Saga is regularly cited as the best comic of the 21st century. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples launched this epic space opera in March 2012 at Image Comics, telling the story of Alana and Marko — two soldiers from opposing sides who fall in love and have a child, Hazel, in an interstellar universe at war. The series has won numerous Eisner Awards and stands as an absolute benchmark in contemporary comics.
Saga is an ongoing series, which sets it apart from finished runs like Walking Dead. Collectors are divided between collecting singles — the traditional collector's approach — and TPB or Deluxe Hardcover editions that offer a richer reading experience. This guide helps you navigate those options and build a coherent, well-valued Saga collection.
The Saga Story Arcs
Saga is structured in six-issue volumes corresponding to the TPBs published by Image Comics:
Volume 1 — #1–6: Hazel's Birth
The foundational arc of the series. Alana and Marko flee with their newborn Hazel while both armies give chase. Introduction of The Will, the bounty hunter, and the ghost Izabel. Fiona Staples immediately establishes an absolutely unique visual style, blending science fiction and fantasy in a vivid color palette.
Volume 2 — #7–12: The Family on the Run
The family continues to flee, joined by additional characters. Prince Robot IV enters the scene. The series deepens its exploration of themes of family, identity, and war.
Volume 3 — #13–18: The Will and Gwendolyn
The Will, a conflicted bounty hunter, and Gwendolyn, Marko's ex-fiancée, continue their pursuit. Key revelations about the origins and motivations of secondary characters considerably enrich the universe.
Volume 4 — #19–24: Heist
Vaughan and Staples play with narrative genres. The family gets caught up in a series of unlikely situations that showcase Saga's ability to blend comedy, drama, and action without ever losing emotional coherence.
Volume 5 — #25–30: Planet Robot
A multi-year time jump and a major evolution of the main characters. Hazel grows up and begins to observe the world around her. This volume marks an additional layer of narrative maturity in the series.
Volume 6 — #31–36: Meeting the Mendis
Introduction of new characters and development of the warring factions. The series continues to explore the moral complexity of every side without resorting to black-and-white thinking.
Volumes 7 and 8 — #37–54 (including the 2018–2022 hiatus)
Volume 8 (#43–48) concludes with issue #54, the last before the long hiatus from 2018 to 2022. These volumes are among the most dramatically intense in the series, with permanent consequences for major characters.
Volumes 9 and 10 — #55–66: The Return
The January 2022 comeback with #55 marks a new chapter in the series. Vaughan and Staples return with renewed narrative ambition, exploring the fallout from previous volumes through the eyes of an older Hazel.
Essential Saga Key Issues to Collect
The list of Saga key issues is shorter than that of series like Walking Dead, but their values are firmly established:
- Saga #1 (March 2012, first print) — Sold out in the first week, reprinted six times in the opening weeks. The first print is identifiable by the absence of any reprint notation on the cover or title page. This is the series' ultimate key issue.
- Saga #1 — Image Expo Edition — A second printing distributed at Image Expo, considered by some collectors as a special edition in its own right.
- Saga #1 — B&W variant — Black-and-white edition distributed in very limited quantities, particularly sought-after.
- Saga Annual #1 — A special annual issue featuring short stories by guest creators, a unique collector's item within the series' publishing history.
- Saga #25 — First issue after the Volume 5 time jump, marking an important turning point in the narrative.
- Saga #54 — Last issue before the 2018–2022 publishing hiatus. Its symbolic value makes it a particularly sought-after issue.
Identifying the Saga #1 first print: The first print carries no reprint notation whatsoever. The many reprints carry the words "Second Printing," "Third Printing," etc. on the cover or title page. The value of the first print is significantly higher than any reprint, even in excellent condition.
Saga Variants, Digital Firsts, and Special Editions
Saga's publishing ecosystem is rich and worth understanding thoroughly before building a collection:
Image Expo variants are special editions of certain issues distributed exclusively at the annual Image Expo — very low print runs, high value. Deluxe Hardcover editions (6 volumes of 12 issues each) form a premium hardcover collection ideal for reading. The Compendium (Image Comics) collects the first 54 issues in a single massive volume — an accessible entry point but with no collector value. Saga #1 is one of the most reprinted comics in Image Comics history, which makes reading easy but makes identifying the first print all the more important for collectors.
How to Organize Your Saga Collection
Saga is an ongoing series, which means keeping up with new releases on a regular basis:
Decide between singles and TPBs
Define your approach from the start: singles for maximum collector value, TPBs for reading and convenience, Deluxe HCs for the premium option. The three approaches can coexist — singles for key issues (#1, #25, #54), TPBs for the rest.
Import your collection into My Comics Collection
With My Comics Collection, import the Saga series from the GCD catalog. Track every published issue and instantly identify your gaps — especially useful for an ongoing series where new issues come out regularly.
Lock down the foundational issues
Issues #1 through #6 (Volume 1) are the most in-demand and the most expensive. If you don't already own them, plan their acquisition — especially #1 first print, whose price only rises with time and the series' growing reputation.
Follow new issues at release
For an ongoing series like Saga, subscribing through a specialty retailer (pull list) is the best way to get first prints of new issues. My Comics Collection lets you flag upcoming issues so you never miss a release.
Track your collection's value over time
My Comics Collection calculates the estimated value of your Saga collection using eBay sales data. Monitor the market value of key issues and identify buying or selling opportunities in real time.
FAQ — Collecting Saga
Manage Your Saga Collection Efficiently
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