saga is a really good entry into comics, for older teens/adults (definitely not a kids comic) because it does show how complex and intricate a story line can be.

    Another excellent comic by Brian K. Vaughan is We Stand On Guard. It’s about Canadian freedom fighters waring against an invading force, which happens to be the U.S.! It’s pretty action-packed and has huge fighting robots in it, which are always cool.

    I love comics, so if you’re looking for some suggestions I can definitely give you some more of my favorites! 🙂

    Elisquared recently posted: SPOOKTACULAR READS 2015

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