Y: the Last Man Compendium 1

by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra (Illustrations)

And women shall inherit the Earth.

It’s summer 2002 and a mysterious plague has swept across the planet, killing every grown mammal and embryo possessing a Y chromosome—except for one man. For some reason, amateur escape artist Yorick Brown is the only human male to survive the androcide that has wiped out almost half of the global population.
 
Accompanied by his pet monkey, Ampersand—who is also immune to the pandemic—and aided by his politician mother and the enigmatic Agent 355, Yorick must struggle to survive in a world where he is now the most endangered species.
 
The Last Man Compendium One collects issues #1-31 of the critically acclaimed series created by the award-winning team of writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN ( Ex Machina , Runaways ) and artist PIA GUERRA ( Black Canary , Spider-Man Unlimited ).

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Dc Comics, Fiction

728 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2020

About the author

Brian K. Vaughan is the writer and co-creator of comic-book series including SAGA, PAPER GIRLS, Y THE LAST MAN, RUNAWAYS, and most recently, BARRIER, a digital comic with artist Marcos Martin about immigration, available from their pay-what-you-want site www.PanelSyndicate.com

BKV's work has been recognized at the Eisner, Harvey, Hugo, Shuster, Eagle, and British Fantasy Awards. He sometimes writes for film and television in Los Angeles, where he lives with his family and their dogs Hamburger and Milkshake.

Reviews

[OmniBen · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review)
Ahh, Brian K Vaughn. Another book that I am rather conflicted on. The concept is massively interesting and allows for an almost endless array of possibilities and storylines to explore. I would certainly love the chance to pen 60 issues of content with this premise to work with. Whilst nothing in this story was poorly executed or bland, neither did it ever fully live up to the potential the book had just screaming to come out. Whilst one could be forgiven for not expecting a book such as this to be rooted in realism and consistency, but the nature of the world continually fluctuates to suit the purpose of the individual story arc, which for me at least, continually dragged me out of the story. When access to food needs to be a motivating factor, it is scarce and people fight over it, but as soon as it is on longer needed to drive the narrative, food is plentiful and never a concern. The systems of government the women continue with fluctuate wildly, with countries being portrayed as near dystopian wastelands and veritable utopia's, all as the story dictates. At one point near the start of the arc, the main character needed to contact his mother (or vice versa), who just happens to inherit the US presidency (ugh). And the story just neglects that one could pick up a phone and do so at anytime. Phones come and go from the story as needed, too. These plot conveniences continue throughout the story and really got on my nerves at times.
The best characters are ones that come and go from individual issues and arcs, with the main characters that follow the majority of the books length being, in my opinion, not particularly engaging or intriguing. The lesbian scientist, the over powered secret agent, the detestable IDF officer all feature prominently and either outright annoyed me or inspired little in the way of attachment. Yorick's sister was interesting in her first incarnation, but then becomes uninspired and bland. Yorick's girlfriend is barely in the story at all and i would have liked some more of her. Yorick, the last man himself, is most times little more than a foil for the women surrounding him. Yes, he needed to be an every man, and he is written as such. But he is frequently made to look incompetent or inferior to almost all of the women around him, which is not only unrealistic, but again, gets on my nerves. The story at its heart, is one of humanity, and is at its best when it focuses on the realistic and human interactions and emotions experienced by those struggling to put their lives back together after an unimaginable tragedy. Yet the story almost exclusively ignores these basic aspects of humanity, instead focusing mostly on finding a cure and saving the world. I'm not saying that couldn't be a theme, but there were literally a thousand interesting stories that could have been told along the way. Ones that would have further grounded the book in realism and emotion, and given grater weight to the overall aim of the protagonists. Instead, we get set piece after set piece and one adventure after another, with the unspoken tales of those passed along the way falling through the cracks and going unfortunately untold. This is the books greatest flaw. I really didn't care about them finding a cure because I hadn't been made to care enough about those they were trying to save.
The art work, which is almost exclusively done by Pia Geurra, is mostly very solid, although nothing out of this world. It did its job, and did it well throughout the run. The colours complimented the art well.
In the end, I was looking forward to it being over. not because it was awful, but I was left underwhelmed with the massive potential gone begging throughout, and didn't need tale of Yorick being stupid and being saved by one of the women in his life again. the final issue did succeed in bringing about an emotional reaction (as I had been led to believe it would) though this was more of me projecting those feelings onto myself, rather than empathising with the characters themselves, as well as an epic tale reaching its conclusion, which can be sad in its self. Maybe I'm being harsh and that is a strength in its own right. However the characters main characters meant little to me, so I feel justified in my critique. It's certainly worth a look, and lots of people love it, though for me, I'll always remember it more for what it could have been, over what it actually was. And for the love of Christ, stay well away from the woke as fuck TV show. 3/5


