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4.4 of 5 stars
The first ten issues of the award-winning series written by Brian K. Vaughan (EX MACHINA, Lost) are collected in an oversized hardcover with a new ... read full description

reviews

Aug 30, 2010
Ceridwen rated it: 2 of 5 stars
Usually I love this sort of thing, but this fell apart for me in the third act. This is not unusual for end-times fictions - writing about the apocalypse comes ready-packed with emotional explosions wired up to a timer of schadenfreude and latent nihilism. But then once the fireworks die down, you actually have to tell a story, and here's where writers trip over the wreckage. Here, all the male mammals die, suddenly, inexplicably. One guy named Yorick and his monkey survive.

The ope More...
42 comments like (32 people liked it)
Sep 21, 2010
Ariel rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Originally Posted Here (Yay! I got a book blog!)

Y: The Last Man (BOOK ONE)

In 2002, a plague that is mysteriously sex-specific killed every man, every boy, and every mammal with Y chromosome all over the world. For a reason that cannot be explained right now, a boy named Yorick Brown and his male pet monkey Ampersand was spared. A “genderside” that causes chaos, a society with without male, and a mystery to be solved, Vaughan created a masterpiece that for me would place More...
18 comments like (4 people liked it)
Aug 30, 2010
Craig rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I refuse to read any other reviews on this series before I post this. Therefore, I may sound either stupid or prescient. Or maybe a bit of both. Personally, I am leaning towards stupid, but...

Friends have been telling me to read this series for quite a bit. They said "you like literary comics, so..." or "You're obsessed with end of the world plague sort of stuff that presents humanity in a different light..." or "you took women's studies classes in colle More...
7 comments like (4 people liked it)
Aug 30, 2010
Rick rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Perhaps the finest science fiction comic book of the young century, creators Vaughn and Guerra (whose fine pencil work also appeared in my Eisner-nominated anthology Weird Business) relate the extraordinary story of twenty-something slacker escape artist Yorick Brown and his pet male monkey Ampersand, the sole surviving males after a mysterious worldwide plague killed everything with a Y chromosome. Vaughn deftly crafts his humanist sf tale in a low key, non-sensationalist manner. This volume More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Feb 15, 2011
Simone rated it: 2 of 5 stars
Il commento vale per l'opera completa, non solo per questo volume.
Come dicevo: 'nsomma... Per essere "the best graphic novel I've ever read" secondo Stephen King mi aspettavo qualcosina di più.
L'idea è graziosa, ma è troppo "vorrei ma non posso". Voglio dire: un uomo solo in un mondo di donne, che diavolo fa? Si nasconde e si mantiene illibato per la sua bella perduta, oppure...
Esatto: oppure.
E già qui non ci siamo. La prima scopata arriva a metà del secondo volume. In più, t More...
Sep 23, 2011
Chris rated it: 3 of 5 stars
This would be a much better series without the proliferation of (to the point of being ubiquitous) vulgar language. Not everyone talks like this, nor would a mass gendercide turn everyone into sailor mouths. Hopefully it will get better as the series progresses - it would be a shame for such an interesting concept to be marred throughout by its commitment to being coarse. The many subplots and layers are fairly intriguing: Agent 355's original quest with this mysterious amulet/necklace is mor More...
Sep 17, 2011
Traci rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Yorick Brown is a survivor. And not in a generic way – not like how people say “I survived Space Mountain.” Yorick Brown and his male Capuchin monkey Ampersand are both survivors of a plague that wiped out everything with a Y chromosome on Earth in an instant. No more male humans, monkeys, giraffes, dogs, cats; nothing with a Y chromosome survived. But seriously, how awesome would it be to be the last man on Earth? Turns out, it’s not as great as one might think. In their Eisner Awar More...
Jul 28, 2011
Gabriel rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Ok, a tad sexist at times (I mean, without men the world really devolves that quickly? Come on), but still a very interesting take on the Post-Apocalyptic Genre. I'm a little annoyed at how easily our main character has been waylaid from finding Beth (and, truly, a little annoyed at how loyal he is to her) all, of course, for the greater good.

In short, this is a very fun and entertaining read, but still feels as if written in the 1950's if the last man on earth was a dweeb. Still, More...
3 comments like (2 people liked it)
Apr 21, 2011
Rachel rated it: 1 of 5 stars
I had heard lots of great stuff about this and the premise sounded interesting. One dude left on the planet after all the other men die of some mysterious disease or something. The artwork is quite good but the dialogue is only so-so and honestly I was a little bored pretty quickly, like by page 3. I was also astounded at the direction the story went, found it heterosexist and homophobic. You'd think a world of mostly women would be pretty frank about lesbians; not this book. The only loud and p More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Sep 06, 2010
Mitchel rated it: 5 of 5 stars
So. Good. Ohmygod.

