Lucas Blogs About Saga Volume 8
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| Ugh, screen glare. |
I hesitate to ask this, since the last review was literally the previous volume of this comic, but what's this book's deal?
You don't need to be salty about it, Hypothetical Reader.
But are we really going to have anything to talk about here?
Sure, you may have noticed that we didn't really delve all that deeply into Volume 7, so after I warn everyone that this review discusses SPOILERS for that volume, we can jump right in and talk about abortion.
Wait, what?
Yeah, the subject matter of this one gets a little heavy. But I promise by the end we will have discussed the pinnipeds depicted here.
OMG! They're so precious!
Their names are Ghüs and Friendo.
So — for real this time — what's this book's deal?
Well, the end of Volume Seven went pretty dark. Sir Robot had a suicidal episode, Marko had to kill the two-headed freelancer that was after their family (once again breaking his vow to never again take up arms – even for defense), and Phang was destroyed, and though our protagonists made it out alive, their new meerkat-like friends opted to stay behind and were killed, and during all of that, Alana, now incredibly pregnant, suffered a miscarriage.
So, you're saying that this volume leans less on humor and adventure elements and more heavily on the dramatic elements?
Indeed I am, though it doesn't abandon those elements entirely. The first page finds Alana and Sir Robot being greeted at the entry to Abortion Town by an owl in a cowboy hat. Unfortunately, because Alana's pregnancy was so advanced when she lost the baby, she, Marko, and Hazel are forced to go into the badlands to procure a less than legal abortion. But, then again, their entire family is somewhat less than legal, so they're used to avoiding the law. Since Abortion Town is on a planet that sided with Landfall, Petrichor whips up a hoodie and hat to hide Marko and Hazel's horns. Speaking of Petrichor, she holds down the fort while the others are away. But what of Sir Robot, you ask, well, after his mental breakdown in the previous volume and his utter failure to leverage his influence in Abortion Town, Alana tells him to hit the bricks. Oh, and there's one more complication. So people from Wreath (the ones with horns) can do magic, and while she's still carrying the baby, so can Alana. The problem is that she can't control it. Also, the problem is that she's projecting her idea of what her son would be like when he gets to be Hazel's age.
That sounds a little on the nose.
I'm . . . sorry.
You know, as a way of illustrating the the loss felt during a miscarriage.
Well, you may be right, but as you may have noticed in the previous review, subtlety isn't necessarily something that Saga trades in. Anyway, blunt as it might be, I found the projection to be an effective means of showing how the characters are dealing with the emotional fallout. Oh, and another thing I like about Saga (even though I criticized the sometimes shallow world-building last time) is that magic always has a cost. Like in volume 1 there's a spell that requires a secret. Likewise, in this volume, maintaining the projection of their son (his name is Kurti) actually causes Alana to briefly enter cardiac arrest (she gets better).
Once again, I must point out that it's a little on the nose as an illustration of the physical danger posed to a woman carrying a miscarried fetus.
I mean, you don't have to.
Nor do you need to make me.
Good point. This volume also features some good character development for both Petrichor and Sir Robot, who bond after fending off an attack by a mixed family not unlike the comic's leads (a human and centaur and their child). Petrichor, who is transgender (as in our society, it's not fully accepted on Wreath), opens up about about the death of her lover, and Robot talks about the death of his wife. I suppose the whole volume is really about coming to terms with the situation you find yourself in rather than obsessing over what you're missing.
So, more adulting stuff?
Sure.
So, about those pinnipeds you mentioned earlier?
Oh, right, Ghüs and Friendo. So, Ghüs has been watching Sir Robot's son, as well as a couple of reporters who are trying to track down Marko and Alana. Food's running low, and they might have to kill and eat Friendo. Don't worry, a few nights ago, the Robot the younger saw a creature in the woods, so Ghüs accompanies him on a hunt. It's a cute little adventure story (don't worry, Friendo's just fine).
