A strong installment of a strong series with a wide appeal (assuming you don't mind language, violence, nudity, or drug use).

Marko and Alana are star-crossed lovers from either side of a huge and long-running intergalactic war. Marko is a prisoner, and Alana is his prison guard, when they fall in love, go on the run, and have a baby (who narrates several of the issues). Now both their peoples want them hunted down and killed, but at least one side wants the child alive.

I love pretty much every single character in this, and the series has pretty much anything you could possibly want - sexy main characters, witty banter, action, violence, wise cracking ghost girls, bounty hunters, evil armless spider-bodied assassin ladies, robot people, a sidekick cat that can tell (and will ruthlessly reveal) if people are lying.

I gave the first volume to my husband for Christmas, but never really got round to reading it myself. I'm still deeply upset with what Vaughan did with my favourite character at the end of Y: the Last Man, and so I was a bit reluctant to commit myself to a new series by him. My husband got the second volume when that came out, and insisted that I get over my misgivings and just read the comic already. I'm so glad he convinced me, because I blazed through all 12 issues collected in the first two volumes in no time at all, laughing loudly several times. That's not to say that there is only humour or action in this, it manages to cover a number of issues incredibly well, such as the fact that the main couple are both ex-soldiers who have done a lot of things they regret, and are wanting to create a new life, away from a war they disagree with. The writing is excellent, it's full of incredibly quotable lines, the art by Fiona Staples is gorgeous, she does both quiet scenes and action set-pieces brilliantly.

Saga is without a doubt my new favourite comic, to the point where I'm wondering if we should start collecting it in monthly issues, so I don't have to have the interminable wait for the next paperback of collected issues. I just desperately hope that Vaughan's difficulties with ending his series in a satisfactory way doesn't strike again, or he's going straight back to the top of my mental hate list (where the top spot is currently held by Steven Moffat). Seriously, this is an amazing comic. Why aren't you reading it yet?