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Brian K. Vaughan

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned Paperback – January 2, 2003

by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Pia Guerra (Illustrator)

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"Funny and scary … an utterly believable critique of society. A+"—THE WASHINGTON POST

"The best graphic novel I've ever read."—STEPHEN KING

"This year's best movie is a comic book."—“ALL THINGS CONSIDERED,” NPR

"A seriously funny, nuanced fable.... Grade A."—ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Y: THE LAST MAN, winner of three Eisner Awards and one of the most critically acclaimed, best-selling comic books series of the last decade, is that rare example of a page-turner that is at once humorous, socially relevant and endlessly surprising.

Written by Brian K. Vaughan (LOST, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD, EX MACHINA) and with art by Pia Guerra, this is the saga of Yorick Brown—the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal possessing a Y chromosome. Accompanied by a mysterious government agent, a brilliant young geneticist and his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick travels the world in search of his lost love and the answer to why he's the last man on earth.

Part of Series

Y: The Last Man
Print length

128 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vertigo
Publication date

January 2, 2003
Dimensions

6.61 x 0.28 x 10.17 inches
ISBN-10

1563899809
ISBN-13

978-1563899805
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Yorick Brown is an escape artist; has a fabulous girlfriend who's traveling in Australia; and possesses a genetic make-up that's allowed him to survive a plague that killed every male being on the planet except for him and his pet monkey. Yorick is the last man on earth, and in the resulting chaos, he must find a way to help save the human race. At least that's what the (now all-female) government thinks. Yorick would prefer to find his girlfriend, but it's hard to get a flight halfway around the world when almost all the pilots and mechanics are gone. It's hard enough to drive down the block, since the streets are jammed with the cars of men who were behind the wheel when the instantaneous plague hit. Furthermore, the entire social fabric has gone to hell, with gun-wielding wives of Republican representatives insisting on getting their husbands' seats and tribes of latter-day Amazons claiming males were meant to die. Since Yorick's mother is a congresswoman, he's protected by secret spies. And his escape skills come in handy when he's trapped first by a marauding garbage-woman and then by his mother, as she tries to keep him from doing anything stupid. Meanwhile, who are the mysterious Israeli soldiers who seem so gratified by the situation, and why is Yorick's sister so intent on joining the Amazons? With clean lines and muted colors, Guerra and Marz n invoke a frighteningly believable future; their vision of the surprise and horror to come is so beautifully ordinary, it's entirely convincing-and addictive.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A mysterious plague has killed every man on earth except Yorick Brown, who was somehow spared. That is the provocative premise of the comics series whose first five issues make up this book. The sole Y-chromosomed survivor is an amiable, headstrong young man, the son of a U.S. congresswoman and, as it happens, an amateur escape artist. He spends most of the story on the run from a tribe of self-styled Amazons bent on eliminating the last vestige of patriarchy. He is also trying, with a bioengineer who may be responsible for the worldwide "gendercide," to figure out why he survived; hoping to reach his girlfriend in Australia; and, of course, contemplating the repopulation of the planet. Rather pedestrian artwork doesn't do much to liven the story, though its straightforwardness imparts deadpan believability to such ramifications as the female secretary of agriculture ascending to the presidency. Fast-paced anyway, the yarn introduces a large number of intriguing characters and plotlines as it lays the groundwork for what promises to be a compelling series. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vertigo; First Edition (January 2, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1563899809
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1563899805
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.61 x 0.28 x 10.17 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #530,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,361 in DC Comics & Graphic Novels
- #2,469 in Science Fiction Graphic Novels (Books)

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4.4 783 ratings

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Brian K. Vaughan

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Brian K. Vaughan is the Eisner Award-winning writer of Y: THE LAST MAN, EX MACHINA, RUNAWAYS, and PRIDE OF BAGHDAD. His newest work, with artist/co-creator Fiona Staples, is SAGA, an ongoing sci-fi/fantasy series from Image Comics that The Onion's A.V. Club called, "the emotional epic Hollywood wishes it could make." Vaughan lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer on various film and tv projects, including three seasons on the hit series LOST.

