Y: The Last Man, Book 2: Cycles

~written by Brian K. Vaughan
~illustrated by Pia Guerra, and José Marzán, Jr.

Cycles is the second collection of the comic book series Y: The Last Man, covering issues six through ten. I'm really enjoying the series so far, and the collections are put together nicely. So far, each has consisted of a complete story arc (which makes me wonder if they deliberately planned the series around the publication of the trade editions.)

After Dr. Mann's lab is destroyed by Israeli forces in Unmanned, she, Yorick, and the ever present Agent 355 must make their way from the East Coast to her backup lab in California. This is a dangerous and daunting journey for the last man on Earth, and Yorick really wants nothing more than to reunite with his girlfriend Beth in Australia. Their trip is cut short and they end up making an unanticipated stop in Marrisville, Ohio--a virtual utopia in a world that has descended into chaos after all male mammals were believed to have died.

Cycles picks up right where Unmanned leaves us. The plot continues along nicely and remains high quality, even ending with a bit of a cliff-hanger. I think the artwork has actually improved since the first volume with more distinction appearing between background characters and continued consistency in the depiction of the main characters. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment.

(I'm originally from Ohio, and if you were wondering if portions of Cycles were actually based on a real place, the answer is yes. Though, you will have more luck finding information if you search for Marysville rather than Marrisville.)

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Y: The Last Man, Book 1: Unmanned

~written by Brian K. Vaughan
~illustrated by Pia Guerra, and José Marzán, Jr.
2005 Eisner Award Winner

What would it be like to be the last man on Earth? While not a particularly unique premise, it is this question that is addressed by the comic series Y: The Last Man. A mysterious plague instantaneously strikes dead every mammal with a Y chromosome. Except for Yorick Brown and his capuchin monkey Ampersand, that is.

Unmanned collects the first five issues of the series. In it, the disaster hits and nearly half the population of the planet dies. Understandably, things are rather chaotic and society more or less collapses. While the women start rebuilding civilization, Yorick wants nothing more than to be reunited with his girlfriend Beth who is on the other side of the world in Australia. Of course, there's the entire fate of humanity to take into consideration, as well.

I very much enjoyed this first installment. The artwork is well done, although quite a few of the women end up looking a little too similar. Also, some of the plot details are inconsistent. Whether or not this is intentional, I don't know. Guess I'll just have to go out and get the next volume.

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