Why I Hate Saturn

I have never read a comic like this before. Most Vertigo books seem to have an Alan Moore feel to it, but this is completely different! Funny comics tend to be silly, surreal or corny, but this isn't! Its firmly grounded in the real world, despite its strange title, except for an unrealistic ending.The story follows a New York columnist's quest to find herself and her relationship with her sister. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, you'll love it. Some parts of it actually had me laughing out lound, no easy feat.I have liked his art for a long time, but this is my first exposure to Kyle Baker as a writer and I am impressed. There are no flashy fight scenes or splash pages or anything like that. Although the art is pleasant, the book is carried on the strength of the writing alone... no gimmicks whatsover.

This is a very impressive `talk-comic' in the style of `Strangers in Paradise' and "Box Office Poison', which I think is even better than the aforementioned titles. It's (mostly) about everyday life and all the views a society-critical person has on it, brought with subtle humor. Main-character Anne is a columnist for some obscure magazine. While she makes her way through life she gets into all kinds of Seinfeld-esque situations, meaning she overanalyzes things we all come across so that everything gets to be a point of either insecurity or humor. Especially the do's and don'ts in relationships are points of discussion. Accompanied by Ricky, a guy who seems to have women all figured out and comes off as verbally unbeatable, she comes across things that are wrong with her (or at least she thinks so), men, and not being able to do anything without valid I.D. And as if her life isn't troubled enough her seemingly crazy sister comes to live with her, claiming she's the `Queen of the Leather Astro-Girls of Saturn'...One of the best things I've read in a while ... and I do read pretty variable. A smart, well-written continuation of dialogues with many moments that make you think `been there'. The good-looking art is black-and-white with a tone of gray. It's best considered as a cross between Bachalo's art (Death: High Cost of Living) and Sale's (The Long Halloween). Also, the art is nowhere interrupted by text-balloons. All the dialoguing is written under each panel instead of in it. This book is not for those who're looking for an action-packed story with art blowing of the pages, but for those who're into witty dialogues and slightly sarcastic views on everyday life it's one of the best choices you can make.

I'm not going to tell you what I think of this book. Or rather I am, but not in the usual I-love- this-book sort of way. I first read this book when my ex-girlfriend made me read it as a "growth experience." Several years later I saw it at a comics convention and immediately purchased this fine pulp product. I then lent it to one of the local ultra-hip coffee house vixens, who promptly dropped off of the face of the earth, never to be seen agian. I'm sure these two events are completely unrealated. Needless to say,I've been searching for it (and her) ever since.

This is the ideal book to read after a breakup, which is odd because it doesn't deal with breakups much. It's pithy observations on life as told by Anne, an alcoholic writer for a Details-esque magazine in New York who gets involved in all kinds of adventures because of her sister, Laura (who thinks she's from Saturn). There's a punchline at the end of every page, but the book isn't just superficial fluff. Very much worth reading - why hasn't he written anything since