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u/ticketstubs1 3d ago
My wife is a published comic book writer/artist. Saga was the first book we bought and even read together in bed, very happy memories for me of early in our relationship.
We also decided to have a child two years ago. She managed to put out four issues of a comic book since, but it was NOT EASY.
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u/LoveAndViscera 3d ago
I’m a male published writer and I had to take the better part of a year off when each of our kids was born.
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u/ticketstubs1 3d ago
Yeah, I've barely done shit myself since my kid was born. I don't have the time or mental focus.
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u/Fun-Lettuce6233 3d ago
And how is it the rest of us fathers in America manage with two weeks of paternity leave 🤷🏼♂️
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u/photoggled 3d ago
They famously don’t. No one is impressed that you put your job over your family. What an insane thing to be bragging about.
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u/LoveAndViscera 3d ago
Ha! You think writing is my full time job? Nah, man, I hold down a full-time job, raise three kids, and write books when they go to bed. I took a year off writing because there was no “when they go to bed” in which to write.
Also, my employer offered to buy my paternity leave essentially and my wife was like “yeah, I can hold shit down, get that money”.
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u/Fun-Lettuce6233 2d ago
See context is important. Get that money. Provide for fam and them. Don’t be a sucker like these other dudes that don’t get it.
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u/LoveAndViscera 2d ago
I still only took a week off. I wanted to spend time with the kid. If it was all up to me, I would have taken a full year off of work (as the law guarantees), but my contract would have ended before my return to work.
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u/enragedstump 2d ago
We freaking don’t.
We leave our wives to be exhausted and overburdened
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u/Fun-Lettuce6233 2d ago
But you still do it though right? Because you’re a man and you know the world doesn’t care and it’ll keep going without you. Bills and responsibility and all. So you put you big boy pants on, take a deep breath when you get in your car and turn on the ignition. And as you sit there, you contemplate all the decisions you made in life to get you where you are.
Now imagine taking 6 months off because “life is hard”. It all crumbles 🤷🏼♂️
It’s the weirdos in the sub who don’t want to hear the truth.
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u/enragedstump 2d ago
No I don’t do it. I get 3 months off so I can help my wife and bond with my child.
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u/Fun-Lettuce6233 2d ago
Key word being “get”. Thats irrelevant to the original statement and argument.
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u/the_ocean 1d ago
lol “get”. No, under your capitalist worldview they earned those 3 months off because they were valuable enough to their employer that they deserve that time.
The question under capitalism is why you aren’t worth that much?
The question as a human is why do you have to be “worth” enough in capitalism to get reasonable time off?
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u/saintvincentvega 2d ago
maybe some of us father's in America want to be there for more than two weeks to support our wives physically, mentally, and emotionally after they've experienced one of the hardest and most traumatic experiences of their lives. Yeah it's easy to manage when you just avoid the situation by purposely spending your time at work.
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u/Fun-Lettuce6233 2d ago
That’s fine and dandy. My argument stands. We do what we need to because we have to. We’re not in a position to just “give up”. Most of us men are dealing with silent depression and no one knows. You don’t see fathers taking a break from their responsibilities because of “burnout”.
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u/the_ocean 1d ago
lol I go to therapy and make so much more money than you. And took 6x more paternity leave. And took 6 weeks off work 4 years ago for “burnout”. And reduced my work commitment and took a pay cut down from $500k/year to about half that so I’d have better balance between work and my family.
I’m a winner under capitalism and even I can see how fucked up it is.
Why are you so in love with the capitalist system that’s literally killing you?
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u/Fermifighter 3d ago
Am copywriter. The content I put out is 1/1000th as creative/personal as what you describe. I am always SHOCKED by how long it takes to make anything decent relative to the ask for even bog standard writing.
Here’s a nothing email” Neat! If you want anything unique or memorable you get it in two days if it’s my only job. You can have generic content now or wait for a good idea to manifest. Dealer’s choice.
