Reviews of graphic novels and comic book collections every Tuesday and Thursday.


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Y: The Last Man - One Small Step by Brian K. Vaughan
I've made no secret of how much I enjoy this series (see my December 1, 2003 review of Volume 2) and with each book I'm getting closer and closer to picking it up in its comic form every month. The only thing stopping me is that the books are such quick reads, I'd be disappointed to only read 22 pages at a time. Y: The Last Man - One Small Step (2004, DC Comics, Amazon listing), the third volume, is another fast-paced story that I zipped through in a hour. It deftly wraps up some plot points while introducing others and whetting your appetite for more.

Yorick, the last man on Earth, continues his journey across America with Agent 355 and Dr. Mann. The group learns from a Russian operative that three astronauts (including two men) are going to attempt to leave the space station and return to Earth. They quickly realize the importance of this action and race to Kansas to meet them. Unbeknownst to them, someone in the American government has sent a special Israel military squad to pursue Yorick. By the end of the story arc, the astronaut story has been resolved to some extent as the group gains a new member as they head to California. The Israelis are dealt with and new angles are revealed.

Brian K. Vaughan continues to write a tight story that explores what a world full of women and only one man would be like. There is plenty of action, sharp dialogue and like the best thrillers, always a reason to keep turning the page. At times he can get a bit over-the-top, as he does in the final two chapters which move the focus away from the main characters and to a travelling troupe of actors who put on a play about the last man on Earth. Ably illustrated by Paul Chadwick (of Concrete fame), the story tends to beat you over the head in a way that Vaughan usually avoids in the other stories.

Y: The Last Man - One Small Step 4 stars (out of 5)
posted by Sean McGurr at 8:32 AM