Vertigo started out not only as DC"s mature-readers imprint, but as a corner of the company that served as a home to stories that explored the supernatural. From Sandman to Swamp Thing, from Hellblazer to Fables, there's a lot of (dark) magic to be found in the imprint. Of course, Vertigo has expanded well beyond the supernatural theme, but one could argue that Y: The Last Man -- with its repeated prophetic dreams and hallucinations -- embraces weird and supernatural as well. But I don't think magic is a part of Vaughan's post-apocalyptic premise. Instead, he explores nature -- human nature, social nature and the natural world itself -- and the more surreal aspects of the stories are an extension of it. As the writer challenges his characters, he challenges his readers as well.
Beth -- the woman whom Yorick Brown, the last man on Earth loves -- awakens the prisoner of an aboriginie tribe in the Australian Outback. As she struggles to divine what her captors want with her, she reflects back on the path that led to this point. She thinks not only of the other women academics who joined her in Australia and their fearful and paranoid reactions to the death of all the men around them, but to Yorick. She thinks of how they met, how they got together and the little secrets they told one another.
Again, I love how Guerra brings a wide variety of female forms to life in this book, differentiating among the characters clearly but more importantly avoiding the comic-book idealization of bodies. Most impressive in the artwork is her adoption of a 1980s comic-book style for one of Beth's dreams. The colors are thoroughly impressive as well. I love the warmth they lend the art to reflect the arid, sunny climate of Australia, but the flashbacks boast cooler tones, separating them from the main action.
We've glimpsed Beth before in this series, but this is the first time Vaughan has really delved into her character and the relationship she has with Yorick. She represents a nice balance between confidence and vulnerability. She's not portrayed visually as a physical knockout, but as an attractive and intelligent young woman. She's playful but focused. She's thoroughly believable as a character, because Vaughan allows us to see beyond her everyday persona and into the more awkward moments.
I find Vaughan's use of dreams and hallucinations as a means to not only foreshadow but to drive the plot itself forward to be interesting. We've seen it before -- such as in "Safeword" -- and he employs the method yet again here, albeit with a different character. Connecting the motif to the aboriginie concept of Dreamtime drives home the notion that these visions the characters experience are a natural occurrence, not just all-too convenient supernatural plot device. It's as though a broken planet itself is reaching out to these souls, these key players, and guiding them toward the right paths. 9/10
