HOW SAGA
COMES TO LIFE
The epic space drama of love and war has
become a hit, thanks to Fiona’s exceptional art
Working alongside writer Brian K
Vaughan, Fiona Staples is the artist
behind Saga, one of the most
eclectic and unusual comics you’re
ever likely to read. It’s creator-
owned, and perhaps that’s the
reason it ever saw the light of day.
“I never felt like a hired gun. All
Saga decisions are made by both
of us, from scheduling to foreign
edition deals to T-shirt designs,”
says Fiona.
“I don’t know exactly where the
story is headed long-term, so I just
take it month by month! Hazel is
growing up fast, and the rest of
the family is ageing a bit as well,
less obviously. I try to have their
appearance reflect their
circumstances. The last story arc
saw the family separated, and
Marko and Alana looking pretty haggard. When we come
back to them they’re going to be more in adventure mode.”
Like her other comics, Saga is drawn digitally using
Photoshop and Manga Studio. “I love being able to work
in colour, instead of having to scan in inks and colour
afterwards. Digital is freeing to me, because I can get
the image in my mind onto the screen with very little
interference. For instance, I can pick a colour with a click
instead of washing my paintbrush and mixing the colour
on a palette every time. I can paint white-on-black as easily
as black-on-white. There are no physical barriers to worry
about,” she says.
GOING UP IN THE WORLD OF SAGA
The Brand (wearing the tie) and her young ward Sophie (glasses)
embark on a climb in issue 29 of Saga.
later seen in Saga, and came out through
the DC imprint Wildstorm.
In 2010, Mystery Society came along and
in it Fiona worked similarly to how she does
now. “This book is significant because it’s
when I moved back to doing creator-owned
work. I’d spent a few years doing work-for-
hire for various companies and didn’t mind,
but I wanted at least a percentage of what I
came up with,” she says.
And perhaps that’s one of the most
inspiring things about Fiona’s approach to
comics. Not only has she been leading the
way with unusual and thought-provokingartwork, she takes risks and wants to take
ownership of what she creates – not sell it
off to one of the big boys in the market.
“I know books like Saga are the
exception, and most indie books can’t be
sustained for long, much less counted on
to be profitable. But I’m hoping this will
change and creator-owned books become
a viable option for more creators.
“The more the market grows, the more
indie titles publishers like Image, Dynamite
and Boom will be able to sustain, so I think
it’s crucial to make accessible comics for a
wide range of tastes,” she concludes.ARCHIE
This title couldn’t be
more different to Saga in
so many ways, and won
praise from critics and
readers alike.ROCK STAR
An uncoloured
centre-spread from the
first issue of Archie.Artist portfolio | Fiona Staples