Okay, well, is this still one of those start from the beginning things or can this be enjoyed by anyone?
Yeah, still want to start from the beginning. If you're not into it, you'll be able to give up before you've gotten this far anyway.
Well, that's a little pessimistic.
Eh, whatevs.
You're still the worst, Lucas.
So are you, Hypothetical Reader. So are you.
Saga Volume Eight, Image Comics trade paperback edition, December 2017, 152 pages, pairs well with brown liquor and quiet contemplation about family
Links:
Once again, here's Image Comics' page about Saga, if you're into the that kinda thing.
Indeed I am, though it doesn't abandon those elements entirely. The first page finds Alana and Sir Robot being greeted at the entry to Abortion Town by an owl in a cowboy hat. Unfortunately, because Alana's pregnancy was so advanced when she lost the baby, she, Marko, and Hazel are forced to go into the badlands to procure a less than legal abortion. But, then again, their entire family is somewhat less than legal, so they're used to avoiding the law. Since Abortion Town is on a planet that sided with Landfall, Petrichor whips up a hoodie and hat to hide Marko and Hazel's horns. Speaking of Petrichor, she holds down the fort while the others are away. But what of Sir Robot, you ask, well, after his mental breakdown in the previous volume and his utter failure to leverage his influence in Abortion Town, Alana tells him to hit the bricks. Oh, and there's one more complication. So people from Wreath (the ones with horns) can do magic, and while she's still carrying the baby, so can Alana. The problem is that she can't control it. Also, the problem is that she's projecting her idea of what her son would be like when he gets to be Hazel's age.
That sounds a little on the nose.
I'm . . . sorry.
You know, as a way of illustrating the the loss felt during a miscarriage.
Well, you may be right, but as you may have noticed in the previous review, subtlety isn't necessarily something that Saga trades in. Anyway, blunt as it might be, I found the projection to be an effective means of showing how the characters are dealing with the emotional fallout. Oh, and another thing I like about Saga (even though I criticized the sometimes shallow world-building last time) is that magic always has a cost. Like in volume 1 there's a spell that requires a secret. Likewise, in this volume, maintaining the projection of their son (his name is Kurti) actually causes Alana to briefly enter cardiac arrest (she gets better).
Once again, I must point out that it's a little on the nose as an illustration of the physical danger posed to a woman carrying a miscarried fetus.
I mean, you don't have to.
Nor do you need to make me.
Good point. This volume also features some good character development for both Petrichor and Sir Robot, who bond after fending off an attack by a mixed family not unlike the comic's leads (a human and centaur and their child). Petrichor, who is transgender (as in our society, it's not fully accepted on Wreath), opens up about about the death of her lover, and Robot talks about the death of his wife. I suppose the whole volume is really about coming to terms with the situation you find yourself in rather than obsessing over what you're missing.
So, more adulting stuff?
Sure.
So, about those pinnipeds you mentioned earlier?
Oh, right, Ghüs and Friendo. So, Ghüs has been watching Sir Robot's son, as well as a couple of reporters who are trying to track down Marko and Alana. Food's running low, and they might have to kill and eat Friendo. Don't worry, a few nights ago, the Robot the younger saw a creature in the woods, so Ghüs accompanies him on a hunt. It's a cute little adventure story (don't worry, Friendo's just fine).
Okay, well, is this still one of those start from the beginning things or can this be enjoyed by anyone?
Yeah, still want to start from the beginning. If you're not into it, you'll be able to give up before you've gotten this far anyway.
Well, that's a little pessimistic.
Eh, whatevs.
You're still the worst, Lucas.
So are you, Hypothetical Reader. So are you.
Saga Volume Eight, Image Comics trade paperback edition, December 2017, 152 pages, pairs well with brown liquor and quiet contemplation about family
Links:
Once again, here's Image Comics' page about Saga, if you're into the that kinda thing.
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