[BOOK REVIEW] Saga Volume 8 by Brian K. Vaughan

Title:  Saga Volume 8

Author:  Brian K. Vaughan

Artist:  Fiona Staples

Genre:  Adventure / Family / Fantasy / Science Fiction

Year Published:  2017

Year Read: 11/14/2018

Series:  Saga #8

Publisher:  Image Comics

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Gory Violence, Strong Language and Nudity)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository

Introduction:

Yes!!!  I finally got around to reading “Saga Volume Eight!”  I only need to get “Saga Volume Nine” soon to finish up this series!  I found “Saga Volume Eight” to be a truly delightful volume to read from the “Saga” series!

What is this story about?

After the tragic events that happened on the Planet Phang in the last volume, the gang ended up in Abortion Town, which is a town that resembles the Old West.  After Alana suffered a miscarriage when they were trying to escape the Planet Phang, they have to go to Abortion Town so that she could get an abortion.  Also, it turns out that the miscarriage is temporarily giving Alana magic powers, but having these powers is slowly killing Alana.  Can the gang help Alana abort the still born child before it is too late?

What I loved about this story:

Brian K. Vaughan’s writing:  Wow!  Seriously, Brian K. Vaughan just continues to write an amazing and bizarre series that constantly keeps me coming back for more!  Brian K. Vaughan has done a brilliant job at making this story both exciting and emotional as I was seriously upset at the fact that Alana had a miscarriage and the emotional turmoil that she was going through during that situation.  I also loved the fact that the rest of the crew were supportive of Alana and how they tried to help her deal with this traumatic situation as it showed us just how much closer this crew is becoming towards each other.  I also loved the way that Brian K. Vaughan introduced the aspects of the Wild West into this story as it brings even more creativity to this series and I was interested in seeing how the Wild West would be portrayed in this series!

Fiona Staples’ artwork:  Fiona Staples’ artwork is still as gorgeous as before, especially of the images of Abortion Town itself as it looks like a bizarre version of the Wild West!  I also loved seeing all the bizarre alien creatures that inhabit this world as their appearances made the story even more interesting to read!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language, violence and nudity, there is quite a bit of all of the above in this volume, although this volume is surprisingly light on all of these aspects.  Also, even though the rating for this volume is still pretty high, I could not give this volume a full six-star rating because the pacing was a bit slower here than in the previous volumes.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Saga Volume Eight” is a fantastic volume that really turns up the drama and excitement in this series and I cannot wait to read the ninth volume of this book soon!

You might also like: 

• Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan

• Saga Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan

• Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

[BOOK REVIEW] Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan

Title:  Saga Volume 7

Author:  Brian K. Vaughan

Artist:  Fiona Staples

Genre:  Adventure / Family / Fantasy / Science Fiction

Year Published:  2017

Year Read: 6/30/2018

Series:  Saga #7

Publisher:  Image Comics

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Gory Violence, Strong Language and Nudity)

Trigger Warning: Near Rape Scene

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Introduction:

Oh, my goodness!  How long has it been since I last read “Saga?”  Too long, I say!  TOO LONG!!!  Anyway, I finally got around to reading the seventh volume in Brian K. Vaughan’s and Fiona Staples’ AWESOME and BRILLIANT “Saga” series and oh man, do I DARE say that this volume has gotten me into TEARS in the worst way possible?

What is this story about?

In this volume, Marko, Alana and their daughter Hazel are finally reunited with each other after spending the previous volumes being apart from each other.  When the ship they are using runs out of fuel, Marko, Alana and their new friend Petrichor and Prince Robot have to go to a planet called Phang to get the fuel they need for their ship.  But, Phang is a planet that is ravaged by the war between Wreath and Landfall and they ended up meeting a family of refugees who ended up staying with Alana, Marko and their crew for a while.  Unfortunately, it turns out that the planet Phang is actually about to be destroyed and Alana, Marko, Hazel and their friends have to figure out a way to escape the planet before it is too late!

