Saga Volume Ten

Saga Volume Ten
Brian K. Vaughan, writer; Fiona Staples, artist
Image Comics, 2022

Saga finally returns after a long hiatus. The storytellers have not lost a step, but I confess that it had been so long that I completely forgot about Marko's murder at the hands of The Will at the conclusion of the previous collection. Since this is not a superhero comic, he is most definitely dead for good. It is three years after his death, and his wife Alana and daughter Hazel (who continues to be the series narrator) are struggling to make a living on an occupied planet. The story opens with Hazel on the run from an angry shopkeeper she has stolen from. She is stopped by the militia and quickly has to magically shield herself from a terrorist wearing a powerful body bomb (powerful enough to leave nothing but her smoking boots behind).

Alana is trying to sell infant formula, but lacks an official medallion: so she's also a drug smuggler. When they meet a pirate ship, she agrees to make a dangerous drug delivery in exchange for a medallion (which would allow her to finally go legit). There are lots of other things going on as well. The Will brings Marko's head to Wreath High Command to prove he finished the job, meeting up with Gwendolyn and Lying Cat in the process. She sends him to the Robot Kingdom to convince them that Marko killed Prince Robot IV: a reminder of the byzantine politics in the Saga world.

Landfall Secret Intelligence is also in the mix. They send Agent Gale to kill everyone that Alana has ever met. This includes some beloved characters, but fortunately, he is not completely successful. The burning of the family's tree spacecraft (which leaves them homeless) concludes the volume. It is implied that Gale may be the reason, but we will have to wait for the next story arc to know for sure. More than enough reason to stick around for the next installment.

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