As finales go, this one was a bit anti-climactic. As cliffhangers go, this one was fantastic! We come, once again, to another Saga finale. After every major volume, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples take a few months off to get caught up on the next volume. And for art as good as Staples’, I’m more than willing to give the Saga team some time off. Fortunately for us, they don’t end on too much of a nail-biter, but you better believe I can’t wait for the next volume after that last page. Plot lines get wrapped up, characters are forever changed, and the world of Saga just got infinitely bigger, my friends.

Saga #18

Saga #18 feels like it should be a major turning point in the ongoing adventure, but something about the action just seems a bit anti-climactic, especially considering how much actually happens. Regardless, the issue is as bombastic as they come, and that final page will leave you squealing for joy.

Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.

The cliffhanger in Saga #18 is unlike any we’ve seen in the series to date, but it’s so simple and obvious, I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming from a long ways off. It definitely took me by surprise. I won’t spoil it until we get to the synopsis, but this opens up the world of Saga in so many ways. It makes Saga a whole new series, an even more exciting series! I know I say it all the time that I can’t wait to see what Vaughn comes up with next, and trust me, this cliffhanger makes that more pertinent than ever before. But no spoilers until later.

The issue itself is an exciting one. The fight that started last issue picks up right away, and nearly every character gets a chance to shine. We also get the first encounter between Gwendolyn and her ex in this series, as well as Marco’s new flame. It’s a fun moment, as good as I could have hoped, considering how long Vaughn has been building towards it. The characters have always been the biggest draw of Saga, and Vaughn handles them well in this tense moment. The issue is strong, but I can’t help but feel that some of Vaughn’s choices for some of the characters weren’t the best. The Will does not fare well at all.

We’ll see what it all leads to in a couple of months. For now, join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!

We open in mid-battle! Lying Cat has Clara on the floor, and Gwendolyn heads upstairs to find Marko. The lighthouse is on fire, and Heist lies dead  nearby. Clara fights back and stabs her thumb into Lying Cat’s eye. Then Lisbeth shows up to frighten the Cat away, forcing it to confront that it doesn’t have the authority to be here. Because if nothing else, “Lying Cats always play by the rules.” I guess that’s a thing about Lying Cats.

They also fear their mothers

Suddenly, Prince Robot IV appears behind Lisbeth! He’s awake and rebooted! But we’ll get back to that in a moment.

We cut to Marko and Alana, on the balcony of the lighthouse. They have nowhere to run and they’re getting desperate. Marko suggests Alana fly away with Hazel, but she reminds him that her wings are vestigial. They don’t have anywhere to go before Gwen shows up, scoffing at the idea that Marko slept with someone from Landfall. Marko and Alana are pretty surprised to see her, but Gwen has other things to worry about.

At least she got a sweet cloak out of this

The man she loves? Gwen and The Will, sitting in a tree!

Marko is more than happy to help. He tells Gwen that they need to find some snow for the healing spell, but when she tells him that her friend is a foreigner, Marko winces. The magic will only work on someone from Wreath. He can’t save The Will. Gwen gets mad at him, but Alana steps between them and suggests she take The Will to a nearby Landfall outpost. Of course, Gwen doesn’t take kindly to Alana opening her mouth and points The Will’s lance at her.

But we’ll come back to that later! Let’s go check in on Lisbeth and Prince Robot IV, who isn’t as dangerous as he first appeared.

It seems the rebooting has turned Prince Robot into a drone. He asks Lisbeth how he can assist, as if he were just some Landfallian security drone or something. Lisbeth catches on quickly and orders him to carry the wounded soldier (Clara) out of harm’s way. Prince Robot gladly complies. But once they get outside, something clicks on in his head and he sets Clara down. Then he walks off to his ship. He doesn’t seem to have his full memories back, but something is drawing him elsewhere.

Back up on the balcony, Alana and Gwen get into an argument until Alana begs for Gwen to just let them go. Gwen is too cold for that, and she fires the lance. But Marko jumps in the way.

