Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Pia Guerra (p), Jose Marzan Jr. (i)
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Plot:
After only managing to rescue only one of the astronauts from the shuttle pod before it is consumed in an explosion, we see Agent 355 is reunited with Yorick, and the two take some time to enjoy the fact that they both survived this latest harrowing ordeal. As the group settles back to the task of reaching Dr. Mann's lab in California, we see back in Washington D.C., Yorick's mother gets an unexpected surprise.
Comments:
I found this issue to be rather slow considering it was suppose to be the final chapter of the arc, as it reads more like an extended epilogue than a big finishing chapter. Now the question of the male astronauts is resolved rather quickly in the opening pages of this issue but even this rather key moment is given a rather hurried resolution as it doesn't really answer any questions about the plague, but rather the scene is instead used as a spring board for the creation of another subplot. Now there are some solid character moments in this issue, as in spite of their comments to the contrary, it would appear that Yorick and Agent 355 are in the early stages of a relationship, and I imagine their growing feelings for each other will result in some future complications. Now I was a little disappointed to see Natalya was essentially written out of the book, as I had been rather hoping she would join the group, and while it's possible the joke of her broken English might grow tiresome, and with Agent 355 on hand, Natalya is a bit superfluous, frankly I had rather grown to like the character and her unique outlook on the world. Plus, her interaction with Agent 355 was quite entertaining. However, as seems to be the case on most of the issues, Brian K. Vaughan seems ever ready with his cliffhangers, and this month he offers up yet another unexpected surprise on the final page.
As for the art, first off I have to give full credit to the cover art, as not only is it a wonderfully designed effort, but it also does a fantastic job of casting a sense of doom and gloom over the issue, with it's ominous peek inside the helmet, As for the interior art, the art looks to be having a great deal of fun teasing us with the question of which astronaut survived the crash, and the moment where the face is revealed is exceptionally well done. There's also some nice work on the little moments, such as Yorick's reunion with Ampersand, or the very effective scene where Yorick and Agent 355 discuss her admission of love, with the last panel being a great look at their true feelings. I also have to give credit to the art for it's work on the final page, as the character's expression as she makes that one line of dialogue, speaks volumes about the impact of this moment.
Final Word:
The question of the male astronauts has been running through the pages of this book for the better part of the past year, so I must confess I was a little disappointed by the rather abrupt resolution this plot in given in the opening pages. Now there is a plot element that is left behind that does leave the door open, and I imagine we'll be looking back on this subplot from time to time, which in turn will hopefully result in Natalya making a return to these pages. However, it is starting to grow a bit worrisome that this book has yet to offer up any clues about the plague itself, as the opening scene cheats us out of learning if the plague is even still active, and the lingering plot element that results from this plot is going to be on the back burner for quite some time. Now I realize that the plague is the lynch-pin that is the very core of this series, and I can see why Brian K. Vaughan would be reluctant to start up the guessing game this early into the run, but it would be nice to see some progress being made on this mystery, beyond the rather slow progress being made toward the second lab of Doctor Mann.
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