Brian Ok. Vaughan’s Saga Returns With Situation #55

After three lengthy years, Brian Ok. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’s well-liked house opera, Saga, has lastly returned. And if what Vaughan and Staples delivered in Saga #55 is any indication of what they’ve in retailer for keen followers, readers can take an enormous sigh of reduction figuring out the duo hasn’t misplaced their magical contact but.

Mirroring the real-world hole between Saga #54 and #55, the story is about three years after the loss of life of Marko and Prince Robotic IV by the hands of The Will. The universe remains to be engulfed within the galactic-wide battle between Landfall and Wreath, which is as violent, pointless, and damaging as ever.

Regardless of how little has modified by way of the warfare, the primary characters of Saga couldn’t be extra completely different, particularly its present protagonist, Hazel.

Now 9 years outdated, Hazel is now extra grownup than ever, having grown up emotionally, mentally, and bodily (she’s in a position to fly now!) within the three years since her father’s loss of life. Her maturation into the younger lady on the middle of this problem illustrates the numerous adjustments she’s undergone, having deserted her position of helpless toddler behind. 

Now, she’s a extra mischievous little one who secretly disobeys her mother and father and does what she desires—together with stealing an album and virtually getting killed by Landfallian troopers within the opening pages of this problem.

It’s Hazel’s progress as a personality that takes middle stage. By no means earlier than has a personality aside from Alana or Marko been featured so prominently earlier than, signaling maybe a altering of the guard for the comedian. Is Hazel the brand new major protagonist now? From #55, it appears like that could be the case, however followers should test again with future points to see for sure. (Though it will take advantage of sense that, since that is the start of Saga’s “Act II” on the deliberate 108 problem run, that Vaughan and Staples make the swap now and have Hazel develop into the function star of the comedian.)

Nonetheless, Hazel isn’t the one character who has considerably advanced, both. Her now widowed mom Alana appears to have grown up deal since Marko’s loss of life as properly, shouldering the financial hardships of elevating a household on her personal. 

To make ends meet, she is now promoting child method, whereas additionally moonlighting as a drug smuggler together with her associate, Bombazine (a brand new character). 

After Prince Robotic IV’s loss of life, she’s additionally adopted his son, Squire (catatonic after dropping each mother and father to the warfare) as her personal little one. It’s this willingness to take Squire in alongside together with her occupation as a drug seller that makes Alana simply as fascinating a personality she was within the first 50 problems with Saga. Vaughan and Staples present Alana’s progress and arrested improvement—she’s concurrently attempting to be the secure, accountable mom, but taking over harmful jobs so as to feed her youngsters. It’s this nuance that makes Alana somebody who’s so relatable and likable, somebody who readers can smile at and go, “Usual Alana,” whereas additionally sympathizing together with her single motherhood (a tricky, reasonable state of affairs for any mother or father, and one which makes Saga so grounded, regardless of its house opera setting).

Change itself appears to be the large theme established in Saga #55. All through, Vaughan throws in a couple of intelligent meta-references to how far Saga has come, not solely within the three years for the reason that final problem, however basically. Vaughan appears additionally to be closely hinting that Hazel will step up into the position as the primary character, signified by Hazel’s narration saying, “And on this second, you start to know that the universe now not belonged to the era who raised you.” 

Vaughan has actually confirmed himself able to dealing with youthful protagonists earlier than (Paper Ladies and Runaways), so it’ll be very attention-grabbing to see how he continues to deal with Hazel and Squire as they every become older. However as Hazel says within the narration, it appears the universe we as soon as knew—occupied by long-time favourite characters like Maro, Prince Robotic, and so many extra—is now not there. 

For the way a lot our major protagonists have modified, some others appear to have remained kind of precisely the identical as we final them. The Will, for instance, remains to be his usual self, having returned to Wreath with Marko’s cranium, seemingly freed from any guilt over the matter. 

There, he meets with Gwendolyn, his outdated flame and former associate within the Freelance mercenary trade, who has since develop into a higher-up in Wreath’s authorities. Collectively, the 2 gleefully talk about Marko’s loss of life over graphic intercourse, with Gwendolyn telling him that, in the meanwhile, she wants him to go to the Robotic Kingdom on “a job.” 

Out of all of the outdated common faces, readers have final seen in Saga, these two have in all probability modified the least. If something, Gwendolyn appears to have gotten solely extra ruthless and cold-hearted since taking workplace, her major concern being merely to win the warfare for her aspect as rapidly as potential (to ensure that she stays in energy).

There are nonetheless loads of cliffhangers left within the air for Vaughan and Staples to reply. How did Alana meet Bombazine? How did they get into the drug smuggling racket and—for that matter—the child method racket? The place was The Will for these three years earlier than he introduced Marko’s cranium to Wreath? And the place the heck is Ghüs?!

All of those questions, we’re positive, might be answered in good time, and given how wonderful Saga #55 has been, it’s straightforward to see that Vaughan and Staples haven’t misplaced in step in that three-year intermission between points. 

All we will say is: Welcome again, and we stay up for the wild experience forward of us with Saga’s second act.

Saga #56 might be hitting comedian guide stands on February 23, 2022.