Brian K. Vaughan

Any story needs to be held up to the yardstick of its wrap-up, and this is no slouch.

I'm not used to seeing comics throw all their focus and love on a single idea after so much time has been spent on what appears to be, you know, THE LAST MAN.

But here's a little secret. It's not really about him at all. It never was. And even after so much panel time, he's really nothing more than a red herring.

Do I need to spell it out?

Well, yeah! It's about women. Hello!! And this volume is doing a very show more fine job of it. All complicated and messed up as it is, how cheeky and sad and gritty and girly, it's just as crazy as the whole subject we've been sloshing through for this entire comic.

And it just feels right. One more to go! Let's see if the *ahem* hero gets his girl. :) show less

Alana, Marko, their newborn daughter and co. are still being pursued across the galaxy by representatives of different sides in an intergalactic war.

Continuing with the theme of family in this volume: a couple of journalists investigating Alana and Marko’s disappearance interview someone from Alana’s family and later are threatened by someone who turns out to be related to another character; a found-family dynamic begins to emerge around one of the pursuers; the other pursuer tries to show more phones home to talk to his pregnant wife; and our main gang seek shelter with someone whose perspective has been deeply shaped by the family he has lost.

I enjoyed this volume. I liked the moments where a character made a choice or revealed a motivation which I wasn’t expecting - and yet, upon reflection, was in keeping with my previous understanding of that character. Not some dramatic twist, just rich characterisation.

There were dramatic twists too, and funny moments, and lovely moments, and heartbreaking ones (AHHH, STOP HURTING CHARACTERS I LIKE), and the sort of weirdness I know to expect from Saga. I’m still super invested in the characters - and still super worried something really awful will happen that will just ruin everything. I know I’ve come to the wrong story if I want everyone to be okay, but I just want everyone to be okay, okay?

Anyway, my favourite scenes were the ones with Alana, Marko and co. just hanging out on Quietus, and Sophie’s interactions with Lying Cat.

I read an old interview with Vaughan, in which the interviewer asked him about the “picture-book quality” to some of the narration and his response was “I’ve been reading a ton of children’s books since my kids were born, and I love the way text in those stories sometimes playfully interacts with images. Felt like a cool device to steal”. I was interested that it was a conscious style choice, and it’s probably another reason why Saga appeals to me. I really like picture books.

Some parents let their young kids win at games, but mine never did.
I don’t think it was because they were particularly competitive, they just wanted to teach me a valuable lesson.
Life is mostly just learning how to lose. show less

This outstanding graphic novel series, often referred to as a “space opera,” continues the story of the little family of Marko and Alana - a mixed-race couple - and their daughter Hazel. The family is struggling to stay together in spite of a war between their two races.

Alana is from the planet Landfall, where inhabitants have wings on their backs, and Marko is from its moon, Wreath, where all people have horns on their heads. The two defied all convention (and propaganda, viz: those show more people have horns on their heads!) and fell in love. Hazel was born with both horns and wings, and it is Hazel who narrates the story.

There is an ongoing intergalactic hunt for Marko and Alana, because their love story gives lie to the party line that the people from these two species can’t, and never will, get along, and that their offspring would not be viable.

The three of them are currently on a ship racing from those who seek to kill them, but they are not alone. Hazel's babysitter Izabel is there. Prince Robot IV is traveling with them in order to get back to his young son. Petrichor, who was sort of “adopted” by Hazel when they were in prison together, has also reluctantly become a part of this odd but increasingly bonded family.

Hazel explains:

“If a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, then a family is more like a ROPE. We’re lots of fragile little strands, and we survive by becoming hopelessly intertwined with each other.”

Unfortunately, they need to stop and refuel at the nearest source of power, which is the dangerous war-torn comet Phang. As Hazel, with her usual trenchant powers of observation, characterized this place:

“. . . an exotic land of boundless diversity, home to thousands of different tribes, sects, and species . . . almost all of whom despised each other.”

