This was brutal. Even after the amount of violence that had plagued Yorick, Agent 355 and Dr. Mann through the first three volumes, I wasn't expecting it to get so dark and gruesome.

After the events at the farm house with the astronauts and the Israelis, I was expecting more exciting spy-like adventures and more Yorick sarcasm. I was not expecting a "suicide intervention" and flashbacks to awkward and scarring childhood memories or of the complete bloodbath that was the second story collection as they tried to pass through a blocked area of the interstate, guarded by some really scary, conspiracy theory-loving, militia ladies.

I also didn't realize that this journey had already lasted over 18 months. It doesn't seem like the travel from Washington, DC, to Arizona, even with the events that have occurred, should have taken nearly that long. Yes, I'm aware that a large portion of that trip was made on foot, but they also have traveled by train, motorcycle and assorted other transports. I just found the comment a little jarring.

It was still an incredibly compelling story and once I started each of the two main stories in the collection, I couldn't put the book back down, but after finishing, I was hesitant to move on to volume 5. Then I saw that the ninja girl that randomly showed up for Ampersand in volume 3 was on the cover, so... now my interest has increased. ( )

It's one of the charms of the Y: The Last Man series that the sillier the storyline gets, the more entertaining the entire package is. This fourth installment features a silly S&M scenario, an all-female Arizona militia, and all kinds of plot thread unraveling and back story explication for the various lead characters. The dialogue remains silly, the broad strokes of the plot remain unbelievable and unexplained, and the art remains subpar (although improving considerably with the arrival of penciller Goran Parlov). But you know, it doesn't matter - Brian Vaughan has the writing chops to pull it off. So I'll keep reading! ( )

Yorrick, 355 and Dr. Mann continue their trek to San Francisco with notable stops in Colorado and Arizona. More time is spent on Yorrick's state of mind in this graphic collecting issues 18-23 of the series. Whether it's looking to the past with the help of another Culper Angent, understanding the grim realities of his current situation or what the future might really hold for him, one sees hints that Yorrick may be prepared to come to grips with his place in the world.

The story itself doesn't move forward much in these volumes, but the additional character development more than makes up for it. As always, Vaughan's makeup of the post-plague world in which many competing solutions exist grows more complex with each volume. ( )

Yorick, the central character, as more hang ups than you can shake a stick at. This is made bearable only because the other characters mock him for it.

The central feature of this volume is Yorick's state of mind as his behaviour since the plague is examined under trying circumstances. ( )

This is a more psychologically ruminative installment in the series. It still remains Good Stuff(tm), and I need to get the next book ASAP. ( )