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Saga #65 Finale Subverts Readers' Expectations Once Again (Spoilers)

Beneath what many may consider a cute and cuddly Lying Cat cover, in Saga #65, is one of the most gut-wrenching moments yet...

Published Thu, 22 Jun 2023 14:57:10 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Saga time. Years ago, there was a much-hyped six-parter in The Walking Dead called "No One Is Safe." Upon reflection and with the benefit of hindsight, that wasn't just an apt title for another gruelling story arc; it was a statement of intent. Whereas other mainstream comics have tended to glorify the death, non-stop death and resurrection of beloved characters, Robert Kirkman has always seemed to take the literary advice to "kill your darlings" to a horrifying extreme. It's part of what made The Walking Dead so good after all.

But Robert Kirkman isn't the only one with a commitment to keeping death's revolving door shut in comics, as Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples had made abundantly clear over the last 10 years in Saga. And the latest issue is perhaps the best possible case in point, because beneath what many may consider a cute and cuddly Lying Cat cover, is one of the most gut-wrenching character deaths yet and a sure sign that the end to this current arc is going to be anything but happy.

This shouldn't be a tremendous surprise of course, because while Kirkman waited until the penultimate issue of The Walking Dead to off his leading man, Vaughan and Staples chose to do so at the midway point in Saga's run, dispensing with Marko with one swift stab of The Will's lance in issue #54 before then getting on with a three-year hiatus (a mourning period for many). And indeed, they set the dark tone for the series early on, killing off fan favorite The Stalk in only the fifth issue, before eliminating everyone from Isabel to Prince Robot as the series chugged on. And chugged on it has.

Saga #65 just about brings us to the end of the series' second arc since returning from the aforementioned break and while the first post-hiatus arc didn't add a lot of notches on the ol' belt as far as body count was concerned, this latest run has not been as gentle on its dear readers. Case in point: The very last words in this particular issue are "happy ending," but if anyone truly thinks that's where things are heading… well, no.

Writing about series as beloved and well-crafted as Saga becomes difficult at a certain point, because it's all good. Readers can quibble about peaks and valleys all they want, but one of the hallmarks of truly great comics are their remarkable consistency, and reviewing work like that can be unrewarding at times. Who wants to just read how great something is all the time, after all?

Saga is different, though, because while it is consistently great, it also manages to subvert expectations if not every issue than at least regularly, and that makes this latest issue something of a warning sign regarding things to come, especially if you're a reader who has mistook the last arc as a sign that things were on a more even keel following the rapid-fire deaths of Prince Robot and Marko. Virtually everything about this issue is unexpected, right up to the point where it feels like the final issue of the arc, and that just makes what is sure to come all the more scary.

Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, aided and abetted by the often unsung but more than capable Fonografiks on lettering and design, are crafting a masterpiece out of their own blood, sweat, and tears, but as this issue illustrates… mostly blood. If you haven't read this latest issue yet, make it a point to do so, and if you don't have Saga #66 on hold at your local comic shop, by all means, add it now. If this issue is any indication, it's going to make the six-month wait for the beginning of the next arc bloody near intolerable.