CBR Bingo – Picture This
Saga has always been a graphic roller coaster of emotion and violence wherein you’re laughing one minute, gasping the next, grimacing as you turn the page, and tearing up as you finish the volume. That said, the last issue was a coaster that ended with a straight drop into a splash pad of utter misery, leaving you stunned.
Thus, it was hard to go on after volume 9 because of (MAJOR SPOILER REDACTED) but I felt I had dragged my feet about it enough since the new volume had been out for monhts, so I checked it out from the library. But then, I avoided reading it, leaving it to gather a bit of dust on myself, I just couldn’t make myself do it. So THEN it was time because it was overdue and I finally read it. I don’t know how to review this without spoiling the end of volume 9 so prepare for some shenanigans.
In this new installment (from this series that had been on hiatus since 2018), it’s been three years since (REDACTED) and Hazel and her family are back to their tricks staying one step ahead of their pursuers. This volume is particularly raw because of Hazel dealing with (REDACTED) but they are making new friends and finding connection and humor along the way. So yes there are laughs, but the ending when (REDACTED) is a particularly somber moment, for many reasons as difficult as the end of volume 9. As always, this series finds authentic ways to represent authentic experiences of grief and strife.
Yeeeah. Look. It’s universally heralded as one of the best comics of the past decade, so go ahead and read it, but keep your kids out of the room and the tissues handy.