Brian K. Vaughan – Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7: Paper Dolls and Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons

86. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 7: Paper Dolls by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, José Marzán Jr. (2006)
Y: The Last Man, Volume 7

Length: 144 pages each
Genre: Graphic Novel; Post-apocalyptic science fiction

Started / Finished: 21 July 2010

Where did they come from? The library.
Why do I have them? I’ve been enjoying the series.

Summary: On a brief shore excursion in Sydney (en route to Japan), Yorrick tries to hunt for word of his girlfriend, but runs up running afoul of a canny local reporter who’s on the hunt for news of the last man on Earth. We also catch up with some old characters, and see the repercussions of Yorrick’s actions over the past few volumes, plus we get some of 355’s and Amersand’s backstories.

Review: Paper Dolls was not one of my favorite installments of this series. Plenty of stuff happened, but it felt like it came in too many small chunks without one overarching story, and while some of the chunks actually contained plot development, some of them didn’t really feel like they were going anywhere. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and everything will tie together tidily in the end, but the drama feels like it’s lost some of its urgency as the series goes on. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Not the best of the series, but still worth your while.

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First Line: “Have I seen any men?”

87. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, José Marzán Jr. (2006)
Y: The Last Man, Volume 8

Summary: Yorrick & Co. have finally tracked Ampersand to Japan, but they still haven’t recovered him yet. Before they do, they’ll have to face the Japanese mob, a sword-wielding ninja, and scariest of all, Dr. Mann’s mommy issues that have made her the delightful, cheerful, sunny person she is today. We also get an entire issue devoted to Alter’s backstory.

Review: This one is also not my most favorite installment of Y ever. Basically what it boils down to is that I don’t particularly like Dr. Mann all that much, so spending an entire story arc listening to her bitch about “oh, poor me, look at what a terrible childhood I had” got pretty tiring pretty fast. Yorrick and 355 infiltrating the Yakuza in pursuit of Ampersand was much more entertaining. I wonder if my increasing falling-out-of-love this story is based on how much I enjoyed the worldbuilding; by this point, the world is pretty much built, and all that’s left to do is run around in it and shoot people, or so it seems. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Still not at top form, but we do get some more clues about the start of the plague, and I’m still interested to see how/if they eventually manage to pull it out of the fire in the next two volumes.

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First Line: “Man is a Fool.”

Other Reviews: Have you reviewed either of these books? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

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