The Main Event Comic Book Review 08.02.08: Y: The Last Man Series Review

Posted by Dennis Twigg on 08.02.2008

Review of Y: The Last Man!

General: Y: The Last Man was the darling from a line of comics beloved by enthusiasts (Vertigo) and written by a guy loved by comic fans (Brian K. Vaughn) and drawn (for the most part) by a top notch illustrator (Pia Guerrera) with a definitive creator-conceived beginning, middle, and end. With a decidedly un-super hero plotline Y: The Last Man fires on all cylinders throughout most of its run, with only a few lulls in the interest and the excitement. An interesting and thoughtful look at world without men (go figure) over sixty issues it peaks and valleys in quality and focus, but never wavers as a labor of love from one of comic's best writer-artist pairs.

Writing: Vaughn is spot on with his dialogue, characterization, and overall concept for the comic. Uncensored, Vaughn uses profanity and coarse language adeptly and realistically, without straying into the land of gratuity. Characters move about the complex and imaginative apocalyptic world post- "gendercide." Throughout most of the book the plot beats are a great mix of logical and innovative, surprising and well thought out. The protagonist, Yorick, seems to draw some obvious inspiration from Vaughn himself, but not to the point of making the reader groan. The story of an apocalypse is necessarily a bit of a downer and Vaughn is not afraid to heap personal tragedy on the characters that do survive. The only fault I can really find in the series is in its attempt to rationalize the events that sent the world into its gendercide. The pseudo-scientific explanation is adequate enough, but compared to the astonishing skill and craft Vaughn uses throughout the rest of the story, does not add up.

Art: Throughout most of the comic, co-creator Pia Guerrara handles the artistic chores and she does so with poise and skill. Without flashy costumes, crazy poses, or unusual faire to draw Guerrera draws clean, fresh, crisp and exciting images throughout. She thoroughly owns the main characters and shows no trouble in depicting them in a wide variety of situations expressing emotions ranging from subtle to grandiose. Together with Vaughn's scripting every single panel seems to serve a clear purpose. Most notably, cliffhanger issues show great teamwork with the story and the art leaving the moment of high tension perfectly realized.

Overall: A. You may as well buy the 10 trades of this because the chances of you spending your money more wisely on a comic purchase are slim to none.