Y: The Last Man #17
Originally Presented at Comixtreme.com
An archive of all my reviews is online at Evertime Realms.
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: “&” (Comedy & Tragedy Act Two)
Inspired by the monkey Ampersand, a group of women prepare to perform a play about the last man on Earth.
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Pencils: Paul Chadwick
Inks: Jose Marzan Jr.
Colors: Pamela Rambo
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Will Dennis
Cover Art: J.G. Jones
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Review: The significance of this brief tangential story arc is made clear in this issue as a mysterious ninja tracks down Ampersand, one of only two males left on Earth. The real thrust of this story, though, is the discussion of theatre and the arts, and how even a cataclysm that wipes out half the human race and threatens the other half with extinction within a generation is not enough to change people who would rather quiet voices they don’t agree with rather than engage in a debate.
It’s sad to see how cynical even the arts in this world have become, although it is perfectly believable and works in the context of the story. It’s just sad. But then, it’s a sad kind of story, so it works.
These two issues really didn’t do anything to advance the real story of this title, except to add another caveat at the end. It’s important to occasionally step back and look at the larger picture in this sort of massive science fiction fable.
Chadwick, as always, does a good job on the art chores, but the most impressive artwork in the book has to be the cover by J.G. Jones, who crafted a couple of really original covers for this story arc. People have complained in the past about all of the Y: The Last Man covers looking alike - it would be very difficult to make that argument with these covers. They stand out from the racks, and they’ll get people who wouldn’t ordinarily be so inclined to pick them up.
This was a good side-track from the main story, but man, I’m ready to see where the story goes from here.
Rating: 4/5
An archive of all my reviews is online at Evertime Realms.
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: “&” (Comedy & Tragedy Act Two)
Inspired by the monkey Ampersand, a group of women prepare to perform a play about the last man on Earth.
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Pencils: Paul Chadwick
Inks: Jose Marzan Jr.
Colors: Pamela Rambo
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Will Dennis
Cover Art: J.G. Jones
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Review: The significance of this brief tangential story arc is made clear in this issue as a mysterious ninja tracks down Ampersand, one of only two males left on Earth. The real thrust of this story, though, is the discussion of theatre and the arts, and how even a cataclysm that wipes out half the human race and threatens the other half with extinction within a generation is not enough to change people who would rather quiet voices they don’t agree with rather than engage in a debate.
It’s sad to see how cynical even the arts in this world have become, although it is perfectly believable and works in the context of the story. It’s just sad. But then, it’s a sad kind of story, so it works.
These two issues really didn’t do anything to advance the real story of this title, except to add another caveat at the end. It’s important to occasionally step back and look at the larger picture in this sort of massive science fiction fable.
Chadwick, as always, does a good job on the art chores, but the most impressive artwork in the book has to be the cover by J.G. Jones, who crafted a couple of really original covers for this story arc. People have complained in the past about all of the Y: The Last Man covers looking alike - it would be very difficult to make that argument with these covers. They stand out from the racks, and they’ll get people who wouldn’t ordinarily be so inclined to pick them up.
This was a good side-track from the main story, but man, I’m ready to see where the story goes from here.
Rating: 4/5