A problem with Comic Reviews...

There is a nasty problem with comic reviews where if a comic is not good, no one offers a review. If a comic is good they offer a review with out substance. Today I'll offer a review, one that is going to be considered as equally naive by the fan boys and girls who read the rhetoric offered currently. My review will have items that are a little more in-depth then what they are getting from review people currently.

This review is going to be about the comic SAGA....

In all that is fair I will admit I will not buy this book! It is likely my good sense has fallen by the way side when put up against my fear of a poor script. It is also likely that I am getting old and frustrated by the constant repeat of story lines offered in both literature and pop culture. Though this review should include a positive aspect to be fair.

The Art displayed by co-creator Fiona is with out a doubt some of her best in a long time. Only looking at the cover and the preview pages online, I find it hard to believe that it has sold out, as is the claim by Image, the publisher.

If any thing I give Fiona full credit for the character designs and offering in-spite as to the contents of the full story. Having studied History and Art history I'm immediately brought to the idea that perhaps we have a tale about Cleopatra and Alexander the great. The first hint is the male character depiction much like the old coin representation of the man himself.


Now the whole space alien theme is a neat twist. The question is, will that be enough to carry the whole story? For me the answer is no. Already there are similarities to Star Wars in the preview. I mean the main character dresses like Han Solo, at least on the cover.




To seal the deal I just need to see that the female character speaks like Cleopatra, a second or third language and refuses her own local dialect. You'll notice in the painting Cleopatra and Julius Caesar to the left, That the main character has a similar gown skirt. Of course using black instead of the paintings white gives the character a little more of an edge. Both Cleopatra and the main character have short cropped hair that is dark, adding to the alluring factor of the stories character. Her pose is less suductive and more one of a person of authority figure. Again hinting that Cleopatra is very much part of this character. The question remains is if the main female character will take on a lover if the male counter part dies to ensure the survival of her child.


The whole baby introduction reminds me of Star Wars. I mean we have a hint of a slave struggle in the preview. We have a child from two places and races that clearly will impact the story. By the way Witchblade also introduced a child in there story line.

((Hope Pezzini

Sara's mystical daughter with Jackie Estacado. She is neither of The Darkness nor The Angelus, but has unknown powers that are currently dormant. In Artifacts, Hope is the subject of a massive search by artifact bearers following her capture by The Survivor — it is during this search her parents, Jackie and Sara, finally consummate their feelings for each other, and Hope's nature is revealed by The Survivor; Hope is the "Codex" for the entire universe, meant to survive and ensure its survival. The Survivor plans to kill and replace her as the Codex to guarantee the resurrection of his own universe. )) - Found on wikipedia.org 2012

I don't feel compelled by this book, other then the few glimpse of art, I'll wait to download those visual goodies when they surface on the internet.

This looks to be a visually interesting book. Again that alone might justify the purchase. Still I simply have been exposed to far more history then I care to read again in a fictional tale like Saga. I would rather go see this book as a movie. Kill two hours of my life staring at a mind numbing screen and maybe having my soul stirred by the visual effects. The boost in testosterone for those brief 2 hours might be more worth my while then actually reading this book.

I hope the book does do well for both the creators. Still, I feel the larger effort was put on the artist shoulders here and the writer may have just regurgitated what has already been done in Star Wars, Witchblade and history as many of us have already studied it.

But don't let my review stop you. I mean when was the last time you all ran back to university just to learn about ancient Rome or Egypt? This may be the book for you if you need more of the same.