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After a three and a half-year hiatus, Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan return to their epic science fantasy series Saga with issue #55. Vaughan has said that the series will run for 108 issues—with the launch of issue #55, the second half of the entire epic begins. This is a tremendous hopping-on point for new readers. A three and half-year gap between issues in the world of comics can feel like an eternity. So if you’re new or returning and need a refresher, let’s recap the series so anyone can pick up the new issue and read it without feeling lost.
As promoted on Image Comics website: “The Saga series has sold over 6.8 million copies to date across all formats, has been translated into 20 languages, and has garnered multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards, plus a Hugo Award, British Fantasy Award, Goodreads Choice Award, Shuster Award, Inkwell Award, Ringo Award, and more.” Image initially promoted the series as “Star Wars meets Game of Thrones” and includes a healthy dose of Romeo and Juliet.
IN BRIEF . . . WHAT SAGA IS ABOUT
In short, Saga tells the story of two lovers from worlds at war with each other. As these things go, the two have a child—something that’s never happened between their two species ever. The lovers go on the run and are aided and pursued by an odd array of characters including, a ghost girl, a cat that can tell when people are lying, and a prince whose head is a TV.
VOLUME 1: CLEAVE
The two lovers are Alana and Marko, who come from warring worlds. Alana is from Landfall, the technologically advanced planet. Marko is from Wreath, Landfall’s moon. Wreath’s population practices magic. Hazel, Alana and Marko’s daughter, narrates the series, looking back on these moments as an adult. Like all from Landfall, Alana has wings, although she can’t initially use them to fly. Marko has horns on his head and can use magic. Like Alana, Marko was a soldier but fought for Wreath. However, Marko’s time in combat has led him to become a pacifist.
The two met while Alana was guarding Marko in prison on the planet Cleave.
In the first issue, Hazel is born, which sparks everything into motion. Never in the history of their peoples has a person from Landfall and a person from Wreath had a child. Hazel’s existence threatens the order of both planets. Wreath hires a mercenary named The Will to pursue them while Landfall sends Prince Robot IV on the same pursuit. Soon after, a dead girl named Izabel assists the family and bonds with young Hazel. They soon encounter Marko’s parents (Klara, his mother, and Barr, his father), who also tag along. The six meet in the Rocketship Forest, where they use an organic rocketship that grows like a tree to flee Cleave.
VOLUME 2: THE EGG
We discover much about Marko’s early life and the early romance with Alana through flashbacks. Marko’s ex-fiancée Gwendolyn joins The Will in his pursuit, keen on working out her own issues with the group. The Will’s story itself is quite complicated. A large green, yellow-striped feline named Lying Cat that can detect lies, naturally, accompanies the bounty hunter. With a mewling “Lying,” Lying Cat often interrupts to point out people’s verbal deceptions. The Will and Gwendolyn rescue Sophie, a young slave girl from Sextillion. Sophie possesses a psychometric ability that allows her to track Alana and Marko.
With Sophie, The Will discovers the family on a planetoid that’s a giant egg in the midst of hatching. The egg produces a giant fetus called a Timesuck. To help their escape, Barr casts a spell so large that the strain kills him.
VOLUME 3: QUIETUS
The band of people with Alana and Marko rests at the house of romance writer D. Oswald Heist on the planet Quietus. Heist is the author of the book that encouraged Alana to break from her military commitments on Landfall. While there, the group first encounters Prince Robot IV. Prince Robot IV threatens to kill Heist. During this time, two journalists, Upsher and Doff, begin an investigative story on Marko and Alana and find themselves following in the couple’s journey.
Simultaneously, The Will decides to abandon his pursuit of Marko and Alana. Unfortunately, the three have landed on a planet with hallucinogenic plants, and while under their influence, Sophie seriously injures The Will. Gwendolyn takes The Will to Quietus. There, she encounters the family and assists Klara in rendering the Prince unconscious. Sadly, in the process of doing so, Heist is killed. The family escapes Gwendolyn and leaves Quietus.
VOLUME 4: GARDENIA
The family finds themselves living on the planet Gardenia. There Alana joins an acting troupe and struggles with an addiction to a drug called Fadeaway. Hazel has begun speaking.
At the same time, Prince Robot IV’s son is born. Any celebrations are short-lived, though, as a robot janitor named Dengo murders the Prince’s wife and kidnaps the newborn. Dengo and the baby find themselves on Gardenia and discover the rocketship. The janitory seizes the rocketship, taking Alana, her mom, and Hazel hostage Dengo takes Alana and the family hostage, leaving the planet. Marko and Prince Robot IV join together to rescue both of their families.
Elsewhere, The Will’s Sister joins her brother and Gwendolyn. Known as The Brand, she assists in finding medicine to heal an injured The Will, ultimately getting killed during the effort.
VOLUME 5: ICE PLANET
The family’s living rocketship has now landed in a land covered in ice and snow. Hazel narrates that it will be nearly four years before she sees her father again. While pursuing Dengo, Prince Robot IV and Marko, piloting a dragon skull, teleport into an ice storm, and the Prince is severely injured. Soon after, Marko and the Prince confront Dengo. Prince Robot IV kills Dengo and recovers his son. Marko and Alana are also reunited. However, during the challenges on the ice planet, Hazel and Klara were captured and sent to a Landfall detention center for enemy non-combatants.