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M.J.Lawicki

An Addictive Tale of Tragedy, Mystery, Suspense, And Humor Set In A Post-Apocalyptic World Devoid of Men

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2015

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I'm not exactly certain how I stumbled upon this graphic novel but I'm certainly happy I did. This highly readable adult graphic novel is the fictional tale of a young twenty-something slacker named Yorick Brown who suddenly finds himself in the most unpredictable of predicaments. A devastating plague has spread across the globe and instantaneously destroyed every man and mammal with a 'Y' chromosome--except, of course, for our reluctant hero and his pet monkey Ampersand. Beginning with this issue, we are taken on an interesting and often perilous journey through time and over several continents as Yorick and his female companions attempt to discover exactly why he and Ampersand are the sole remaining male mammals left on the planet. Each action-packed issue follows the wise-cracking Yorick and his friends dodging rival interest groups, spies, assassins, and murderous, modern day Amazon warriors in their quest to discover the answers to their many questions and a cure for the dreaded plague. A secondary plot thread is Yoricks relentless obsession with finding his girlfriend (presumed fiancée) who went missing in the Australian outback when the global catastrophe hit. I liked this series very much and before I address what I feel to be its 'cons', I'd first like to address what I believe to be its 'pros'. Overall, I found this entire series to be a genre-defying, highly addictive, and unpredictable compilation of interwoven stories. While some of the tales were lackluster and hard to follow, others were outstanding with the benefit of providing readers with some very wild and unpredictable plot twists. I really appreciate the social relevancy and the controversial nature of 'Y'. I predict that half of the people reading this graphic novel might be offended that the gun-toting wives of Republican congressmen and Senators attempted to violently wrest control of the U.S. Government from the hands of Democratic women they felt couldn't represent their interests. The militaristic ultra-feminist Israeli Alter Tse'elon is another controversial female character. Her relentless pursuit of Yorick and her psychopathic obsession with Israel's 'security' resonates with many things that are happening in the Middle East even now. Does anyone else believe it somewhat sexist that our entire planets infrastructure would collapse and remain collapsed without men? This series was very thought provoking and I think that is why it appealed to me so much. The Cons? While it may be true that Pia Guerra is a gifted artist, I find it difficult to believe that this might be some of her best work. The landscapes and post apocalyptic cityscapes were great; the people--not so much. In fact, it was a little too easy for me to think of Yorick as the character 'Shaggy' from the Scooby-Doo television cartoon. I kept waiting for him to say, "Like, ZOINKS," in certain situations but this never happened. Another complaint I have is the seeming lack of gravity affecting the survivors of this post-apocalyptic Earth. After the global event, which left billions of men and other male animals dead, we are told that millions of women committed suicide and many more women resorted to cannibalism to survive in the lean years that followed. Yet many of these nitty-gritty details are glossed over, and our characters are taken from point 'a' to point 'c' without a lot of story development in between. My favorite book in the series was the last, the tenth book, mainly because Yorick seems to have matured considerably. I had the sense throughout the series that Yorick was a spoiled, insecure brat who in ordinary circumstances may never have grown up at all. The tenth book in portrays Yorick to be a vastly different person than the one we met in the first volume--no doubt changed from all of his harrowing post-apocalyptic experiences. Not only can he throw a punch or two to defend himself, but he now at last seems to have broken the mold that made him the perpetual victim of fate and circumstance. The boy grew into a man with a sense of purpose and a measure of self confidence. The humor throughout the story sometimes worked--and sometimes didn't--but what it did do in my opinion was undermine Brian K Vaughn's otherwise brilliant storytelling and dialog sequences. Nevertheless, because of its peaks and in spite of its troughs, I found this to be an exceptionally entertaining story and I highly recommend it to people who enjoy thought-provoking science-fiction, thrillers, and mysteries.

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Brilliant Beginning

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2014

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Some ladies might think a world without men would be far more peaceful, but there would be huge changes to the structure of the world without men, and the continuation of the species would be the last thing on everyone's mind. In the first volume of Y: The Last Man, Unmanned, by Brian K. Vaughan, the world loses every male mammal... except two.

