11 Essential Storylines To Read If You're Just Getting Into Comics
8. Saga
Image Comics
There are few creator-owned titles out there that are as influential as Brian K. Vaughn's Saga. Printed by Image, and with art provided by Fiona Staples, Saga is a sci-fi epic that combines fantasy elements with a story that's all about family. Well, that and intergalactic conflict too, but y'know.
Centred around a pair of star-crossed lovers who hail from two different worlds (both those worlds are at war with each other, by the way), the book follows Marko, Alana, and their daughter Hazel as they flee the conflict consuming their two homes. It certainly makes for an entertaining read, with Vaughn's opus being so special and all. Also, because it exists in its own continuity, it's ridiculously easy to pick up and read. What more could you want?
Staples' art is thrilling, the narrative is intense, and the book itself continues to release to critical and commercial plaudits to this day. As a series that's easy to pick up and even easier to get immersed in, it's something that no comic fan - new or otherwise - can afford to miss.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
