Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Safeword: Conclusion
Written by: Brian K. Vaughn
Penciled by: Pia Guerra
Inked by: Jose Marzan Jr.
Colored by: Zylonol
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Assistant Editor: Casey Seljas
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: Vertigo / DC Comics
Y: The Last Man, for those that don’t know, is as the title suggests, about the last guy on the face of the Earth. The titular “last man†is named Yorick, and as he was a bit of an underachiever prior to the cataclysm, he’s fairly easy to relate with. The series kicked off, almost two years ago, showing us the day when all males on the planet died. The opening left us with a number of ambiguities, any of which could have caused this deluge of death heaped on those possessing the Y chromosome.
Brian K. Vaughn’s stories continue to touch on the mystery, but never too deeply. From the start the book’s been more about Yorick’s travels through this strange post-apocalyptic world. Post-Apocalyptic as it is, it’s certainly the freshest version of an apocalypse I’ve ever seen, and for the most part, the cleanest. The survivors have maintained a society far beyond that of most post-apocalyptic stories, and rebuilt what they could. It’s really a novel look at a well-worn genre.
Yorick’s joined by Agent 355, a member of the Culper Ring (a secret governmental sect dating back to the time of George Washington), Dr. Mann (a brilliant geneticist that may be responsible for the cataclysm), and his faithful monkey, Ampersand (btw, if you like monkey’s check out ). Yorick and his crew continue their journey from Washington D.C. in hopes of reaching California and getting a hold of the backup data of Dr. Mann’s research.
For the last couple of issues, while 355 and Dr. Mann attempt to retrieve Ampersand from a local hospital, Yorick, who obviously has trouble traveling incognito in a world with no men, has been left in the care of another Culper Ring agent (funnily named 711). 711 turned into a complete sex-freak at the close of issue #18 and pried Yorick for some juicy tidbits that gave us some needed background on our hero. This month it is more kinky-commentary and even more interesting character morsels.
While this month’s issue lacks for action, Vaughn makes up for it with wonderful dialogue and some more interesting revelations about Yorick. Like last month’s issue, we’re treated to a flashback. The flashback this month doesn’t date back to Yorick’s childhood though. This time we get to see what happened to Yorick in the days directly following the “apocalypse,†a time that was skipped with a time jump at the beginning of the series.
While on the surface this storyline seems like something of a breather, it’s not. This is some of the best character work the title’s seen thus far. We’re finally getting to know what’s ticking beneath the surface of Yorick. This is an odd concept to carry out from month-to-month, almost feeling like a TV series as Yorick and company meet up with a new threat or town every arc. The characterization has been good up until this point, but Yorick’s character really needed this time to further shine.
What can you say about Pia Guerra, other than she’s defined the look of Y: The Last Man. Her lines capture Yorick and the strange, but relatively normal world he lives in. Yet, when it comes to the smuttier moments she brings them to life equally well.
All told, after twenty issues, I’m still very happy with Y: The Last Man and where it’s going. This is a very cool concept, but one that I could peter out as time wears on. Brian K. Vaughn doesn’t seem capable of telling a bad story though, so hopefully, this book will have many more years of great stories to tell.
