Saga #32 Review

Some of my biggest complaints for the return of Saga after a long hiatus were that we only saw young Hazel and Klara without checking in on many of the other characters readers have come to care about in this series. Saga #32 remedies that for the most part as the issue centers on Marko and Alana, the two star-crossed lovers who have been the main characters since the beginning of Saga. It’s a rewarding issue as it ends up being about reunions in many sorts of ways.     Due to some unexpected circumstances, Marko and Alana became separated (physically, not in the marriage sense), ultimately leading to the kidnapping of their daughter Hazel. As Saga #32 begins, the parents have been reunited again, setting out on a caper to find out where their daughter is being held. The plan doesn’t go off exactly as they want, but they get the information they needed. It’s also revealed that this information is emotionally important to both Marko and Alana because they had secretly feared that Hazel was dead. The confirmation that she is still out there gives them renewed vigor to go after her.   Things have changed significantly for both Marko and Alana since they were last together. They didn’t part on the best terms, with Alana being hooked on some alien drug and Marko smacking her for being irresponsible around their daughter. Basically, things hadn’t been great between the two for some time, for many reasons. However, when we meet them in Saga #32, their bond seems to have been re-formed and there is a palpable energy between them, which extends from love to attraction. For readers who originally met them as lovebirds, it’s nice to see them working and acting together.     The other significant change since Marko and Alana were last together is that Marko has essentially become a pacifist. This results both from his hitting Alana and from a violent rage he went on while trying to pursue his daughter after she was kidnapped. He’s come back from that precipice, but absolving to do no harm is difficult when you are a fugitive and trying to find your missing daughter in the middle of an interplanetary war. His decision to avoid violence is already causing some tension with Alana, but Marko tries to explain how it’s necessary for him.   Fiona Staples get the chance to do some simple overhauls on the looks of Marko and Alana in Saga #32. Marko has been growing a beard for a while, but it’s especially shaggy here, and Alana has cut her hair and added new colors to it. They are small changes, but they serve two purposes: it keeps the characters looking fresh and interesting while also adding a layer of realism since young people frequently go through numerous looks over the years. Staples gets a number of splash pages and large panels in which to show off, and she lives up to it. Likewise, Saga can occasionally have gratuitous nudity, but there is a post-coitus scene between Marko and Alana in this issue that is actually lovely and natural.     There are short appearances of Prince Robot IV (now not a prince) and the adorable seal-like character of Ghus. Although they do not have a big role in Saga #32, their return indicates that they will probably be playing a part in the central story in the near future. Brian K. Vaughan and Staples have established so many interesting characters, though, that many of them still haven’t been seen since we jumped forward in time with Saga #31. It begs the questions of what’s going on with Gwendolyn, The Will, and the Lying Cat (as well as others). It’s possible the next few issues of Saga will jump around as Vaughan and Staples catch us up with all of the characters. At the same time, we already can see what the next major plot will be: how to rescue Hazel and Klara from their prisoner of war camp.