Yorick has a smoking hot girlfriend who is currently traipsing around the Outback, but he fully intends on proposing to her. Meanwhile, his mother is trying to hold her own in Congress, and his sister, Hero, is living up to her name as an EMT. Everything seems normal. Normal, until everything isn't. All of a sudden, every man and male mammal in the world dies. Women around the globe watch their fathers, sons, husband, friends, coworkers, etc. drop dead in front of their eyes. Everyone, that is, except Yorick. A borderline agoraphobic, Yorick doesn't really leave his apartment. He offered to train a service monkey to help handicapped people, but so far the only thing he has accomplished is ducking when Ampersand flings his poo at Yorick's head.

Yorick is a goofball, and certainly not anyone's idea of the epitome of the last man on earth, but he is all the human race has left. With all the men gone, the women have had to step in, but none can agree on how to run things. The Amazons believe the plague was the world's savior, and try to eliminate all chances of a baby boy ever being born. The few remaining members of Congress are trying to hold things together, but the wives of prominent Republicans don't agree with how they "took over the government." Meanwhile, there are millions of bodies of men just rotting in offices and apartments that have to be incinerated. The world has gone to hell in a handbag, and Yorick is the last hope for mankind?!

First of all, I have read this series before. It was quite some time ago, and I loved it so much, I certainly did not take my time to savor it. After having finished all of Vaughan's Saga so far, I needed more of his genius, so I decided to reread this series, and I am so glad I did. It really is brilliant. First of all, Yorick is awesome. He is a total screw-up, but you won't be able to resist his delightful, scampish charm! Seriously. Yorick is absurd and fabulous all in one, and I just LOVE him SO much! So, the idea that this knucklehead is the last man on earth makes this series even more spectacular.

Add to that the great illustrations (not as stunning as Saga, but pretty darned good) and an incredible story line, and you have yourself one winning graphic novel series here. My only regret for purchasing these is that I couldn't control myself and wait for the hardcovers, because I imagine I will be rereading this series frequently. This volume is the basic backstory leading up to the death of all men, and the beginning of Yorick's travels. It will give you a good snapshot of the world without men, but it doesn't get to the heart of the story... for that you need Volume 2!!

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junior-soprano

Wäre eine Welt ohne Männer eine bessere oder schlechtere Welt?

Reviewed in Germany on July 31, 2012

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"Y - The Last Man", gestartet 2002 und beendet 2008, in 10 Bänden erschienen, erzählt die Geschichte vom Entfesselungskünstler Yorick Brown, der als letzter Mann aus einer mysteriösen Katastrophe hervorgeht. Nicht der letzte Mensch, wie ich den Titel erst verstanden hatte, sondern der letzte Mann - das klingt extrem unglaubwürdig. Und dann noch diese Bedeutungsschwere: er heisst Yorick, somit steht das Y für seinen Namen, für das Y-Chromosom und für den Buchstaben Y, der im Englischen ausgesprochen wird wie das Wort Why, damit die Frage stellt Warum? und somit gleich sehr viel zusammenfasst. Das mag genial erscheinen oder völlig überladen. Etwas zu viel sind auch die vielen Rückblenden und die Sprünge von einem Ort zum nächsten in diesem ersten Band.

Yorick Brown vermisst seine Freundin. Sie ist zurzeit in Australien, er lebt an der Ostküste der USA. Gesellschaft leistet ihm ein Äffchen. Viel zu tun scheint Yorick nicht zu haben, er übt Entfesselungstricks und telefoniert mit seiner Angebeteten. Mit der Ruhe ist es schnell vorbei, als eine unerklärliche Katastrophe weltweit und auf einen Schlag alle Männer tötet. Übrig bleiben Yorick und seine Äffchen. "Everybody got something to hide except me and my monkey" hat John Lennon mal gesungen - so was in dann auch die Art Humor von Yorick, die oft auf Unverständnis stößt, bei den Menschen denen er begegnet. Statt mit offenen Armen von der Frauenwelt begrüßt zu werden trifft Yorick auf zumeist sehr resolute, wütende Damen. Eine Gruppe von Amazonen ist sogar auf der Jagd nach eventuellen männlichen Überlebenden. Und eine Gruppe streitsüchtiger Republikanerinnen verlangt, wie in einer Monarchie, die Plätze ihrer verstorbenen Männer im Senat zu bekommen, in dem nun die Demokraten die Mehrheit haben, weil sie durch den größeren Frauenanteil vor der Katastrophe nun offenbar belohnt werden. Außerdem treten eine Wissenschaftlerin auf, die Männer bei der Zeugung überflüssig machen will, sowie israelische Soldatinnen. Am Ende scheint alles auf eine Art Roadmovie durch die USA hinauszulaufen.

