Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Pia Guerra (p), Jose Marzan, Jr. (i)
Publisher: DC
Plot:
The book opens by looking in on the military unit that has been doggedly following the trail of Yorick, as we see Yorick's mother set this group after her son as she doesn't trust Agent 355. However, we are quick to discover that this squadron is not exactly the most trustworthy of groups as they have their own plans for Yorick. We then look in on Yorick's group as they are busy making their way toward the landing site where the space shuttle is going to set down, and this conversation reveals why the craft wasn't brought down at any of the regular landing sites. We also learn that Russia suffered a disastrous meltdown of one of their nuclear reactors that left a sizeable chunk of their country uninhabitable. We then jump up to the space station where we see the two surviving male crew members are busy trying to kill each other, as the lack of oxygen has made them extremely paranoid. However they are able to calm themselves down enough to prepare for the voyage home, and we learn that they'll be touching down in a few hours. We then rejoin Yorick's group, as we see they are still making their way to the landing site, and we learn that Yorick is rather glad more men are on the way, as he'll happily share the burden of responsibility he currently holds alone. As the issue ends we see the military squadron hunting Yorick has finally caught up to him, as Yorick & the others gather at the landing site.
Comments:
If I had to make one complaint about this arc it's that compared to the previous arcs this one has a decided lack of forward momentum. The previous issue had our cast being made aware of the returning astronauts, and this issue has them traveling to the landing site. Now I guess one could argue that this is a character building piece, and I would be more than willing to accept the story as such except there's no real character growth to be found in this issue. There's a scene where Yorick offers up his thoughts on the idea that it looks like he may no longer be the only man on Earth, and his little exchange about being glad to hand off the responsibility that's been handed him was a cute character moment, but it doesn't really offer up any new insight into the character, as we were already aware that he wasn't exactly big on accepting the burden of responsibility. Now we do learn a bit more about Natalya, the Russian woman who has come to protect her country's interests by rescuing the cosmonaut who is still alive, but the real insight is limited to only a brief exchange about her finding the body of her husband/son/boyfriend, before they arrive at the landing site. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I found this issue to be a little light on material that I would consider either enlightening, or exciting, and as such this made for a somewhat mundane reading experience.
Nevertheless, a rather uneventful issue of this series is still worth reading, as Brian K. Vaughan is a writer who understands the principals of who to tell a good story. The basic premise that is driving this arc is a very strong one, as the idea that there could be other men returning to the pages of this book is a fairly major status quo change, as while Yorick is still vitally important, as seemingly he's the only man who survived a direct exposure with whatever killed all the others, the addition of other men does change the basic outlook of this series. The idea that these men are not immune to whatever killed the other should also act as a pretty solid way of not only seeing if the unknown killer is still active, but it might act to prove or disprove the various theories of what killed every man but Yorick. If nothing else the mystery of what killed every male creature on the planet except Yorick & his monkey is the primary plot that drives this book, and this arc has the potential to start offering up some answers, or at least some clues to make things more interesting. The book also offers up an interesting side plot, as we see Yorick's mother doesn't appear to trust Agent 355, but her concern has acted to send a real danger in Yorick's direction, and the final page of this issue certainly makes things look a little dicey for our group. If nothing else this issue looks to have set up a very exciting time for the next chapter.
Pia Guerra is a key part of this book, as the art has really established a set look for this series, and with no guest art in the book's opening year, I'm starting to feel rather secure in the knowledge that Pia Guerra has very little problem meeting the monthly deadlines. The art is pretty much everything one could ask for, as the facial work is top notch, and even more important the various characters are very easy to tell apart. It's not simply a case of making giving them difference hair styles, or slapping a pair of glasses on a character, but rather the women actually have different facial structures, as Natalya's face has a harsher look to it than the more rounded features Dr. Mann's face. The art also offers up a pretty solid array of expressions to convey the emotions of our cast, as Yorick's expression in the back of the truck when Natalya begins undressing is rather cute, as is his freaked out expression when he's set upon by the woman in the decontamination suits. The sudden stop scene was also a cute visual closer to the little exchange that was going on in the back of the truck. Also while it's a little detail I like the fact that the art does take the time to establish where the monkey is, as it does seem to prefer riding around on either Yorick & Dr. Mann's shoulders, and it actually moves about & reacts to the various events playing out around it.
Final Word:
A rather low key issue that is hurt by the simple fact that very little actually happens, and as such I was left with the sense that the book is simply cooling its heels. Now there's some enjoyable dialogue exchanges, and the subplot involving the military unit tracking Yorick looks to have just about reached the stage where it'll move into the foreground. I also have to say that this issue does some nice work making Natalya into a likeable character, who I'm eager to learn more about, as her brief little exchange involving the discovery of the bodies does seem to suggest that she hasn't quite come to grips with the enormity of the tragedy. In fact I fully expect this mission is about the only thing that has kept her going, and that when it's accomplished we'll start to see more cracks in her armor. The scene up on the shuttle is also nicely done, as we see the two men are taking out their fears on each other, which in turn plays up the idea that they are heading into a situation where they could very well be dead within hours.
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