Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1) | Brian K. Vaughan

Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1) | Brian K. Vaughan | Reads best as a SERIES

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Unmanned (Y: The L...

	Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1) Brian K. Vaughan Vertigo, 2003 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 68 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Better than I had hoped

Apocalyptic stories and gender politics, two of my favor things to read or watch. "Y: The Last Man -- Unmanned" was intense and gripping. I devoured it and wanted more. I'd heard about this graphic serial for years and am so glad I finally got a copy. I'm not sure I buy the decay of the world quite so much, women are very capable and are in most of the jobs required just not in the majority of many of them, but given this is an apocalyptic fantasy/science fiction story, I can go with the flow to see how things play out.

Reads best as a SERIES

I read this one Trade Paperback without much prior knowledge of who BKV or Pia Guerra was. But I did hear some good reviews on this Trade series so I tried it out. The first read wasn't that compelling. The second of the series made it a bit better. By the time I read the first five of the Series, I was somewhat hooked.

The main character, Yorick, is a bit spoiled and somewhat of a whiner. He runs off and does what he wants regardless of those who warns him or the consequence of his actions. The first three volumes of the series has him running off to see the phallic memorial and he gets into a fight. Yorick is not a person you'll identity with or sympathize with. He's reckless and selfish.

But after a while, it's the mystery and the compelling supporting characters that sucks you in. 355 and the Dr are strong female characters and deserve much more than babysitting Yorick. Needless to say, their adventures drives the series toward the end.

Y: The Last Man is an innovating story. I enjoy the art and the story and the writing and the characterization. Yorick grows on you. The story makes greater sense as more is revealed. But don't give up on just reading Volume one. It does get better and it does make a good saga. Recommended, but go easy on Yorick.

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Hooked!

I was hooked after reading this first volume! I loved the cliffhanger at the end. Vaughan has several of those throughout the series. I couldn't resist running out an buying Vol. 2 that same day. Finally, after repeated trips to the store I ordered 6-10 from Amazon. Thankfully, they have fast shipping so I didn't have to wait long!

I particularly liked how the events leading up to the plague were portrayed, right down to the page where there are four panels that depict things that are happening simultaneously in different parts of the world seconds before the plague hit. Excellent timing - so well done.

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Best graphic novel since Jeff Smith's 'Bone'

This is the most engrossing comic novel I have read since 'Bone'. The pace is perfect and the subject matter is so well developed that you will find yourself slipping into Vaughn's post-apocalyptic alternate reality. Guerra's artwork is a perfect match to Vaughn's writing and it really brings the whole work to life in a way only comics can. Y: The Last Man is an excellent launch pad for anyone just getting into the world of comics and graphic novels as well as a strong addition to any library.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar

Visualize the Helen Ruddy song -- I Am Woman -- for a second. Feel the estrogen? Oh yeah..... Nothing like female empowerment to get you going for a story about women taking over the world. You see, Y: The Last Man REALLY is about the LAST man. In a stunning turn of events, the entire male population has violently died and the world has been taken over by lesbian bikers who decide they only need to deal with one of their "more appealing chest parts" and cut off the other one. Okay, silliness aside, this actually is a good series, and probably what I admire most about it... it has an ending! Volume 1: Unmanned is nowhere near that ending -- you'll need to read 10 volumes first -- but the best stories always have a beginning and end, and as long as you enjoy the tone of the first book, you'll probably be a devoted reader until the final days.

If you enjoy the format of TV shows like 24 that flash how much time is remaining in a story, you'll get a kick out of the intro in this book. Vaughan writes in a cinematic style as he counts down to the opening moment when testosterone ceases to exist. While we have a clue as to what caused it, we're still left in the dark because numerous events occur at the exact moment of male genocide. Who survives this calamity? Why none other than Yorick, a struggling magician who might be more effeminate than most of the women left on the world. Oddly enough, his male pet monkey, a creature he was raising as part of a college science experiment to earn extra cash, also survives making them the only two walking and breathing male mammals... or at least the only two the story has revealed thus far.

So presented with the potential disaster of an entire species dying because it can no longer reproduce, I'm sure you have figured out that Yorick's first plan is to live out every male teenager's fantasy and start breeding like rabbits, right? Nope, given the luxury of living his own harem-lifestyle, Yorick instead decides to track down his girlfriend in Australia who he was in the act of proposing to (over the phone) at the same moment when males around the world suddenly started bleeding profusely and dropping dead. But first, he has to visit with a world famous biologist who was in the process of human asexual reproduction, and see if she has any clues as to why he is the only male left on the planet.

If you enjoy post-apocalyptic tales, this one is no different than any fun-loving zombie epic. The world is busy disposing of millions of corpses, most people drive on easier-to-navigate motorcycles, and Washington D.C. is trying to decide who is really in charge now. Incidentally, Yorick's mother is one of the most powerful politicians in the nation's capitol, and she helps her son set his direction as she and others hunt down the Secretary of Agriculture who is next in line for the Presidency since everyone above her station was a male.

The storyline in Y: The Last Man is an intriguing "What if?" scenario and accompanied by decent artwork that knows how to illustrate a world in which exaggerated superheroes are not the norm, it's a fun read that will leave you eager to follow through in the second book. It seems when writer Brian K. Vaughan is at his best, he can do no wrong, and this series is certainly another example of his creative prowess. At a list price of $12.99 (but lower-priced on Amazon), it's a great deal, and if the theme of this story sounds interesting, I recommend you check out Amazon used seller shops to see if you can find all books bundled into one great deal. In a few months, DC will also start releasing deluxe hardcover editions so if you're a fan of those formats, you might want to wait before starting your journey down one of the more original and captivating tales published in Vertigo's short history.

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