Vergleiche mit Stephen Kings "The Stand" und "The Walking Dead" drängen sich auf, ersterer schuf eine glaubwürdigere Ausgangslage für sein Endzeitszenario, ein wenig vergleichbar mit dem Film "Contagion", der Meister aus Maine lobt "Y - The Last Man" auf dem Cover von Band 10 als den besten Comic, den er je gelesen hat. Das sind starke Worte, denn King liest viel und auch gerne Comics, sein Sohn Joe Hill hat sich bereits im Comic-Geschäft etabliert, Familie King hat also Ahnung von Geschichten und Comics.
"The Walking Dead" wird von manchen Lesern dafür kritisiert zu sehr Seifenoper zu sein, die Ausgangslage der Geschichte ist dafür glaubwürdiger, allerdings auch bereits aus zahlreichen anderen Zombie-Geschichten bekannt und somit weniger originell.

Wären Frauen weniger begierig auf Macht und Geld als Männer und würden sie die Welt im Alleingang besser, friedlicher und klüger gestalten? Ist es nicht unsinnig Männer zu Sündenböcken zu erklären, weil so viele Männer in Macht-Positionen waren und damit viel Schlechtes angerichtet haben? Sind Stereotypen nicht etwas unglaublich dummes? Diese und andere Fragen machen den Reiz von "Y - The Last Man" aus. Hinter jedem starken Mann steckt auch immer eine starke Frau? Frauen sind klüger als Männer, Männer sind besser in Mathe, Frauen können nicht Einparken - wen diese lästige Flut an Verallgemeinerungen von Menschen mit einem sehr beschränkten Horizont zur Weißglut treibt, der greife zu diesem Comic! Ob alle Beobachtungen stimmen und ob nicht ein Mann und eine Frau diese Geschichte hätte schreiben sollen sei mal dahingestellt. Gäbe es ohne Männer wirklich keine Brust-OP's mehr und keine Model-Jobs, wie Teil 1 der Geschichte suggeriert? Wollen Frauen für andere Männer schön sein oder für sich selbst? Es lässt sich lange nachdenken über diese unterhaltsame Odyssee durch die Welt der Frauen. It's a women world, but it would be nothing without a man - so weit hat sich die Welt seit dem James Brown Song verändert?

Republikaner als Feindbild, umstrittene Themen wie Abtreibung, eine Afroamerikanerin als taffe Heldin und eine Andeutung des Israel-Konflikts aus der Sicht zweier jüdischer Heldinnen - manches ist schon etwas zu offensichtlich auf ein junges, Serien wie "True Blood" und Filme wie "Juno" und "American Beauty" liebendes, Publikum zugeschnitten. Einen Anwalt oder Banker sympathisch porträtieren, einen Polizisten nicht als gebrochenen Mann zeigen - das wäre mal mutig und interessant! Auf jeden Fall hat mich die Geschichte gefesselt und hervorragend unterhalten. Die Idee Welt ohne Männer ist so ergiebig, dass die gänzliche unglaubwürdige Männer-auslöschende-Seuche zur unwichtigen Nebensache wird. Dann könnte man auch klagen McBeth wäre frauenfeindlich, weil dort eine machtgierige Frau gezeigt wird oder Hamlet wäre Quatsch, weil es schließlich keine Geister gäbe. Was alles nicht bedeuten soll, dass Brian K. Vaughan so gut wie Shakespeare wäre. Ein fähiger Autor ist er aber auf alle Fälle, wie er nicht nur mit diesem Comic bewiesen hat.

