Y: The Last Man Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons (Paperback)

by Brian K. Vaughan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If you're looking for a comic book that falls outside of the usual superhero fare, Y: The Last Man is one of the top choices around. A creation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerrera, it's a post-apocalyptic story in which a mysterious virus has wiped out every male on Earth, except a young man named Yorick and his monkey, Ampersand. In the eighth trade paperback, Kimono Dragons (issues 43-46), Yorick, Agent 355, Allison, and Rose are in Japan on the trail of the abducted Ampersand. Yorick and 355 find themselves mixed up with the Japanese mafia led by a former Canadian pop star named Epiphany, while Allison and Rose hope to find some answers in Allison's mother's lab. The remaining two issues (47-48) are standalone stories, "The Tin Man" and "Gehenna" (Goran Sudzuka takes over the pencils from Guerrera, with Jose Marzan Jr. still doing the inking), which explore the histories of Allison and Israeli solder Alter. Y: The Last Man is part of DC’s Vertigo line and has some mature content, including nudity and graphic violence. --David Horiuchi

From Booklist
In Japan tracking down his stolen pet monkey, in whose body lurks the solution to how all the other males died, Yorick the last man's adventures are more those of his guardians, adversaries, and ostensible savior than his own. Yorick's traveling companion, medical researcher Alison Mann, takes her turn as subject of the hefty flashbacks typical of Y: The Last Man, and the focus shifts at volume's end to the Israeli commando who has been on Yorick's case since Cycles (2003), volume 2 of Vaughan's dandy serial. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (November 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401210104
• ISBN-13: 978-1401210106
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,374 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #29 in	Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Science Fiction
  #50 in	Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Fantasy

• This is item 8 in The Y: The Last Man Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything Starts Coming Together, November 25, 2006

By	Andrew "Radaar" (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

Brian K. Vaughan never fails to amaze. Whether it be with his political superhero book Ex Machina, his subversive teen book Runaways, his original graphic novel Pride of Baghdad, or his original hit, Y: The Last Man, he sure knows how to tell a great story. Though the previous arc, Paper Dolls, wasn't as strong as some of the other Y stories, it still had its good points, and as we learn in Kimono Dragons, Yorick's decision at the end is having some repurcussions. This story, as well as the two stand-alone backstory issues that accompany it, are amazing, and may be the best Y since the Safeword arc. That isn't to say that the stuff in between wasn't good, it was, but Kimono Dragons and Safeword are just that good.
Yorick Brown, the last man on Earth, Agent 355, his bodyguard, Dr. Allison Mann, a geneticist, and her lover, Rose Copen, have finally arrived in Japan. They have been journeying here ever since Yorick's pet monkey Ampersand was stolen by a ninja named Toyota. This was mere moments after learning that Ampersand was the key to returning men to the planet after the plague. Upon their arrival, Yorick and 355 go to search for Ampersand while Dr. Mann and Rose track down Mann's mother. Allison believes that it is no coincidence that the port city that Ampersand was delivered to was the same city that she grew up in with her parents.
Yorick and 355 have to deal with some Yakuza members on their way to getting Ampersand back, with some pretty humorous results (let's just say that the new leader of the Yakuza is a pretty funny look at a certain aspect of pop culture). We also see Yorick and 355 begin to show feelings for each other, which could complicate things between Yorick and Beth, his girlfriend/fiancee who is waiting for him in Paris.
Speaking of people named Beth, Hero, Yorick's sister, has successfully brought Beth II and Beth, Jr. (Beth II had a one-night stand with Yorick about a year prior to the events of Kimono Dragons) back to the "Hot Suite" where the first male born after the plague is being held until he can become innoculated against the plague. Their victory is short-lived due to the arrival of a character who has caused numerous problems for our heroes in the past. Elsewhere, the encounter between Allison, her mother, and Rose leads to some interesting revelations about Allison and the plague itself.
Following Kimono Dragons are two one-shot issues that show some of the history of Allison and Alter Tse'elon, an Israeli militarist who believes that it is her duty to bring Yorick back to Israel so that the Jews may be repopulated while the Muslims die out. The two stories are very interesting and show us some of the characters' motivations for doing what they have done throughout the course of the series.
As I said, Vaughan never fails to impress, and knowing that the wait for the next trade will be about six months is excrutiating. There were some good cliffhangers in these stories, and from what has been said about the following arc, not only is it very good, but we are finally treated to some revelations that have been nearly 5 years in the making.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent volume in the saga of the last man on Earth, January 11, 2007

By	N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Brian K. Vaughan's submersive and addictive Y: The Last Man never ceases to amaze, and this eighth collected volume is no exception. Kimono Dragons finds Yorick, Agent 355, Dr. Mann, and Mann's lover Rose in Japan in search of Yorick's kidnapped monkey Ampersand, who may very well be the key to the fate of mankind. However, also on the trail of Ampersand is the skilled ninja Toyota, who drops her own bombshell as a missing link to what caused the plague is revealed, all while Yorick and 355 deal with a schizo pop-star who has her own plans for the poor monkey as well. As the volume comes to a close, we get a glimpse of Dr. Mann's past, including her tumultuous relationship with her parents, as well as a look at the past of Israeli soldier Alter, and a shattering conclusion that will leave you salivating to see what happens next. Vaughan's storytelling is still excellent, and he manages to reveal just a little bit at a time without going overboard with the suspense. Pia Guerra's artwork does the job as well, which is what veteran readers would come to expect. All in all, Y: The Last Man still manages to be the most addictive Vertigo series since Preacher, and you'll be left begging to see how it all ends.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative literature, November 12, 2008

By	The Red Hare (In A Much Better Country, United States) - See all my reviews

The best way to relay my surprise and ultimate devotion to this particular work is to describe my initial reaction to a summary by a friend who'd read it. She said, "It's about the world after all the men but one dies." I thought to myself, well, it certainly will be a more peaceful world. Brian Vaughn makes an incredibly valid arguement to the contrary and I had to reflect on myself and how I would handle a world where 90% of pilots, truck drivers and other male-dominated professions were simply wiped out and resources were scarce - let alone the inner demons we would have to face and conquer. This is a magnificient work, remarkable in its scope and depth of understanding of human nature. I highly recommend it.