What I loved about this story:

Brian K. Vaughan’s writing:  Oh, my goodness!  I just can never get enough of this series!!! Brian K. Vaughan has once again done a brilliant job at writing this volume as this volume was full of humor, drama, and tear jerking moments that will make you cry for days!  I loved the way that Brian K. Vaughn wrote the characters as I found myself really caring for the characters’ situations, especially with Alana being pregnant again and trying to keep her baby safe while surviving on a war-torn planet.  I am always amazed at how Alana and Marko managed to survive their dangerous journey in going to a peaceful planet while also having a family at the same time as it shows how strong their family is and I always loved the fact that whenever a new person comes on board their ship, they are automatically considered family.  I really liked the way that Hazel is growing up in each volume as she slowly tries to understand about the world around her, while still being the most innocent character in this series and she is always bringing in some lightheartedness to the story.  I also liked the way that Brian K. Vaughan approached the subject about what refugees have to go through whenever they are stuck in a war-torn city as I found myself sympathizing with the refugees that Alana and Marko took in and how they lost everything due to a war going on in their homeland.  I liked the fact that Brian K. Vaughan pulled no punches in this volume as there were many character deaths and intense situations that had left me shaken and it seems like with each volume, things get even more dangerous and intense for Marko and Alana and I just hope that they along with Hazel survive the dangerous journey.

Fiona Staples’ artwork:  Fiona Staples’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at!  I just loved the way that Fiona Staples did the explosions and lasers in certain scene as they are breathtaking to look at and just jump out at you.  I also loved the way that Fiona Staples drew the different creatures that inhabited this universe as they look bizarre yet creative at the same time!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language, there are some usages of the “f” and “s” words that are littered throughout this volume.  Also, there is some nudity in this volume (although not as much as previous volumes, which is saying something). So, if you do not like seeing (pardon my speech) penises or nipples, then you might want to skip over these scenes.  There are some gory scenes in this volume also, such as images of people’s heads getting blown up.  So that might unsettle some people who do not like gory violence in graphic novels.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Saga Volume Seven” is a truly FANTASTIC and TRAGIC volume that everyone who is a fan of Brian K. Vaughan’s famous “Saga” series should definitely check it out!  Now, I am off to check out the eighth volume in this series!

* 2017 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Graphic Novels and Comics

* 2017 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Continuing Series, Best Writer (for Brian K. Vaughan), Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team (for Fiona Staples) and Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers) (Fiona Staples)

You might also like: 

• Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan

• Saga Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan

• Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

[ARC REVIEW] Paper Girls Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

Title:  Paper Girls Volume 1


Author:  Brian K. Vaughan


Artist:  Cliff Chiang

Genre:  Mystery / Time Travel / Thriller / Science Fiction

Year Published:  2016

Year Read: 11/30/2016

Series:   Paper Girls #1

Publisher:  Image Comics


Source: eARC (NetGalley) / Library


Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Strong Language, Gory Violence and Themes of Homophobia)

 

I would like to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Introduction:

I have been reading Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga” series for a while now and when I heard that he was making a new series called “Paper Girls,” I just had to check this series out for myself since I have loved everything that Brian K. Vaughan has written so far!

What is this story about?

The year is 1988 and a twelve year old girl named Erin had just recently gotten a job as a paper girl, delivering newspapers to everyone’s houses.  Along the way, she meets up with three other paper girls named Mackenzie, Tiffany and KJ and they quickly formed a bond with each other. Unfortunately, strange things started happening in the neighborhood as alien birds being ridden by soldiers in futuristic armor started showing up in the sky.  Not only that, but it appears that these strange creatures are chasing a group of people cloaked in dark robes and these people in dark robes are hiding a huge secret that could destroy the lives of the four paper girls!

What I loved about this story:

Brian K. Vaughan’s writing:  Ever since I had started reading Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga” series, I have been so immersed with his creative writing and his ability in creating likable characters in bizarre settings and this comic was no exception!  Probably one of the most interesting things about this comic was that it was set in the 1980s and I barely read books that dealt with the culture and society of the 1980s since most of the books I have been reading would normally take place in the 1960s or the 1970s in terms of older period pieces.  I also loved the nostalgia factor that this book sort of gave me as even though I did not grow up during the 1980s (I am actually a 90s baby), I did like the fact that the book alluded to some popular parts of the culture in the 1980s such as seeing some kids dress up as Freddy Krueger from “The Nightmare on Elm Street” series and mentions of the Space Shuttle Challenger.  I personally enjoyed Brian K. Vaughan making this story a bit mind numbing for the average reader as we not only see  aliens in this story, but the plot also involves a lot time traveling and even though that can be confusing to read through (and believe me, I had lots of experiences where I got confused with time travelling plots), I actually found this aspect to be one of the most interesting parts of the story as it left me wanting to find out more about what is really going on with the aliens coming to the 1980s.   Even though the characters are not fully developed yet, I did like the relationships between the paper girls Erin, Mackenzie, Tiffany and KJ as they try to figure out what is exactly going on and trying to keep each other safe during this strange situation.

