I'm a lapsed Catholic. I believe in God, or at least a divine creative power, but I don't get to church anymore, save for one mass a year when the family's all gathered together for Christmas. The infamous Catholic guilt is a powerful force, I can attest to that, but I don't think it's something one needs to be a Catholic to understand. Guilt is guilt; Catholics just tend to feel guilty about specific things, I suppose. This issue is a rich, clever and surprisingly sexy read that delves into Catholicism to a certain extent, but it really explores the notions of faith and guilt. Vaughan seems to indicate that the former is a constructive, powerful thing, and the latter is its destructive counterpart.
Yorick is horrified to discover himself in the arms of another woman... and again, it's not the woman he hopes to marry. Still, Beth, the former flight attendant who's taken refuge in a Catholic church, may not have been the clergy Yorick was looking for, she does end up challenging him about his faith and his self-doubt. Their debate is interrupted by the arrival of three members of the Amazon cult. They attack the church as a symbol of man's oppression of women, and while she hides Yorick from the violent women, Beth engages the violent trio in a debate about Catholicism as well.
I still can't get over how Guerra's simple style is able to capture such a strong sense of realism. Her sleek figures are attractive but she doesn't present the characters as the idealized physical paragons we usually see in comics. The backgrounds are richly detailed as well, and the colors bring an almost supernatural atmosphere to the book. It's appropriate, given the religious plot elements. Guerra brings a sexy quality to the book as well, but it's a natural one, not gratuitous.
Beth is a fascinating character, and for a number of reasons. She's the dominant one in this issue. Her confidence, humor and intellect are attractive, and she stands out as one of the strongest female characters to turn up in a series that's boasts more female characters than any other, I would imagine. She's Yorick's opposite... devoid of guilt, having realized the futility of it all. She's not exactly an angel either, and I'm not referring to her sexually aggressive actions. She manipulates Yorick here, but not just to satify her own needs. She also manipulates him in order to help him, in a strange way.
Vaughan's script is thought-provoking. I love how well researched the historical and sociological elements are here. The characters come off sounding like they know what they're talking about because Vaughan has put in the extra work. The more intellectual side of the scruipt is balanced nicely with the emotional one. For every speech that exposes truth and shatters preconceptions, there are awkward moments for the characters as well in which they stumble over their words and themselves.
