The Best Sci-Fi Comic Of The Past Decade Is Like R-Rated Star Wars Done Right

There are few genres as wonderfully weird and potentially expansive as the space opera, which takes elements of both science fiction and fantasy and blends them together with big "hero's journey"-style storytelling and lots of high drama. And while "Star Wars" is one of the biggest and most recognizable examples of the genre, the property is also typically geared more towards families (with the exception of the stellar "Andor," but more on that in a minute). There have been some attempts to create essentially "'Star Wars' for adults," like Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" movies and the live-action adaptations of Frank Herbert's decidedly mature "Dune" novels (which themselves inspired "Star Wars" creator George Lucas), but nothing has quite come close to the space opera magic of a galaxy far, far away ... at least in film or TV form.

The long-running Image Comics series "Saga" from writer Brian K. Vaughan and illustrator Fiona Staples is like an R-rated "Star Wars" that's just as weird and wild as a bar on Mos Eisley, yet it also has the deep thoughts and serious heart of the politically-outspoken "Andor." "Saga" tells the story of one unusual family during a terrible intergalactic war between the winged Landfall Coalition and the horned people of Wreath, Landfall's largest moon. Alana, a Landfall soldier, falls in love with Marko, a soldier from Wreath, and together they create Hazel, a sociopolitical winged-and-horned firestorm in diapers. Hazel is the comic's narrator, and her retelling of her birth and upbringing is hilarious, heartfelt, and frequently heartbreaking. Full of exquisitely written characters, "Saga" is, at its core, a refugee story that feels both deeply relevant and ultimately timeless.

Vaughan was inspired by "Star Wars" and "Flash Gordon" when creating "Saga," and he has jokingly called it "'Star Wars" for perverts" in interviews, because there's quite a bit of sex and nudity. There's also a lot of graphic violence since this is a story about war, and it doesn't pull any punches. No one in "Saga" is safe from the ravages of the war between Wreath and Landfall, but Hazel and her family are in extra danger because Hazel herself is both a threat to and potential weapon for either empire. Alana and Marko forge a new found family as they run from bounty hunters, and Hazel finds herself surrounded by some of the most incredible (and unusual) characters in the galaxy. The only thing is that many of them also end up getting killed along the way, teaching Hazel about pain and loss at an early age. 

Similar to the "Star Wars" franchise, "Saga" is a comic book about a heartfelt rebellion by the little guys against massive armies of imperial forces, a reminder of the power of sticking up for what's right and taking care of one another. Unlike "Star Wars," though, the lines between the good guys and bad guys can become extremely blurred, and even our main heroes can flounder in ways few other space operas would allow. It's amazing how much you can grow to care about some of the antagonists in "Saga" and just how angry you can get at its leads. Everything is deeply nuanced and guaranteed to make readers both think and feel deeply. 

Vaughan's writing is phenomenal, but it's the interior and cover art by Fiona Staples that really brings "Saga" to life. Each character has a unique and gorgeous design, and she somehow manages to make even the most grotesque moments interesting to behold, even if you want to look away. Vaughan and Staples' combined efforts make for some of the best sequential storytelling to ever exist in the medium, and it's probably a good thing that they're extremely hesitant to ever let someone adapt "Saga" as a movie or TV series, because "Saga" simply works best as it is, in comic book form. Each panel has been carefully chosen, and the page turns work to help deliver punchlines or shocks in ways that just don't quite translate to motion. 

"Saga" is a sprawling epic fantasy with massive amounts of heart and some thought-provoking ideas that isn't afraid to get really messy, making it perfect for any adult fan of space operas or even basic fantasy. It's almost guaranteed to make you cry, but I promise, it's absolutely worth it.