A Book in Review- Y: The Last Man
It's been 4 years since I read Brian K. Vaughn's mind-blowing comic series "Y: The Last Man" and I am still processing the effect it had on me. The premise is genius. An unexpected and violent plague, in one moment, wipes out every living male creature on the planet. Every man, that is, except one -- aspiring magician Yorick Brown. Oh! And his Capuchin monkey, Ampersand. Yorick has no earthly idea why he and his monkey are the only male survivors of this plague (referred to by many characters as The Gendercide), but he sets out to find answers -- and his faraway fiancee -- with the help of some of the fiercest female survivors he can find. For a series that revolves around the journey of a man, it's surprising just how unabashedly feminist this series is. You're thrown headfirst into an unstable, Wild West-type world that is now run totally by women, and the women we meet are not stereotypical damsels in distress -- they are strong, bloodthirsty, capable, brilliant, and above all, survivors. Yorick navigates a society in ruins, all the while depending on women to save him -- a reversal of gender roles, to say the very least. "Y: The Last Man" is political throughout its run, but there's also no shortage of emotional sucker punches. The stunning standout book of the series, "Safeword," digs deep into the psychology of Yorick and the shocking events of his past, changing the reader's perception of him forever. And the wrenching final book, "Whys and Wherefores," delivers such an awe-inspiring ending that upon reading it, I had to find a place and sit alone for quite awhile before I let anyone see an adult male had been crying over a comic book. In short, "Y: The Last Man" forever changed the way I look at comics.
If you've listened to the podcast Snarf Talk, you've heard Chris and I talk about this book before. So by now i'm sure you've realized we like it a bit. one of the big reasons I love this book, and i'm so admit to share it with you, is how easy it is for a new comic reader to actually read. If you haven't ever read comics before, or have been stuck in the superhero world for a long time and are looking for something new and different. I urge you to click the pictures above and read the first trade of this series. I know you wont be disappointed. This is a comic that can change what you perceive comic books to be, it really did for me as I said before. So if you take the time and do read it, leave a comment on what you thought, we would love to hear your take on it.