There are several reasons that a book makes my short list of absolute favorites. Compelling characters, clever dialogue, intriguing plot ideas, excellent cliffhangers... the list goes on and on. The best books, however, demand to be read as soon as I can get my hands on them, and they always leave me wanting more right then and there, even though I've got a ton of graphic novels and comics awaiting me on bookshelves and bedside tables already. Y: The Last Man is one of those books, and this particular issue is a really great one in terms of dragging the reader in. Vaughan hints at answers to a couple big mysteries and almost promises to reveal those answers in the next issue or two, but even better, he wraps these plot mechanics around some terrific character moments, some funny, some touching and some a little bit heart-breaking. Y: The Last Man is one of my must-reads every month, and this issue is a perfect example of why.
A lot of the issues of Y: The Last Man that I have loved, including the first part of "Ring of Truth," have had a number of stories going on at one time. This issue is actually focused pretty much on two places, the lab of Dr. Mann and a clandestine meeting at Candlestick Park, but the story still contains many layers and developing stories. Despite the action being fairly contained, Vaughan has a number of big revelations or big scenes on the go here, including a face-to-face meeting between Hero and 355, the answer to why Yorick is sick and a tantalizing scene wherein we're teased that Mann knows how Yorick survived the plague.
Yes, Vaughan spends much of this issue just mercilessly teasing his readers. He cuts away just as we're reminded that Yorick saw something in his S&M journey of discovery that we still don't know about. He cuts away before the big resolution of what happens with 355 and Hero. And he ends the issue on a note that offers up a solution to one of the big mysteries driving the whole series. It would be maddening if it didn't mean we were getting a little closer to the answers, and if it wasn't such compelling reading as a result of these teases. I read any number of monthly comics, but right at this moment, there is no single one of them that I'm looking forward to more than the next issue of Y: The Last Man, and that's saying something about Vaughan's writing skills.
As always, while the plot and mystery is nice, what really drives Y: The Last Man is the style that its creators bring to the page. Dr. Mann's frustration with Yorick and his monkey gives way to some genuine emotion on her part, and also gives rise to a hilarious scene when we find out just what caused Yorick's illness. It's such a beautiful fakeout, and I wasn't even thinking in that direction, and it also adds mystery to what caused the plague again, but the real strength of the scene is the mixture of frustration, relief and bemusement that Mann offers up in her dialogue during the scene. In a different but similar way, 355's reaction when she learns of 711's fate and her response to it are very powerful, as we rarely get to see the reserved 355 in such a vulnerable state, even as she's kicking ass like the black ops badass she is.
If I emphasize Vaughan's writing here, it's certainly not out of a lack of respect for the work of Guerra and Marzan Jr. There are some beautiful panels that speak volumes in this issue, such as the "ninja" lurking outside of Mann's window or the realization on Anna's face when she knows that she's pushed 355 too far. There's a terrific action sequence that shows off 355's skills as well, and it again reinforces that 355 doesn't like using her skills, but she's more than capable of doing so. It hasn't been overtly stated, but it's been there in the way she acts, and it's there in the way she "moves" in the action sequences. 10/10
