Y the Last Man 5, and on to The End
Continuing my way through Bryan K. Vaughan’s widely acclaimed post-apocalyptic comic-book series Y the Last Man, I finished Volume 5, Ring of Truth. Several important things take place, most notably the explanation for why Yorick Brown and his monkey Ampersand were the only male mammals to survive the plague. Between a murderous ninja (redundant?), and a hallucinating Hero (capitalization intended), Vaughan throws some backstory and red herrings into the mix. It’s a fast-paced story that caused me to switch after book 5 to the monthly individual issues, since I couldn’t wait the many months for the next collected volume to come out. Now that the series is done, however, I recommend you seek out the volumes, not the individual issues. They’re filled with distracting ads; the collections are concentrated story.
I read on in individual issues to the end putting off both a nap and bedtime; I value sleep so much, given its lack in my life because of small kids, that this is a high compliment. I cried at the last issue, yet found it hopeful and satisfying. Y is a good story, with strong characters, and lots of savory subplots that support that strong overarching narrative.