Cliff Chiang’s artwork: This is actually my first introduction to Cliff Chiang’s artwork and I am really loving it as the characters have a scratchy look to them, but I love the way that the coloring conveys the situations that the characters end up in such as having darker shadings whenever the characters are in a scary or mysterious area such as the basement or the forest.  I also love the fact that the colors blue and pink represent the Paper Girls themselves as any scene that features pink and blue colors make the Paper Girls really stand out in the story.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language and bloody violence, there are some scenes where characters are killed in gruesome ways and that might be uncomfortable for some readers to handle.  Also, there is some strong language in this volume such as the use of the “f” word and readers who do not like strong language might want to skip over these words.  Another issue that some readers might have with this volume is the totally insane “mind screw” aspect of the story.  Because of this, the story can get a bit confusing, especially if you are not used to time travelling stories (or having aliens suddenly come into the plot).  But for me personally, since I have been reading Brian K. Vaughan’s works for a while and many of his works do tend to have a bizarre quality to the narrative, I was actually used to the mind screw aspect of the story and that just made the story more interesting for me, although I would like it better if there was more exposition on why the aliens are even time travelling to begin with.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Paper Girls” is an awesome read and even though I want to see more happen with these characters and the situation, I am excited to see where this series goes next!

* 2016 Harvey Awards for Best New Series

* 2016 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best New Series & Best Penciller / Inker Team (for Cliff Chiang) 

  

[BOOK REVIEW] Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

Title:  Saga Volume 6

Author:  Brian K. Vaughan

Artist:  Fiona Staples

Genre:  Adventure / Family / Fantasy / Science Fiction

Year Published:  2016

Year Read: 11/9/2016

Series:  Saga #6

Publisher:  Image Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 17+ (Gory Violence, Strong Language and Nudity)

Introduction:

 

THIS SERIES JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!

I seriously cannot get enough of this series!  Every time I pick up a graphic novel from Brian K. Vaughan’s groundbreaking comic book series “Saga,” I am just filled to the brim with anticipation in seeing what kind of adventures will Alana, Marko and Hazel get into and “Saga Volume Six” does not disappoint me in bringing in the excitement and romance!

What is this story about?

After Hazel gets kidnapped in the last volume, Alana and Marko had reignited their love for each other and decided to travel across the galaxy to find their beloved daughter.  Meanwhile after a time skip, Hazel attends Kindergarten on the planet Landfall and it was soon discovered that Hazel’s identity (being the child of two clashing races) was too dangerous to reveal to anyone, although Hazel eventually revealed her secret identity to her teacher. Once Hazel’s teacher finds out the truth about Hazel, she decides to try and get Hazel and her grandmother out of Landfall!

What I loved about this story:

Brian K. Vaughan’s writing: Wow…just wow…This volume was just as BEAUTIFUL, NAUGHTY, and EXCITING as the previous volumes and I just loved seeing the developments that are happening to Alana, Marko and Hazel!  I loved the way that Brian K. Vaughan developed each character as it was great seeing the characters mature throughout the story due to the time skip and I really loved the fact that this volume focuses more on Hazel and how she contributes to the main story overall as she tries to understand about her mixed heritage and why it is dangerous to reveal her true nature to the world.  I was also surprised with how Brian K. Vaughan portrayed the Will’s descent into madness after he lost both his girlfriend and his sister, the Brand, and it served as an interesting side story about having to deal with the loss of a loved one over time.  It was also interesting seeing some new characters pop up in this volume such as the two homosexual male reporters who are in a relationship with each other and are also trying to discover the truths about Alana and Marko and about their forbidden love to each other.  It gives the story a much wider scope of the “Saga” universe as we get to see the events of the main plot from the perspective of other characters that are not the main characters.

