Not as good as Vol. 1, but then again, Vol. 1 counts as one of the best graphic novels I have ever read, and you can't always hit a home run. Those first ten issues soared on account of Vaughan's sharp character work and quick pace. The story bounded forward, while still juggling it's myriad subplots expertly.
My biggest issue with Vol. 2 is the pacing, which has started to slow down, and at times, drag a little. You can tell Vaughan knows where he's going, but he doesn't want to get there too quickly. His characters have been trying to reach San Fransisco since issue #5, but by #23 they're only in Arizona. The smaller arcs have also started to feel formulaic - Yorick, 355 and Dr. Mann show up in a new location, have a violent encounter with the locals, someone dies, Yorick learns something about himself, someone reveals a secret and then they leave. Yorick himself acknowledges this pattern in a moment that reads as if Vaughan realized the story's repetitive nature too late.
Other issues: where is Hero? Vol. 1 featured a lot of Yorick's older, impressionable sister - over the course of those ten issues I invested a lot in her character, while here, she makes a mere last page cameo. I really enjoyed her previous storyline, so I was disappointed to see her dropped. I also didn't buy the explanation for Alter's motives. She wants to bring Yorick to Israel in order to start international war and thereby maintain internal peace? Really? And lastly, I wish Vaughan had spent more time with 355 and Dr. Mann (Dr. Mann gets a few, bloody moments in the last arc). I know it's in both of their best interests to be secretive, but I'd rather unravel their stories than read two issues about a traveling theater group and some new, ninja lady.
That said, when the story clicks, it really clicks. The "Safeword" arc was fantastically fucked up; the revelation that Yorick's rash behavior serves to mask his death wish makes perfect sense when you think about it. Yorick's journey from boy to man functions as the emotional core of the series; any time Vaughan dares to delve into Yorick's psyche we're rewarded in spades.
Final analysis:
Still a great series, with absolutely awesome artwork from Pia Guerra (the other artists in this volume pale in comparison). The story may have started to tread water, but Vaughan includes enough earned character moments and satisfying plot twists to maintain reader interest. I'll definitely pick up Vol. 3, but the pace needs to quicken if I'm going to stick around any longer.
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