This issue, in addition to advancing the core plotline significantly, accomplishes a number of important elements, chief of which is the provision of different perspectives. Vaughan takes us to a corner of his post-apocalyptic setting to demonstrate that society doesn't fail across the board, and he shows us that Yorick isn't the only one with important relationships coming back to haunt him. This is a well-balanced issue, offering plenty of action, insight into character and speculative sociological commentary, not to mention the grounde and effective artwork of Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan Jr.
Yorick, Agent 355 and Dr. Mann have finally made it to San Francisco and Mann's lab, where she's been toiling away on determining what X factor allowed Yorick and his monkey, Ampersand, to survive whatever it was that killed all male mammals on the planet. Yorick thinks back on the day he bought a rather unusual engagement ring for his sweetheart, Beth, but he may never get to give it to her after it's taken by a trio of mysterious women. They're after something, but it's not Yorick or his ring. Instead, it's something 355 is protecting for the sake of the new government.
Guerra's designs for the members of the Setauket Ring are quite sharp, conveying menace and mystery by hiding all personal detail behind a curtain of fabric. There's a strong sense of action and movement in that scene as well, bringing some real excitement to the story. Guerra's work here reminds me a little of a cross between Jose Luis Garcia Lopez's work and that of Steve Dillon. The colors are quite strong as well. Most scenes have a subtle but unnatural color scheme looming over them, adding to the tension. Furthermore, the purplish tint Zylonol adds to the San Francisco night sky is quite lovely.
Vaughan delivers a lot of storytelling in this issue, cramming the episode with several scenes and plenty of characters. There's a real sense of progress in the plotting. He covers the past with a touching opening flashback, and he maintains the more hopeful tone with a lighter adventure at a professional basketball game. Vaughan also makes it clear this isn't just Yorick's story. The writer expands on what's going on with Agent 355, making it clear there's more to her life than simply acting as a protector for the last man on Earth.
The most pleasng aspect of this issue has to be the notion of a community coming together to carve out a sense of normalcy and stability in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. Vaughan posits than even in a world facing its doom, there are places where people would keep on living, where they'd adapt without having sacrifice all that they'd known. The writer is also careful not to portray this social structure has having blinders on. We're told Mann isn't the only one actively looking for a cure, for a solution to the gender shortfall. These sociological scenarios always stand out as the greatest strength of this series, and that's saying something, given the strong characters Vaughan has crafted here. 9/10
