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By Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra & José Marzán Jr. (Vertigo)
ISBN 1-84576-043-3
Yorick Brown woke up one morning and every other male (not just Man, but every other living thing with a thing) was dead. Except him Рoh, and his pet monkey, of course. Over the course of two years he has made his peril fraught way from the East Coast of America towards his fianc̩e, who was left stranded in Australia when civilisation ended.
In this fifth volume events move into higher gear as the secret agent who has been bodyguarding him and the geneticist who has been trying to solve his mysteriously continued existence both reach turning points in their own particular journeys, as does Yorick’s previously insane sister, Hero, who has been stalking them across the feminine, ravaged and now generally dis-United States.
When they all arrive in San Francisco, Agent 355 has a lethal confrontation with her ex-comrades, Hero has an epiphany of sorts, and Dr. Mann actually discovers the secret of the last man’s immunity to the disease that killed all those guys.
Hey, remember the Monkey? He’s stolen and shipped abroad. It is absolutely vital that the team must rescue him from captivity in, surprise, surprise, Australia!
If that felt a little confusing, you really shouldn’t read this gradually improving, well-written – if contrived – adventure, although the art is deliciously effective in an unassuming, subversive way. If you are engaged, however, and prepared to track down the previous four volumes first, you might enjoy it.
© 2004, 2005 Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra. All Rights Reserved.