“One Small Step: Chapter 4”
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Pia Guerra (p), Jose Marzan, Jr. (i)
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
My parents have never understood my fascination with comic books. They’ve called my habit a waste of money, a waste of time, a waste of storage space, and something I needed to grow out of. Now that I’m an “adult” I’ve been thinking a lot about the misconceptions they share with countless others regarding the industry and I’ve come to a conclusion: Y: The Last Man is the perfect comic for people that have never reads comics. Is that a bold statement? Possibly, but considering I have enjoyed every issue of the series I’ve read, I don’t think it’s a false one. I actually have fun while reading this comic, and that’s not something I can say about any other book on the market. The current issue of the series proves my point by giving readers all the humor and suspense I’ve come to expect from the title.
In my last review I said that this was a series about strong women, and in this issue we get to see that idea played out. Alter (the Israeli agent that has kidnapped Yorick) and 355 engage in a battle of wits while showing the audience the lengths they are willing to go to “win” this unusual arms race. Yorick’s Russian friend Natalya shows off her strength of will by climbing a tree and sniping at her enemies with a bullet in her arm. Sadie, Alter’s right hand woman, gets caught in a moral dilemma, only to choose the harder (and morally correct) path. All of this takes place with Yorick trussed up in a set of inescapable handcuffs. Sure, he gets to kick a little butt, but most of the panel time this time out is devoted to the females. All of this flies in the face of the traditional “oversized muscles and spandex” comic book and makes this book a good candidate for anyone that ridicules the superhero genre.
Pia Guerra’s art is simple and understated, and that should appeal to those that scoff at the Ed McGuinness, manga-influenced style prevalent in today’s mainstream books. While this book is one of the artist’s weaker efforts (Yorick’s hairline keeps shifting for example), it’s still good enough to, not only tell Vaughan’s story, but to add to it as well. There’s anguish on faces in this issue that just can’t be conveyed through words alone. Guerra handles the rather harsh violence without resorting to gross-out tactics and her layouts provide the audience with a clear sense of exactly what’s going on. Too often I find myself having to study each panel in other comics so I always look forward to this as my break from that rather exhausting exercise.
So far Y: The Last Man has had the perfect blend of humor and action while still saving room for the character development that modern comic fans demand. The story is as rich as any you would find in a best selling novel while maintaining the serial nature of comic books by ending every issue ends with an exciting and completely plausible cliffhanger.
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of giving this book to my folks. I’ll let you know how it goes.
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