Comic book A-listers visit the world of Saga in this NSFW hardcover exclusive

It’s not often that a comic book becomes a pop culture phenomenon, especially without a movie or TV adaptation, but that’s exactly what Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan have achieved with their creator-owned series, Saga. This epic sci-fi family drama explores the challenges of marriage and parenting through a spectacular fantasy lens, and readers have responded incredibly well to its mix of tragedy, comedy, and what-the-fuckery. The second hardcover collection of Saga comes out on April 26, and to make this 18-issue package even more enticing, the creative team has brought on some friends to contribute pin-ups of the book’s memorable cast of characters.

The A.V. Club has your first look at the pin-ups by Steve Skroce, Vaughan’s collaborator on the We Stand On Guard miniseries, and Sean Gordon Murphy, the creator of Punk Rock Jesus and artist of Image’s Chrononauts and Tokyo Ghost. Skroce delivers an erotically charged image of the adorable seal-man Ghüs dreaming himself into a barbarian’s life, and Murphy tackles The Will and his pet, Lying Cat. Both pin-ups capture effective character moments in a single image, and you get a strong sense for the characters’ personalities in how they’re depicted. Image has also provided commentary from the artists and a six-page preview of the first issue in the collection, giving readers a handy recap of major plot points in the series (after the opening shock of a close-up shot showing a robot vagina giving birth).