Saga has been published in French by Urban Comics, in the Urban Indies line, since March 2013: twelve volumes of about six issues each, translated by Laurent Queyssi and then Jérémy Manesse. For reading, the softcover volumes are enough. For a nicer bookshelf, the Grand Format Urban line has collected two volumes per book since September 2025. Collectors will aim for the first printings of volumes 1 to 9.
A girl born between two enemy peoples, a science-fantasy story published in France by a single publisher since the first volume: with Saga, the question is not choosing between several publishers, but between several formats. Here is how to find your way, volume by volume, with the dates and original issue numbers that could be verified.
As always in this guide, only verified information (creators, issue numbers, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected art or dialogue.
The original US run in brief
Saga is a series created by Brian K. Vaughan on script and Fiona Staples on art, published by Image Comics since 2012. It follows Alana and Marko, from two peoples at war, and their daughter Hazel, who tells the story as an adult. The series belongs to its creators, which explains its particular rhythm: after issue 54, it went on a long hiatus, then resumed with issue 55 in January 2022.
On the Image side, issues are collected six at a time in numbered volumes. This rule of six issues per collection matters for what follows, because the French publisher adopted it as is: one French volume corresponds, with very few exceptions, to one American volume.
For the US run itself, our pages key issues of Saga and reading guide detail the issues and the reading order. Here, we stay with the French editions.
The French editions, in order of publication
The Urban Indies softcover volumes (2013 to today)
Urban Comics has published Saga since the first volume, which came out in March 2013, in its Urban Indies line. The translation of volume 1, which runs to 168 pages on the publisher's listing, is by Laurent Queyssi. From volume 2, the publisher's listing credits Jérémy Manesse, and that name is found on several later volumes, including volumes 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. For other volumes, the listing does not mention the translator, so we do not state it.
The sequence is regular as long as the US run is: one volume in September 2013, one in April 2014, one in January 2015, one in October 2015, then about one a year up to volume 9, in November 2018. Between two volumes, the interval varies from a few months to a year, and that is the only pacing landmark the dates let us state.
The hiatus, then the return
Between volume 9 (November 2018) and volume 10 (October 2022), almost four years go by, which matches the hiatus of the original series. Volume 10 picks up the US run at its issue 55, the January 2022 return, and runs to 176 pages, a little more than most earlier volumes. Volume 11 follows in November 2023 (issues 61 to 66), then volume 12 in May 2025.
The omnibus in Grand Format Urban (since 2025)
Urban Comics announced in spring 2025 an omnibus of Saga, in a larger format than the existing volumes. Book 1 came out on September 19, 2025 in 344 pages, in the Grand Format Urban line. The publisher's listing credits both translators, Jérémy Manesse and Laurent Queyssi, but does not detail the US issues contained. Book 2 came out on January 9, 2026 (312 pages) and collects issues 13 to 24: book 1 therefore comes before issue 13. A book 3, for issues 25 to 36, is announced on the publisher's website for November 20, 2026, a date that may still move.
The softcover volumes remain in the catalog: the omnibus is an addition, not a replacement. Since the series is still ongoing, new volumes continue to come out in Urban Indies.
US to French correspondence
| French edition | French publication | US issues contained |
|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 | March 2013 | 1 to 6 |
| Volume 2 | September 20, 2013 | 7 to 12 |
| Volume 3 | April 11, 2014 | 13 to 18 |
| Volume 4 | January 30, 2015 | 19 to 24 |
| Volume 5 | October 23, 2015 | 25 to 30 |
| Volume 6 | October 7, 2016 | 31 to 36 |
| Volume 7 | May 19, 2017 | 37 to 42 |
| Volume 8 | February 23, 2018 | 43 to 48 |
| Volume 9 | November 16, 2018 | 49 to 54 |
| Volume 10 | October 7, 2022 | 55 to 60 |
| Volume 11 | November 24, 2023 | 61 to 66 |
| Volume 12 | May 23, 2025 | sources differ (the publisher's listing says 68 to 72, library records say 67 to 72) |
| Omnibus, book 1 | September 19, 2025 | not detailed by the publisher |
| Omnibus, book 2 | January 9, 2026 | 13 to 24 |
| Omnibus, book 3 | announced for November 20, 2026 | 25 to 36 |
The US issue numbers of volumes 1 to 3 follow from the rule of six issues per collection, confirmed by volumes 4 to 11, for which the publisher or the catalogs give the exact range.
Reading the table with the page count in hand
The page count helps recognize a volume. According to the publisher's listings, volume 1 runs to 168 pages, volume 2 to 152, volume 3 to 144, volume 4 to 148, then 152 pages for volumes 5 to 9 and for volume 11. Volume 10 goes up to 176 pages. Volume 12 is back to 152 pages. These gaps reflect the material in each collection and not different editions. On the omnibus side, the first two books run to 344 and 312 pages: book 1 is therefore the thicker of the two, without the publisher's listing giving a reason.
