Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3

I concluded my review of Y: The Last Man, Vol. 2 by saying that "the pace needs to quicken if I'm going to stick around any longer." With Vol. 3, Brian K. Vaughan resolves numerous lingering questions, while pointing the story in a new, international direction. The fantastic "Ring of Truth" arc (the best of the collection) features the return and reformation of Yorick's sister, Hero; a kidnapping; the proper introduction of Toyota (the mysterious ninja woman from previous issues); a sword fight in the rain on the Golden Gate Bridge; the unmasking of Agent 711's killers; two near-death experiences; and a potential explanation as to how and why Yorick survived the plague that ravaged mankind. Consider the pace quickened.

If "Ring of Truth" gets to the heart of the matter with surprising speed and self-assurance, the surrounding adventures read somewhat slower. Early issues depict Yorick's one-night stand with Beth (not his long-lost girlfriend), a flight attendant living in an abandoned church. She and Yorick have unprotected sex and discuss the various misuses of Catholicism, before surviving an Amazon attack. It's an interesting conversation piece with a bit of violence at the the end, but hardly a game-changer.

"Girl on Girl," the second major arc of the collection, finds Yorick, 355 and Dr. Mann traveling to Japan to rescue Ampersand from the clutches of Toyota. Here, Yorick makes out with Kilina, the captain of a pirate ship, and discusses the various misuses of heroine. There's a somewhat typical misunderstanding (are the pirates good, bad, or both?), an Australian submarine attacks, and Yorick feels bad about things some more. Also, 355 and Dr. Mann have sex. You would think two of the three major characters having sexual relations would get treated as a Big Deal, but Dr. Mann brushes 355's awkwardness aside with derision, and the Aussies arrive before the women can reach an understanding.

Still, a lot of excellent developments happen here. Yorick continues his slow evolution from idealistic boy to resourceful man, Hero gets the forgiveness she deserves, and Dr. Mann finally acts on her feelings for 355. The series officially reaches the halfway point; you can see Vaughan shifting the pieces into place for the latter stretch of story. Ultimately, I can enjoy the episodic lapses into Humanities 101 as long as he supplies ample servings of plot and revelation on occasion. He does that with "Ring of Truth," and the result is the best arc since "Unmanned."