Final Issue of Y: The Last Man

Categorized | Nicholas Johnson, comic books

Tags | comic books, vertigo comics, y: the last man standing

Final Issue of Y: The Last Man

Posted on 09 February 2008 by Nicholas Johnson

January 30, 2008 ended an era. Much like the last day of Ron Kirk’s (Dallas’ former mayor) time in office, or the last game of Michael Irvin’s hall of fame career…..yesterday ended an era. What happened you ask? The 60th and final issue of Vertigo comics’ Y: The Last Man hit comic book stores and bookstands.

Now if you’re like most of my friends (and former girlfriends), you’re probably wondering what I’m talking about. I’m talking about one of the best non-franchise (Batman, Spider-Man) titles to come out in the last decade. Y: The Last Man is a comic book first, a piece of mythology second, and then it’s all wrapped up in a Shakespearean masterpiece. You will laugh on one page and choke back tears on the next. I know this from experience. The writing (Brian K. Vaughn) belongs in the pages of a NY Times bestseller. The artwork (Pia Guerra) is exactly what you want in this type of story (i.e. it doesn’t distract from the story).

The cover art (J.G Jones and Massimo Carnevale) will blow you away. Here’s the story in a nutshell: all of the males in the world instantaneously die. This includes every human, animal, and presumably insect. All are dead, except our story’s protagonist Yorick (Y) Brown and his capuchin monkey, Ampersand (&). Yorick is immediately thrust into a variety of situations that are both entertaining and incredibly thought provoking. The manner in which these situations are handled are not always the best, but within the framework of the world that Yorick lives in they are understandable.

What would happen to the world’s infrastructure if every man instantly died? How would those that survived be able to cope and move on? What masculine traits will manifest within women once the men are gone? Would an average guy be able to get laid by all of the women that have said, “Not if you were the last man alive”?

While the stories center around Yorick and his newfound title of “Sexiest Man Alive” (an unofficial perk), his journey has some very strong supporting characters. Agent 355 is a tough, no nonsense woman who is assigned to protect Yorick as he travels cross country to meet with Dr. Mann. Dr. Mann is a geneticist that is working to find out why all of the men died and how to “cure” it. Yorick’s ultimate goal is to be reunited with his girlfriend, Beth (who was in Australia when the “plague” hit) and she serves as both a source of motivation and guilt. While one could easily say that Yorick has every reason to go around “planting his seed” in all of the women that are throwing themselves at him, he struggles to remain valiant.

I grew up reading the stories of Greek and Roman mythology and I always enjoyed the Iliad and the Odyssey. The main theme throughout The Odyssey was Ulysses struggles to return home after the Trojan War. Yorick’s journey, very much like Ulysses’, is to return to his one love and to endure the tangents that are thrown at him.

I praise the series writer Brian K. Vaughn and the higher-ups at DC Comics (Vertigo’s parent company) for recognizing and remembering that all great journeys must end. While this title has received a great deal of acclamation from the industry’s foremost critics and has legions of fans, the book is finished. As with any great literary (or comic book) work of art, the story lives on.

Lucky for all of those that weren’t fortunate enough to pick up issue #1 (and every subsequent issue after that), Vertigo has released all 60 issues into ten trade paperbacks (volume 10 has yet to be released, but soon. Trust Me!). All of them are available at local comic book shops, amazon.com or at most big box bookstores. For all of you that know me, I’m a big fan of supporting the little guys. So if you’re looking for these volumes, give the guys at BIG WORLD COMICS in Carrollton a call – 972-245-0968.

On a final note, it is not often that something special comes along and the powers that be have the bravery to avoid exploiting it. It is definitely worth commending that there is not a Y: The Last Man cartoon show that centers on Yorick’s monkey. This is one title that I am really hoping gets made into a movie. I know that there are currently talks between Vertigo (DC), New Line Cinema and director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) and that Shia Lebeouf (he’s awesome J) has been tapped to play Yorick. With the current writer’s strike, who knows if this will ever happen? If it does, I just hope that all companies involved act with the same amount of integrity that Vertigo has throughout the 5 year run of the comic book.

I will warn you now…..do not pick up this book for your kids. It is a mature title. The innuendo is enough to confuse a kid into needing therapy. Also, don’t pick up volume 1 unless you have a good 2-3 hours to devote to being totally enthralled in Yorick’s world.

Nicholas Johnson,
former professional daredevil

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1 Comments For This Post

Ashleigh Says:
February 11th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
The only comic books I’ve ever read were the Archie comics when I was a little girl, but I actually have an interest in reading these comics. Keep up the good work, Nick!