Y: The Last Man

Title: Y: The Last Man | Author: Brian K. Vaughan | Publisher: Vertigo

Synopsis from Goodreads:
In this third volume, Yorick’s unbalanced sister Hero tracks him to San Francisco, only to find him seemingly succumbing to the male-killing plague after losing his still-unused engagement ring to agents of the Setauket Ring. Plus, Yorick, Agent 355 and Dr. Mann ship out across the Pacific to Japan in pursuit of Yorick’s stolen monkey Ampersand, whose innards may hold the key to mankind’s future. 
As this deluxe edition begins, we catch up on the adventures of Yorick’s monkey Ampersand (whose biology may hold the key to stopping the male-killing plague) and tells the origin of Yorick’s mysterious protector, Agent 355 as Yorick searches for his fiancée in Australia, with deadly results. From Australia, Yorick and his companions continue on to Japan to learn the truth behind Ampersand’s abduction.
In this final deluxe edition, Yorick and Agent 355 prepare for their ultimate quest to reunite the last man with his lost love, while the person, people or thing behind the disaster that wiped out half of humanity is revealed. Then, Yorick Brown’s long journey through an Earth populated only by women comes to a dramatic, unexpected conclusion.

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So I’ve finally powered through the final books in the Y: The Last Man series. It took ages to get a copy from the library, but they were finally available and I zoomed through these second half of this series. I know I blather on about how awesome Brian K. Vaughan is, but HOW AWESOME IS BRIAN K. VAUGHAN? This series is witty, it’s dark, it’s human, it’s everything you’d ever want in a comic series and so much more. I absolutely loved this story.

Yorick experiences such awesome transformation throughout the story arc. He’s a bit of a whiney baby at the beginning, naive and innocent, but the years harden him into someone who’s fierce, protective, and loyal. But he’s not immune to stupidity, and he makes many mistakes. The thing is, he always learns from his mistake. He transforms from the sad damsel in distress into a hardened, vital member of the team.

355 experience incredibly great transformation as well. As she grows, she softens, becoming more and more human with each page. She’s still a killer and is incredibly protective of her own, but she opens up, revealing the woman beneath her tough, no-nonsense exterior. As an unlikely friendship grows between 355 and Yorick, we come to know her intimately and she turns out to be one of the most likeable and interesting characters in the series.

If you haven’t read these books, go out and do it NOW. Yes, that is an order. Because these books are phenomenal. The story shows the absolute best and worst of humans put into a completely hopeless situation. It demonstrates resourcefulness, and provides clever insight into the constructs of our current world.

Have you read Y: The Last Man? What are your thoughts?