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Last Man Standing Ovation

  • Reviews - DC/Vertigo

Y: The Last Man #60
“Alas”
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Pencils: Pia Guerra
Inks: Jose Marzan Jr.
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Cover artist: Massimo Carnevale
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Price: $4.99 US/$5.99 CAN

I didn’t see that coming, and I’m not referring to the slight twist in the ending of this issue but rather to how the series as a whole came to a close.

Brian K. Vaughan diverges from the flow of the series as a whole and provides a series of epilogues, giving his readers a glimpse of who the various characters become years, even decades, after the main story took place. What first grabbed my attention abut this issue was Vaughan’s effort to embrace just about every hot-potato, controversial issue of ethics that occupies the minds of the world at the moment and making them real rather than hypothetical. From cloning to euthanasia, these touchy subjects are not only incorporated into the plot but treated casually. The world of Y is a very different place from that in which we live, but there are also so many familiar elements that one can’t help but relate to it. Ultimately, Vaughan seems to point out that the embittered debates about the most difficult issues with which we struggle today will nature dissipate as society evolves.

Years after Yorick and his colleagues undercover the secret of the plague that decimated mankind, society has managed to not only trudge on but to thrive… socially, biologically, technologically and economically. The leader of the Western world is now based in Paris, and she is the product of a one-night stand between Yorick Brown and the “Other Beth.” Populations are growing again, thanks to cloning, but years after perfectly the technique, the matriarchal nature of the world is reluctant to accept the presence of men after so long. Male clones are only slowly gaining acceptance, and one of them — a clone of Yorick Brown — is summoned to visit with the original. Yorick’s still alive and locked up for his own protection, but you know escape artists… they don’t much care for confinement.

Guerra’s clean linework bring a soft vulnerability to all of the characters, making it easier to relate to them and identify with them. That’s no small task, given the extreme visions of these characters have become in Vaughan’s vision of the future. In designing the various futurescapes that serve as settings for this unusual conclusion, the artist does a spectacular job of capturing the post-apocalyptic elements and technological advancements while also maintaining connections to the real world of today with strong visual cues (usually in the characters’ “wardrobe”). She also distinguishes among the characters at various stages in life quite clearly. I was particularly taken with the dramatic physical changes we see in the main protagonist, Yorick. It’s as though we’re seeing a literal metamorphosis in the character as he grows older and learns hard lessons.

As compelling as the ethical elements of the story are, what really stands out as the greatest strength of the book is the characterization. Through various flash-forwards, the writer explores who the various cast members of the series are. It turns out Hero and Original Beth were lost souls who finally found themselves. Allison Mann is transformed from a woman at war with different parts of her own personality and past into a bunch of separate individuals that represent those distinct fragments. The characters are riveting, as everyone is outstanding, intellectually and/or in terms of physical skills.

Yorick is obviously the most fascinating figure in the book. As noted before, he undergoes a transformation. At first, it occurred to me the significant of 355 and her death meant the series as a whole was a love story, but after more consideration, I changed my mind. The story is about Yorick, but not about his love for 355. It’s about how her death represented the first big, real blow in his life; he’d finally lost his innocence. Throughout the series, Yorick was a boy adventurer playing in a world of women. Here, he’s learned hard lesson after hard lesson. He’s grown bitter and bizarre. But there’s still a hint of the child inside, as all he longs to do is to reunite with his “childhood” playmate, go outside and play, in search for another adventure.

It says as much right there on the cover, just not with words. 9/10

February 1, 2008 Don MacPherson

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Quick Critiques – Feb. 6, 2008 → ← Pax Mentality

7 thoughts on “Last Man Standing Ovation”

  1. anthony r. says:
    February 1, 2008 at 6:56 pm

    I cried.

  2. Carlos says:
    February 1, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    This issue was especially awesome to me because it came out on the same day I quit the worst publishing internship of all time. But there were a couple of things I’m very surprised were not addressed in this issue. 1.) Yorick’s “big heart” (cardiomegaly?) that Dr. Mann mentioned a while back and 2.) in the last issue before the final story arc, wasn’t there something about rats that implied that something may have reversed the gendercide? It’s been somewhat of a long time since that issue, and I can’t go back and consult it because my brother has my entire Y collection four states away from me. Or am I just remembering those two things incorrectly (or worse, did I just imagine them)? Such is the peril of collecting single issues.

  3. Vicente says:
    February 4, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    I agree with you I thought with issue 59 this had been a long love story but it is actually a story about growing up. It is by far the best comic book I have read in years.

    I will re-read the whole run just to take more “hidden recomendations” as Margaret Atwood’s The Handsmaid’s Tale, what a great book…the eels…the who?…yes, those too…

  4. Rudy says:
    February 5, 2008 at 12:03 am

    My biggest question from this book alone – How did the present old Yorick get his hair back? He was stark bald throughout this book, even making a joke if Dr. Mann had cured baldness. 🙂 But ya definitely a bittersweet ending. Going to be hard to say goodbye to this book.

  5. Don MacPherson says:
    February 5, 2008 at 6:15 am

    Rudy wrote:
    My biggest question from this book alone – How did the present old Yorick get his hair back? He was stark bald throughout this book, even making a joke if Dr. Mann had cured baldness.

    I just assumed Yorick was balding and shaved his head. It’s not often you see a bald man who’s lost every follicle from his head.

  6. Rudy says:
    February 5, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    I just assumed Yorick was balding and shaved his head. It’s not often you see a bald man who’s lost every follicle from his head.

    Agreed. I was kidding around, but if you notice when Yorick meets up with his sis, he’s got stubble on his face, but not head. One would think if he’s ‘Bic’ing his head he could do his face too.

    I was offering nitpicking humor is all. I thought this was a phenomenal series and a great ending.

    Your review was also on the money.

  7. Delmore says:
    February 6, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    Other than the final scene with Amper the final issue was a big letdown. Flash forwarding in the final chapter is such an easy fallback for a writer. It’s like they rush out all the plot points they would’ve gotten around to if they wanted to continue on with the story, instead of giving us a true ending.

    I hated it in Six Feet Under and I hate it in Y. And I know I’m in the minority here.

    The scene with the monkey was sweet.

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