Y: The Last Man - The End is Near!

[benjaminsimpson]

Sorry if this is being discussed already, I'm new, and I didn't see any discussion with the search.

I started picking this up in trade when the first one came out, but by some fluke, I fell behind after the 3rd trade, and everytime I wanted to get back in, I was scared off by the growing number of trades I'd yet to read. But with the last arc starting, I dove in headfirst and picked up all the trades and issues I had missed so as to be able to read and discuss the last arc as it came out.

And after all that, wow, I'm an ass for not having kept up with it. The level of characterization here is phenomenal, and Guerra's (and later Sudzka's) art really grew on me, For me, some of my favourite moments are the subtle panels where you see Ampersand doing something completely random or unrelated.

Couple of things about the general plot (and here there be spoilers for those not completely caught up yet):

1. The rats! Holy hell, in what could have been considered a sort of throwaway issue, a possible HUGE turning point in the book. Any theories here?

2. Dr. Mann's father's explanation of the "plague". I don't buy it. Seems too easy in a way-out-there kind of way. Especially since I can't fathom why there would be a immunity to Mother Nature deciding men were no longer necessary. And also, how was the good doctor immune? We know Yorick was immune thanks to his bombardment of thrown shit from Amp, but it didn't seem like Dr. Mann's father would have been around Amp for long enough to that occur.

3. Will Yorick end up with "his" Beth by series end? It's clear 355 has got deeper feeling than she wants to let on, but I'd feel a bit cheated at this point not to see them together by #60.

[watsonglenn]

I have read all the Y stories but I don't remember anything about rats?

[baxter]

I have read all the Y stories but I don't remember anything about rats?

Nor do I. I read it in trade, so if it was after the last one I could understand. Can we get an issue #?

[fred]

are you talking about #54? that wouldn't be in trade yet

[watsonglenn]

are you talking about #54? that wouldn't be in trade yet

I just thumbed that issue. No rats that I could see.

[benjaminsimpson]

#53, page 19.

[mikegraham6]

i wasn't a fan of the explanation of the plague either. it just didn't ring true, it felt to be to far out and didn't fit with the realism that i came to expect from the series. remember the amulet fromt he first issue? i always thought it had something to do with that (but of course that wouldn't really fit with the realism either)
other than the last arc and the last couple of issues, i've really enjoyed this series and it will be missed once it's done.

and im sure yorick will end up with beth, or else i will throw a rock through BKV's window...:rolleyes:

[jerome]

It's going bimonthly (http://comics.ign.com/articles/763/763592p7.html)... :(

[mikegraham6]

that sucks, but at least the ending will be put off a little longer....

[paper]

that sucks, but at least the ending will be put off a little longer....

I like it because it gives me time to catch up on the 9th trade when it comes out so I can then read the last few issues as they are released.

[fred]

I like it because it will give him time to make sure that it's right. This awesome story deserves a fitting ending.

[jerome]

i already have a hard time remembering what happened last issue. meh

[kwok_talk]

I’ve been trying to catch up quick on this series and just finished volume #4 this past weekend. (Side note, with the whole Yorick being interrogated about his sex life arc, this was a VERY hard one to read in public at the airport w/o feeling like a total perv.) I’ve enjoyed this series so far and would definitely hope it resolves nicely. For those who are ahead, does the series continue to pick up? I feel like while it’s good, but I was wondering if I should prepare for some just so-so trades in the middle of the storyline.

[mikegraham6]

the only downturn ive found have been in the recent issues, but that might just be personal preference and in all honesty, ive found there have been maybe 3-4 clunkers in the entire series, thats a pretty good track record in my opinion

[benjaminsimpson]

It's going bimonthly (http://comics.ign.com/articles/763/763592p7.html)... :(

BKV explained it on his site:

First of all, though I know no one will believe me, this has nothing to do with LOST whatsoever. I wrote one comic script a week before I started working here, and I've written one comic script a week SINCE I started working here in December (replacing Runaways and the end of Doctor Strange with my upcoming Buffy arc and an issue of Midnighter, along with my usual commitments to Y and Ex Machina, as well as laying the groundwork for some NEW stuff).

Last year, I wrote two and a half feature-length screenplays on top of writing a 120-page original graphic novel and more than fifty individual issues of comics. I'm pretty good with deadlines. http://bkv.tv/phpBB2/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Anyway, it was really important to me that original team members and co-creators Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan, Jr. be the ones to draw every panel of our last six issues (and they are!), but this isn't their fault either. They're both kicking ass in the speed department.

So here's the story. The final, sixtieth issue of Y is going to be a huge, more-than-double-sized extravaganza, and it's going to take a ****ing long time for the entire team to do right. So we could probably put out the next five issues more or less on schedule, and then go on "hiatus" for a few months before giving you that finale, but in conjunction with everyone at DC, we decided that would just be too cruel to everyone who's stuck with us over the last five years.

So instead, we're trying to more evenly distribute the wait across this final six-issue arc, which I believe is much better for the story. I recognize how painful that is for everyone, especially because we're so very close to the finish line, but I hope the fact that we've put out more than fifty issues of a quality book on time has bought us a tiny amount of patience and good will.

I take schedules very seriously, and the trust the audience puts in a monthly series is not something I take lightly, so if you're a reader or retailer who wants to drop the book as a boycott, I understand. Still, we're almost at the final page we've been working towards since our journey began way back in the summer of 2002, and for those of you who hang with us, you have my word that it will be worth the wait.

With sincere appreciation for understanding,
BKV

http://bkv.tv/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10349

[benjaminsimpson]

the only downturn ive found have been in the recent issues, but that might just be personal preference and in all honesty, ive found there have been maybe 3-4 clunkers in the entire series, thats a pretty good track record in my opinion
Agreed, other than Girl on Girl, which felt like a bit of a clunker to me, the book has been top notch.

[k33k3r]

So I picked up the first two trades of Y this week and I've already read them both. This series is amazing and I'm not angry at myself for not looking into BKV before this let alone this series. My only complaint is that the tpb's are too damn short.