Let's talk about sex.
Sex can be a weapon. Sex can be a beautiful thing. It can be a source of awkward embarassment. Sex can just be fun or it can be a life-altering experience. Sex can even be an ugly, dark thing that has nothing to do with love or pleasure and everything to do with power and violence. These are all notions that Brian K. Vaughan explores in this issue, which may be the most disturbing and most compelling issue of this outstanding series to date. This issue of Y isn't about sociological hypotheticals. It's about one person manipulating the other, and in the process, we learn more about the title character than we ever have before. The focus here may be a different one, but the storytelling is as challenging and intellectual as ever.
Yorick awakens from a drug-induced stupor to the reality that he's the unwilling, submissive sex toy to Agent 355's onetime ally in the Culper Ring. Agent 711 is revealed to be a skilled dominatrix, and she's whisked Yorick away to a hidden lair of S&M. Before she ravages his physical self, though, 711 opts to rape his mind, delving into his past sexual experiences... even those he has for years denied and buried within his psyche. Agent 711 wants his body, but first, she wants to break his spirit.
This stands out as one of Pia Guerra's strongest issues to date, thanks to the way she adapts her style to present a drug-induced recollection of Yorick and Beth together. The two-page spread really captures the haziness of the moment, but also the purity and awkwardness of the memory. The lightness of the opening Oz scene is the perfect setup to put the reader off-balance, given the darker plotting to follow. The colors here bolster the storytelling as well. I love how 711 is bathed in an intimidating red glow when Yorick (and the reader) awaken to see her once again.
Agent 711's perceptiveness about Yorick's attitudes toward sex and his background is impressive, though effectively chilling in its manipulation. Say what you will about Agent 711, but her primary role here seems to be to brush aside the bullshit and get to the heart of important themes and the main character.
Some say sex is about love. Others say it's about pleasure. Some would argue that what Agent 711 proposes in this story isn't sex at all, but a power trip, a form of violence that masquerades as sexual activity. I don't know that I agree or disagree to be honest. There's definitely a provocative and even alluring quality to what 711 offers. As I write this, I'd have to say that Agent 711's actions here are sexual, at least in part. This script is all about exploring different aspects of sexuality, willing and unwilling. An unexpected idea put forth here is how Yorick reacts to other men. The series has been so focused on his interaction with women (understandably so, given the premise) that the main character's attitude concerning his own gender never comes to mind.
On the surface, this story arc seems designed to titillate, but the context of the sexuality here is ultimately a horrific one.
