Saga Volume 8 (8)

<i>Saga</i> is another series that continues to surprise me with how much I enjoy it. I did not like the first volume of the collected editions the first time I read it, and set the entire series aside in my head. Cut to about a year later, and a friend convinced me to give the series a try again, so I picked up the first volume again and something clicked for me this time - the story really stuck with me (Vaughn's writing really hit home for me the second reading), and Staples artwork is spot on perfect for this story.As the series has progressed, it has become way more timely and aware of what's going on in the real world today and bringing those themes into the story; themes of acceptance for those who are different (or lack of acceptance in some cases), trans rights, women's rights, etc. What started out to me as being a simple battle between two cultures who cannot accept each other's differences has become a story that is still about these problems, but one that is now holding up a mirror to what's going on in the real world. Staples art has continued to shine issue after issue and while there does seem to be a whole lot of nothing happening from one story arc to another, the storytelling is still strong and Vaughn continues to move the characters along, albeit at a slightly slower pace than I'd like, but it still seems to work. I'll continue to read this series as long as Vaughn and Staples continue to out out such strong work.

SAGA has a way of pulling you into its story. We're on volume 8 and it doesn't fail to catch me off-guard. From Staples' art to Vaughan's writing.This particular volume hits very close to home--specifically the stance it appears to take on the subject of Abortion and who gets to make the rules.

If I can say anything about Brian K. Vaughan, it's that he eventually nukes whatever premise he comes up with. He did it to the first volume of Runaways when he killed vilified and Alex Wilder (the only Black teen in the group) and Y: The Last Man more or less started out that way.The strength of Saga will probably always lie in its first three volumes. At that point there was a sense you knew where the narrative was going, or at least had a rough idea. But as the series progressed well after the fourth, the saga of one family and a bunch of weirdos they meet along the way, eventually spiraled down and out into a series of events that feel the last vestiges of gas in a beat up hooptie on the desert highway.Saga exists now purely on its shock value. Vaughan remains consistent in that he's overly reliant on the false pretenses of "no one is safe!" and has fundamentally killed off or exiled half the narrative's cast beyond the core three for little-to-no reason other than to surprise what I figure is a largely apathetic or irritated reader-base.The decision to kill of Alana's unborn child - because Vaughan clearly didn't want to deal with an infant character, but by god let's use its death for melodrama - was probably when I realized the series was never coming back from its downward turn. What could've been an actual progression in the plot, is killed stone dead in favor of maintaining their current child as the Wonder Years-esque narrator who seems to rarely contribute anything relevant to the plot besides "this is a thing that happened and I was there".I don't care about Alana and Marko's relationship anymore, I certainly don't care about their family dynamic. There's nothing to keep me engaged and the ghost of what could've been their child if Vaughan had a creative bone in his body, was just a backhand to the face. The decision to keep the Robot Prince alive is remains one of the worst ideas the series has chosen to remain firm on.Effectively, the comic has now spiraled toward the kind of stagnation you see in television shows that eventually become reliant on pairing random characters together in a romance that makes no sense to their characters. And if it's not doing that, it's introducing random characters just to kill them a couple panels later. Nothing matters to the plot anymore.Saga has sunken so far from what it was almost five years ago with the first volume, it's not really surprise that folk - even among the indie comics crowd - have gone largely silent about it. I can't wait for it to end on a flat note.

Trauma creates new friends and alliances, but this volume allows for consequences--including some story arcs that have not been in play for a while--to come back into the book. Alana and Marko have to deal with a miscarriage, Hazel has to adjust to losing friends, and Prince Robot must deal with his emotional bonding and increasingly complex motivations. The focus on The Will's arc is refreshing as early threads continue to have weight. Yet for all the emotional and character development that happens, this does feel like a breather in terms of plot development. The art remains strong.

I mase the same mistake as last time: I read it before the next volume was available! Once you start this series, you'll want to chain-read them forever. The characters are crisp and real- despite wings and horns and computer screen faces. Hazel is growing up, and she's every bit as amazing as her mother, with a fearless spirit and an open heart. In moments of slower action, Hazel's narrations pop in to propel the story forward; making the less relatable moments relatable, while also showing readers how she's learning and processing the horror happening around her. As always, I cannot wait for the next volume to devour.

I've been reading Saga for a year and a half now and while the tone of this volume seems different, it still delivers in every way from previous issues. I loved this vol. and I look forward to the next!

