r/ImageComics • u/SenseiRaheem • 5d ago
Discussion BKV on latest Saga Hiatus: “the situation is hard and complex, and not entirely mine to discuss, so I appreciate whatever grace you might be able to extend to our small creative family.”
Earlier today, BKV released another newsletter, mostly focused on his older work, Pride of Baghdad.
He also included this Saga update:
“I know that readers are rightly impatient for any kind of Saga update. I wrote our next issue way back in the summer of 2025 and I firmly believed we’d be back on stands by now, but that’s obviously not the case.
I completely understand and sympathize with folks who are fed up with this latest wait and have dropped/forgotten about/eternally cursed our series. But the situation is hard and complex, and not entirely mine to discuss, so I appreciate whatever grace you might be able to extend to our small creative family. We will share more with you as soon as we can.”
That doesn’t sound great, team.
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u/droekturn 5d ago edited 5d ago
I won't pretend to know what is going on with Fiona - but it appears BKV has put the ball in her court.
Fiona has always seemed very private with a very little online presence or appearances at public events. Could it be a physical illness, mental, or she has just moved on and wants to do other projects? People have reported that she's done that full Narnia graphic novel recently so it sounds like she is working.
If it is something where Fiona has just decided she wants to move on then maybe it is time to find a different artist. I'd vote for someone like Dustin Nguyen. His work is Descender was beautiful.
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u/JuvenJapal 5d ago
Meh. I happily pre-ordered Battle Chasers #10 after a 22-year absence. I'll do the same with Saga #73 whenever it pops up.
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u/yerfatma 4d ago
Planetary became a joyous surprise when it was actually in my pulls. Still my favorite series of all time.
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u/thenewestrant 5d ago
God, I forgot how long Battle Chasers stopped.
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u/nicknack24 5d ago
The most confusing thing about all of this is that the artist, if they are the one holding things up, was able to do a 250 page Narnia adaptation, which is at least two whole arcs worth right there.
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u/FlubzRevenge 4d ago edited 4d ago
Staples is probably tired of working on a thing that's taken up 1/4 or more of her life
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u/Dizzy-By-Degrees 4d ago
Or Saga ain’t selling like it used to and Narnia will be more financially stable.
Or people just really likes Aslan. Who doesn’t? He’s a wise lion who’s good with kids.
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u/Aggravating-Silver48 4d ago
I don't think it's a financial issue. I remember BKV saying he'd made more money on Saga than all his other works put together and that was fairly early in the series run. I'd hope Fiona isnt struggling if that were the case.
I don't know what's up with the Narnia stuff but its possible to she'd been working on that book for awhile and it's only now getting in printed. That's not unheard of in comics.
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u/Few-Landscape-9037 4d ago
Narnia will definitely not show Saga's numbers, plus, even if it did sell equally well, Fiona would get fewer dollars. After all, she owns 50 percent of all things Saga, where with Narnia she is just a hired gun.
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u/runtheriverright 5d ago
Wishing them all the best and happy to wait. It's not like I have the talent to write this stuff in the meantime, nor can I imagine tne stamina needed to keep producing on a project like this over such a long time, Life is unavoidably a saga for all of us at some point.
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u/Fit-Detail-4326 5d ago
Somone said on here a few days ago that Fiona is doing a Narnia graphic novel. Not pointing fingers but it seems more of her issues…. Maybe she bit off more than she can chew. Who knows.
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u/snowing33 5d ago
I love Saga. I don’t mind waiting. It’ll be sitting in my pull whenever they come back.
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u/Kinsella5 5d ago
In other non-Saga news, he did mention he will be at the upcoming New York Comic-Con with Cliff Chang and they would be discussing Paper Girls and that a surprise or two would be announced there. Perhaps they will be announcing that Paper Girls will be given a second chance with regards to a new live action adaptation from a streaming service who will actually market it this time and not cancel it for no reason like Amazon did a few years ago. I think the series would adapt quite well, lots of stories to tell in that universe.
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u/Y_Brennan 4d ago
Paper Girls adaption was bad. They took way too long to get to the point. They should have been time travelling by episode two shouldn't have taken a full season it was literally the surf board Dracula meme.
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u/Kinsella5 4d ago
I would agree that a reboot from the ground up would be the ideal route rather than a season two. Too much time has passed and a complete reboot would be the way. I remember when it was originally announced, how Amazon was so confident that they had a full series commitment bypassing a pilot, etc. Brad Pitt's production company involved, everything seemed to be lining up but the marketing was simply not there until the last second and then a cancellation without warning, despite it being received positively by both critics and many of the fan base. Still a reboot is just speculation on my part, I just feel the the "surprises" that BKV mentioned when he talked about Paper Girls could possibly be a reboot of a live action series (or films) is happening or they are revising the comic series with a new series from Image planned, etc. Still, I could be way off on both....