The Walking Dead better watch its back, because Y is here to potentially knock it off its high horse. Like that series it is pretty simple in its plot, just replace zombie apocalypse with the complete extinction of every man, boy and mammal with a Y chromosome, and you have Y: The Last Man. And just like in Dead it's not really about the zombies, its about the people. Same goes here (just minus the zombies, mind you.)

The characters are all pretty i More...
Apr 24, 2011
Trudi rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Pardon me while I flail about in fangirl mode, but OMFG and all that is holy, Y: The Last Man is totally a.w.e.s.o.m.e!!!! I didn’t think the graphic novel format would ever win me over entirely, but it’s happened - I’m in love - hook, line, sinker, fully, completely. Not only is this an addictive premise taken to the extreme reaches of the most fertile imagination, it’s brimming with fully fleshed out characters who live and breathe with histories, motives, strengths and vulnerabilities. The be More...
0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Jan 29, 2012
Corielle rated it: 4 of 5 stars
What happens when all the men on the planet, except for one man and his male monkey, die? Well, lots of women start to believe that they are better off without them. Hence, the story of Yorick Brown and Ampersand, the monkey, begins to unfold.

Their journey takes them through several states, aided by a few helpful women who are also seeking the reason for this mass-extinction. Or, shall I say, they seek the reason why these two males were the sole survivors.

They cross pa More...
Sep 01, 2010
Mark rated it: 3 of 5 stars
The premise of this graphic novel is that not only all of the men suddenly died, but also all of the other male animals with a "Y" chromosome...with the notable exception of our main character "Yorick" and his monkey named "Ampersand".
His goal is to somehow get from the east coast of the U.S. to his girlfriend in Australia while also helping a doctor that wants to find out why he's still alive and elude a group of extremely radical feminists calling themselves More...
Dec 23, 2011
Justin rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve had this collection for a while, now, having bought it on a random whim right after my son was born. I have a bit of a soft spot for post-apocalyptic settings, especially disease outbreak scenarios. Maybe it’s my latent hypochondriac tendencies. Further, there seemed to be a lot of places to go with the idea of “the last man on Earth.” Having finished the first ten installments via this deluxe volume, I think I’m still unsure of what I think about it. I definitely enjoyed reading it, but I More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Sep 21, 2011
Alisha rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I originally read the first two trade papers a couple years ago and always frustrated I never re-started. Finally I've came back around to it. The concept itself is a brilliant one, the idea of what would happen if all the men in the world just died?? Following the main character Yorrick and his monkey the last man alive and for reasons unknown is immune to the plague. He is put into protection by a secret agent named 355 and both try to travel across the country coming across multiple ethica More...
Oct 08, 2011
Emma rated it: 2 of 5 stars
Kind of pulpier than I would have liked. It doesn't exactly explore how differently women might behave in such a situation to how men might if it were reversed. It kind of just has ... hmmm, what do I mean? I mean, it's a kind of post-apocalyptic escape adventure sci-fi thriller, and the fact that all the characters except one are women doesn't really differentiate the dynamics between the characters from other examples of that genre. Which you kind of could go 'fair enough, people are people' a More...
Aug 30, 2010
Branden rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Stephen King and I now have something in common: we both think that Y: The Last Man is the greatest graphic novel we've ever read.

I bought this book a couple months ago when I was just starting to get back into the graphic novel/comic book scene. This is the first hardcover graphic novel that I bought, and I glad I did (I just wish I would have waited for Book 2 to get in stock instead of buying the TPBs of Issue 3 and 4). I don't know why, but I kept overlooking this gem on my she More...
Aug 30, 2010
Idleprimate rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is an intriguing opening to a dystopian sci-fi tale. In a single moment, every male mammal on the planet dies, except for one man and one monkey. It poses interesting and unique problems as an apocalypse story. it's not simply that half the planet has died. animals can no longer be bred for food, the human species cannot continue. There is a great vacuum in various infrastructure--the narrative points out that 85% of governing officials, and 99% of electricians and other trades are now More...
Aug 30, 2010
Neill rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I always laughed at the joke "I wouldn't fuck you if you were the last man on earth." Not for the burn to my manhood, but more at the verbal assailant themselves. Humanity rests upon the shoulders of the one unlucky schmuck who happens to be connected to worlds last known penis, so why not fuck him like your life depended on it? Because it does... All of mankind depends on it, you selfish shit! Aside from being hounded for seeds, there are many other obstacles set for the earths last p More...
Aug 30, 2010
Todd rated it: 4 of 5 stars
A friend pointed out that Hurley was reading this comic during Lost. (Hi, Chang!) That's as good a reason as any to check a book out of the library. And it was going to rain all weekend anyway.

