Saga vol. 5

There are three different plot threads in this volume, two of which collide with explosive results by its end.  After vol. 4 left off with robot dissident Dengo escaping with Alanna, Hazel, and Marko’s mother, he figures that his best bet to make the Robot kingdom pay for the death of his son is to get in touch with the revolution that is opposing the ongoing galactic war between Wreath and Landfall.  Meanwhile, Marko, Prince Robot IV, Yuma, and Oswald are pursuing them as best their dysfunctional nature will allow.  While all this is going on, Gwendolyn, Sophie, and The Brand (with Lying Cat in tow, of course) continue their quest for the specific kind of dragon semen that will allow them to bring The Will out of his coma.  As I hope these summaries will indicate, this latest volume is another mix of drama, humor, and bet-you-didn’t-see-that-coming sexual situations.  Oh, and of supporting characters dying either heroically or suddenly.  You know, the usual.

As delivered by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, the mix is as winning as ever.  The end-of-volume cliffhanger also leads to another time jump and separation that’s a bit more hard to take than the last one.  Hopefully there won’t be as many deaths with that reunion compared to the bodycount involved in the equivalent event here.  Still, the most striking part from this volume is the opening section illustrating the history of the armed forces of Wreath and Landfall and how they’ve been filled over the years.  It’s pretty clear from Vaughn’s description that even though there are two planets here, they’re meant to function as a singular metaphor for the United States.  The writer has long said that comics are his way of working out his issues with the real world, and while “Saga” appeared to start out as his take on parenthood he’s making it clear now that’s not the whole story.  It’s delivery is a little on the nose, but I’m curious to see how he’ll wrap it up in the end.  Even if my interest continues held by Marko, Alanna, and Hazel (and all of the other members of the supporting cast mentioned here), as always.