It's the start of a new Y: The Last Man arc, and you all know what that means: Lesbian pirates! OK, maybe not exactly, but there are lesbians and there are pirates, and there's also some foreboding developments that start to steer the story in the direction of Yorick's long-missing fiancee, although at this point there are more tantalizing questions than there are answers. Vaughan continues his exploration of a world without men by showing what might happen to the shipping lanes, and along the way, he advances the relationship of a couple of the characters in a pretty meaningful way, introduces another likable female character for Yorick to flirt with (let's hope this one survives the experience) and delivers the same mix of mystery, humor and drama that I've come to expect from this book.
This issue is a turning point in the relationship for two of the main characters. It's been coming for a while, but it was nice to see it actually realized, and I thought Vaughan and Sudzuka did an excellent job of pacing it so that it conveyed a tentative start and then a passionate explosion, perfect for the length of time that this has clearly been on both characters' minds. I also liked that the lead-up to this culmination of feelings came in the form of some of Vaughan's always-enjoyable dialogue, with friendly insults traded back and forth. I believe in the friendships between these characters, which gives them the emotional grounding necessary for deeper relationships.
Of course, some of the true joys of Y: The Last Man have been in seeing these characters who know and trust one another meeting up with new people in an environment where they can't afford to easily trust anyone. There are some wonderful, subtle moments in the interaction between Yorick, 355 and the captain of "The Whale" that have me wondering what twists are in store. The captain's background, surprisingly compatible with Yorick, is a bit of a coincidence, but it makes for some entertaining interplay between the two characters. More interesting is the reaction to Yorick's mention of Australia in casual conversation, tying in to the small glimpse we had of Beth in previous issues and the surprising final few pages of this issue. Clearly, something is going on down there, but we're just at the tip of that particular iceberg, which replaces the mostly-solved mystery of Toyota the ninja.
This issue also features the guest pencils of Goran Sudzuka, and the artwork he provides (with regular inker Jose Marzan Jr.) is really good, consistent with the work that Pia Guerra is doing but with some stylistic touches that actually remind me of the work of Cameron Stewart, especially in his design for Rose Copen. At any rate, Y: The Last Man can be a bit of a thankless job for the artist, as they've got to handle scenes that involve a lot of dialogue and not much in the way of stirring action, but Sudzuka puts all the right emotion into these scenes as well as cutting loose with big splash reveals like the one on the last page.
I've come to a point with most of my Vertigo series where I'm as much looking for the tail end as I am enjoying the stories on their own merits. Much as I enjoyed Preacher, by the end I really just wanted to see issue #66 and how it was going to end up. Much as I enjoy 100 Bullets, I'm starting to look for the conclusion to see how Azzarello is going to tie up the big conspiracy story. With Y: The Last Man, while I'm very curious to find out how Vaughan is going to end it, I find myself enjoying the book so much on a month-to-month basis that a part of me also hopes it continues for a long, long time. 10/10