Die Zeichnungen sind nicht spektakulär, sie halten sich dezent zurück und sind im Gegensatz zu "The Walking Dead" farbig. Am Ende des Buches wartet ein sehr gelungener grafischer Gag, der doppeldeutig und auf intelligente Weise lustig ist. Statt Hochglanzpapier gibt es rauere Qualität. Die Cover der einzelnen Bände ergänzen sich hervorragend, Band 1 ist mit rotem Schriftzug, bei den folgenden Büchern ändern sich die Farbe, was sehr gut aussieht.

Seit Preacher von Garth Ennis hat mich keine Comic-Serie so sehr begeistert wie "Y - The Last Man". Könnte man vielleicht ganz gut verfilmen, aber so wie sie ist gefällt sie mir am besten. Das ist ein Comic, der zeigt wie gut das Medium sein kann, eigenständig und erwachsen. Ein Comic der auch Menschen begeistern dürfte die Comics überhaupt nicht mögen!

127 Seiten, Softcover, Farbe: Autor: Brian K. Vaughan, Zeichnungen: Pia Guerra, Enthält "Y - The Last Man" 1-5, Vertigo 2003

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Collaroy Beach

Hype? Nein!

Reviewed in Germany on August 6, 2008

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Ich kann einen meiner Vorrezensenten nicht ganz verstehen, daß er von einem "Hype" spricht- in meinem Umfeld hat noch niemand von Y gehört, und im Bonner Comicladen mußte ich ziemlich nach den Büchern suchen (sie waren auf jeden Fall nicht übermäßig offensichtlich ausgestellt). Aber ob Hype oder nicht, ist doch eigentlich total irrelevant- ich finde diese Comicreihe einfach nur super.

Der erste Band fängt ohne großes Vorgeplänkel an: es werden die Hauptfiguren kurz vorgestellt, dann geht das große Sterben auch schon los und man wird mitten in die Action katapultiert. Obwohl Yorick eigentlich nur seine Freundin suchen möchte (zuletzt in Australien gesichtet) wird er wider seinen Willen für den Auftrag rekrutiert, das Rätsel des Männersterbens zu lösen und gegebenenfalls die Menschheit zu retten. Und dabei läuft er allen möglichen Charakteren über den Weg- von Heldinnen über Opportunistinnen und mysteriösen israelischen Kampfkommandos bis hin zu verrückten Amazonen ist so ziemlich alles zwischen Gut und Böse dabei. Yorick selbst ist ein liebenswürdiger Comicheld- relativ helle, aber auch ein bißchen tollpatschig und definitiv mit der Situation überfordert. Letztendlich ist die Mischung der Personen sehr ausgewogen (wenn auch natürlich etwas Testosteron-arm), was mit einer ordentlichen Portion Humor noch weiter aufgewertet wird.

Was ich besonders interessant fand, sind die Folgen des Aussterbens der Männer. Was sich anhört wie eine Männerphantasie (der einzige Mann unter Frauen), ist in Wahrheit ein riesiges Problem. Nicht nur das offensichtlich bevorstehende Aussterben der Menschheit, sondern auch die Auswirkungen auf die Gesellschaft: die Straßen sind hoffnungslos verstopft (haufenweise tote Fahrer) und können nicht schnell genug freigeräumt werden, es gibt nur wenige weibliche Ingenieure, die z.B. Kraftwerke o.ä. bedienen können, fast keine Piloten usw. ... sprich, die gesamte Infrastruktur bricht zusammen und mit ihr die bisherige gesellschaftliche Ordnung.

Warum die halbe Menschheit stirbt und warum ausgerechnet Yorick und sein Äffchen Ampersand überleben, wird im ersten Band natürlich nicht erläutert, ich bin mir aber ziemlich sicher, daß Vaughan hierfür eine gute Erklärung in der Hinterhand hat.

Und nicht zuletzt sagt mir das Artwork total zu- das ist zwar natürlich eine sehr subjektive Einstellung, aber ich finde die Zeichnungen wirklich absolut gelungen. Darin steckt viel Talent und Detailfreudigkeit, so daß es nicht nur Spaß macht, das Buch zu lesen, sondern auch, sich die Bilder genauer anzusehen.

