Comic Review: Saga #61

Image Comics

Art: Fiona Staples

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Letters & Design: Fonografiks

Saga returns from its now regular six-month hiatus with #61. As was the case with the book’s multi-year break, the creators have afforded their characters the same time off, catching up with Alana, Hazel, and Squire half a year after the house fire. The new arc opens with a reunion between Sophie and The Will before focusing on Alana’s current situation as a single mother (and wanted terrorist) existing on the fringes of the galaxy.

Every installment of Saga should be cherished, but the second arc since the big break already evokes the same lack of momentum that pervaded the one prior. And while it made sense that starting the next 54 issue odyssey would involve a bit of catch-up work and reassembly, it now feels like every arc begins with a slow, deep breath: bit by bit readers fill in what happened to characters over the preceding months, meet new members of the crew, and acclimate to the status quo. Then the sharp exhale: in the last two issues, everything falls apart, and the family runs away.

Some of the shakeups are impactful –the returns of Petrichor and Sophie are especially exciting– but increasingly these twists feel more like the series shedding its identity, like the burning rocketship. At this point, one of the most familiar things about Saga is its pattern.

The underwhelming story of Saga #61 is underscored by a cliffhanger that can only be described as lame. The idea of Marko being resurrected is reminiscent of The Office spending its final season teasing a Jim and Pam divorce; it’s simply not going to happen, so why invest any time in the idea? I’m especially wary of plots involving a resurrection-obsessed Hazel doing reckless things and constantly fighting with her mom, conflict generated, again, by the type of plot development Saga has never entertained. One of the previous arc’s strengths was its sense of mourning, and it reads as odd and redundant to begin the following story by undermining that feeling of grief and the passage of time.

Fiona Staples’ art is reliably clean and gorgeous. She may have her patterns too, but they haven’t worn: the classic full-page opener delivers a young Marko on bended knee before Gwendolyn, while the closer provides a beautifully layered shot of an eavesdropping Hazel set behind a beaded curtain. The pose is probably not “loud” enough, but so far it’s my pick for the image on the Saga Volume 4 hardcover.

Unfortunately, Hazel’s development as a character has not been so effortlessly iconic. She was a fun player, if not somewhat leashed, in the last arc, but I’m hopeful ensuing issues will elevate our protagonist beyond “narrator who is not on screen.”

Saga #62, out in February, will set Petrichor on a collision course with Gwendolyn and, more importantly, The Will, while Alana and Hazel no doubt bring Mark back to life and go live peacefully and happily forever after!