Saga is BACK, friends! And I couldn't be more excited. It's been a long three years without this periodic burst of violence and sheer joy to keep me page-turning when I needed an intelligent and complex yet fully fun pick-me-up. I was worried going into this that I should have done a re-read of the whole series, but the way this drops back into the story made me feel like I wasn't forgetting anything key. I still will do that re-read, don't you worry.
To commemorate the 3 year gap since Saga last left us gutted as we witnessed some very key characters get brutally murdered (my personal favorite is gone, alas), the world of Saga has also jumped 3 years in time. Hazel is now running the streets on her own and getting herself in and out of trouble. I'm really excited to see that Hazel is about to become a lot more active participant in the story now. As usual, the war is going on, people are getting fucked up in gloriously illustrated sci-fi violence and abrupt death is always just a frame or two away. I love Saga, you never feel safe. Vaughan would probably kill the reader if it would make for a good plot twist.
Anyways, this one doesn't advance the plot terribly much other than recentering where we are now in the timeline, like slowly stepping into a swimming pool. But big things seem about to happen. Alana is still doing random schemes as one would expect, and we get to see some characters we haven't seen in a long time. The dynamic is going to be different without two major players but I think Hazel becoming a larger role is going to help carry where they left off. It seems it has been worth the wait. Also if you were holding out hope that one character might not be dead, Vaughan makes sure you know pretty definitively that they are indeed super dead. But I guess at least they...sort of get shown again? If you haven't read Saga, literally stop what you are doing and join in. Just pure bliss. Also violence. And death. And being real shocked. But you'll like it, I swear!
Five stars because how could I dare not with this excitement coursing through me having literally just finished it.