OmniBen.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good.... i haven't really read comics/graphic novels that much before but this had me hooked, and i can't wait to go pick up compendium two

i have this theory now that comics / graphic novels as a genre tend to be edgier & more avant-garde than other forms of media because they're less capital-intensive to create (eg compared to movies), so there's more leeway for authors to try out new wacky theories or just really branch out from what's mainstream.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you can tell a book was written in the early 2000s, and this was one of those times. But it was hilarious and human and addicting so I don’t care!!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. Devoured it.
Kinda disappointed it wasn’t all kumbaya after the men all die, but eh humans ig 🤷‍♀️
Can’t wait to read the rest

[Otto Halverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish Goodreads had a more nuanced rating system. I really enjoyed this book, but a 3 feels too low and a 4 feels too high, I think it’s like a 73/100. I have a hard time pinning down exactly how I feel about this story, I enjoyed it, but it also has elements that baffle the absolute shit out of me. Like why is there a ninja lady trying to take ampersand? Why at the end is the revelation that Yorick may be immune to his exposure to monkey feces? I suppose these are things that make more sense in the context of the entire series, rather than just this installment. I’m definitely interested in reading more, but I feel as though I need to really process the messaging, this series is VERY heavy handed with its political messaging, but the authors opinions come off as far more nuanced in comparison to other contemporary pieces. I enjoy that it makes me want to sit and digest the events and interactions of the story to decipher what the author is trying to say. I would definitely recommend reading this, but it isn’t a universal recommendation in the same way I would recommend Scott Pilgrim or TWD.

[Shane Findlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another month for the next compendium. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat. 4.5⭐️

[Rutger Gerrits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briljant. De toekomst van comics ligt bij Indië comics

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this before I watched the new show on Hulu. I know this series is highly praised, so I was really looking forward to it. However, after reading it, I gotta say while the concept is really interesting, the execution is...just fine. When the first trailer for the show was released, I saw someone tweet something along the lines of "You mean to tell me all the men are gone and it's a dystopia??" and after reading the book, I agree with that sentiment. Lastly, while I can acknowledge that the series is a product of its time (2002-2005), I found the frequent use of the r-word extremely off-putting and also didn't love the instance in which the white author wrote the n-word into the dialog.

[Caitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The jokes were a bit outdated and I definitely preferred Saga but I still enjoyed the series! (I read the entire series but can’t find both the compendiums on Goodreads)

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y the Last Man was a 60-issue series written by Brian K Vaughan and drawn, primarily, by Pia Guerra. This collaboration proved popular enough for DC, under their Black Label or adult banner, to issue two large compilations collecting the entire series. Having met Pia briefly at a convention she had outlined the story to me, and this captured my attention enough to purchase the two issues (With a little gratis artwork thrown in on the inner covers to boot!) It came with some pretty substantial reviews, including from the Washington Post, so it was worthwhile to have a look.

The book itself posits some sort of mysterious ailment that causes all life on earth with a Y chromosome to simultaneously expire. All except for one man, Yorick, and his pet monkey, also male, Ampersand. They are the primary focus of the tale and while his objective is to find his girlfriend who was last seen in Australia, he quickly interacts with a mysterious government agent, 355, with a hidden agenda, a geneticist who may hold the key to why he alone survived and perhaps unlock a way for further males to be born, a group calling themselves the Amazons who would like to expunge Yorick, a furtive Ninja, and so on. Oh yes, there are also at least a couple of government organizations with their own mandates skulking about too. With all of this going on it is interesting that Yorick’s character, perhaps the key to humanities salvation, is the least capable and driven of the ensemble cast. Not surprisingly, his arc is also one of growth and maturation as the story progresses.

In a lot of ways this is a road trip story where each new location reveals a different challenge but does not lose sight of the fact that previous dangers are still in hot pursuit. Vaughan crafts a world where society splinters and shows both the best and the worst of human nature. (Sometimes emerging from the most unexpected sources). It also poses an interesting question. Do women need men? Are they capable of creating and fostering a purely matriarchal society? O, are people just people, no matter their biology?

This is not a tale of a man lost on an island with a bunch of nubile young women driven crazy with lust. Quite the opposite in fact. Yes, the sex issue is dealt with a couple of different ways throughout the story, but in a way that speaks to the reality of the situation. Rather, this is an exploration of gender identity and survival. What are the values most adhered to? And what affects them? This is a book that makes you think, but there is cause for a suspension of disbelief. How can anything kill all male animals on the planet at the same time? Would any group of survivors make it their ideal to wipe out any remaining males, even though that would ultimately mean their own demise? Why don’t some of the agencies in pursuit simply ask Yorick for his assistance?