The page count is also reflected on the price tag: on the publisher's website, the thicker volume 10 is shown at a higher price than volume 11, which has 152 pages. When you compare two secondhand listings for the same volume, always match the stated page count to that of the listings above before concluding there is a different edition, then check the printing mention on the copyright page, the only reliable indication of the print run of the copy in hand.
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You are discovering the series
Take the softcover volume 1. It gives you six issues, the complete opening of the plot, for a modest investment. If the story grabs you, move on to the following volumes, which are read in order. Our reading guide explains what to know about the series' hiatuses.
You want a coherent bookshelf
The Grand Format Urban omnibus has the advantage of grouping two volumes in a larger book, so fewer spines on the shelf. It also has a practical drawback: until the third book comes out, you only cover issues up to 24, and volumes 5 onward remain to be bought in softcover. Mixing the two formats is therefore the most likely situation for several years.
You collect the first French edition
The first printings of volumes 1 to 9, published between 2013 and 2018, are the furthest back in time. Volumes 10 to 12, more recent, are easier to find new. If you are looking for a first-printing copy, check the printing mention on the copyright page: the year appears there, for example 2013 for the first printing of volume 1.
You also read in English
The identical breakdown of the collections lets you switch from one to the other without losing the thread. Keep in mind that the correspondence works by range of issue numbers: if you are looking for a specific US issue, first find the French volume that contains it using the table above.
Pitfalls and points to watch
- Volume 12 and its US numbering. The publisher's listing and the library records disagree on the first page of the volume. If you follow the US run issue by issue, check with the copy in hand.
- The page count varies. Volumes 1 to 9 run between 144 and 168 pages, volume 10 has 176. A difference of a few pages between two listings is not necessarily a defect or a reprint: the volume 1 listing says 168 pages, while a library record counts 167.
- Two translators. Volume 1 is translated by Laurent Queyssi, the following ones by Jérémy Manesse according to the publisher's listing. The omnibus credits both names. Whether the text of volume 1 was revised for the omnibus is not documented: we do not state it.
- An alternate cover for volume 6. The publisher's website lists one for volume 6. If you buy secondhand, check which one you are getting.
- Reprints. The same volume can exist in several printings with different identification numbers. Our page on fake Saga reprints covers the US printing; on the French side, rely on the copyright page.
- Volume 3 is shorter. It runs to 144 pages against 152 for volume 2, which is an editorial fact and not a shortfall: the issues contained are indeed six.
For the vocabulary (softcover, print run, printing, omnibus), refer to our collector's glossary of French editions.
What these editions are worth as collectibles
Saga in French sits in an accessible register: these are publisher albums, intended for bookstores and not for a specialist niche. The value of a volume therefore rests mostly on its condition, its print run and its availability, not on any intrinsic rarity. The first volumes, being older, may be harder to find new than the latest ones, which is no rule: it depends on the reprints.
To estimate a volume, the method is simple. Compare the price of the new volume in the catalog with that of secondhand copies in good condition, then look at the gap between the two. A secondhand copy close to new trades around the new price; a damaged copy (creased spine, crushed corners) is worth clearly less. Avoid thinking in terms of capital gain: a recent, widely reprinted collection is not an investment.
The series is still open, and the omnibus is not finished. A collection in progress is judged as releases come: better to wait until you know how many books the omnibus will have before choosing between the two formats. For the original US issues, the Blog page gathers our other market analyses.
Frequently asked questions
Urban Comics has published Saga in France since March 2013, in its Urban Indies line for the softcover volumes. Since September 2025, the publisher also offers an omnibus in the Grand Format Urban line. The softcover volumes remain in the catalog and the series continues to appear there.
Twelve softcover volumes had come out as of May 2025, the latest being volume 12. To this are added two omnibus books in Grand Format Urban, published in September 2025 and January 2026, and a third announced for November 2026 on the publisher's website.
Yes, with very few exceptions: each French volume reprints six issues, like the matching American collection. Volume 4 contains issues 19 to 24, volume 9 issues 49 to 54. Only volume 12 raises a question of boundaries, as the sources differ.
No. The omnibus reprints two volumes per book in a larger format, but the softcover volumes remain available and are the only ones covering the rest of the series. Book 2 stops at issue 24: for what follows, you need volumes 5 onward.
Yes. The story is continuous, from Hazel's birth to her teenage years. The volumes are read in the order of their numbering, which is also that of their publication, and the hiatus from 2018 to 2022 did not change this order.
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