Saga Volume 5 (Saga, #5)

by Brian K. Vaughan

Fiona Staples (Artist)

• Multiple storylines collide in this cosmos-spanning new volume. While
  Gwendolyn and Lying Cat risk everything to find a cure for The Will, Marko makes
  an uneasy alliance with Prince Robot IV to find their missing children, who are
  trapped on a strange world with terrifying new enemies.
• Collects Saga #25-30.

• ISBN10: 1632154382
• ISBN13: 9781632154385
• Publish Date: 15 September 2015 (first published 9 September 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Image Comics
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 152
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Brian K. Vaughan knocked it out of the park again with volume five. Plots converge, conclude, and begin again in this collection of issues, making me (and I'm sure other readers as well) pretty anxious for volume six. Luckily for me, I'm behind, so I don't have to wait. I imagine this is going to get more painful as I catch up though (I'm not known for my patience).
I've always respected Vaughan for being completely unafraid to not pull punches. It's not something you see every day. Additionally, he doesn't overuse it; look at Game of Thrones (which I am a fan of, so please don't consider this bashing) there's so many character deaths in the series that they begin to lose meaning. After a certain point the reader becomes hesitant to grow attached to any of the characters, knowing their demise is imminent. Vaughan doesn't do this. Yes, he will absolutely kill off a character as needed, but it doesn't occur so frequently that there's no surprise to it. I think it's one of the many standout points for Saga.

There are multiple plots circling around each other; we have Prince Robot IV's plot, which at the moment is heavily entangled with Mark's plot; there's Gwendolyn and Lying Cat (whom I adore); Alana and Klara, and a few other smaller ones as well.
With so much going on, I'm going to stick to pointing out a few of the highlights for me. The first being the most obvious: Ghus is probably the cutest thing to exist in the history of ever. There can be no arguments for this, as I will not hear them. Not only is he adorable, but he's actually pretty useful too, helping Robot IV and Marko track down the man that kidnapped their children (as well as Alana and Klara).
Speaking of Robot IV and the killer/kidnapper plot; I'm really curious to see where Robot IV is going to go now, what he's going to do. Is he going to continue the truce, or is the start of the next volume going to be him turning on Marko? I'm hoping to see more of his character growth, which is still surprising to me. While I don't exactly like him, I do want to see him grow as a person.
We finally got to see a bit more of Lying Cat. Though I'm pretty sure we could have an entire volume dedicated to her and it still wouldn't be enough for me. It'll be nice to see more of The Will too, though obviously it's hard not to feel bad for him at this point in time.
All in all I can't wait to begin reading volume six, and I am sure that it'll continue to hold up as a series.


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

[wyvernfriend]

I really want to love this but I just like it and I'm not sure why. I like the artwork a lot but I'm just not caring enough about the plot.

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Stars
-
If someone were to ask me why I keep coming back to the Saga series, even though I hate it…I’d tell them, I have no freaking idea. I wouldn’t really say that I love to hate it either. Yet, when I see the volumes available to read for free (be it library borrows or from a friend) I jump at the chance.

Saga Five picks up some time after the cliff-hanger of volume four. The Will is still sick and unconscious, and a cure is in the works…IV is working with Marko to find their children, and Hazel is in world of trouble as she is held hostage with her mother and grandmother. There is a lot going on, and the stories once again converge into one (with the exception of The Will). Marko is learning to deal with his past, Sophie is growing up, and Lying Cat is still being adorable. I will say that the story is definitely there…it always has been. I love that it’s just about a families desire to be together despite the entirety of the galaxy trying to keep them a part. I love that it’s a look at the ups and downs of parenthood, of having a relationship, and dealing with all the outside forces that work to wear down what you have. That portion of this series is very strong. However when it comes to the smaller details, it feels like it’s being written by a 15 year old boy. Shock value is the name of the game, and the game’s topic is usually something to do with genitalia. I’m not a prude…some of the shit I read would probably make some people run in fear but I’m not reading this story so I can see random gigantic testicles that have nothing to do with anything…or get into the fact that the only cure you can think of in the entire galaxy involves dragon semen. Really? Really…This sort of thing happens so much that it’s not really even chuckle worthy anymore. In between actual strong story-line bomb drops, and the random surprise pages of stupid crap…it’s just too much. I’m already reading the novel, you don’t have to try and keep me reading by throwing out weird shit left and right. Now to clarify, there are a ton of sex scenes in this series…those are not the scenes I’m talking about.

The art is still really strong and remains one of the best things about this series. There are moments where it’s just pure beauty.

This volume ended strong, and in a place that I’m quite curious to see how everything turns out. Despite my issues it’s still a decent read, though not one I personally can recommend to anyone else (though the rest of the comic book world will). As long as I can get these for free, I’ll keep picking them up.

[pamela]

I'm enjoying the series, but volume 4 & 5 didn't click the same way the previous three did. While the stories were interlocking, the short episodic nature of the chapters and the separation of so many characters just makes me feel a little less invested, and more like the story is just passing me by.

I'll keep reading, but I'm not desperately excited to follow the story as I have been for other graphic novel series. I hope that further volumes go back to the strength of the first three volumes with a bit more depth and character development.

[sarahjay]

I love this series so incredibly much. Everything about it. It's fantastic. I don't even know how many more ways I can come up with to say that.

[Mercy]

A ver, ¿cómo se atreven a dejarlo aquí? :O