Bye honey!

Marko shoves his wife and infant daughter off the balcony, to the shock of everyone. But Marko says they deserved better than what Gwen could give them. Or maybe he’s talking about himself? Marko turns to Gwen and admits he was angry and selfish when they were together, but then he met Alana and everything changed. He bows his head and tells her that whatever she needs to do to make this right, to go ahead and do it. But Gwen’s crying, because this isn’t some flesh wound she’s dealing with; Marko broke her heart!

Not so vestigial now, eh!?

And that’s the issue’s badass moment! Alana shoots Gwen in the back of the head, knocking her out. She lands and asks Marko how he knew that she could fly. Marko tells her that it was obvious that his awesome wife could do anything.

They leave the lighthouse, and Hazel’s narration takes over. She says that the family was forced to abandon Heist’s body rather than give him a proper burial, but Clara believes the author would be happiest with his body burning among his books and unfinished projects.

We check in briefly with Upsher and Doff, who are forced to turn down a story on the missing Prince Robot due to its possible connection to the Marko & Alana story. Doff doesn’t want their heads to explode, after all.

Then we check in with a Landfall medical hospital, where The Will is being treated. The Brand comes to visit, and reveals that she is The Will’s sister. His real name is Billy, and her name is Sophie. The doctor says that The Will will likely never fully recover from the injuries he’s suffered. But he’s at least able to recognize that she’s there and they share a tender moment.

Gwen, Lying Cat and the other Sophie (The Will named her after his sister!) are standing on a rooftop nearby, with Gwen watching The Will through a set of binoculars. She says that she doesn’t know what she can do for him, but the young Sophie tells her she’s lying.

Hazel’s narration tells us that the family didn’t see their original pursuers again for a long time, though ‘long’ is relative when you’re a baby. She has fleeting memories of distant planets they visited, and the journeys they took between worlds. Because a lot of time has passed since the fire at the lighthouse.

Years, even.

Adorable!

How cool is that ending!?

Can you see what I mean about it opening up the universe of Saga? I hadn’t even considered time jumps! But it’s so obvious now. They couldn’t just tell the story of Hazel as an infant. We know from the narration that Hazel lives a full life, so of course Vaughn and Staples are going to jump ahead in time so that we get to see some of it. Normally, time jumps like this can be weird to acclimate to, but I cannot wait to see what’s become of the family when Saga returns. Already Alana has a new haircut! That’s something! This sort of forward movement is only going to help the series.

But like I kept saying in the beginning, this fight felt a little anti-climactic. This is, essentially, the finale of the first three volumes of Saga so far. All the chasing, all the character growth, all the potential conflicts, and it all ends here. Alana, of course, got the badass moment, as she flew up and shot Gwendolyn. That was pretty darn stellar, and a quality showdown between Marko, Alana and Gwen. But that’s the biggest moment in this finale? Heck, Gwen didn’t even come into the series until after the first volume. If Hazel’s narration is correct, and this was the last time the family saw any of these antagonists for a few years, this final showdown was a bit of a letdown.

Prince Robot IV went out without ever even laying eyes on the family. I suppose that face-off is being saved for later, but he sort of just disappeared into the background in this issue. Likewise, it feels like The Will was completely shafted. He’s probably been the most important character outside of the family, but he doesn’t even get to participate in this final fight. Not only that, but The Will was felled by some random space madness on that random planet? I know he was attacked by Sophie, but she didn’t do it on purpose. She was a puppet for some vaguely evil force of nature. So The Will missing out on the big climax for reasons that don’t have anything to do with Alana and her family is just a bit disappointing.

But don’t let my nitpicks fool you, this was another stellar issue of Saga. The characters were great, as always, and the scene between Gwen and the family was as good as could be expected. And that cliffhanger still blows my mind. Toddler Hazel is going to be amazing! I hope she knows a few baby words so that she can be even more adorable!