Honestly, I had to read something I knew I loved after watching The Walking Dead premiere last night. It’s too bad that this volume decided to kick me more in the feels than that heartbreaking episode, but I digress.

This volume really highlights the struggle of “non-practical” house dynamics. Alana is now a working mother, and Marko is now a stay-at-home dad. The resentment from both sides is really hurting their relationship and it was really hard to see/read about. Seeing Hazel narrate the events is even more painful.

Hazel is such an amazing character, and she’s only going through toddlerhood. Every panel with her made me feel so many emotions. Brian K. Vaughan is seriously a genius for creating Hazel, and his voice in Saga truly makes this series one of the best comics ever made.

Also, I’m sort of loving Prince Robot IV now, so… I have to give the man credit for that, too. I haven’t hated and then loved a character for a very long time. Especially with such little time to do so in comics. I love seeing all the different parts of this intricate story come together. I think the finale is going to be something amazing and beyond words.

I’m now going to break down each chapter in this bind up. There will be SPOILERS, so please use caution in continuing if you have not read this graphic-novel, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, or Vol. 3!

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Prince Robot IV’s son is born in the Robot Kingdom, but Prince Robot IV is still missing. Marko, Alana, Hazel, Klara, and Izabel are on a new planet named Gardenia, where Alana is living out one of her dreams of being an actress on the Open Circuit. Because of this job, we see the first signs of Alana and Marko’s relationship being in a not so great spot.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Prince Robot IV is alive, and is in the brothel that the Will saved Sophie from. We meet Yuma, who works with Alana and is a drug dealer. Alana takes some of the drug Fadeaway, and soon becomes addicted. Marko is becoming friends with Hazel’s dance teacher, Ginny, and we see more foreshadowing on how Marko and Alana’s relationship is at a low point. Dengo, a robot janitor, kills Princess Robot and takes their newborn son. He talks about his son’s death, wanting retribution, and it really hit home for me, because his son died from drinking bad water, from a city no one cares about, without any health insurance to heal his son. I’m from Flint, Michigan, so that parallel to Dengo’s pain really resonates with me, and is very important to me.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE:
This is the chapter where we really see the struggle of Marko being a stay at home dad, while Alana is the major breadwinner of the family. Alana is taking more Fadeaway to escape her problems, but it isn’t working. We learn Gwen is still missing.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:
Alana is becoming more and more addicted to the Fadeaway drug, all while Ginny is hanging out more and more with Marko. They have a huge fight, and it looks inconsolable. We meet Prince Robot IV’s dad, King Robot, and he’s a big jerk. Dengo comes to the Open Circuit so he can broadcast a message to the masses, but ends up shooting a lot of Alana’s coworkers.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE:
After Alana and Marko’s fight, Marko goes to Ginny’s house. I was honestly going to scream if anything happened. But after seeing a toy Hazel left behind, Marko leaves to bring it back to her. Dengo is still trying to broadcast his message, but Yuma, before being shot, tells Dengo about Hazel. Izabel, the ghost babysitter, talks about her ex-girlfriend, how she died, and how important love is. Honestly, this chapter had some of my favorite panels, ever. Marko arrives at the ship, right when it is taking off – with Dengo inside. Prince Robot IV finally shows up and sees Yuma and Marko, who is now separated from his family.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR:
The Will’s sister, The Brand, is interviewing the adorable Gus, from the previous installments, about the walrus he trades to Hazel and her family, Friendo. Sophie, Gwen, and Lying Cat are looking for a formula to save the Will’s life. They all find out that Gus is able to track Friendo, so they will be able to find Hazel, Alana, Klara, and Izabel, too. We then find out that Marko is working with Prince Robot IV and Yuma to get their families back.

I love this world, these planets, and these characters. Saga has the reputation for being the best comic series out there for a reason. It truly is at a tier above the rest, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself once I finish the last installment. I love these characters too much to let them go.