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Y: The Last Man Compendium Two
Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to Y: The Last Man Compendium One!
Picking up where Y: The Last Man Compendium One leaves off, Yorick is the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome--but just when Dr. Mann discovers the answer to how Yorick and Ampersand survived the mysterious plague, an unforeseen adversary swoops in and steals a major key to the possible cure. Yorick Brown's long journey through an Earth populated only by women comes to a dramatic, unexpected conclusion in this thrilling compendium edition collecting Y: The Last Man #32-60!
Picking up where Y: The Last Man Compendium One leaves off, Yorick is the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome--but just when Dr. Mann discovers the answer to how Yorick and Ampersand survived the mysterious plague, an unforeseen adversary swoops in and steals a major key to the possible cure. Yorick Brown's long journey through an Earth populated only by women comes to a dramatic, unexpected conclusion in this thrilling compendium edition collecting Y: The Last Man #32-60!
704 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2022
5 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Brian K. Vaughan
1,063 books14.2k followersBrian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 2, 2022
(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 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 neglects that one could pick up a phone and do so at anytime. Phones come and go from the story as needed. 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. 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. 3/5
OmniBen.
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 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 neglects that one could pick up a phone and do so at anytime. Phones come and go from the story as needed. 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. 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. 3/5
OmniBen.
May 8, 2022
Did you know Elvis had a twin brother?
December 8, 2023
Having read the 60 issues in these two compendiums recently...
Verdict : Still pretty amazing.
The ending leaves me a little conflicted...but it's certainly 'lets go for it' and I can't come up with anything better.
It also makes me confirm to myself who crappy the short lived series was...it dragged itself through Season 1 and then got cancelled.
Very much like Paper Girls .
Verdict : Still pretty amazing.
The ending leaves me a little conflicted...but it's certainly 'lets go for it' and I can't come up with anything better.
It also makes me confirm to myself who crappy the short lived series was...it dragged itself through Season 1 and then got cancelled.
Very much like Paper Girls .
March 10, 2022
Not Brian’s finest story but still enjoyable. 3.5⭐️
August 30, 2024
SUPERGOED.
October 8, 2022
In this second of two compendiums, Yorick, Agent 355, and Dr. Mann continue their search for answers. Is Dr. Mann's theory correct about why Yorick and his monkey, Ampersand, were able to survive? What caused the plague to begin with? Is Yorick's girlfriend, Beth, still alive?
Dr. Mann's discovery from the first half of this story leads the group across the Pacific, where Dr. Mann is seeking out her mom's lab to continue her research. Despite the fact that the Amazons have been left behind them in the U.S., there is no lack of people who are still out to find the Last Man. This list includes the Australian Navy, an Israeli militant group, and a mysterious ninja named Toyoda. Despite these threats, Yorick's number one focus is a reunion with his girlfriend, Beth. She was working abroad in Australia when the plague hit, but he has had zero contact with her since then. He doesn't know whether she's still there, or whether or not she's even still alive. The more time that passes, though, the more complicated his relationship gets with the other women in his life - particularly 355.
The protagonists ultimately make their way to Japan, then China, where they uncover a giant secret and conspiracy related to human cloning, involving Dr. Mann's father's research. This apparently is the key to why all of the men died, though the explanation of this cause and effect is never really convincing. The journey ultimately leads to France, but an ultimate reunion between Yorick and Beth comes with much disappointment and tragedy.
The ending of the book fast-forwards 60 years into the future, to a world where cloning has become commonplace. The conclusion is somewhat confusing and not entirely satisfying.
I rated this compendium 4 stars after having rated the first one 5 stars. An average of 4.5 feels about right for this complete story. Both books were entertaining throughout, but the ending was not very satisfying to me. While the reason why Yorick survived seemed conclusive, the cause of the plague never really felt the same. Even if the reason presented was the true reason, it was not very realistic or convincing, even in the context of this story. That's the main reason I felt the need to downgrade this one a bit. Overall, though, I'm happy to have read this complete story and would recommend it.
Dr. Mann's discovery from the first half of this story leads the group across the Pacific, where Dr. Mann is seeking out her mom's lab to continue her research. Despite the fact that the Amazons have been left behind them in the U.S., there is no lack of people who are still out to find the Last Man. This list includes the Australian Navy, an Israeli militant group, and a mysterious ninja named Toyoda. Despite these threats, Yorick's number one focus is a reunion with his girlfriend, Beth. She was working abroad in Australia when the plague hit, but he has had zero contact with her since then. He doesn't know whether she's still there, or whether or not she's even still alive. The more time that passes, though, the more complicated his relationship gets with the other women in his life - particularly 355.
The protagonists ultimately make their way to Japan, then China, where they uncover a giant secret and conspiracy related to human cloning, involving Dr. Mann's father's research. This apparently is the key to why all of the men died, though the explanation of this cause and effect is never really convincing. The journey ultimately leads to France, but an ultimate reunion between Yorick and Beth comes with much disappointment and tragedy.
The ending of the book fast-forwards 60 years into the future, to a world where cloning has become commonplace. The conclusion is somewhat confusing and not entirely satisfying.
I rated this compendium 4 stars after having rated the first one 5 stars. An average of 4.5 feels about right for this complete story. Both books were entertaining throughout, but the ending was not very satisfying to me. While the reason why Yorick survived seemed conclusive, the cause of the plague never really felt the same. Even if the reason presented was the true reason, it was not very realistic or convincing, even in the context of this story. That's the main reason I felt the need to downgrade this one a bit. Overall, though, I'm happy to have read this complete story and would recommend it.
