Spirited away.
Not all characters make it. It's a sad fact known to any book lucky enough to go on for any sizable run, and it's one already well known to Saga and it's fans. With chapter #38, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples bid adieu to a long-running player, in turn opening the door for new and encroaching dangers.
The fact that the issue opens in downright hilarious fashion should have been the first sign that things were about to go wrong, but such is the way of Saga. It builds you up, it tears you down, rinse and repeat. And in some ways, that cyclical sense is emblematic of Vaughan's approach to arc building in general. Hazel and her family have encountered quite the motley collection of displaced spacefarers up to this point, making their latest hangers-on none too surprising. What is engaging about this chapter isn't how much Marko, Alana and Hazel have changed, but rather how much they've stayed the same. Despite everything they've been through, family is still paramount in their minds, and with each new arc their definition, and number, of family grows. That's not to say that they haven't evolved over time - Hazel, for better or worse, continues to come into her own - but rather that their circumstances haven't changed their values.
Of course, there are plenty of opportunities for that to backfire ahead, especially with how Vaughan shakes things up at issues end. Not only will they have to contend with outsiders such as The Will and the newly introduced The March, but there's also the sense that unease rests within their own ranks. In many ways Petrichor represents we readers - distrusting, apprehensive, always looking at what's beyond the next turn of the page. And while that distrust ultimately proves unfounded - at least as of yet - the many machinations Vaughan has in the works are definitely compelling.
That being said, the memory of this issue won't fall to any bit of development or scheming, but rather in the swift loss of a long term lead. And while Vaughan sets up the scene with expert situational maneuvering and some great dialogue, it's again up to Fiona Staples to deliver the final blow. The artist proves her value numerous times over the read - just look at the unnerving glee that rings in Kurti's otherwise adorable face - but her final pages are the highlight. Much like Vaughan, she really captures the randomness of it all, her panel framing and use of expression generating a myriad of easy emotions. Shock and awe are Saga's bread and butter, but here Staples ensures that death can also mean something. It's a heck of a finish to what had the look of a low key installment, and one that's deserved of its cliffhanger status.
Saga #38 possesses many of the same qualities and beats we've seen before, and yet it's the similarities that ultimately give the read its power. Vaughan and Staples bring new players to the table even as others leave it, their strong sense of character resulting in a chapter that carries real weight. There's a reason this book graces Best Of lists the world over, and this issue is another in 38 strong reasons why.
The Verdict
Saga hits the heartstrings yet again as a long time lead pays the ultimate price. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples combine complex development with forward progression, resulting in a strong, visually arresting chapter with wide reaching repurcussions. As both a family tale and an otherworldly adventure, this book is still firing on all cylinders.
Editors' Choice
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