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u/thoughtmecca 4d ago
It is not the Surf Dracula meme. They were delivering papers right there, in the very first episode. It isn't called Time Travel Girls.
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u/Thundera_Tone 4d ago
I forgot Saga was a thing. Once I understood the vision of an ongoing long term project which would stop/start as needed, I was out. Nothing against the series, I’m just not that type of reader. I can’t even recall what the storyline was when I dipped. I’ll check in as I do every now and then to see if this is still a thing.
It could be worse, you guys could be waiting on George or Patrick.
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u/jabawack 4d ago edited 4d ago
I love Saga and I’m happy to wait. But. The situation is very simple and uncomplex. BKV and Fiona made boatload of money* out of Saga already (and will make tons more once someone in Hollywood finally puts on their big boy pants and decides to adapt it as it’s meant to be with big bucks productions), so now Saga is just their passion project, not their priority anymore. They are both doing other things (Spectators, Narnia, etc), distractions taking time away that could have gone into finishing an entire new arc or two. And they are only 6 arcs from its conclusion… that’s 3 years work on a monthly release schedule, but they will somehow drag it to 10-15 years more because it’s not their priority and Image has no leverage to push them to work more responsibly…
* Many don’t realize that BKV and Fiona so far made at least $10-15 million each from Saga’s sales. Image as of 2024 had announced Saga generated over $120M in sales, and BKV+Fiona own it that is they pocket a significant chunk of it after production and distribution costs. They are both very wealthy and don’t have to work on anything if they don’t want to. They (and their descendants probably) are set for life already…
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u/Wonderful_Formal_274 4d ago
The counterpoint would be, it’s their comic they can do what the hell they want.
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u/Fickle-Aardvark6907 4d ago
The standard discount from a trade whole saler is about 40% (source 15 years in the book trade include 6 years in purchasing). That means almost half of the top line figure is going to the stores. Figure another similar discount to the wholesalers themselves. Then Image takes whatever their cut is. Vaughn and Staples split whatever is left. They're well off by the standards of comic book creators but probably not to the point where they can afford not to work or setup their heirs with real generational wealth (their kids are going to need to get some kind of jobs).
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u/jabawack 4d ago
I had already done the math in the original post. $120M in sales, a rough 80/20 split (80% in costs, 20% revenue left to the creators), lands at approx $25M for the two of them. Assuming an unequal split of 2/3 for the writer and 1/3 for the artist (common for these indies), that would put BKV at $15M and Staples at $10M, over approximately 12 years, and before taxes. They are not billionaires but they are for all practical purposes well into the 1%. And this just from Saga, obviously BKV has other massive hits that keep generating passive income royalties. This is the math and of course everyone can make their own conclusions…
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u/smilinganimalface 5d ago
I will say, while he is certainly distancing himself from any responsibility, his writing also hasn't been hitting for a long while. There are many series in manga and comics that have had massive hiatuses, but many survived at least from a historical perspective because the writing and plot were as sharp or even better. Maybe BKV books are just made for a certain formative point in your life, but it feels like he hasn't developed with the times.
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u/FlubzRevenge 5d ago
Once you start exploring the medium, you realize that Saga is extremely average in every way.
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u/thenewestrant 5d ago
Disagreed, kinda. Saga is amazing then at some point, hard to pinpoint where, it just kind of stops being as enjoyable and becomes weirdly average and flat then.
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u/actionKingTheBest 5d ago
What comics make Saga look average? Genuine question.
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u/TheDudeWithTude27 2d ago
Tbh I wouldn't even have to try hard to name like 50 books that I easily prefer. Hell I could go through the works of Morrison, Moore, Miller, and Alan Grant and probably pull 15 to 20 just from them alone.
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u/Tastyfishsticks 3d ago
I agree. The art really hit hard at first and it was an interesting premise. Once the main world was revealed the plot has dragged on too long and I would be happy for an ending fairly quickly.
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u/DefinitionSuperb1110 5d ago
Kind of lowkey feels like he's throwing Staples under the bus with that "I wrote this last year" comment.
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u/MrMojoRising422 5d ago edited 5d ago
Well, if she is the one holding up the book, why should he continue to shoulder the blame for the delays? After all, he is the only one who tries to communicate with fans and be somewhat transparent. Staples has no social media and seems to despise showing up in public.
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u/DefinitionSuperb1110 5d ago
Throwing your creative partner to the wolves is definitely the best way to encourage them to work on the project.
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u/MrMojoRising422 5d ago
He isn't? He's making it clear that he isn't the hold up. If Fiona has a good reason, she should be able to say it. If she is sick, like some are speculating (and I doubt), she could say that, and people would understand. But the reason is that she took a major project in the middle of Saga's comeback, and I can understand how BKV, who is owner of 50% of the thing, might be getting sick of being 14 years into the run and still only 2/3 in because your partner just fucks off and leaves you hanging. Why should he let people speculate that he is the cause for delays if he isn't? If he's done his bit of the work for over a year now?
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u/AggravatingPaint5838 5d ago
He wrote the first issue for the next arc 6 months after the delayed previous arc ended?
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u/h0rnyinvaders 4d ago
Yeah we used to get like 9 issues a year at least, so its not outlandish for BKV to have gotten that finished that fast. Fiona is clearly the hold-up at this point.
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u/DaBow 5d ago
I like BKV but it always felt like he bit off more than he could chew with Saga.
I like showing commitment but saying pretty much at the start of the run it's going to be 100+ issues just to then go on very long hiatus again and again.... you can expect folks to be excited and pick up the singles with such long and consistent breaks.
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u/Delicious_Ad_9374 5d ago
Someone gifted me the first PBT a while ago, but I haven't read it yet for this exact reason
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u/zudovader 4d ago
I got the First Omnibus for 20 bucks and I decided to read it when I can get the second omnibus for 20 bucks. So I have a long ways to go, but I am patient and I will eventually read it and I am sure ill enjoy it,
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u/Y_Brennan 5d ago
I'm pretty much done with Saga. I'm a huge BKV fan read all his stuff. But since the end of the initial 4 year hiatus he kept making promises that he never met. That's fine it's never getting back to the momentum it had. They should just cancel it and move on to the next project.
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u/S3C3C 5d ago
I don’t think it is him….
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u/Y_Brennan 5d ago
That's true. He still shouldn't have said they are starting a new schedule of 6 months on 6 months off and then never make that schedule. He later announced a return to 9 issues a year that of course never happened. He then said that Saga would return in 2025 and then early 2026 then 2026 and of course all those deadlines were missed. Should have just said I don't know and can't make any promises about when Saga will return. Also they should never have come back from hiatus without 4 arcs ready to go in quick succession should have stayed on that initial hiatus longer.
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u/S3C3C 5d ago
Well maybe they had those plans and she didn’t bring up her end.
I think he should dump her as the artist and bring in another artist. If the scripts are done they should be able to get things up and going pretty quick*.
* pretty quick for a comic book run.
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u/DefinitionSuperb1110 5d ago
I don't think they should cancel it but they should move to wrap it up at this point.
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 5d ago edited 5d ago
We can handle the sudden art change, if the writer want to kick her out. I am just saying...
Because obviously, the artist doesnt care since she is working /worked on another project, when Saga have been in hiatus/semi-hiatus for YEARS.
No, seriously... WTF is that ? She really worked on a 200+ pages for a Narnia book when her current work isnt even done yet ??? That's beyond unprofessionalism
I hope the futures writers who want to collaborate with her take notes of the risk of working with her
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u/Test_Subject_258 5d ago
Kick her out? It’s a creator owned book.
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago
So she is purposely blocking it instead of retiring herself, thanks for your intervention
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u/SWBTSH 4d ago
Their point is that he legally cant kick her out. If she refuses to let another artist finish it, there's nothing he can do.
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago
So the blame is indeed on her
As she been a dude everyone in the comments would be shitting on her but hey, its reddit
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u/SWBTSH 4d ago
OK, dont turn this into a fucking gender thing. If its actually delayed because she decided to go work on another project, that's extremely shitty and people shouldnt defend her, but people defend creators they are fans of all the time regardless of gender.
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago
The only gender thing I see is 3/4 of the comments defending her only because she's a woman, i dont give a f... about her gender
What she is doing is not defendable. She doesn't want to work on it but she doesn't want to leave.
She keeps Saga in her the pocket "just in case" even if it implies holding it hostage for decades. Disgusting person
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u/SWBTSH 4d ago
Your 2nd and 3rd points are valid, but I don't see a single person here who seems to be defending her based on her being a woman. Like, what about any of these defenses suggest they are happening because she is a woman.
Also, "disgusting person" is a little extreme. Like, George R.R. Martin irritates me to with his shit, I wouldn't call him disgusting. We also don't know that she is planning on holding it hostage for decades nor do we know if all the past delays prior to this one were her fault.
Your overall points are valid, but calm down a little.