September 25, 2022
This is the second volume containing the back half of the run of Brian Vaughan's Y, The Last Man. If you have picked this up without reading volume One, put it back down and get the first compilation. Trust me, there are no recaps, and you will have no idea what is going on. The book allows Vaughan to keep up his excellent characterizations while bringing the story to an end. However, if you wanted everything tied up with a bow, you may find it somewhat lacking as some questions remain unanswered or at least find the answers provided somewhat unfulfilling.
Yorick, the last man, continues on his quest to reunite with his lost love Beth and along the way help out with the continuation of the species. The Israelis are still out to get him, as is the mysterious Toyota, and some new forces enter into the fray. Agent 355 is there to act as his guardian but begins to deal with her own identity as well. Most of the other characters still alive at the end of the first volume show up, some briefly, as does Ampersand, the monkey.
Unfortunately, many of the stories again seem like placeholders as they are just another delay for Yorick to reach his goal or to further the backstory of a character that ultimately does not influence the conclusion. They are all very readable in their own right, but they detracted from the conclusion, which could have been reached in far less time. There are some disappointments as well, since using all this space, some characters could have been provided with more meaningful endings to their arcs. I found the ending somewhat rushed and unsatisfying in that regard.
This was well written and illustrated and obviously a project of passion, however due to so many sidebars away from the main storyline that often repeated previous themes, my original criticism remains, and this would have been a tighter, more compelling story if told in half the pages. Absolutely worth a read but be prepared to get a little impatient at times.
Yorick, the last man, continues on his quest to reunite with his lost love Beth and along the way help out with the continuation of the species. The Israelis are still out to get him, as is the mysterious Toyota, and some new forces enter into the fray. Agent 355 is there to act as his guardian but begins to deal with her own identity as well. Most of the other characters still alive at the end of the first volume show up, some briefly, as does Ampersand, the monkey.
Unfortunately, many of the stories again seem like placeholders as they are just another delay for Yorick to reach his goal or to further the backstory of a character that ultimately does not influence the conclusion. They are all very readable in their own right, but they detracted from the conclusion, which could have been reached in far less time. There are some disappointments as well, since using all this space, some characters could have been provided with more meaningful endings to their arcs. I found the ending somewhat rushed and unsatisfying in that regard.
This was well written and illustrated and obviously a project of passion, however due to so many sidebars away from the main storyline that often repeated previous themes, my original criticism remains, and this would have been a tighter, more compelling story if told in half the pages. Absolutely worth a read but be prepared to get a little impatient at times.
August 22, 2022
Wow. It's taken me a while of marinating in the end of this epic journey to feel up to writing a review. I am experiencing a lot of feelings about how the story ends. It was absolutely wild, but not entirely in a bad way. It's tragic, poignant, interesting, while carrying a layer of hilarity. The theme of suicide throughout the story is weighing heavily on me in the hours after I finished reading. There's so much to unpack here, and I'm so intrigued and interested in what all the little pieces are and how they fit together, I will probably read this over and over. After some recovery time, of course.
February 26, 2023
A fun ride exploring a unique situation where the medium of comics excels. It was interesting to see this world truly explored via the different continents we go to, trying to immerse the reader into the world and this dramatic situation as much as possible.
Although some plot lines were dropped or forgotten and explanations that weren't all that coherent, the book and characters held it together very well, and they stuck the landing in my opinion. I really enjoyed it.
Although some plot lines were dropped or forgotten and explanations that weren't all that coherent, the book and characters held it together very well, and they stuck the landing in my opinion. I really enjoyed it.
January 15, 2025
Honestly, for such a large and well received series, I am shocked by that fact that Y knew exactly when to end. While I didn't love the ending I have to give Vaughan massive props for knowing to end the series and exactly when to end the series, instead of letting Y out stay its welcome and petter out into nothingness like far too many comics he was able to give it a strong, satisfying ending. That said, the very ending (parricularly the epilogue) was not one I enjoyed.
September 3, 2025
This was a solid second volume. The explanation behind the plague was unsatisfying but then it was always just a vehicle to tell a story. It was a rollicking roller coaster of a novel with twists and turns that bordered, in parts, on the far fetched. But I enjoyed the ride. Ending fell flat, though.
March 13, 2022
As far as endings go, this has to be one of best ways to wrap up a story in the comics the only disappointing thing was how short a run it was in 60 issues that felt there could’ve been more but maybe it was just enough to not make the story seem it was being dragged out
May 19, 2022
52-2022. This is the concluding collection of the Y Last Man series of graphic novels. It moves along quickly, and there are plenty of twists and turns. But the ending is a little flat. Glad I read it though.
June 20, 2025
What an interesting series.
I enjoyed the concepts and there were some interesting and intense moments.
The end was give-or-take for me. Mas o menos.
I thought the sub-plot with the Israeli's was not really necessary.
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable series worth a re-read.
I enjoyed the concepts and there were some interesting and intense moments.
The end was give-or-take for me. Mas o menos.
I thought the sub-plot with the Israeli's was not really necessary.
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable series worth a re-read.
July 18, 2025
I was so moved by the ending of Y: The Last Man, that it nearly brought me to tears. While I do feel that the book suffered as a whole from some issues with frequent time skips, it’s still something I really appreciated getting to see the end of.
September 30, 2025
Enjoyed the ending of this comic. Was not expecting parts of the final issues to hit as hard as they did. Glad this was a total story with an actual beginning and ending. Good art, some dated dialogue choices but oh well its a product of its time.
April 6, 2022
4 stars until the last few chapters 💔
May 14, 2022
Honest-to-goodness tears in those last issues.
May 19, 2022
Doesn't age the best but still a good story.
March 28, 2023
Didnt age well from 2002 but overall I had a fun time!
February 2, 2024
Cried at the end. I loved the journey.
March 19, 2024
It didn't need to end.
June 3, 2024
9/10
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews