WLG #212: Y Does It Have To End?

By Michael Diaz

I am going to have some minor spoilers here in the introduction concerning Y:The Last Man. I say “minor spoilers” in that I am going to talk about some of the twists and turns that we saw in the first year or two of the series. If you've been reading that book since day one, well, these won't be spoilers, but if you've been thinking about reading the book or have only recently begun to get the trades, well, you might want to skip down to the part that says “It's safe to come back now.”

I'll give you a moment to scroll down further if you need it.

Still here?

Cool.

So, about four or five years ago I was out with my girlfriend, the woman who is now my fiancée, running some errands. It was a cool summer day and she was nice enough to let me stop and pick up my comics as we were driving around town.

She wanted to stop by the local blood bank to donate some blood. She asked me if I wanted to go in with her as she was going to be in there for a bit. I am terribly squeamish, especially around needles and blood, so I said, “No thank you.” Besides, I had a stack of fresh comics sitting next to me, so I knew I was going to have plenty to keep me occupied.

Off she went through the doors of the blood bank as I sat in the car, a nice breeze blowing through the open windows. I opened my bag of comics and immediately grabbed the latest issue of Y: The Last Man, #13 I believe (but I could be wrong). Over the past year I had really grown to like the series, so of course I had to read the latest issue just as soon as I could.

In typical fashion the book progressed well, but there, on the final page was the big reveal: Yorick was NOT the only surviving male. There were also two males, looking down on Earth from their space station along with their female comrade. That seen threw me back in my seat. I remember actually saying “What the...?!?!?!”

I actually turned the page back and re-read it so that I could take in the surprise again.

It was then, at that very moment that this book's greatness was cemented for me. I don't know why that scene did it for me, but from then on I knew that this book was going to be something amazing and special.

That's just my little story about Y: The Last Man; I figured with the book coming to a close tomorrow that now would be an appropriate time to tell it.

And now, this:

Standard Disclaimer: For those of you new to the WLG experience, here's how it works: Every week I check out the release schedule from the Diamond Comics Shipping List and decide which comics that I am going to spend my hard-earned money on. Yep, my money. That's good, because it helps to maintain my objectivity. If I spend money on a comic book and it turns out to be crap I'm going to be upset.It's safe to come back now!.

I'll miss Y... now that it is coming to an end, but there will always be other books; that being the case, let's see What Looks Good...

DARK HORSE

PREDATOR: OMNIBUS #2 $24.95 (various / various)

Drool.

Really, that's all I want to say about this: drool.

I probably don't have the scrilla to buy this omnibus this week, but sometime soon this will be mine.

Oh yes, it will be!

What can I say, I'm a sucker for anything with Predator emblazoned across it.

I'm a geek, what did you expect?

DC

BATMAN #673 $2.99 (Grant Morrison / Tony Daniel)

Morrison showing Batman reliving the hunt for the killer of his parents? Classic! Well, Morrison is at his best when he takes classic takes on comic books and gives them his own little twist (remember New X-Men?).

Yeah, sign me up!

GREEN LANTERN #27 $2.99 (Geoff Johns / Mike McKone)

Johns and company have done an EXCELLENT job of reinvigorating the entire Green Lantern Corps, and thought the “Sinestro War” is over its effects are going to be felt for some time.

Case in point: the Alpha Lanterns.

What are they? Me, I have NO clue, but I'm curious as heck. I mean, there is already Ion, so what are the Guardians doing now? I mean, after Ion there are the Honor Guard, consisting of Lanterns like Gardner, so really, what ARE these Alpha Lanterns?

It seems like every issue of late has been adding yet another level, another facet, to what the GLC is or can be.

I LOVE it.

DO WANT!

Y: THE LAST MAN #60 $4.99 (Brian K. Vaughan / Pia Guerra)

Wow, 60 issues and this is it.

The end.

I almost can't believe it is here, but how can I not, when I have been here for the entire ride.
And what a ride it has been, from emotional lows and highs, to twist endings and surprised galore, this has been one HECK of a ride as Brian K. Vaughn, Pia Guerra, et al. have crafted a modern masterpiece. I think early on I started saying that this rivaled only Preacher and Sandman when it came to epic scope. So now that we're here at the end do I still think that?

Well, to be fair, I have not yet finished Sandman (to be COMPLETELY honest, I only have the first trades and am only about half way through the first one, but hey, I'm finally doing something about this glaring omission in my comic book collection!), but I did read all of Preacher and LOVED it. Does Y: The Last Man compare?

Of course it does. I'm not going to say which is better, because like one's own children that just isn't fair to choose between the two. I love both series for various reasons, some the same, some far different. I will say that for me, personally, Y... had a little more resonance simply because I was around since day one, slowly watching the epic unfurl itself.

It's been a wonderful trip, it has been, but will the destination be as awesome?

I look at that cover and I'm afraid. I haven't paid any attention to any spoilers online, so I have NO advance foreknowledge, but when I see that cover I can't help but ask myself, “Is that Yorick in a straight jacket? Why? PLEASE don't tell me that he is mad and that this has ALL been in his head.”

Sure, that would truly be, well, for lack of a better word, a total mindfuck (sorry kids!) and one heck of a twist in a book that has been known for its amazing and striking twists, but PLEASE, please Mr. Vaughan, I do hope that is NOT the case.

I really don't have much of well-reasoned argument as to why it would be a bad thing. I realize that this is fiction, and more importantly this is Vaughan/Guerra's story to tell, so they can tell it however they see fit. That said, I feel as a fan that it after everything Yorick, Beth, 355, Mann, and Hero have been through turned out not to be real, well, the story as a whole would be that much less powerful. Again, I realize that this is a comic book and none of this is real, but there are things that I can suspend my disbelief about, and others I cannot.

I've said my piece.

Regardless of how this last issue comes out, the previous 59 issues have been utterly amazing, so kudos to Vaughan, Guerra, and everyone else that has had a hand in this book.

I've love this book for over five years now and though I am eager to see how everything wraps up I'm also a little sad that I won't be able to pick up this title anymore.

That's OK, I guess. I love this series so much that even though I own each and every single issue I plan on collecting this in trade as well.

Spending good money on the same story twice? Sure! That's the hallmark of an amazing story.

Thank you Brian and Pia. It's been a real pleasure.

Anything that looked good to you this week? Your thoughts on anything else to do with comics? Share them! Just check out theWhat Looks Good message boards (see link below) and spread the love, my friend, spread the love.

Until then,

Peace!

-Diaz