Brian K. Vaughan – Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3: One Small Step

12. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3: One Small Step by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Paul Chadwick, José Marzán Jr., Pamela Rambo, Clem Robins, J. G. Jones (2004)
Y: The Last Man, Volume 3 (issues 11-17)

Read my review of volume:
1. Unmanned
2. Cycles

Length: 168 pages

Genre: Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi

Started: 31 January 2010
Finished: 31 January 2010

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? Ah, weekly graphic novels.

Men from outer space!
But these guys aren’t aliens,
they’re just astronauts.

Summary: Yorick Brown is the last man left alive on Earth… but he’s not the only man left in orbit. There are three astronauts who have been stuck in the space station since the plague that killed all of the males struck… and two of the three are men. They’re coming back down to Earth, and landing in Kansas, and Yorick, 355, and Dr. Mann are headed to meet them. However, the Israeli army has also gotten wind that Yorick might not be the only Y chromosome anymore, and they’ve got plans of their own. There’s also a two-issue arc which features Ampersand falling in with a traveling theater troupe.

Review: Another solid installment in an increasingly interesting and involving series. There are always a lot of elements in play, and even as some of them converge and get resolved, new ones are added in. There’s a good mix of action and story and character development, and a great combination of immediate payoffs and slow-burning plot threads that dole out their hints a little at a time. There are some hilarious bits of dialogue, and some scenes that were absolutely heartwrenching. This volume has two discrete storylines, which are acceptably self-contained, but have plenty of interesting bits to keep me on the hook for future installments. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: This series is fantastic… why aren’t you reading it already?

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Other Reviews: The Lair of the Undead Rat, Rob’s Blog o’ Stuff
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First Line: “Yorick?”

Cover Thoughts: I wish it had been zoomed out a little bit more so that it was more clear that it was an astronaut helmet, but otherwise it’s effectively creepy.