Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Pia Guerra (p), Jose Marzan, Jr. (i)
Publisher: DC
Plot:
As the astronauts begin their return to the surface, down on the ground we see our various characters have gathered to meet the shuttle, and escort its two male occupants into the safety of the underground safe house. However, when the band of solider that have been following Yorick's trail move in to kidnap him we see Agent 355 & her Russian counterpart, are lured away, making Yorick's capture relatively easy.
Comments:
This issue presents the real reason for why the military group was hunting Yorick and while I can't quite follow the logic of why this character is looking to reignite a war that had died off with the men, the book makes it fairly clear that this is a woman with a plan, and one has to feel that whatever ends she seeks to advance if she gets the war going once again are hopefully more complex than simple revenge and/or an inability to adjust to a world where war didn't really exist anymore. Still, this issue is another setup issue in that most of the book is centered around some fairly inconsequential, but highly engaging exchanges, where Yorick is busy commenting on the underground bunker he finds himself in, while the other characters are busy exchanging information. Now the action scenes later in this issue certainly kick this book into gear, as once the two women spot the burning wreckage, and see that they've been lured away from the camp, the book makes wonderful use of it's newly created sense of urgency. My only question about this scene is why weren't the twins also racing to the crash site, as one would think if this was the shuttle, they would want to bring the protective measures into effect as quickly as possible, if only due to the fact that the pod likely has a limited supply of air, and they don't want to start drawing upon the outside air until they know it is safe.
As for the art, the work of Pia Guerra has become so much a part of this book's look & feel, that I'm quite pleased to see the use of guest-artists doesn't seemed to be required. The art is clean & able to covey a wide range of emotions, and I don't think that book would be half as much fun without the art's various reaction shots. Plus. the overall sense of realism that the art conveys has really helped make this book's premise easy to accept as a realistic presentation of a majorly fantastic concept. I also love the design work that is being done for these covers.
Final Word:
I have to say I'm growing a little impatient to get these astronauts on the ground, as this arc has an almost cooling its heels feel to it, and it not until the final third of this issue that story really gets itself into gear. Still Brian K. Vaughan is a very talented writer, and even when he's killing time, the material manages to hold my attention, as there some highly amusing exchanges, and if nothing else this arc continues to expand this book's cast with some delightfully engaging characters, with this issue acting as an introduction to the twins who run the facility where the astronauts will be held in isolation, and I rather enjoy the eager, almost child like devotion to their jobs. However, the biggest surprise for me in this issue was how utterly crushed I was when momentarily it looked like Natalya has been gunned down, as even though she's only really been a member of the cast for the past couple issues, I find she's quickly emerging into one of my favorites with her broken english, and her somewhat so on the uptake reactions to various events.
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