Y The Last Man Reading Order: How to read Brian K Vaughan’s comic book series?
The last human male on Earth. By the Creator of Saga.
What is Y The Last Man about?
Y: The Last Man is a dystopian science fiction comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra and published under the DC Comics Vertigo imprint (who also published Hellblazer during a very long time). The series centers around the sole surviving male human after the spontaneous, simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth.
Y: The Last Man starts in the summer of 2002 when Earth is struck by a pandemic plague of unknown origin. This plague destroyed every mammal with a Y chromosome, including spermatosa and unborn children. Referred to as “gendercide”, the plague exterminated 48% of the global population, approximately 2.9 billion men. Two male mammals survived: a young man from Brooklyn named Yorick Brown and his pet Capuchin monkey Ampersand.
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Y The Last Man Reading Order:
a. The Collected Editions
- Unmanned – This is the saga of Yorick Brown-the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal possessing a Y chromosome. Accompanied by a mysterious government agent, a brilliant young geneticist and his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick travels the world in search of his lost love and the answer to why he’s the last man on earth. Collects Y: The Last Man #1–5.
- Cycles – As Yorick Brown begins to make his way across the country to California, he and his companions are forced to make an unscheduled stop in Marrisville, Ohio-a small town with a big secret. Collects Y: The Last Man #6–10.
- One Small Step – A Russian Soyuz capsule is coming down from the International Space Station carrying three passengers: one woman and two men. Could this be the end of Yorick’s tenure as last living male? Collects Y: The Last Man #11–17.
- Safeword – On the run from Amazon extremists who would be happy to see him dead, Yorick Brown is leaved in the care of Agent 711. But 711 is not the tragic woman she seems to be and Yorick is propelled into a drug-fuelled nightmare of blood and sadism. Collects Y: The Last Man #18–23.
- Ring of Truth – Yorick Brown finally makes it to San Francisco where his unbalanced sister, Hero, finds him seemingly succumbing to the male-killing plague after losing his still-unused engagement ring to the burqa-clad agents of the Setauket Ring. But is the ring really the key to his survival? And what does it have to do with the mysterious Amulet of Helene, which the Setauket leader is determined to take from Agent 355 by any means necessary. Collects Y: The Last Man #24–31.
- Girl on Girl – 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. Collects Y: The Last Man #32–36.
- Paper Dolls – Yorick and 355 search for Yorick’s fiancée Beth in Australia-a search that yields a large dose of unwanted publicity for the Last Man, and deadly consequences for those he cares for! Also catch up on the adventures of Yorick’s monkey Ampersand (whose body holds the key to stopping the male-killing plague) and discover the origin of Agent 355. Collects Y: The Last Man #37–42.
- Kimono Dragons – The hunt for Ampersand-the monkey who could unlock the mystery of the male-killing plague- arrives to its explosive climax, as the last man on Earth and his companions finally reach Japan and discover the truth behind Ampersand’s abduction. Collects Y: The Last Man #43–48.
- Motherland – Yorick and Agent 355 are preparing 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! Collects Y: The Last Man #49–54.
- Whys and Wherefores – Yorick Brown’s long journey through an Earth populated only by women comes to a dramatic, unexpected conclusion in this final volume. Collects Y: The Last Man #55–60.
b. Deluxe Edition
The series has been re-released as oversized hardcovers with alternative cover art.
- Y: The Last Man: Book One – Collects Y: The Last Man #1–10.
- Y: The Last Man: Book Two – Collects Y: The Last Man #11–23.
- Y: The Last Man: Book Three – Collects Y: The Last Man #24–36.
- Y: The Last Man: Book Four – Collects Y: The Last Man #37–48.
- Y: The Last Man: Book Five – Collects Y: The Last Man #49–60.
c. Absolute Edition
A specialty over-sized slip-covered edition.
- Absolute Y: the Last Man Vol. 1 – Collects Y: The Last Man #1–20.
- Absolute Y: the Last Man Vol. 2 – Collects Y: The Last Man #21–40
- Absolute Y: the Last Man Vol. 3 – Collects Y: The Last Man #41–60
d. Y: The Last Man Omnibus
The Omnibus edition collects for the first time in a single, comprehensive volume, writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra’s Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series Y: The Last Man brings to vivid life the age-old speculation: What would really happen to the last man on Earth? Collects Y: The Last Man #1-60 and a sketchbook featuring behind-the-scenes art by Pia Guerra.
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