Book Review: Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

.

BOOK review

Started on: 9.September.2015
Finished on: 9.September.2015

Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

Title : Saga, Volume 3
Author : Brian K. Vaughan

Artist: Fiona Staples

Publisher : Image Comics

Pages :  144 pages
Year of Publication : 2014

Price : $ 14.72 (www.bookdepository.com/)

Rating: 4/5
*for those who haven't read the previous book, this review may contain spoiler.
Review for Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples here.
Review for Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"Some parents let their young kids win at games, but mine never did.
I don't think it was because they were particularly competitive, they just wanted to teach me a valuable lesson. Life is mostly just learning how to lose."

This volume starts off by rewinding a little bit from the events that happened at the end of the previous volume. A pair of tabloid journalist named Upsher and Doff are currently digging more information on Alana and Marko's escape; but their investigation might not go as they have planned. On the other hand, Alana and Marko's rocket ship is going towards Quietus to find D. Oswald Heist—the author who wrote Alana's favorite book. They did not realize that the people who are pursuing them, Prince Robot IV and The Will with Gwendolyn, are right on their heels. And they will soon have to confront their pursuers.

image source: here.

Even though I still enjoyed my time reading, I was hoping to see more plot development in this volume. In my opinion, the story in this book focuses more on the characters. This volume revealed bits of Alana's past through her young step-mother, Even; explored Klara's (Marko's mother) feelings after her husband's death; The Will—who still seems unable to forget about The Stalk and has been having hallucinations, Oswald—the quirky author who managed to bring back laughter in Marko's family, and also Gwendolyn who started developing new feelings. These characters went though an emotional roller-coaster and they took me along with them. I was happy for them when they're able to smile and laugh without worries, but the story took a sudden turn that made me devastated.

"I remember visits to faraway worlds that lasted only a few days but felt like entire lifetimes.
And then there were the endless journeys between destinations that somehow went by in the blink of an eye. You know how it goes."

Despite the slow build-up and the lack of development in this volume, I'm glad it ended on a good note that makes me excited to see what's going to happen in the future. The highlight for me in this book was Gwendolyn's sudden confession—which I didn't expect considering the events that happened earlier (not going to spoil anything, but those of you who've read this will know). Another thing that I didn't expect was Prince Robot IV's new state of being after he restarted. I don't know how long this will last but I hope he's going to be on Alana and Marko's side from now on. The slave girl—now called Sophie—also did something that gave me a shock because it happened so suddenly. But at least now we've got a little bit more explanation as to why she turned scary once in a while.
 

Alana: "This doesn't change my wedding vows. I'm still never doing the dishes."
Marko: "I like doing dishes!"
Alana: "You are so fucking sexy." 

There are a few more new characters added in to the story, and I'm really looking forward to what kind of role Upsher and Doff will play next. Another character that I didn't mention earlier is The Brand, a freelancer who's sent to silence Upsher and Doff. Later in the story it was revealed that The Brand is The Will's sister, even though nothing is clear yet. Hopefully we'll get more details in the next volume. And the most important character development in this book is Hazel finally grew up into a toddler. Oh gosh, she's looks so freaking adorable with those little chubby legs and cute outfit :3

Although I've had my disappointments with this volume, I have to say that I'm still enjoying this series so far. The characters are amazing, dialogues are on point, and the artwork is just as great as it always is. I do have to mention again that this is an adult graphic novel, which means that it contains a lot of gore/blood, nudity/sexual content, and other stuff that might not be suitable for younger readers. So please consider your age before picking this book up. As per usual, here are the single issue covers that are always pleasing to my eyes. My favorite is chapter fifteen and sixteen; absolutely love the striking colors and visuals :))

    by.stefaniesugia♥ .