I really liked Brian K. Vaughan's space opera graphic novel, Saga, but haven't been able to get the second volume of that series. Since I liked his writing and the illustrations of Saga, I thought I would check out his earlier series called Y The Last Man.
Description: When a plague of unknown origin
instantly kills every mammal with a Y chromosome, unemployed and
unmotivated slacker Yorick Brown suddenly discovers that he is the only
male left in a world inhabited solely by women. Accompanied by his
mischievous monkey and the mysterious Agent 355, Yorick embarks on a
transcontinental journey to find his girlfriend and discover why he is
the last man on Earth. But with a gang of feminist extremists and the
leader of the Israel Defense Forces hunting him, Yorick's future, as
well as that of the human race, may be short-lived.
Review: Y: The Last Man: Unmanned is a dystopian graphic novel that has a really intriguing premise. A plague of unknown origin has spread and killed every mammal with a Y chromosome with the exception of one young man named Yorick and his male monkey pet. We don't find out the explanations for the plague or why Yorick and his monkey were saved, which is actually a good thing because there are several possibilities.
This graphic novel and I'm guessing the remainder of this series takes a satirical viewpoint of gender issues and the continual fight between progressive science versus the natural order of things. There is also a lot of humor and not so subtle social criticisms/satire as women commemorate the dead man at The Washington Monument (take a moment and think about it). We also have what society would dub as the crazy feminists who take on the role of the ancient Amazons and tear off one breast and take to believing Mother Earth meant to eradicate the males. Politicians are not left unscathed as Republican wives of dead senators show up with guns, arguing they should have a voice in the new government.
Our main protagonist Yorrick is a likable slacker who is sometimes clueless. He is more concerned about reaching his girlfriend who he wants to marry and his sister. We are meant to believe that the survival of humanity rests in his head and let me tell you, it doesn't look good.
With its humorous dialogue, great illustrations, fun characters and a fast-paced story, I'm willing to take the journey with Yorrick to find out the answers to my questions.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: This graphic novel contains strong bloody violence, nudity, and language. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: Y: The Last Man: Cycles (Vol 2) by Brian K. Vaughan
Review: Y: The Last Man: Unmanned is a dystopian graphic novel that has a really intriguing premise. A plague of unknown origin has spread and killed every mammal with a Y chromosome with the exception of one young man named Yorick and his male monkey pet. We don't find out the explanations for the plague or why Yorick and his monkey were saved, which is actually a good thing because there are several possibilities.
This graphic novel and I'm guessing the remainder of this series takes a satirical viewpoint of gender issues and the continual fight between progressive science versus the natural order of things. There is also a lot of humor and not so subtle social criticisms/satire as women commemorate the dead man at The Washington Monument (take a moment and think about it). We also have what society would dub as the crazy feminists who take on the role of the ancient Amazons and tear off one breast and take to believing Mother Earth meant to eradicate the males. Politicians are not left unscathed as Republican wives of dead senators show up with guns, arguing they should have a voice in the new government.
Our main protagonist Yorrick is a likable slacker who is sometimes clueless. He is more concerned about reaching his girlfriend who he wants to marry and his sister. We are meant to believe that the survival of humanity rests in his head and let me tell you, it doesn't look good.
With its humorous dialogue, great illustrations, fun characters and a fast-paced story, I'm willing to take the journey with Yorrick to find out the answers to my questions.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: This graphic novel contains strong bloody violence, nudity, and language. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: Y: The Last Man: Cycles (Vol 2) by Brian K. Vaughan
Labels:
2014 YRHB Reading Challenge,
4 stars,
Adult,
Dystopian,
Graphic Novel,
Humor,
Pets,
Y The Last Man series
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I can't get all those "last man on earth" jokes out of my head. I'm glad it has humor since that is where my brain went. LOL
That definitely is a unique premise! And I had to snort at the visual of a bunch of women at the base of a very phallic-looking monument commemorating the death of so many men. I love a book that has some humor running through a very serious set of circumstances, so I think I enjoy this!
Wow, wicked premise! And I love that it has humour. I may have to ask you about recs for graphic novels sometime because I bet there are some really good reads that I'm missing out on by not reading this kind of novel.