Y: The Last Man, Book 1
I've been meaning to read Y: The Last Man for a while now. It's written by Brian K Vaughan, the same guy responsible for Saga. But unlike Saga, this story is actually complete. I finally managed to get my hands on the first (of five) deluxe books, which collects the first ten issues. And now I'm going to be spending my birthday money on the remaining books. Because I am hooked.
The story mostly follows Yorick. He and his pet monkey, Ampersand, are the only males left in the world after some unknown cataclysmic event caused the immediate death of everyone with a Y chromosome. All Yorick wants to do is find his girlfriend, but everyone else has their own plans for him.
Yorick's mom is a congresswoman, doing her best to help hold the government together in DC after most of the government officials have died. The Secretary of Agriculture has been rapidly promoted to president, reminding me of Battlestar Galactica. Though I think this women is less qualified, and somewhat more sinister, than Laura Roslin was. Meanwhile, Yorick's sister has fallen in with a cult of radical feminists who call themselves Amazons and are determined to correct Mother Nature's "oversight" by tracking down and killing Yorick. Then there's Agent 355, Yorick's government-issue bodyguard, and Dr. Mann, who kind of thinks she caused the cataclysm and wants to figure out what happened.
As much as Yorick wants to track down his girlfriend, he ends up on a cross-country road trip with 355 and Dr. Mann, who thinks she can both figure out why Yorick survived and use him to figure out what happened to the rest of the men. Along the way they meet all sorts of women who are reacting to the new world order in all sorts of different ways. And this is just the beginning!
This book was a lot funnier than I expected it to be, with a dark, dry humor that fits the post-apocalyptic setting. (Best line: "Is it terrorists?" "Worse. Republicans.") The story is packed with moments of both grace and heart-stopping evil (to borrow a bit from Good Omens) and argues that a world without men wouldn't necessarily be better than a world with men. After all, women can be just as cruel, vindictive, petty, and selfish as men. And the power vacuum creates an every-woman-for-herself atmosphere that allows for both dangerous cults and peaceful oases.
I'm excited to see where all of this goes. I'm hoping we get some answers to the various mysteries that have been set up. Why did all the men die? Why didn't Yorick? What's with the mystical artifacts? Why is the new president conspiring with terrorists? But mostly, I'm hoping we see Yorick's girlfriend, Beth, again soon.
The story mostly follows Yorick. He and his pet monkey, Ampersand, are the only males left in the world after some unknown cataclysmic event caused the immediate death of everyone with a Y chromosome. All Yorick wants to do is find his girlfriend, but everyone else has their own plans for him.
Yorick's mom is a congresswoman, doing her best to help hold the government together in DC after most of the government officials have died. The Secretary of Agriculture has been rapidly promoted to president, reminding me of Battlestar Galactica. Though I think this women is less qualified, and somewhat more sinister, than Laura Roslin was. Meanwhile, Yorick's sister has fallen in with a cult of radical feminists who call themselves Amazons and are determined to correct Mother Nature's "oversight" by tracking down and killing Yorick. Then there's Agent 355, Yorick's government-issue bodyguard, and Dr. Mann, who kind of thinks she caused the cataclysm and wants to figure out what happened.
As much as Yorick wants to track down his girlfriend, he ends up on a cross-country road trip with 355 and Dr. Mann, who thinks she can both figure out why Yorick survived and use him to figure out what happened to the rest of the men. Along the way they meet all sorts of women who are reacting to the new world order in all sorts of different ways. And this is just the beginning!
This book was a lot funnier than I expected it to be, with a dark, dry humor that fits the post-apocalyptic setting. (Best line: "Is it terrorists?" "Worse. Republicans.") The story is packed with moments of both grace and heart-stopping evil (to borrow a bit from Good Omens) and argues that a world without men wouldn't necessarily be better than a world with men. After all, women can be just as cruel, vindictive, petty, and selfish as men. And the power vacuum creates an every-woman-for-herself atmosphere that allows for both dangerous cults and peaceful oases.
I'm excited to see where all of this goes. I'm hoping we get some answers to the various mysteries that have been set up. Why did all the men die? Why didn't Yorick? What's with the mystical artifacts? Why is the new president conspiring with terrorists? But mostly, I'm hoping we see Yorick's girlfriend, Beth, again soon.
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