The Most Iconic Saga Comic Covers (Fiona Staples)

Saga is a 2012 series, so it's a Modern-age work, published entirely by Image Comics. There is no "Silver Age" or "Bronze Age" Saga cover — those eras ended in 1970 and the mid-1980s. Every cover that matters dates from 2012 onward, and they are all drawn by Fiona Staples, the series' co-creator alongside writer Brian K. Vaughan.

This guide sticks to the verifiable: real-time eBay medians (via our estimator) and documented facts. Note that on Saga most issues have only a handful of active listings — so we cite a precise value only when volume is sufficient, and stay qualitative otherwise rather than inventing a figure.

Saga #1: the founding (and controversial) cover

Saga #1's cover shows Alana — helmet on, rifle slung across her back — breastfeeding her newborn daughter Hazel, a deliberately frontal image that frames the series' theme from the start: parenthood in the middle of a galactic war. Several retailers balked at displaying it, especially when the image was reused on the cover of the first collected trade paperback. It is now one of the most recognizable independent-comic covers of the 2010s.

On value, the reflex to have is to separate the first printing from the reprints:

• The #1's eBay median is €6 across 46 listings (June 2026, all editions and grades combined). That low figure is explained by the abundance of reprints and cheap raw copies.
• The first printing was under-printed: it sold out in its first week and was reprinted six times in the following weeks. That's what makes it scarce in high grade, unlike most overprinted Image #1s.
• Identifying the first print is simple: it carries no "Second Printing," "Third Printing," etc. notation. Any reprint marking = it's not the first.

For a documented order of magnitude (web sources, outside eBay): a raw copy of the first print in very fine condition typically trades between $50 and $150, and in CGC 9.8 between $200 and $500 depending on the market. The cover is worth every cent — provided it really is the first printing.

The #1 variant covers worth knowing

Beyond the standard cover, the #1 exists in a few much rarer variants, all sought-after:

• The black & white variant — a B&W edition distributed in very limited quantities, particularly coveted by collectors.
• The Image Expo edition — handed out at Image Expo conventions in a limited run.
• The retailer incentive cover — an incentive variant for retailers, featuring an alternate Fiona Staples image.

These variants circulate in very low volume on eBay (often a handful of listings, sometimes none), so we don't cite a precise value: their worth depends heavily on grade and certification, and is best checked case by case in real time.

Saga #12: the cover tied to the censorship row

Issue #12 (2013) is famous not for its cover but for a digital-distribution controversy: two small interior panels depicting oral sex between two characters triggered a row. Contrary to what was first reported, it was not Apple that banned the issue from the App Store: distributor Comixology itself chose, out of an overly cautious reading of Apple's rules, not to offer it — before reversing course after clarification, in 2013. The episode reinforced the series' "no-compromise" reputation, which is reflected in collector interest.

On eBay, #12 has only one or two active copies at a time: treat it as a thinly traded issue whose value is best checked live rather than off a stable median.

Fiona Staples' other milestone covers

Every Saga cover is the work of Fiona Staples, giving the series a rare visual cohesion. Beyond #1, several issues stand as narrative milestones and therefore sought-after covers:

• #54 (July 2018) — the final chapter before the series' long hiatus, and one of its most striking cliffhangers. An end-of-arc key issue.
• #55 (January 2022) — the long-awaited return after three and a half years away: the cover that marked the relaunch.
• Anniversary and end-of-arc issues — Saga is paced by shock chapters; their covers, spare and striking, concentrate collector attention.

Like the rest of the series, these issues aren't present on eBay in volume: their appeal rests on narrative weight rather than an established value. The series' record reinforces that aura — twelve Eisner Awards won between 2013 and 2017, including Best Continuing Series and Best Penciller/Inker for Fiona Staples.

Collector strategy (grounded in real data)

• The #1 first printing = the real piece. Aim for the breastfeeding cover with no reprint notation, in high grade: that's Saga's authentic scarcity.
• The #1 variants (B&W, Image Expo, retailer incentive) are the hardest pieces to find: hunt for them, but always verify authenticity and condition.
• Beware low medians. The #1's €6 reflects the reprints; it says nothing about the value of a certified first print. Always check the exact edition and live value before buying — the figures above are from June 2026 and prices move.