After "Safeword," I'm once again hooked on Y: The Last Man and eagerly awaiting each issue, and this one, a jumping-on point and the first part of "Widow's Pass," continues to draw me in. Vaughan sets up a new set of adversaries for Yorick and company who are similar in broad strokes to the fanatics that they've dealt with so far, but with a distinctive twist to their motivations and goals. Together with some further musings about the effects of the plague and another interesting new supporting cast, this story arc has a lot of similarities to the arcs that have gone before, but it definitely feels like the story is making forward progress, and seeing Vaughan explore the ramifications of the plague continues to entertain. Goran Parlov steps in on artwork on this one, and his art is as good, or possibly a tad bit better, than Pia Guerra's work, maintaining a stylistic consistency with the help of Jose Marzan's inks.
Y: The Last Man was a huge surprise when it first hit, and Vaughan has traded some of that surprise for familiarity, in terms of structure. The jumping around in time, showing us a future point in the story before going back to show us how we got there, the quirky and fun conversation and interaction between Yorick, Mann and 355, a new opposition and a new ally, the general structure of this one is not unlike the previous arcs. However, that doesn't mean Vaughan doesn't have some surprises up his sleeve. Mann's actions at the end of the issue, not to mention the confirmation that she had a daughter and not a son, give that character a little more mystery, and her ruminations on the death of other species as a result of the plague puts a ticking clock on the lead characters' quest that I hadn't really thought about before.
One of the things I love about Y: The Last Man is that Vaughan has made the story dark without making it entirely dour. Yorick's weird conversation starter and the bickering relationship he has with 355 continues to amuse, and I also love that despite being "cured" of his suicidal tendencies in the last story, Yorick is still a bit of a hapless dork at times. His revelation of his identity and subsequent interaction with PJ is a lot of fun, but Yorick doesn't exactly come off in the best light. He remains likable despite (or perhaps because of) this somewhat clueless nature, however.
Goran Parlov's artwork isn't radically different from the realistic look that Pia Guerra gives the book, but there are some noticeable differences. Parlov's characters have a little bit more character in their faces, especially 355, and his women seem a tad on the sexier, shapelier side, whether it's the shot of Mann framed by lights at the end of the book or the ample cleavage that PJ flashes in the middle of the night. Parlov maintains the same distinctive likenesses that Guerra brought to the book, and also maintains the detailed backgrounds that help give the post-apocalyptic world a sense of reality.
With sharp, entertaining dialogue and characters, not to mention a great high concept that's being executed well, Y: The Last Man continues to be a jewel in the Vertigo crown. Vaughan's overall story is rolling along at a somewhat slow pace, but that lets the reader really take in the world, and it gives Vaughan room to explore these characters at length.
