I don’t read enough graphic novels. There, I said it, and the truth is I say it every year, but here we are. As both a writer and artist, I have a deep appreciation for storytelling where the art and the words elevate each other and soar to ever greater heights. Since 2012, Saga has constantly, continually, reached and exceeded those great heights.

And yes, I know that Saga is technically a comic book, but since I read the trade paperback collected volumes, it’s a long-running graphic novel to me. That’s my take and I’m sticking to it.

Saga is science fiction, fantasy, and family drama, all mixed into a glorious stew. It’s a war story between two groups, the Horns and the Wings, with always shifting alliances. But part of the genius of what Vaughan and Staples do is that, while the war is always in the background, and sometimes in the foreground, they concentrate on the true heart of the story—Alana, Hazel, and Squire. We get to see the world—make that worlds—through their eyes. Their joys. Their heartbreaks. Their tenacity in the face of sometimes overwhelming odds. And as always, Hazel’s narration, her asides, provide crucial information.

In Volume 11, Hazel and her family are living on the street, struggling to survive. Meanwhile, the return of dangerous characters from their past threaten their existence.

In Volume 12, Alana has accepted a potentially deadly new role amidst shifting political alliances, and Hazel has made a new friend that changes their family dynamic.

As long as Vaughan and Staples are willing to continue this audacious, intoxicating high-wire act of creativity, I will be there for it. If you haven’t yet discovered the magic that is Saga, do yourself a favor and do it. I promise you won’t be disappointed.