Fiona Staples’ artwork:  Fiona Staples’ artwork is as usual gorgeous and creative to look at as the characters are beautifully drawn and I loved seeing the exotic worlds that the cast of “Saga” live in, such as an underwater airport on one page. I also enjoyed seeing the images of the Will getting overweight since it surprised me a bit, but it also showed how he was still suffering over the loss of his loved ones over the years.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

As per tradition with the “Saga” series, there is strong language, bloody violence and graphic imagery that might not go over too well with some readers. If you do not like reading any graphic novels that have lots of nudity, gore and strong language, then you might want to skip this series. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Saga: Volume Six” is another awesome installment in Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga” series that is full of EXCITEMENT, ROMANCE, SASS and CREATIVITY that any graphic novel fan will enjoy for years to come!

[BOOK REVIEW] Saga Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan

Title:  Saga Volume 5

Author:  Brian K. Vaughan

Artist:  Fiona Staples

Genre:  Adventure / Family / Fantasy / Science Fiction

Year Published:  2015

Year Read: 7/21/2016

Series:  Saga #5

Publisher:  Image Comics

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 17+ (Strong Language, Gory Violence and Nudity)

 

Introduction:

 

OH YEAH BABY!

Another fantastic volume of “Saga” from the great mind of Brian K. Vaughan?  You bet I will check this new volume out as soon as it was released and I was seriously blown away by this action packed volume!  “Saga: Volume Five” is another awesome installment of Brian K. Vaughan’s legendary comic book series that is definitely worth its weight in gold!

What is this story about?

After the disastrous falling out between Marko and Alana in the previous volume, Alana, Marko’s mother and Hazel find themselves being kidnapped by Dengo, the janitor robot who kidnapped Prince Robot IV’s newborn baby in the last volume.  This then leads to Marko being forced to work with Prince Robot IV in order to find their missing families.  Meanwhile, Gwendolyn, Sophie and The Will’s sister The Brand, set out on a journey together to retrieve a cure that will help save The Will’s life, but the journey is going to be pretty dangerous for the three (four if we are including the Lying Cat) travelers! 

What I loved about this story:

Brian K. Vaughan’s writing: As usual, Brian K. Vaughan’s writing is spot on and I really loved the fact that this volume was much more action driven then the previous volumes, which were mostly character driven and we actually get to see several characters really kicking some serious butt in this volume!  I just loved the way that Brian K. Vaughan really made Alana into such an awesome fighter in this volume as it was hinted at early on that Alana used to be in the military and we finally get the chance to see Alana’s combat skills displayed in this volume, especially when she tries to protect her daughter Hazel from various people who want to harm her.  I also loved the fact that Marko is still trying to find Alana and Hazel again as it showed how much he really cared about his family, despite his fight with Alana in the last volume.  It was also heartbreaking learning about Marko’s backstory and why him accidentally hurting Alana had such a tragic impact on him and how he tries to make amends for what he had done to Alana.  I really enjoyed the side story involving Gwendolyn, Sophie, the Lying Cat and the Brand trying to find a cure for the Will, who was injured a few volumes ago. I really loved the relationship between these four travelers as it shows that they all cared about the Will in their own way and are willing to work together to obtain the cure needed to help the Will.  The only thing that got me about this volume was that I did not see one single appearance from my favorite ghost girl Izabel…OH IZABEL! WHERE ARE YOU!?

Fiona Staples’ artwork:  Fiona Staples’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at and I really loved the action sequences as you can see the explosions really glow through the pages (which is something I often see with this series all the time) and I really loved the alien appearances of many of the characters, especially of Prince Robot IV with his TV set head!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

For anyone who does not like strong language, gory violence and graphic images, there are many scenes in this volume where characters are blown up and blood and guts are sprayed all over and some strong language such as the constant use of the “f” word and the “a” word.  Also, there is some nudity in this volume, as well as some sex scenes that might make some people cringe.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, is “Saga: Volume Five” worth picking up?  YES! YES IT IS! Go ahead and pick up this sucker already and be amazed by the wonderful world of “Saga!”