Reviewer: William Cooling
Title: Safe World: Pt 2
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Penciller: Pia Guerra
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colourist: Zylonol
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Last issue we saw Yorick staying at the house of agent 711, a former colleague of 355 while her and Dr Mann go to the hospital for Ampersand. We were introduced to 711 as a grieving widow, but at the end of 18 we saw a drugged and bound Yorick come round confronted with her in full dominatrix gear plus whip. This issue Yorick stays bound, as the two have a little chat; well by chat I mean she emotionally tortures him for sex.
And that’s the whole of the issue with the only breaks from the Yorick and 711 talk being the dreams and reminiscences of Yorick. This means that unlike many comic books that develop many strands in a single issue, this just focuses on one and that is the relationship of the world’s last man to sex, a highly dysfunctional one at that. The formation of Yorick’s various neuroses is done with the use of so many Freudian clichés you’re almost waiting for pictures of his naked mother. Luckily Vaughan’s writing has such a naturalistic and subtle tone that it coalesces these clichés into a convincing and moving analysis of Yorick’s psyche. This makes him a deeper character than he has been hitherto and partly explains why he is so quick and able to make light of everything. Vaughan manages to perfectly show Yorick completely trapped and at the mercy of 711 and how he completely and utterly hates that, perhaps even more so than seeing every other man killed.
This examination is made believable by the context of its carrying out, with 711’s continual questioning and the answers that Yorick gives made believable by Vaughan’s superb characterisation of her. 711’s impatient, exasperated and domineering attitude make it believable that not only would she ask these questions, but that he would feel compelled to answer them (well that and the drugs).
Another good piece of characterisation is the fact that she’s obviously got the horn in a big way and this finally yields the obligatory double entendres near the end. In addition, her central question that underpins the unravelling of Yorick’s ego is a rational one and the answer that is hinted at throughout this issue is slightly more realistic than the one previously offered. Again this is all a testament to Vaughan’s writing as he takes a plot that could’ve so easily descended into horror of all horrors a post-Freudian, dominatrix porn movie and turn in a good story with some nice character moments and insights. Having said that, the new realism is a double-edged sword as the previous explanation was more satisfying
Pia Guerra is asked to do a very difficult job, namely making two people talking for the vast majority of the comic interesting. Now while he does have some helpers, like leather and bondage tape, it doesn’t lessen his achievement with his simple, expressive and naturalistic style drawing the reader in by adding to the sense of “realism†and complete lack of sensationalism. His facial characterisation is excellent with him able to very simply, carefully and effectively convey a range of different emotions ranging from panic and hatred on the face of Yorick to disgust and (sexual) frustration on the face of 711. His art also seems to benefit from being asked to draw (mainly) enclosed spaces, as they don’t make his simple backgrounds seem simplistic as they often did in his last arc.
This is a fascinating issue, as what seems on the service a brown paper job quickly becomes an engrossing, and in places, moving exploration of Yorick. The issue adds greatly to his depth even when in doing so it raises more questions than it answers. One of which is the growing gayness of this comic with the beginning dream sequence featuring a Wizard of Oz vignette and Yorick in the Judy Garland role (!!!) and all this following on the heels of Dr Mann’s outing and the revelation of Yorick’s “exotic†taste in books last issue. What all this (and one more incident) mean is mysterious to say the least.