Also Fazit- drei gute Gründe, die Serie weiterzulesen:

1.) super Story, spannend und intelligent dargestellt
2.) originelle und unterhaltsame Charaktere
3.) schönes Artwork.

Und während viele in den letzten Jahren das Comicgenre als tot deklariert haben, kann ich das überhaupt nicht bestätigen- mit Y, Fables, Buffy Season 8 und Astonishing X-Men sind aktuell einige wirklich tolle Reihen auf dem Markt.

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AngryGoldfish

Darkly Comedic and Brilliantly Paced

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2013

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I have only read a few comic books in my life. Batman, Spider-Man and X-Men are the only three I've ever really experienced. I've always struggled to read novels, particularly ones with over 300 pages. I can't seem to stay focused for long enough. I'll read 100 pages, enjoy it, put it down for a few days and then forget to ever pick it back up again. Don't get me wrong, I read all the time—mostly poetry and articles on the web. I just struggle to read anything longer. So eventually I resigned myself to the idea that maybe my mind functions better with lighter reading that runs at a faster pace and in smaller, bite-sized amounts? This brought me back to the world of comics. At first I thought I'd just buy the new Wolverine story, but then I thought maybe I should try something more unique and less about superheroes and special powers. I had always been interested in the Y: The Last Man and saved it years ago to my Amazon Wish List. I searched the web and read a number of reviews on various comic books, including Sandman, Swamp Thing, V For Vendetta, and The Walking Dead, but eventually decided upon the one that caught my interest before anything else—Y: The Last Man.

I am absolutely in love with this story. I love its humour, the way it shows up at the most inappropriate of times; I love the clean, undramatic art and the way it never feels contrived or outrageous; I love the characters and their relationship with each other, how they bond, fall apart, and bond again. Everything has a curve, an undulating curve that contorts and twists until the end. I haven't finished the series but am dying to find out how it concludes. I am half-way through now and am loving every bit of it. The sexuality, for instance, was done so well. They could have included endless sex scenes and nudity, relegated the lead character to a misogynistic, sex-obsessed fiend. But the inclusion of Beth, Yorick's fiancée in Australia, has helped elevate Yorick to a higher height that brings into play loyalty to your spouse and friends.

The pacing is something else I am in love with. I doesn't allow me the time to stare at the art. I'm already turning the page over to see what Yorick will quip about next or how Agent 355 will kill the next assailant. This brings me to a point I would like to make that doesn't really relate to The Last Man in particular. Comic books are expensive. For an hour and a half of reading, albeit with a high chance of rereading over and over again, £10 is a lot of money. It would be OK if there were only two issues, but 10 issues means £100. That's a lot of money. I know this is the way the comic industry work. It's the business and is obviously that way for a reason. But for someone who is relatively new to the scene, I'm finding it difficult waiting until I can afford the next issue.

But that's a moot point. This book is excellent. It was an enticing introduction to what is shaping up to be one of my favourite fictional stories I've ever come across

Daniel Ramsden

Strong beginnings

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2013

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This has one of the best opening chapters of any graphic novel series I've ever read as in the first 30 pages or so the author manages to introduce a host of characters and the initial set up without any confusion and a clever lay out that keeps you glued. The artwork in this volume that is present throughout the series is also a perfect fit, clear and emotive allowing a focus on the drama rather than huge action. Other is always controversy around illustrations of women in comics as they usually are some sexualized and unrealistic but Pia Guerra's artwork shows a very realistic range of women, lucky as there is a lot of women to draw in this series.

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Mark

Great comic without vigilantes in latex

Reviewed in Germany on April 23, 2020

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A good read even if you don’t usually read comics. I’m personally not a fan of the superhero comic stories where John Doe magically acquires kickass powers. Here, Yorick is also singled out, but so far his only magic power is to survive when 2.9 million other males don’t. This is great fun. Great illustrations. Great characters. I like how it pokes fun at gender stereotypes and the USA. Give it a try!

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