As we get into the book we find out that there’s a war between the planet Landfall, whose inhabitants have wings on their backs, and its moon Wreath, whose people all have horns on their heads and this war is stretching across the universe. Why? Rather than fight on their home soil and run the risk of destroying it...Landfall and Wreath outsource the war to other planets.
The book has a grand soap opera like feel set in a fantastical Star Wars-like galaxy...full of magic, monster, spaceships made from trees, lasers, alligator butlers, topless-armless-lower torso of a spider bounty hunter and the ghost of a 14 year old girl-missing her lower half from stepping on a landmine-baby sitter...it all feels real. I know that might be hard to believe but Vaughn weaves the story together seamlessly and it all works and more importantly...makes sense.
The book has a grand soap opera like feel set in a fantastical Star Wars-like galaxy...full of magic, monster, spaceships made from trees, lasers, alligator butlers, topless-armless-lower torso of a spider bounty hunter and the ghost of a 14 year old girl-missing her lower half from stepping on a landmine-baby sitter...it all feels real. I know that might be hard to believe but Vaughn weaves the story together seamlessly and it all works and more importantly...makes sense.
The story centers around our two main characters, the Landfallian woman named Alana and a Wreath male named Marko. They are two soldiers from opposite sides who simply fall in love and try to escape. There's not some grandiose plan to end the war, rather once they found out they're going to have a baby (Hazel) they just want to be left alone to raise her.
Opposite of our fleeing lovebirds is Prince Robot IV, his family are allies with Landfall. Prince Robot has has a human body but a television for a head (I'm still trying to figure it out...but once again, it works). He and a bounty hunter named "The Will" are commissioned to hunt down Alana and Marko and kill their child. These two are not looking to kill the child as some way to attain a grand status. Prince Robot IV wants to do it so he can get home and see the birth of his own child and The Will wants to use the money from the bounty to free a 6 year old child from sex slavery. oh, and there's laying cat...a LYING CAT! A sidekick to the bounty hunter The Will, who pronounces “LYING” whenever it hears someone saying fibbing. Ya, it really is a kind of adult Star Wars...and its awesome!!!
The complexities woven through the action packed, dramatic and dare I say it sexy story by Vaughn...with the discovery of our characters and their faults and their humor get brought to graphic light by Staple's artwork. I could see how another artist wouldn't be able to envision the fantastical worlds and people Vaughn needs to move the story...but Staple nails it! Honestly, you could take the word and thought bubbles away and still understand what's happening and how the characters feel just by looking at them. THAT is how artworks supposed to work.
Yes, there is a part of me that would love for this to make it to the small screen or even the big one for that matter but for right now I'm more than happy that we get this fantastic story in comic form. Go out to your local comic shop and pick up the first trade paperback (no way you're finding the first 6 issues..I should know...I've been looking everywhere for them!) and see for yourself. Learn from my mistake about not taking John's suggestion of buying all the trade paperbacks...you might as well buy all of them at once because when you start reading...you won't want the story to end.
If you are reading Saga or started reading it at my suggestion, tell me what YOU think!
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