I totally don’t know which one of my friends did it, but who ever it was, I thank them.
I do try to keep up with new comics and manga, but mostly I get sidetracked, and have to be a responsible adult. (LOL) So it was completely out of the blue, that I got into a brand new series. Mostly my reading list consists of old established favorites. Particularly with comics, because I’m at the point where I don’t want to get into anything new, I just want to check up on my old friends, and especially with manga that I am just waiting around for it to end. (Yes, Bleach. I am talking about you!)
But this picture caught my eye one day as I was scanning my facebook feed. I don’t remember who did it, but someone on my timeline changed their cover photo to this. At, first I thought it was a really cool piece of original artwork. The pic just seemed so intriguing, like I would actually want to know more about these characters, and why they were together.
Fast forward a week or so later, and I was spending time in a comic book store looking through the racks when I saw the first issue of Saga sitting there for only a dollar. It wasn’t just some really cool piece of original artwork! Again, I was compelled by the cover art, and now I knew there was a story to be read. I decide to check it out, because at least if it sucks, it was only a dollar right? It was a sign. The universe was telling me I needed to read this comic.
I buy the comic, and it sits at my house unopened for another couple of weeks. My daughter had already blown through her copy of the first volume of Sailor Moon I had bought her that day as well, and was begging for another one, but I hadn’t even cracked open my comic. It wasn’t until my husband started questioning me about my comic purchases, did I decide to sit down and actually read the thing. The universe was bugging me again and yelling, “Why aren’t you reading this!?”
I open the book, and I’m immediately invested into robot royalty, winged armies, horned armies, interstellar warfare, a quest for a forest of rocketships, star-crossed lovers, and a newborn baby. I mean, when I turn the pages, I literally feel like I am on another planet, and I am hearing the action take place! (Just a testament to how phenomenal Fiona Staples’ artwork is. It had me at hello!)
I’m sharing all this to say that this is what I think free comic book day is all about. You go there, and pick up a comic for free or deeply discounted, and find yourself immersed into a-whole-nother-world. A world that you couldn’t have even dreamed about yourself, because seriously, who thinks of robot royalty? (Brian K. Vaughan, that’s who, but I don’t want to get off track.)
Just thought I’d share that with everyone today, and if you find yourself at a comic book store today, I hope you find something that draws you in as well.
Saga is published by Image Comics, if you want to check it out!