This was an enjoyable read, but reading Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories right after sort of blew Y: The Last Man right out my brain. Here's what I can remember...

A 20-something named Yorrick (His dad taught Shakespeare at some college happened to pick a character's name with Y More...
Aug 30, 2010
Matt rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I remember buying the first issue of this when it first dropped and not thinking too much of it, then, as the series progressed and got buckets of attention, wondering what I missed. Now I know what that was: the next issue. Vaughan's writing can come off (for me) as a little too clever at times, which is certainly the case here, but he crafts his stories beautifully, with each issue leading into the next. With them all in front of me, I plowed through the first two stories and watched him relax More...
Aug 30, 2010
PK rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Wanted something to take to the park that was not too dense or too literary, and this was on my list of highly recommended graphic novels. This first book sets up an potentially interesting storyline that I look forward to following into the next book. Hopefully the interesting combination of non-linear storytelling (using flashbacks/flashforwards and multiple overlapping narratives) and engrossing plot continue to grow while the main characters build some depth. (Right now, most are fitting int More...
Sep 09, 2010
Ryan rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Will it be an amazing story or an excuse to exploit sexist gender stereotypes? Stay tuned!

Okay, I'm hooked.

While the Daughters of Amazon can be read as out-sized caricatures of man-hating feminists, the fact that they are cast as a cult with a twisted, charismatic leader lets Vaughn skate a bit. We'll see how it plays out.

An original dystopia (or is it? asks Mary Shelley, referenced in a later story), with several plot lines, decent characters, humor, violen More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Aug 30, 2010
Drew rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Y: The Last Man is everything that a comic book series should strive to be: engaging, thought-provoking and above all, incredibly well-written. The first Deluxe Edition Book, which collects the first two main story arcs ('Unmanned' and 'Cycles'), provides a fantastic introduction to the series and swiftly thrusts the reader into a post-apocalyptic universe where every creature with a Y-chromosome has died from a mysterious plague; the only exception being a young man named Yorick Brown and his p More...
Jun 09, 2011
Tayanna rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I stupidly forgot that I was reading one in a series while I was nearing the end and it left me with so many questions and now I'm doing everything possible to get my hands on the next parts of this book. I love the characters, I love the artwork and I love the premise. It's a good book for women by showing their strengths and it's still not a man-hating book. Sure, there's extremists groups but you'll find that everywhere. I absolutely adore the way this was executed and I'm anxious to read the More...
Aug 30, 2010
Peter N. rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Finally having the opportunity to read the first part of Y, I now understand why others have fallen prey to its popularity. It's a "what if" question that has been approached since the times of Mary Shelley and still continues to be asked and attempted to be resolved.

Vaughan's and Guerra's approach could not be any more truthful. How would the world shift if men are no longer Earth's major players? Would women find a way to bring men back to life, or would they destroy any More...
Aug 09, 2011
Laura rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This was different from any other graphic novel I've read - the first non superhero one! - but it was still pretty similar to all the dystopian stuff I've been reading. There are some really great, witty one liners in here that made me laugh out loud. The Amazons give me the creeps, hey. Looking forward to more Last Man.
Nov 30, 2011
Afiq rated it: 5 of 5 stars
One of the best non superhero graphic novel no doubt about that. The story of how all men die is just genius. And funny at the same time. Couldn't help to slow down my reading on this book to fully indulge in the story. It's like eating a chocolate chip mint ice cream.

I bet every men out there reading this book imagining them to be Yorick, the last man standing.
Jul 18, 2011
Sean rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Very entertaining. Restored my faith in comics / graphic novels. Previous to this I had read Watchmen which was dull, slow, plain and chore to get through. This was funny, interesting and with genuine characters. A tall order for this genre. Fully deserves the awards it wracked up.
Oct 29, 2010
Jesse rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first "Deluxe" hardcover in this series and it doesn't disappoint. The story of how all the men on the planet died suddenly, except of one man named Yorick is a fascinating tale. We see a post-catastrophy world, trying to get back on its feet in some places, while chaos still reigns in others. All the while a agent a secret branch of the u.S. Government is trying to get Yorick, the last man on Earth, some where. Oh and there are crazy feminazi amazon chicks too, and men More...