Customer Reviews

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7: Paper Dolls

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In "Paper Dolls," the seventh volume of "Y: The Last Man," the story jumps across the globe -- and the timeline -- with reckless abandon. It begins in Sydney, Australia, where Yorick and his team are aboard a sub bound for Japan, where the other last surviving male -- Yorick's monkey, Ampersand -- has been taken for reasons unknown. But Yorick's girlfriend Beth may also be in Australia, and so too is a tabloid reporter eager to find evidence of the last surviving man. Who knows what mayhem will erupt if Yorick is exposed?

Then things get complicated, as the story flashes back and forth in time, filling in pieces of the backstory for Agent 355, Agent Mann, Ampersand and others. Yorick's sister Hero discovers indisputable evidence of his recent visit to California. Even the Catholic Church gets involved, as its all-female leadership quests for its new pope.

"Paper Dolls" is not just furthering the story of "Y," it's also filling in a lot of missing backstory along the way. Ultimately, it provides more questions than answers, however, and if you're like me, you'll finish it even more eager for volume eight. The story is coming together like a vast, global puzzle, but the pieces obviously aren't all on the table. Meanwhile, writer Brian K. Vaughan keeps dangling enough plot twists to keep readers on the hook; not since Neil Gaiman's landmark "Sandman" series have I looked forward so much to the next book in the series.

Finally, after 3 months of waiting, I am finally able to see what happens next in the saga of the last man on Earth. Yorrick Brown, a professional escape artist, survived a terrible plague that wiped out every male mammal except for himself and his monkey Ampersand. Now, teamed with renowned biologist Dr. Allison Mann and the mysterious Agent 355, he is trying to find a way to bring men back to the planet as well as find his missing girlfriend Beth. The pressing problem (there are many obstacles in the way of the trio, but this one takes precedence) is that Ampersand has been kidnapped by a mysterious ninja. While that doesn't sound too bad, the group recently discovered that it was a chemical compound in Ampersand's blood that made him (and Yorrick by extension) immuned to the plague. On their way to Japan, Yorrick, Mann, and 355 had to stop in Australia, which is exactly where Beth was at the time of the plague. When Yorrick attempts to find her, a tabloid journalist discovers him instead, and Yorrick and 355 are forced to find her before she leaks Yorrick's secret of being alive to the world. There are also three one-shot issues; two are "secret origin" stories explaining the backgrounds of 355 and Ampersand, both of which ask as many questions as they answer. The third involves Yorrick's sister Hero and another woman named Beth whom Yorrick met just prior to Ampersand's abduction. Yorrick asked Hero to give Beth a letter, but Hero discovers Beth to be in a condition that no one anticipated...
While Paper Dolls isn't as strong as some of the earlier volumes, it is in no way weak. In fact, it is still one of the best books I am reading (Vaughan is definitely tied for my favorite writer along with Joss Whedon). While the Paper Dolls arc isn't as thrilling as some of the others, it is interesting, and it does serve to add some development and story complications that could prove to be very interesting in the future. So if you haven't read Y yet, it should definitely make the list of books to get around to.

I'm a huge fan of the Y The Last Man series, and while many books flag in the later issues, this does not. The main storyline remains strong throughout every issue and the linear nature of the tale is clear and purposeful. This isn't the kind of series you can pick up at any given point - it's truly a journey, and an awesome one.

Y is the male chromosome.

Y is the Yorick Brown.

Y is the last man.

In this graphic novel series, we follow the adventure of Yorick, the last know man alive after a sudden plague wipes out the mass of male humanity - and all the male mammals except for Yorick's helper monkey-in-training, Ampersand.

I cannot give you an accounting of the individual books. After reading the initial book on a Tuesday, I had to go and get what I could to finish reading the series. I was able pick up all but the last volume. Having read through the next eight volumes, I sit and wait for the final volume to be sent to me. I can't wait.

I want to know just what caused the plague. I want to know if there's a cure. I want to know if our hero (not our Hero) finds his love. The narrative is compelling and I fell in and I need a resolution. I have to give credit to the collaborative team behind the creation and continuation of the series. I literally couldn't put the books down and I was at a loss when I had to stop with the story arc unfinished.

Read these books, they might not be deep, but they sure are entertaining.

A solid continuation of the series. This isn't the most exciting or lengthy volume, but it is faithful to Vaughn's earlier vision. Another bridge between the first and final Y.

I feel this is where the series really picks up and begins to build toward its exciting finale. One of the best series ever in comics.

The writing in this book so far above everythig else in its peer group. Vaughan brings so many new nagles to the tale of the last man and his group of friends. No plotline is left dangling. Everything comes back around. The art is as usual, a perfect fit for the book. Words fail me when trying to explain this book's grandure. FANTASTIC!

I was turned on to Y The Last Man at work when I saw someone with the comic. I asked him what it was about and he told me. Being a fan of post-apocolyptica, I asked if it was any good. He looked straight into my eyes and said, "I don't read crap, man." If you looked at the guy, a stereotypical comic book/gaming nerd, you could tell he knew his stuff.

I went home and bought all the available graphic novels, 6 at the time. I have no regrets. I have since lent these novels to about a dozen people and they all loved it.

This comic perfectly blends action, comedy, sci-fi, romance, and drama together to create a world where women rule.

Read the complete series. Then wait and hope that they don't screw up the story when making it into a movie!

This one is probably my least favorite from the series so far. That said, I still give it four stars because I still enjoyed it as part of the overall series. I think what was lacking for me was Yorick. He did not have as much of a direct presence in this volume. I missed his whimsical, rather cerebral humor.

This one is sort of all over the place too. Lots of little snapshots of back-stories and events leading up to the plague.