by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
Publisher: Image Comics
Format: Paperback
Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Date: December 23rd, 2014
Goodreads
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reread Reviews: Volume 1 / Volume 2 / Volume 3
Ah, back to my reread of Saga. I did put it aside for a little bit in the runup to Christmas, and picked it up again from Volume 4 once we were into 2024. I’m now partway through Volume 5 and remembering why I stopped picking them up immediately after each other and waited until I had the review written up before carrying on! As a brief sidenote, I also received Volume 9 for Christmas, but decided to stick with rereading them before diving into my latest volume.
So, Volume 4! This is perhaps among the saddest volumes so far. It’s where the family fractures, as Alana works to earn for the family, Marko becomes a SAHD, and they’re trying their best to give Hazel a mundane family life. They almost succeed, too, with Marko even arranging playdates with a local mother who might be looking for something else.
The true beauty of this lies in the fact that despite intergalactic wars and being on the run and trying to hide, the story is still about family. A specific family, but a family in all their love and flaws and who are very, very relatable. Alana starts taking drugs to escape the mundane, not-as-exciting-as-it-looked job, while Marko, deeply missing his wife, takes an opportunity to talk to another parent who might understand his frustration. When things come to a head, however, there’s more for the small family to deal with, and shortly after a major fight, Marko and Alana find themselves facing their biggest hurdle yet.
While this is going on, we also see Gwen and Sophie, and Sophie is growing into a very headstrong girl. As they search for a cure for The Will, they’re joined by someone they really didn’t expect. Meanwhile, we have a kidnapped child and a robot prince searching for revenge. Things are, once again, really building up, and that always means trouble for this loveable, relatable family.
The ending of this volume truly packs a punch with a hell of a cliffhanger, leaving you with the sense you want to jump into 5 instantly. It remains one of my favourite graphic novel series, and one that is an absolute pleasure to reread.
Unwrapping Words 