724 Y: THE LAST MAN
younger readers, Tsunami and Marvel Next, this title represents a diff erent take on
the superhero theme. Th e Runaways are a group of teenagers who discover that their
parents are evil villains. Trying to stop them, the teens realize that they have pow-
ers of their own and become a rather dysfunctional and atypical superheroes group.
One of the most salient characteristics of this title is the constant presence of teen
culture. Th ese teenagers are not superheroes that happen to be teens, but teens that
happen to have superpowers, therefore their interests, feelings, concerns, language
and relationships are kept in a realistic realm.
Th e connection between comic books and youth is complicated but it remains strong.
Even though recent developments, such as the graphic novel phenomenon, have increased
the importance of the adult and non-fan audience, comic books still tend to both refl ect
and infl uence youth culture.
Selected Bibliography: Brown, Jeff rey A. “Th e Readers.” Black Superheroes, Milestone
Comics, and their Fans. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2001, 93–132; Lavin,
Michael R. “A Librarian’s Guide to Archie Comics.” Serials Review 25(1) (1999): 75 – 82;
Pustz, Matthew. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers. Jackson: University
Press of Mississippi, 1999; Wright, Bradford W. Comic Book Nation: Th e Transforma-
tion of Youth Culture in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
Lucia Cedeira Serantes
Y: THE LAST MAN. Th is series begins with one horrifying moment in which every
single male mammal, human, and animal, on the face of Earth dies — except for one
man and one monkey. One survivor is a would-be escape artist in his early 20s named
Yorick Brown and the other is a Capuchin helper monkey named Ampersand that
Yo r i c k i s t r a i n i n g. Th is is the premise of Y: Th e Last Man , the award-winning series
published by DC Comics as part of their Vertigo line from 2002 to 2007 (last issue
cover date January 2008). Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra created the series, all of
which was written by Vaughan and most of which was penciled by Guerra and inked
by Jose Marzan Jr., Goran Sudzuka, and Paul Chadwick contributed additional art-
work, with J. G. Jones and Massimo Carnevale providing the covers. Th e series was
written for adult readers and contains mature language and both male and female
nudity. Th e 60 issues have been collected into 10 collections as well as a series of
oversized hardcover editions. Th e collections are subtitled: Unmanned (#1– 5), Cycles
(#6 –10), One Small Step (#11–17), Safeword (#18–23), Ring of Truth (#24–31), Girl
on Girl (#32–36), Paper Dolls (#37– 42), Kimono Dragons (#43– 48), Motherland
(#49– 54), and Whys and Wherefores (#55 – 60). Th e hardcovers are simply numbered
by volume and contain at least 10 issues each.
While a number of characters appear regularly in the series, there are three primary
characters—Yorick, Agent 355, and Dr. Allison Mann. At the time of the “gendercide,”
Yorick is in his early 20s and about to propose on the phone to his girlfriend Beth,
who is in Australia. When he realizes he was the only human male still alive he takes