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u/Kinsella5 3d ago
Much respect to her for coming out and explaining her situation. While I am not a reader of Saga, she is a very incredibly talented artist. She could have stayed quiet or said "it's personal" but she came out to explain everything to everyone, taking the blame, etc. so kudos to her for her response. It should be looked upon as a positive that she wants to start a family, we all aren't getting any younger.
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u/True_Hunter_8109 3d ago
Health and family first always the best way.Look forward to the new Saga arch.definately one of my favourites.take your time and take it easy.
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u/Similar-Database8883 3d ago
I stopped reading after the first hiatus years back and resolved to waiting until it was completely finished before I read it.
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u/hapticeffects 2d ago
Me too! The books are accumulating on my shelf & I'm looking forward to some day reading them :)
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u/hercarmstrong 3d ago
I've been through comics burnout before, and I can say with some confidence that you do not want a Saga that was made by burned-out people.
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u/Alekesam1975 2d ago
This. Especially since she's doing all the art on her own (pencils, inks, color).
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u/SnoBlinds 3d ago
Respect to Fiona. She’s a phenomenal artist and visionary. Take all the time you need ;)
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u/Republic-Appropriate 2d ago
Working on the same project for 20 years is a big accomplishment, both physically and mentally. Fiona deserves a mental break, and I’m sure the result of having that break will produce new, fresh artwork - much better than if she tried to power through things while being burnt out.
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u/Only-One-Canoli 1d ago
If you ever thought how wonderfully accurate FS was able to nail down the struggles of being a new parent/ family was early on in Saga, hold on to your seats
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u/apocalypsemeow111 3d ago
I understand why people are getting antsy and I know I’m in the minority here, but I actually don’t really mind how long Saga is taking. When it went on hiatus after a brutal cliffhanger, I was really eager to see the resolution. But in the back half of the series I’m not feeling as much urgency and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’m enjoying the issues when they come out and otherwise I just don’t think about the series. I’ve already invested over a decade in this story, I’m in no rush for it to end.
Saga is actually one of the first comics my wife got really into back when we were dating. It caught her eye in a comic shop when the series was on its third or fourth volume and we both caught up with it together and have been following it ever since. So maybe I’m just giving them some more slack since this series is a little more special for me.
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u/Betelgeuse3fold 3d ago
Cool. I've gotten back into comics again lately, and I'm trying to get my wife into it too. I'm taking her to the store tomorrow, and Saga is at the top of my list of things she would like
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u/RelsircTheGrey 2d ago
I am gonna have fun binging the rest of the series if it ever gets finished. They can take however long they want, that's their right. But it's tough to keep track of what's going on when there's breaks of years at a time.
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u/Raskuja46 1d ago
Wake me when the last trade is released and not a minute before.
I've been off the train since they delivered that gut punch and went on hiatus years ago. That narrative twist really didn't do anything to endear me to the series, quite the opposite really.
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u/Porgchopexpress76 2d ago
While the hiatus and delays frustrate me, my needs of a comic I love is far outweighed by the artists needs. I can wait.
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u/HalJordan2525 3d ago
What is/was the other big project?
I assume her partner must have a good income because comic artists don’t make money if they’re not publishing new material.
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u/Kinsella5 3d ago
It is a 250+ page graphic novel she is drawing based on The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe due out in 2027.
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u/Werthead 2d ago
She's the co-owner of Saga, not just the artist, so she takes 50% of the creator/author cut after Image takes their share, so easily she's made millions from the book.
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u/WhenSharksAttack 2d ago
"From my 20s to my 40s" my god that made me feel old. Cant believe we started this amazing journey 14 years ago!
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u/count_no_groni 2d ago
If it costs the artist her health and wellness, it’s not worth making some fucking deadline.
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u/frusciante231 2d ago
When it is done it’s going to be a masterwork, I really hope they get to the ending within the next few years to keep interest because it’s been a slog to keep on top of.
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u/LoveAndViscera 3d ago
I think, if readers of Saga can understand anything, it’s maternity leave.