Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Pia Guerra (p), Jose Marzan, Jr. (i)
Publisher: D.C. Comics
Plot:
The book opens with Agent 355 & Yorick enjoying a quiet little moment, as they discuss the idea of adult language in comic books. We then see their time is cut short by the arrival of Dr. Mann who takes the time to pull Agent 355 aside and ask about the confession she made about loving Yorick when she was delirious from her head wound. We then join the group on the train, where Dr. Mann makes a rather curious statement about her cloned son, but the follow-up questions about the conflicting logic of what she said are cut short when someone lands on top of their train car. As Agent 355 climbs up to investigate we see the unexpected visitor is the Russian woman who is racing to meet the satellite crew that are returning to the surface. After a bit of a misunderstanding, where Agent 355 mistakenly believes this woman has come after Yorick, we see two manage to get their ducks in a row, and the woman offers up the story about the crew making their return to the surface, and that the two men on the shuttle have been spared the fate of the men on the surface. We then jump up to the space station as we see the crew might not survive the reentry, as they've remained in orbit too long, and as such their fuel source has been seriously compromised, so their cabin might very well burst into flames as they pass through the atmosphere.
Comments:
Normally this issue rushes forward like a bat out of hell, as in the opening ten issues we've been introduced to the concept of every living male on the planet (except for our hero) being killed by a mysterious attack, and been introduced to the new government running the United States. We've also seen our hero battle his way through an attempted overthrow of this said government by the wives of government officials who had died, encountered a band of rabid man-hating Amazons who include Yorick's sister among their number, and a village of women made up of former inmates from a nearby prison. Then there's the various supporting players in Agent 355 & Dr. Mann who have both been nicely defined, and each play a important role to play in the search for an answer. Add to this a band of professional military soldiers dogging the heels of our group, and a half-dozen little encounters that Yorick has had that offer up some insight into the how the women are dealing with the incredible loss they've endured, and this book has been one busy title in its opening year. That's what made this issue's rather low key pace a bit surprising, as we only really get two details that are important to the plot. The first is that Yorick's group finally hooks up with the Russian woman who is track the returning astronauts, and the second is that we learn the identity of the mystery voice guiding the military squadron.
Now this issue's rather leisurely pace doesn't make it any less enjoyable, as there's a lot to enjoy in this issue, from a rather fun nod of the head to "Preacher", to an amusing encounter that Yorick has with a working girl who has taken to dressing like a man to service the needs of her clients. This issue also offers up a classic action movie scenario, as it's almost become a set rule that if an action movie moves onto a train, then there's going to be a fight on top of the cars, during which our hero is going to end up dangling off the side. Now this issue does offer up a rather cute surprise, when Agent 355 ends up discovering that the Russian woman is a highly capable fighter, and I love the fact that the woman have noticed that Yorick is like a moth to a flame whenever a dangerous situation erupts anywhere in his vicinity, as they've actually worked out a plan to keep him safe. I also rather enjoyed the way that Yorick becomes a non-issue when the two women begin their discussion about the satellite, as this book has made Yorick into the center of this universe, so it's fun to see him effectively cast aside when news of other men being alive surfaces. However, more important to this book is the final page discovery of who is guiding the military force dogging the heels of Yorick, as this revelation was completely unexpected.
The art is what really sells the reality of this book, as while there are some beautiful visuals to be found in this issue, such as the credit page shot of Yorick's cliff-side perch, or the rather impressive scenery that is speeding bay when the action moves on top of the train, for the most part the art maintains a sense of reality that is actually rarer than it sounds. I mean basically this is a book about ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary situation, and in spite of the sheer scope of the idea of every man on Earth being killed, for the most part Yorick's adventures haven't exactly been action filled affairs. I mean he's dealt with a couple groups that want to kill him, but he hasn't been dodging bullets, or leaping out of the path on an explosion. In fact about the only thing he's done that would even qualify as a stunt is that he got himself pushed out of a moving train. With this in mind the art is often called upon to convey a sense of danger, while at the same time it isn't allowed to employ the easy tricks that are available to most artists. So the groups chasing Yorick can't be slobbering beasts, or red eyed monsters but rather they are simply a group of soldiers, and yet the art manages to make one feel that it would not be a good thing for these people to catch our hero, through the simple fact that they look like as serious group, and the leader of the group never seems to be without a gun in her hand.
Final Word:
A somewhat uneventful issue when it's compared to the previous issues, as all that this first chapter manages to accomplish is hook Yorick's group up with the Russian woman who is tracking the descending satellite, and they are made aware of what she is trying to do. We also learn that the crew on the space station has been in contact with the surface, and as such they are aware of what has happened on the surface, which probably explains why they've remained in orbit longer than it was probably safe for them to have done so. Still, the situation has been set in motion, as the crew is coming to the surface, and Yorick's group have been made aware of this situation, which involves them in the race to met this satellite when it makes its way to the surface. The issue also offers up some fun little teaser moments, like Dr. Mann's curious slip of the tongue when they discusses her clone baby, and then of course there the final page surprise, that creates a flurry of questions. There's also a cute little scene Yorick has with a prostitute, and I like that the women have taken notice of Yorick’s desire to place himself in mortal danger time and again.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!