Continuing the amazing story from Volume 1, Volume 2 delves into the stories of the other characters in the Saga world. Alana and Marko are fleeing the winged army and find out that the horned planet’s government is also out to get them. But instead of an army, they’ve hired an assassin called, The Will. He’s kick ass. Like James Bond except no British accent. But he’s got a bullet proof cape, a spaceship, and a giant cat that can tell if someone is lying (I promise it’s way cooler than how cheesy that sounds).
The Will is close to catching the fleeing couple when a subplot involving under-aged sex trafficking side tracks him on a planet called Sextillion. It’s basically Las Vegas, but planet size. While The Will doesn’t talk much, it’s his actions that make me want to know more. He’s mysterious and just when you think you know him, you realize there’s more to his character. His vicious and cold, yet is very loyal and is smarting from a break up with another assassin. Weaving The Will’s story into the fabric of Alana and Marko’s gives more depth to the story and gives the readers a break from the fleeing duo. It also shows us that there’ snot a clear distinction between who is good and bad. This struggle is pretty much what makes it so hard for Alana and Marko to trust anyone; it’s not clear who’s on whose side.
Mid-way through this volume, Marko’s parents show up and we suddenly get a bit of multi-racial family drama. His mother is angry at Marko for attaching him self to the enemy, but his father is more concerned with just getting to know his granddaughter. It’s not heavy-handed, but there’s a lesson for our culture today and we move from being one distinct ethnicity to becoming multi-racial/ethnic families. Ultimately the horned in-laws move past their biases and learn to just love and accept.
Once again Vaughan and Staples have created a captivating piece of art that deftly carries the plot from Volume 1 while also making Volume 2 a piece unto itself. If you made it through Volume 1, keep going with Volume 2!