Additionally, while the story is well crafted and beautifully illustrated, I am finding myself looking for resolution. The adventures are different and exciting, but it feels like they are there to draw the story out. If there were more revelations interspersed driving the narrative forward, that would work, but as it is, while well done, about half the book feels unnecessary, detours to keep us from reaching the objective. Enjoyable, polished, and compelling, this may be a two-volume set that would have been better told in one.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had had this series on my TBR list ever since I started reading Saga. I liked Saga so much that I figured I would try to read something else by Brian K. Vaughan; I just never got around to it, even after purchasing this first compendium. However, I have been in a reading slump pretty much this whole year and, what better to bust a slump than a solid graphic novel? I have to say I was NOT disappointed.

Going into reading this, I had a very vague idea of the general premise. Some sort of plague wipes out all of the men in the world, except one. That's it. That's all I knew. I didn't even realize how old this was (the first comic came out in 2002). The story follows Yorick Brown, who becomes the last man on Earth after said mysterious plague (or is it a supernatural occurrence?) wipes out not just all the human men in the world, but all of the males of every species - except Yorick and his pet monkey, Ampersand. The country quickly devolves into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. There are some gender stereotypes in here, but on the whole it's just realistic - especially 20 years ago, there are just certain professions that are male-dominated (for example, garbage collectors and truck drivers). So, not only is the population cut in half, but women all over are having to both clean up the mess that comes from hundreds of millions of dead bodies all over the place, while at the same time having to fill in all of the gaps needed to keep the country running. Oh, and of course the specter of human extinction looms large (with no males to help reproduce).

After making his way from New York to DC, where his mother is a politician, Yorick is paired up with Agent 355, a secret agent from a covert U.S. organization called the Culper Ring. They set out on a mission to meet up with Dr. Mann, a geneticist based out of Boston who has cloned a human before. Dr. Mann hopes to be able to study Yorick and Ampersand to try to figure out why they, and they alone among males, have managed to thwart death. Their journey ends up leading them on a lengthy cross-country trip to California, where one of Dr. Mann's labs is. However, they must do their best to keep Yorick's identity a secret - not every woman in the country is interested in what Yorick can do to help repopulate the Earth. One faction in particular, the Amazons, would very much like to make sure that no man will ever walk the planet again. And, as fate would have it, Yorick's sister, Hero, has fallen in with this group.

By the end of this book, there are still many questions to be answered - the biggest obviously being what caused all of the men to die. Dr. Mann seems to have figured out how Yorick and Ampersand were able to survive, but her scientific theory seems weak and unlikely to hold up. Also, there is an ancient Middle Eastern artifact involved that may have something to do with everything.

The writing and the art here are both incredible. Vaughan has a way of developing characters in this format (all dialogue) like no other. It is odd reviewing just this first compendium because it's really just half of one epic story, though it does span 2 years of time. I am going to jump right into Compendium Two.

[Julia Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y: The Last Man is less about the end of men and more about the mess of humanity. In this first compendium, the sudden death of every mammal with a Y chromosome sets off a global collapse, but what rises from the ashes isn’t a utopia. It’s just ... people, in all their flawed, frightened, sometimes tender complexity.

At the center of it is Yorick Brown, the last cisgender man on Earth, whose vulnerability and humor ground the story. He’s not a traditional hero, and that’s the point; his emotional honesty makes him compelling in a world that no longer has a place for him.

But it’s Agent 355 who stole the show for me. A bodyguard with secrets but no pretense, she’s competent, clear-eyed, and deeply loyal. While others lie to themselves or build new power structures, she does the job ... and maybe, quietly, lets herself care a little too much.

This isn’t a story about how women would naturally create a better world. In fact, one of its sharpest insights is that feminism is necessary for equality, but it doesn’t make women immune to corruption, violence, or cruelty. Vaughan’s world shows that power reshuffles, but it doesn’t purify.