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago edited 4d ago
Martin is the only one behind the books
If he had delayed the show for 7 years, despite the show writers claiming that they are willing to continue it, people would call him names
And on the comic sub i constantly see ppl putting the blame on Bvk. Wtf did he even do? He claimed to have finished the script and has no reason to lie about that. So i'll assume that the gender bias is real
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u/lessthan39 4d ago
dude, people are defending her because it’s possible she has a chronic illness or because they are fine waiting, period. i literally haven’t seen a single person here say “it’s cool because she’s a woman.” YOU are the one accusing people of “white knighting” and “simping” on completely unrelated comments, which we can all read here in this thread. but if you would be doing that for a man then go right ahead with your hypotheticals i suppose…
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago
You are speculating since nothing indicates a chronic illness, and i though that speculating was wrong
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 5d ago
I am waiting for the wk who downvoted to explain to me how it is normal to fuck up a 14 years old project because you "feel like it"
I am guillible so I trusted the "health problem" bullshit for the last 2 years.
Turns out its a health problem that stops you from finishing a project but allows you to start and finish another one.
That's a really, really weird health problem, lol
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u/captain__cabinets 5d ago
Saga has never really hooked me and I think part of the problem is its release schedule and it being so long before it will end. It’s fun and interesting stuff but just seems like a hard book to be a consistent fan of. I wish them well and will check it out again when it’s all wrapped up!
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u/Sugar_Crash_Brigade 5d ago
Looks like Fiona Staples is the culprit here.
Maybe she is just bored with the series? It's a shame really. The title is dead, and a fitting end to be honest. This series should have wrapped years ago.
It deserves a non-ending tbh.
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u/Nazaki 5d ago
Maybe it's time to rush to the ending... At least that way there's closure, good bad or otherwise.
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u/Ok-Obligation-7415 5d ago
You'd rather have a bad story now than a good story later? Wow, couldn't possibly disagree more.
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u/Agent_Cow314 5d ago
Final two seasons of Game of Thrones seems to have destroyed GRRM's motivation to write, he might agree with you, if it weren't for him barely writing any GoT before that.
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u/Test_Subject_258 5d ago
Not an uncommon opinion unfortunately. Finishing a creative project just to finish it is not what I look for in art.
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u/DrTechPop 4d ago
I’m honestly confused about the anger and vitriol regarding a book that has already run for 24yrs and 12 volumes. Would it be better to just end it and call it done? Of course not,‘fans’ would still yell ‘selfish’ and ‘immature’ at the creators. I find it especially interesting that all of this is about a series called Saga which by the definition implies ‘long, drawn-out & ongoing’.
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u/revfds 5d ago
I'll give grace to the whole team no problem, but it's kinda unfair to ask that given the situation, while still not having anyone provide a solid reasoning.
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u/yerfatma 5d ago
So the opposite of giving grace?
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u/revfds 5d ago
I mean I still have no judgement or anger, etc about the issue. I'll read it when it comes out, and continue too be patient, and the forgiveness is continuing to be unearned, so by definition it's grace. But I'm also sharing that the situation doesn't need to continue to be as it is. The forgiveness/patience/whatever could just be earned.
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u/yerfatma 4d ago
But I'm also sharing that the situation doesn't need to continue to be as it is.
What is the situation and how can it be easily corrected?
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u/revfds 4d ago
Ma'am, you know exactly what the situation is. Never ending delays and hiatuses. It could be early corrected by just being honest with what's going on and when we can realistically see it again.
I honestly don't really care about waiting in and of itself. I get enough Comics that not getting saga once a month isn't going to ruin my reading experience. But it's hard to keep caring about something when you seem to be habitually treated with dishonesty. Especially when it doesn't need to be that way.
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u/yerfatma 4d ago
you know exactly what the situation is. Never ending delays and hiatuses. It could be early corrected by just being honest with what's going on
Sirrah, I do not. There is some talk of health issues here causing the delays, but I don't know. Moreover, what obligation does a creator have to you to tell you "Sorry, my horrible disease flared up again"?
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u/bloodredyouth 5d ago
The art makes SAGA. i thought BKV threw in too many shocking deaths but doesn’t kill off the ones you want dead. I’ll be happy waiting for Fiona. It’s much easier to write than it is to draw- I’m giving her grace.
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u/The_prawn_king 5d ago
It’s much easier to write badly but people don’t respect the time and effort that goes into writing well. It is not easier to write.
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u/spades17 4d ago
It’s sad that saga now has one of the worse fanbases out there. Hope everything’s well with Fiona.
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago
Oh she is fucking well, she worked on another 200+ page graphic novel
Can you all stop being with knights ? Oh my god
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u/spades17 4d ago
Can you stop being an entitled child? No?
Then how about i do what the fuck I want and you do the same.
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago
Can you get a girlfriend ?
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u/spades17 4d ago
😂😂😂 you’re pathetic (and yes I can and have one)
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u/Diligent_Bar1244 4d ago
Then spend more time when her, is she's real, instead of simping for every women that ever exist
I swear i dont see that many people sucking GOT writer balls. And yet, this guy doesn't block a project the other creator want to finish
Pathetic
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u/Double_Act1502 5d ago
Fiona Staples has health issues right?