VOLUME 6: PRISON
Alana and Marko search for both Hazel and Klara. Time has skipped ahead, Izabel has reappeared, and Hazel is now four. Enter journalists Upsher and Doff, who restart their investigation. The two encounter The Will, now searching for Prince Robot IV, who has fallen out of favor with his father. Now going by Sir Robot and calling his son Squire, he is nonetheless relatively easy to locate. The Will threatens Squire immediately upon discovery. He then finds the boy protected by a seal-man, Ghus, a former neighbor of Heist.
Alana and Marko blackmail Sir Robot to help them find Hazel. Hazel’s time away has brought her into contact with other people, including a teacher named Noreen and a transgender prisoner named Petrichor. Hazel and her parents find each other. While Klara refuses to leave and stays with the prison community, Petrichor joins in the escape with Marko. Finally, Alana is revealed as pregnant once again.
VOLUME 7: PHANG
Running out of fuel on a rocketship is packed with Hazel, her parents, Sir Robot, Squire, and Petrichor, they land on the war-torn planet Phang. Events set each of the family on their own adventure. Hazel and Izabel fight, sending Izabel on a path to encounter a freelancer named The March. His weapons affect ghosts revealed when he stabs Izabel, and she disappears. Elsewhere, Hazel experiences pain at the exact moment of her friend’s stabbing.
The March does eventually find his way to the treehouse, seeking Marko. He fails, however, and Hazel’s dad kills the freelancer.
Alana becomes a den mother to a tribe of meerkat-like locals on Phang. Petrichor discovers that Phang’s path will take it directly into a Timesuck.
The Will’s freelancer license is revoked. Gwendolyn, Sophie, and Lying Cat finally reunite with him, and he offers Sophie an opportunity to become a freelancer. However, Sophie, Lying Cat, and Gwendolyn leave him alone. Shortly thereafter, The Will confronts a masked woman named Lanthe. She shoots him. The Timesuck consumes Phang, but Petrichor manages to launch the treehouse into space and safety. However, the launch causes Alana to fall and miscarry.
VOLUME 8: PERVIOUS
The group arrives on a wild west planet named Pervious, headed to a back alley locale named Abortion Town. Unfortunately, they’re prevented from having an abortion to remove the fetus and are instead directed to the Badlands. Marko, Alana, and Hazel elect to go by themselves. Amidst this, a young boy with both Wreath and Landfall features joins them, claiming to be Alana’s son. Eventually, it is revealed that he’s a projection spell Alana is unconsciously casting to give her insight into the possible future where her child didn’t die. This suggests Alana has magical abilities, something that only people from Wreath are supposed to have.
While fighting off bandits, Petrichor and Sir Robot develop a sexual relationship. Ghus looks after Squire on an unnamed planet with Upsher and Doff. They are all joined by Sir Robot, Marko, Alana, Petrichor, and Hazel.
VOLUME 9: JETSAM
The large group journey through space on the rocketship. Hazel is now seven and is trained in martial arts and spellcasting by Petrichor. Upsher and Doff pitch the idea of selling Alana and Marko’s story, hoping the pay-out will allow them to rest as a typical family. Ultimately, a paper named The Hebdomadal agrees to print the family’s story. Lanthe and her prisoner The Will land on Jetsam. Lanthe kills Doff and destroys one of Alana’s wings. Upsher kills Lanthe. The Will decapitates Sir Robot. Marko gains the upper hand in a battle with The Will but chooses to show mercy. However, The Will impales Marko with his cybernetic hand. Marko dies as the end of the first half of the Saga story comes to an end.
VOLUME 10 & WHAT’S NEXT
Issue #55 starts back up three years after Marko’s death. Hazel is ten. Alana is working with Bombazine, and the two are illegally selling baby formula. Hazel can fly and use magic, demonstrating both of her parents’ abilities. The family has adopted the still mute Squire. The Will returns to Wreath High Command, confirming the death of Marko. The issue presents several twists and surprises.
Where the story will go is truly a guess as the creators consistently challenge expectations. However, one can at least count on Hazel staying at the center of the story. The story will continue to focus on family, although how that is defined will continue to morph. Hazel’s very existence threatens the war and ruling powers of Landfall and Wreath. Expect continued secrets of this conflict to come to the surface. As Gwendolyn invites The Will to work to end the war, we may find further insights into the conflict that first brought Marko and Alana together. Perhaps, Gwendolyn will prove correct, and The Will will help discover a path to ending the ages-old skirmish. Sadly, we can also expect more key characters to die. There are already hints that another beloved character is soon to meet their end.
Ultimately, Saga is beloved because it is full of surprises. The series will end nearly a decade from now, and that’s plenty of time to deliver a genre-bending story that exceeds expectations. Now that you’re done with the summary take the time to go back and read the series issue by issue—the beauty of Saga is found page by page.
Keep Reading: Saga’s First Official Live-Action ‘Adaptation’ Arrives in a Taco Bell Commercial
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