In the end, Y: The Last Man isn’t really about gender. It’s about connection, loss, and the painful work of rebuilding. If you come for the dystopia, you’ll stay for the relationships.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not often read comic book series, but this one was recommended.
The stories are compelling in that they pull you along and the drawing and coloring are quite good. The story premise is quite good and there are some excellent plots and bits along the way. I have a few criticisms along the way.
- The main character is something of a doofus. Not only that, he really doesn't mature much in the course of the story. Even after a specific sequence meant to help him adjust to his extraordinary circumstance and the promise of his grasping essentials and acting accordingly, he shows little in additional maturity.
- The main plot of the story seems to develop very slowly with many diversions. This is somewhat related to the protagonists juvenile characteristics.
- In a world where all the men are gone, it is perhaps natural that many women would have to take jobs requiring action orientation. Even so, almost all the women in the story seem to act exactly like men. It is perhaps a challenge for a male author to convincingly portray the character of women and this one didn't ring true at all to me.
Still, all these criticisms occur by my reading the entire volume I compendium so that I found the story engaging enough.

[Jon M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting post-apocalyptic story in a world where male population is totally annihilated.
What starts as a hunt for clues of what might have happened quickly escalates into a series of (unfortunate?...maybe twisted is the word) events which still can’t figure out who is an ally or a foe, or just what the hell just happened, sometimes my mind feels blown away on the turn of events, there is always the element of surprise that caughts you unprepared.
I very much liked this story, it has all the ingredients to keep you hooked; albeit I think it should use less violent imagery, but I think that sometimes that’s used to give you a “feel” for what’s really happening, to get you to feel the shock of the situation.

[Peter Holz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt quite conflicted about this tale. The basic premise seemed quite contrived, like the author desperately want to write a dystopian story and needed a previously untried idea to unleash his world. All mammals with Y chromosomes, bar one human and one capuchin, die. It certainly featured the basic element found in all standard dystopian novels: road trip where our protagonists encounter various disparate psychotic groups of post apocalyptic survivors. However, as I descended ever deeper into this bizarre world, I found myself becoming more and more engrossed. Drama, pathos, visceral action and plenty of patriarchal food for thought. I particularly enjoyed Yorick spouting endless movie and pop culture references in a mostly failed attempt at humour.

[Mat · Rating 4 out of 5]

BD ambitieuse et originale qui explore avec intelligence les thématiques du genre, du pouvoir et de la résilience humaine dans un monde où tous les mammifères mâles ont disparu, à l’exception de Yorick Brown et de son singe Ampersand.

Le scénario de Brian K. Vaughan est captivant, mêlant humour, tension et moments d’émotion, même si certains arcs narratifs peuvent sembler un peu étirés. Les personnages, notamment Yorick et l’Agent 355, sont nuancés et attachants, mais d’autres secondaires manquent parfois de profondeur.

Les illustrations de Pia Guerra, bien que simples, servent efficacement l’histoire et apportent une belle fluidité au récit.

Malgré quelques longueurs, ce compendium reste une lecture marquante et pleine de surprises, idéale pour les amateurs de récits post-apocalyptiques qui aiment être poussés à réfléchir. Une belle aventure, même si elle aurait gagné à être un peu plus resserrée.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Brian Vaughan’s work such as Saga and Paper Girls, so I decided to give this a shot because why not? I absolutely did not regret! It’s a great work, and although it has taken me some time to get through it, I’m glad I was able to finish it. I look forward to DC making and releasing the second half of the series through a compendium so I can finish it up.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. It's fast paced and action packed and I love the premise. The write sure knows how to end each issue on a cliffhanger so you really want to read the next one right away. I'm super excited for the new show!

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the graphics and storyline was good. Interesting how the women cope after the men are gone- although it’s kind of misogynistic that some of the male oriented jobs didn’t have any women in those fields so they just don’t exist once the men are gone. Found that kind of weird and surprising.

[Logan Boone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and fun comic. You can tell it was written in the early 2000s by some of the word choices, and our main character Yorick can be pretty dense and annoying at times. Overall its a fun story and I'm excited to see how they wrap it up in book 2.

[Chris S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading while the show is on. Not my favorite but still good and worth reading.

[Chamarra McCrorey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of my favorite graphic novels of all time. Great writing

[Jay Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

25-2022. This is a collection of a bunch of the Y comics. It’s a pretty solid story, and even in graphic novel form, I’m enjoying it.

[Kaycee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, action packed, interesting, poignant, intriguing. This is the first graphic novel I've really latched onto. The art is beautiful, too. I am excited to see what happens in the next one!

[Jaron Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is this only (and already) halfway done!?

[Greg Bem · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best part about finishing this book is realizing there's a part two.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aargh, I stayed up late finishing this, only to find there’s more!

[Shiraz · Rating 1 out of 5]

חבל שהוא ככה

[Joao Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a 5! Really good reading, great twists and avoids easy clichés. Highly recommended for any Post-Apocalyptic fans

[Emil Vartušek · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5