Saga Saga

I don't know if any of you were catching this, the general run down is:

. Self-published Saga #12 contains rude material
. It isn't available on the Apple store
. Writer Brian K Vaughn raises hell over this
. The internet catches fire
. Saga 12 is now available on the apple store

Yesterday's frame over these facts is that Apple banned it because of TEH GAY.
Today's frame is that Comixology thought that Apple would ban it (but not because of TEH GAY, jesus what are you thinking?) but it turns out that they won't hooray everyone go home now.

Much appears to be still unclear, a post from <a href="http://4thletter.net/2013/04/comixology-played-itself-and-its-audience-over-saga-12/";>David Brothers</a> asks some pertinent questions, and there is a very scathing takedown of internet journalism in the comments.

Also: I cannot remember to hit the 'Convert Simple HTML to BBcode' button to save my life.

Can we talk about the series too? It's still the best-looking comic on the market, but feel like it's been stalling since issue 5 or 6, which seems way too early for water-treading.

What? The introduction of Gwendolyn and Marko's parents? The release of Slave Girl? Good stuff has happened, though that whole giant-monster-in-egg thing was quite weird and underdeveloped. Also, so glad Lying Cat made it!

I read 1-12 last night and holy crap this is so good!

I read a reprint of issue one recently and thought it was only alright, but I am finding all comics a bit unexciting these days.

I have no fixed opinion on the Saga Saga. If Apple opt not to sell it, could people have obtained it from somewhere else? If so then maybe the Saga Saga was a controversy of no great import. If not then maybe it raises important points.

Ok, the last issue seems to have gotten the story out of its (mild) rut. The pattern of character grace notes followed by sudden death (poor mousy) is getting a bit obvious though.

I have no fixed opinion on the Saga Saga. If Apple opt not to sell it, could people have obtained it from somewhere else?

The ability to obtain it somewhere else was a major part of the Saga Saga

I just read the big book covering issues 1-18 and liked it a lot. It's like a weird collision of Incal-style surrealism with dialog out of a Joss Wheadon show. Now I'm debating if I should track down the rest of the individual issues or wait how-ever-many-years until the next big collection comes out. I suspect I'll be frustrated reading issue-to-issue because they seem very short and don't come out very often.

The back of the book includes a feature describing the process of creating the comic. It surprised me how much of the art is done in Photoshop. Basically everything besides initial thumbnail sketches. I guess this is probably standard practice but I don't know a lot about how comics are made these days.

thus far BkV has proven good at getting a story going but he seems to inevitably start jamming in "bottle episodes" when the whole thing should start wrapping up and then he botches the landing
but this is his first one of these for image, maybe he's not gonna be goaded to pad the plot to sell more issues and will find better closure. i'm a little skeptical.
anyways, this is good enough to merit buying trades at the moment imo

bored now

really really bored now

yeah, BKV does tend to go on and on

Someone gave me the 1st tpb of this a while back and I get that it's supposed to be good but I can't stand looking at this fuckers horns.

enjoying the first big tpb (I'd read individual issues of 1-6 awhile ago) - Moodles otm above. Not excited about this just dragging on aimlessly forever though...

It’s still good - up and down but much more consistent than Y or ExM or even Runaways. Actually it’s the only comic I’m being as a floppy right now - I think it reads better issue-to-issue. The single issues feel substantial enough (in part cuz of the art) and the cliffhangers are good.

I lost interest in this because of the big gaps, I'll wait until the whole thing wraps up and read it then.

Its pretty easy to catch up! Basically it's always just the three leads, whoever's chasing them, and a bunch of NPCs who might be trustworthy OR NOT. Kind of like the Walking Dead model, but without being fucking terrible.

Tbh you could skip the catch-up and just jump in wherever.

https://io9.gizmodo.com/saga-is-officially-entering-its-endgame-1834033490

oh dang it’s still going?

Halfway?! It's been freewheeling for at least a year before the hiatus.

I'd assumed it was ending much sooner, not least because they're running out of people to kill.

So this is good? I should get?

What do you usually enjoy in comics?

Entertaining melodrama.

Terrific character design, really good artwork.

I don’t even remember if it’s good. The cat’s great tho.

It’s fun, it’s suspenseful, the art is spectacular, characters die but it’s never Walking Dead-style misery porn, and Vaughan gets the balance right between plottiness and character-driven meandering that eluded him for Y. It’s great, I recommend it!

^^^ This

But definitely read in trades, I would say.

As a trade reader, I wish I'd read in issues - every nine months I had to pick up the previous trade or two to remember where everyone was.

I was going to say "this is less of an issue now that it's ending", but I guess I just made that up - apparently the gap after 54 was just the half-time?

I like the single issues because cliffhangers

I hear Paper Girls was excellent also

Liked Paper Girls a lot. Nice sweetbitter ending, and fun characters along the way. As with The Wicked and the Divine, last trade just released, so you can read the whole series in one go.

Back in January 2022, apparently

And we’re back!

New status quo, the return of some familiar faces.

Whoa, I gotta check my subscription.

Ahhhh. I only buy the trades but this is great news

Years ago, someone gave me the first tpb as a present and I really didn't like it. The dialog seemed very forced to me and I just didn't like looking at the dude with sheep horns. Sorry Marko, they just freak me out. I went back to that first tpb a few times and could never bring myself to continue.

Yesterday, I stopped by my comic shop to pick up my pullbox and everybody was hyping the hell out of this. They gave me a free copy of the new issue with my regular comics! And the dude handed me my stack and I was like "yeahhhh, Saga's really not my thing..." and then the two employees who were standing there got kinda sad looks on their face and I kinda had to be like "...but I'll read it! I'll read it!" And then when I got up to the cash register, the woman there was like "Yes! Saga! I'm so glad it's back!" I just opened my dumb mouth and was like "Yeah, I'm really not into it but they gave me this copy for free back there..." And then she looked disappointed.

I do wish I enjoyed it, because I want to learn more about the Lying Cat.

It’s all good. Not everything is for everyone.

Library's Hoopla is e-releasing the singles on publication. I'm happy there's no delay for the borrowing crowd.

My whole run got mushed in a flood last year

Excited to have this back though!

Fiona Staples is the bomb. I love the way she draws facial expressions and bodies.

I got volume 10 today and have yet to read it but I need to read a summary of the last one first cos it’s been four years! I remember a lot of deaths…

Back in January 2023 from current lesser hiatus.

The various gaps have the (probably unintended) effect of underlining the eternal war - everyone's always killing someone because of shit no-one can remember.

I've had Saga on my pull list since it came back from Volume 1, and I... still haven't opened them. Seems like a lot of effort!