Fiona Staples' are remains stellar with nightmarish horrors at every turn and Brian K Vaughn continues to deliver with poignant writing. Admittedly, the humor doesn't reach me as much as it used to and I'm honestly growing weary of this series of unfortunate events, but even so this series continues to be a thrilling experience that I plan to see through to the very end.

After what I consider the darkest set of issues (in the Vol 7 paperback), Saga delivers a very thoughtful set of stories dealing with the grief of the main cast. As always Fiona Staple's art gives us inventive space creatures while just nailing the emotional beats in the story. Love the emphasis on Prince Robot and Petrichor.Even after a few years, Saga does not fail to impress.

This is the latest volume in the bestselling saga series! I can't believe that I had to wait a whole year for this; that just wasn't fair. And now I need to wait for GOD KNOWS HOW LONG FOR VOLUME 9. NO. NO. NO. After the traumatic events of the War for Phang, Hazel, her parents, and their surviving companions embark on a life-changing adventure at the westernmost edge of the universe.Collecting: Saga 43-48During volume 8, we follow the aftermath of volume 7 and pretty much carry on where 7 left off, with that heartbreaking loss that sucker-punched us and made us all cry for about 5 weeks. Throughout volume 8, Vaughan helps us deal with the losses that we have suffered over the past couple of volumes and part of the way that he does this is by creating such a strong relationship between Alana and Marko. There was a time during these comics that I thought they would break up for good because of how tense it was getting between them. BUT they made up and made their relationship work for Hazel. Our dear Hazel. SHE IS SO PRECIOUS AND HER I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She is literally the most cutest thing ever and I love the narration of her story, but I also love her as a child as well and watching her grow up and deal with different things.During this volume, she had to deal with a character named 'Kurti' and I'm not going to reveal who that is for people who haven't read previous volumes. Her relationship with Kurti and how she interacted with him was beautiful to read and genuinely brought tears to my eyes. But it wasn't just how Hazel interacted with him, it was how Alana and Marko dealt with him as well and how it changed them as people. I WEPT SO MUCH.But moving away from the ball of emotional mess, it was nice (?) - and kinda weird - to see Sir Robot (formerly Prince Robot IV) and everyone else become sort-of-friends. I mean... at least they aren't trying to blow each other's heads off at every chance that they get.AND WE HAVE A NEW SHIP! I am so happy that it happened. It came out of nowhere and it kind of gave me whiplash because of it, but I can't wait to see where this goes and how Vaughan carries on with the ship but also with the rest of the story.The past couple of issues have been very emotional so I'm intrigued how Vaughan finishes off the healing process of losing the characters and how he gets them to move on to new adventures.

The only problem with this volume is that it's too short; Saga always leaves me hungry for more. If you're this far in, you already know what to expect - top quality storytelling, sublime character development and tight dialogue in a beautifully wrapped package. The whole series is thoroughly engrossing and provides contemplative reflections on our society along with what it means to be human. It should be required reading for all.

After the terrible events in the previous instalment I knew going into Volume 8 that the characters would be struggling in the aftermath. This is a really difficult time for Alana, Marco and to a certain extent Hazel too, but I felt that the authors handled the situation with sensitivity. The tone of this book is more somber than previous ones but it does still have its lighter moments too and I enjoyed getting to visit a new planet and meeting some of the weird and wonderful inhabitants.Petrichor in particular really stood out in this book, there were some fantastic moments between her and Hazel that melted my heart a bit and I really appreciate how many positive messages this series has about important issues in the real world not just this fantasy one. I also enjoyed learning more about The Will's background and the person who is holding him captive.The volume ends on a positive note when certain characters are finally reunited and I'm really curious to see how the group dynamics are going to change now that all the main players are back together at last.

This series keeps getting better. If you're onto Volume 8 then you'll know what I mean. It makes you laugh, cry and open your eyes wide. Looks gorgeous and the outlandish fantasy is always grounded within the realities of people (even if they're a talking seal or a spider woman) dealing with family life and love amidst brutal war and prejudice.Might well be my favourite work by Brian K Vaughan - though the ending isn't anywhere in sight yet - yay!

Another great installment - a couple of episodes in here were super emotive, dealing with issues such as abortion. This doesn't sound pleasant but I found it really moving. Saga nailing it as usual.