They end up staying six months, during which time IV confronts his guilt over how he has lived his life, Marko struggles to maintain his pacifism, and Alana is ever more heavily pregnant. Hazel has her first kiss with one of the denizens of the comet, and her babysitter Izabel has, much to Hazel's consternation, gone missing.

In alternate chapters we follow what is happening with recurring characters who are looking for the family, including the mercenaries The Will and The March, as well as Gwendolyn and little Sophie, the latter two now accompanied by Lying Cat, who previously had been with The Will.

Discussion: There is more emphasis in this volume on the ongoing war with its violence and killing, rather than the notions of love and loyalty that usually take center stage in this series. Some of the best characters are eliminated. But there is never a dearth of nuance and pathos; in spite of the small space for picture and dialogue in the graphic novel, even the worst characters are miraculously made into beings eliciting our compassion and understanding.

Illustrator Fiona Staples is listed as first author, which seems appropriate. Her art work contributes to the meaning of the story in ways it would be hard for words to do alone. She not only imbues the vivid panels with dynamism and astounding creativity, but the way she captures emotions of all sorts of creatures is incredibly impressive.

The Observer recently reported about her:

"Fiona Staples is nominated for some Eisner Awards . . . again. She’s now been nominated ten times, and so far she’s won six [for her work on Saga]. The Eisner Awards are like the Oscars of comics, which would make her our Meryl Streep. The only difference is that Eisner categories aren’t divided by gender, and for any woman to get to the tippy top in comics is no small feat."

Evaluation: This is an outstanding “saga” whether you like graphic novels or not. This is not by any means a series for kids - you will see graphic (in both senses) depictions of childbirth, oral sex, anal sex, masturbation - just about anything you can think of (or more accurately, might have never thought of!).

No one gender or race has claim to any particular qualities, whether courage or compassion. But overall, the females tend to be more formidable, powerful and tough, and the guys more nurturing. (My favorite scene in this book: Alana is handling weapons while Marko, in slippers and an apron, is doing the dishes.) The political commentary is as powerful as it is subtle. This series is hilarious, moving, exciting, romantic, action-packed, and crazily mentally stimulating, all at once. This volume may leave you sadder than usual, however. show less

Beginning in 2002, all living mammals with the Y chromosome suddenly all die, all but Yorick Brown and his pet (male) monkey, Ampersand that is. Now, they must figure out why they were the only ones to survive. Over the next 3 years, Yorick and Ampersand, along with Agent 355, and Dr. Allison Mann, trek 10,000 miles around the world in search for Yorick's girlfriend/kind of fiancé. They run into all kinds of women, those who want to help and those who would rather see Yorick dead. Can show more Yorick find Beth or is the whole journey a waste of time?

Collects Y: The Last Man #1-60 (the whole series)

My boss had been telling me to read this comic for nearly a whole year. I finally put it on Hold at the library so it would semi-force me to pick it up and read it. Oh man, was I only disappointed in myself for not reading it sooner!!

This comic had a little bit of everything a woman can be - strong, bloodthirsty, capable, brilliant, and above all, survivors. I've read a few novels recently about plagues and how different the world would be if X,Y, and Z happened (which is a bit strange since we're still dealing with Covid-19), and I just find it all fascinating.

The growth of everyone over the years is incredible as well, I never felt like anyone just suddenly switched and jumped into someone completely different. I also felt like that though there were a ton of characters, I never would get them confused (though I would forget names sometimes).

There are no shortages of ups and downs in this crazy roller coaster called Y: The Last Man. A chapter/book in the series that stood out to me was “Safeword”, where we dig deep into Yorick's past and you never look at him the same - it's also one of the big turning points for Yorick as well. Another was the final book, “Whys and Wherefores" , where it wraps everything up pretty nicely, but still sucker-punches you in all the feels. I gasped aloud so many times in that chapter I lost count.

If you'd like a graphic novel with wonderful illustrations, an amazing, creative storyline that follows the "last man on earth", Y: The Last Man will not disappoint! show less