Saga Volume 4 (Saga, #4)

by Brian K. Vaughan

Fiona Staples (Artist)

• The #1 New York Times bestseller returns! Visit new planets, meet new
  adversaries, and explore a very new direction as Hazel becomes a toddler, while
  her family struggles to stay on their feet.
• Collects Saga #19-24.

• ISBN10: 1632150778
• ISBN13: 9781632150776
• Publish Date: 23 December 2014 (first published 17 December 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Image Comics
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 144
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Saga is by and far one of my favorite series of all time. I know I shouldn’t say that when I’m not caught up with the series – as things can change – but frankly I don’t see this series going downhill anytime soon. Brian K. Vaughan is a genius, plain and simple. I’m very much looking forward to reading more by him in the future.



I’ve always thought it was interesting that the story is being told from Hazel’s perspective, even though at the earliest in the series she hadn’t even been born yet. It allows Vaughan certain flexibility in how the story is told, which is brilliant. In this volume it allowed for a gentler transition from the previous, action heavy volume into a more content (family oriented) heavy one.
Readers of this series will know that Vaughan does not pull punches, ever (and if you haven’t read any of the series, you should probably stop reading this review and go read volume one!), so when I saw the setup that was occurring (IE Mark and Alana appearing to be about to split up) I completely freaked out. Leave it to him to still manage to surprise me and throw me through an emotional loop.
What truly shocked me though was the fact that Vaughan managed to make Prince Robot IV sympathetic. Which is pretty impressive considering I was pretty determined to hate that character. Suddenly his life and everything he’s lost became crystal clear, and it was impossible not to pity him.
My only regret is that we saw very little of Liar Cat (Though what we did see was utterly fantastic and hilarious). Maybe we’ll get more in volume five?


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[leahrosereads]

Go me for never writing an original review. Will correct this weekend.

[nitzan_schwarz]

I think this was my favorite in the series so far?? It was SO GOOD! I read the whole thing in one sitting in the middle of re-arranging my bookshelves lol

I love Hazel's narration because it's beautiful and poignant but it's also used as a tool to set expectations for the writer to dash. Like, she says something extremely ominous, and she is not lying because it *does* happen but not in the way she makes you think it will. Ya know?

Also, HAZEL'S THE CUTEST TODDLER EVER! And Sophie is a cool little girl. I actually really love all the characters in this series, even the bad ones! They're so interesting :)

[wyvernfriend]

Oh that complicates things...

[inlibrisveritas]

After the end of the third volume I was feeling a bit underwhelmed with the series again, a lot of things happened but it didn’t add up to much in larger scheme of things and it just sort of felt like it was spinning its wheels while making it look like there was a point. The writing was still good when it came to the characters but a bit shallow when it came to the twists in the story. Hello, I saw you a mile away. And since my relationship with this series is tumultuous at best I decided that if volume four didn’t peak my interest I’d be done with it. I suppose it’s a good thing it did.

Volume four takes place some time after Alana and Marko arrive at Gardeni, and Alana has gone through with her plan to become a character on one of them many underground soap opera shows to help get money for her family. Marko takes on the role of stay at home orovider for little Hazel, and the difference in their life style is taking to toll on both of them. I really liked the spiral both of them started on this one, is that fucked up to say? They are starting to realize that raising a child is a lot more than just parenting, it involves a scarifice of time and a lot of time spent apart, and I liked that despite the strong bond they had while on the run together they are having problems in the more mundane areas. Alana makes some fairly poor choices in this one though, and while I understand her desire for those choices I’ve lost some respect for her. I think this rift between them is really what this story needs in order to become stronger, and to build a more solid relationship between them (be it good or bad).

Of course they are still being hunted down, and I appreciated the little lull in that so that the characters can get a bit of a breather and stretch out without having to worry too much about if they are going to be arrested or killed. But also like that it didn’t give me too much time to get bored with it before throwing another curve ball, which managed to do something no other volume in this series has done before: left me wanting more.

I’d say things are looking up for me and this series, and I really hope the story continues on being this solid.

[sarahjay]

I don't know how it's possible for something to be so consistently amazing. But Saga has yet to come even close to letting me down.