Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned in The Alternative Worlds

Dec 22, 2011 Brad rated it it was ok

Shelves: graphic-novel, comic-books, hopes-dashed-like-an-egg-on-cement, shite, curiousity-killed-the-bananas, apocalypse

So there's this thing that happens in post-apocalypse stories that I need to talk to you about.

You know how in a zombiepocalypse story we occassionally receive hints that it might be better for the women to stay safe so they can make babies? Usually it's only hints, and the male characters don't seem to want to offend the post-feminist sensibilities of the women, so instead the women tote guns and put their wombs at risk of becoming a zombie-buffet. But everyone gets along-ish, and there are us So there's this thing that happens in post-apocalypse stories that I need to talk to you about.

You know how in a zombiepocalypse story we occassionally receive hints that it might be better for the women to stay safe so they can make babies? Usually it's only hints, and the male characters don't seem to want to offend the post-feminist sensibilities of the women, so instead the women tote guns and put their wombs at risk of becoming a zombie-buffet. But everyone gets along-ish, and there are usually plenty of women and men, so it doesn't seem like fertility is the most important concern.

Or you get the big, bad group of fascist men trying to turn some poor girl into a "breeder" for the new human race, but she tends to rise up, spank their patriarchal asses, escape with her girl power intact, and hook up with some nice guy with whom she's fought for survival.

And in the bleakest of apocalypses there's no hope anyway, so who gives a shit about procreation? Everyone's dead or dying, cannibalism is running rampant, society has failed, and humans are doomed to extinction. The best the survivors can do is keep hiking down some road to whatever is further down the road with the world as nothing but the road.

But I've totally fucking had it now that I've read Y: The Last Man. This book really pisses me off to no end.

I'm fine with the Amazonian self-mutilators (I can buy an angry, post-apocalyptic group of violent women). I am willing to suspend my disbelief that Yorick and his monkey make it through the manpocalypse as the only surviving Y chromosomes. I'll yawn and tolerate the Yankee setting of yet another apocalypse. I'll cringe but cope with yet another bad ass, dreadlocked, African-American woman who's the most capable and violent person around. I'll even believe that spindly little Yorick can pass as a woman as long as he has his gas mask on.

But what I won't believe, what I won't buy, where I won't suspend by disbelief, where I am not fine is with the idea that Yorick would ever, EVER, be allowed to wander around the winter of homo sapienism with one body guard, risking his testicles for some stupid, pointless, selfish, idiotic search for the love of his life and his sister. His sperm, and Ampersand's, would be the most important substances known to womankind (not because he is a man but because of sheer practicality). He would be protected whether he liked it or not. He would be imprisoned. His sperm would be used to impregnate. It would be used to find an immunity for future boys. It would be used for the survival of homo sapiens. Period.

I heard this book was really great -- a must read graphic novel. At best it is okay ... if you look past the idiocy of Yorick's wanderings, his insufferable smarminess, that stupid fucking monkey, and the poorest characterizations of women you're ever likely to see. Why two stars then? Because it isn't quite as bad as the Luna Brothers' Girls -- though it is damn close. ...more

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Aug 16, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it it was amazing

Shelves: misery-oh-misery, sciencefiction, graphicnovels

An interesting variation on a familiar theme - a sudden plague kills MOST of the people on the planet. This time, it's all the males on the planet, leaving only women. Except for this one slacker kid named Yorick - and his pet monkey. Gotta have the annoying pet monkey, like Marcel on "Friends", or the whole premise falls apart.

As Yorick is no Einstein, just a regular guy, all he can think about is reuniting with his girlfriend. Who cares about why he is the sole survivor, right? Of course, his ...more

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Jul 29, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress rated it really liked it

Shelves: apocalyptic-postapocalyptic-dystopi, glbt, graphic-novel-comic-book

My friend recommended this comic to me. I got so sucked in. I hated the idea that all the men in the world could die off. And men probably would think that Yorick has it made as the last man. Not so much.

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Nov 27, 2011 Eric rated it really liked it

A first-rate graphic novel. I missed this when it came out. It's taking some interesting turns that make this great science fiction. ...more

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Aug 10, 2007 Wealhtheow rated it liked it

Shelves: comics, post-apocalyptic, queer-characters

Every male mammal on earth abruptly dies, leaving behind only females--and laid-back would-be-magician Yorrick. Yorrick is by far the least interesting part of this series. The world building the women left behind do is far cooler.

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Jun 19, 2009 Brooke rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels-read

Not sure I can give this a proper review from just the first volume, but I did have the thought that the Amazons were a roaming pack of radical feminists, which was a little frightening to this liberal feminist. :)

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