Y: The Last Man

AUTHOR: Brian K. Vaughn (with Pia Guerra, illustrator)

PUBLISHED: 2002-2008 (60 issues in all)

GENRE: Graphic Novel

For me, graphic novels have long been one of those things you keep meaning to check out but never worked up the nerve for.  Eventually, I screwed up my courage and picked up Brian K. Vaughn and Y: The Last Man.*  Most people seem to avoid graphic novels for a few core reasons: they feel that there’s no difference between a graphic novel and those Archie comics you used to buy at the corner store, they refuse to see anything with illustrations as “real” writing, or, like me, they don’t want to start mid-stream in 50 years of back story.  Y refutes all three of those excuses easily.  First off, it’s an isolated story, unlike traditional comics like The X-Men or Superman, where alternate universes and series reboots mean nobody stays dead.  The writing is exciting and real and, almost more importantly, the illustrations are amazing, meaning you both want to read quickly to find out what happens next and move slowly to take in the artistry.  This is not the Richie Rich comic of your youth.  It’s quality stuff, up there with some of the most acclaimed new work on the market.

The series branches off into quite a few storylines, but the primary plot is this: in middle of a very normal day, something spontaneously and instantly kills everything on Earth with a Y chromosome – except amateur escape artist Yorick and his Capuchin monkey, Ampersand.  Yorick just wants to track down his girlfriend, but ends up on a cross-country journey with geneticist Dr. Alison Mann, whose work in cloning technology may or may not have something to do with “the plague”, and Secret Agent 355, who has been tasked by her superiors – whoever they may be – with protecting Yorick at all costs.  It’s entertainment, but it also asks a pretty big question: when everything changes – everything – which relationships do you keep, and which become unimportant?  Do you unify with your fellow woman simply because you are women?  Do you continue to serve the nation that no longer exists?  Gender, nationality, race, family – what of these things still matter?

The primary problem with the series has nothing to do with the writing, and is probably a common one among this genre: at $14 a pop, with 10 editions in all, these things are expensive, and libraries often don’t carry them.  But much like Lost, once you start, it’s over.  So get yourself a Barnes & Noble membership card or an Amazon Plus account.  You’ll be using it. 

LENGTH: It varies from edition to edition, but generally about 125-150 pages

MAINSTREAM OR NOT: Graphic novels are making their way into the general consciousness, but I wouldn’t call them mainstream.

SO, SHOULD I READ IT OR NOT?: Yes.  It’s a great introduction to an often misjudged genre. 

*Not because of the content, mind you, but because Vaughn was heavily involved in that almighty mind-suck, the TV show Lost.  Ah, Lost.  At the time it seemed like the most important thing in the world.  Now watching old episodes just reminds me of all those questions they never bothered to answer.  And I’m not even one of those that hated the final episode.  Yeah, the whole “walk into the light” thing was beyond stupid, but Vincent and Jack in the cane field was beautiful, and Sawyer and Juliet ended up together eventually, so who am I to complain.  Hmmmm, Sawyer.  BUT ANYWAY.